love* in the time of plague (and by love* i mean brexit* and other dreary matters of uk politics)

Ice hockey in Belarus

Kung Volleyball

Spanish lottery has been cancelled but most Euro, New York and two Irish ones still running!

obv endless Roulette, Poker, Blackjack gaming rooms as well. gambling addicts will be doing much better (or losing much more money) than smack addicts during this pandemic

Virtual Cribbage

sorry that was meant for the symptoms thread

that reminds me.. need more real cabbage!

They’re running bets on FIFA 2020 matches, much to the annoyance of the participants.

This immunity passport thing - good idea or not? Big downside seems to be that it might incite people to deliberately contract the virus so that they can get it out of the way and get on with their lives

more importantly, what colour will it be?

wait there's still stuff to bet on?

― nashwan, Thursday, 2 April 2020 22:33 (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

Since lockdown I have bet and won on table tennis, Counterstrike and an online FIFA tourney. I also got a refund on a chess competition that was abandoned, presumably due to C19, while my guy was winning. I haven't lost a bet since they shut down football.

Ah so this is where Corbyn had been going wrong all this time, he was providing more opposition to the Tory government than Jeremy Hunt https://t.co/nZUQJP9hBY

— Stephen Smith (@SteveNickSmith) April 2, 2020

I don’t think I understand the point of an immunity passport. Like, how is that going to be policed? What special privileges will it get you?

Will there be special passport-only pubs? Parks? Shops? Multiple exercise sessions in a day? Asking the whole country to stay inside during summer is a massive thing. Asking them to stay inside while people like Tracer Hand and me get to swan it about like lords is not gonna fly. It is logical but it won’t feel fair. Catch-it parties, forgery, and then just plain going out when you feel fine will rule the day.

So if it’s not privileges like that, what exactly is the point of it?

and so get back, as much as possible, to normal life," Mr Hancock said.

So, back to work then.

I'm not as convinced of its dangers as yourself, but it's been compounded by testing - if someone had already clearly had their dose but it'll be a month before they can get their passport, that won't sit well.

Glinner vs O'Brien
Pesto vs Hodges

truly the cream has risen to the top

"Will there be special passport-only pubs? Parks? Shops? Multiple exercise sessions in a day?"

Who can work and who cannot. If there are any jobs left, that is.

was that hancock on radio4 this morning? whoever it was was all weasel words and lies. 100,000 tests, but different types of tests, most of which aren't available yet, some of which don't currently work, but we do have some Porton Down tests and those are the highest quality tests, but only 500 of those, but there will be more. it was the 50,000 nurses thing all over again.

the old "there are plentiful supplies of PPE, we just have a few distribution problems" is the same. the right things in the wrong place are worthless. (and supply problems are arguably someone else's problem, distribution problems are on you)

from 2:10 here https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000gvlr

British army winning the prize for stupidest #Covid19 staged photo. All these soldiers potentially infecting each other when the same work could be done by one soldier if the trolley is wheeled beside the pallet pic.twitter.com/wcdcUwAeZZ

— Andrew Flood (@andrewflood) April 3, 2020

yeah let's all clap "our boys" because they'd be too thick to even do a shitty warehouse/stores job ..lol!

Perhaps you and Tracer can use your passports to visit the rest of us in hospital, Stet.

my old friend from way back who lives in Berlin now was telling me you get fined for not carrying ID over there!

Who did the sums on this repeated no test > bad test claim?

Leaving aside the fact that Theresa May has ruined this sentence construction forever, it's probably true in this case. A bad test is more likely to throw up a false negative, convincing a load of people that they can go out and visit their relatives with impunity. It's actively dangerous.

how many of these bad tests did they buy? someone ought to warn them there are scammers in the area who can see an easy mark from 20 miles!

https://amp.theguardian.com/business/2020/apr/02/philip-green-asks-for-taxpayer-support-to-prop-up-arcadia?

Lol

Like, how is that going to be policed?

It's unenforceable without a full police state and even suggesting it risks undermining all the measures in place. Once people have really started climbing the walls they will just take their chances and go out anyway.

my old friend from way back who lives in Berlin now was telling me you get fined for not carrying ID over there!

This isn't coronavirus related, most of continental Europe you need to have ID on you. Was quite surprised when a copper told me you don't in the UK, fancy the UK being easygoing on something like that.

Brown seemed weirdly desperate to introduce ID cards and it was scrapped by the coalition. Someone tries to float the idea every few years or so. TBH I think cost is the main reason they don't.

if there was compulsory ID for all then dirty voter suppression tactics would be out the window, unless they were a bit selective about who qualifies for it.

Jesus, it's Friday already.

ah nearly sad afternoon sesh time, in the kitchen!

if you have no ID and don't talk or cooperate what happens

We'll stand 'em up against the wall,
and Pop goes the Weasel!

if there was compulsory ID for all then dirty voter suppression tactics would be out the window, unless they were a bit selective about who qualifies for it.

this is the problem. unless you can guarantee simple, free, universal availability (and renewal) you just shift the problem onto the getting of the IDs. in the US this is exactly where Republicans focus like a laser, making people travel hundreds of miles to drivers’ license renewal centres where they’re inevitably told they lack a piece of paperwork etc.

You get fined? Frankly I've only ever witnessed ppl w/ no id being apologetic about it, and then cops tend to let you off as they would w/ a minor driving infraction (obvious caveats about the mood of the cop and the skin colour of the person asked apply).

And yeah UK elections are pretty insane when you've grown up w/ that too, couldn't believe I could just stroll up, give a postcode and they accept that!

xpost

if there was one tory you could say would definitely be in a apoplectic rage about the idea of compulsory ID it would be David Davis. For decades he's ranting about it happening in a "back door" fashion, his conviction levels on this one issue is pretty impressive!

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/03/coronavirus-britain-economy-government-blame-labour

"An open goal" for a left that has just elected Keir Starmer 😷

if there was one tory you could say would definitely be in a apoplectic rage about the idea of compulsory ID it would be David Davis. For decades he's ranting about it happening in a "back door" fashion, his conviction levels on this one issue is pretty impressive!

only a tory after all!

yesterday during hancock's half hour, one of the desperate, dubious sounding excuses he used that stuck in my mind was something like "Germany has a long tradition of having a diagnostics industry.. we've never really had that here"

really sad story:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/03/nhs-nurse-dies-coronavirus-hospital-where-she-worked-areema-nasreen-walsall

Oh, you want heartbreaking?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/03/siblings-of-13-year-old-uk-coronavirus-victim-ismail-mohamed-abdulwahab-develop-symptoms

fuck that’s devastating

What i don’t understand is how nobody else in the family apparently had it until now? Seems impossible. If I cark it surely my wife, who also has all the symptoms, would be admitted to my room?

For all the talk of "the virus doesn't discriminate", large families in small houses appear to be particularly at risk, especially multi-generational households. That means poorer families and in particular those containing first generation immigrants.

how do you fine someone if you don't know who they are and have no money on them? on the trains they ask you what address to send the fine too, which I find amazing

https://k39.kn3.net/taringa/1/7/6/2/1/8/73/schwarzbiercs/E67.jpg?2549

Exclusive:The full story of how a woman was wrongfully convicted under the Coronavirus Act and fined £660

Marie Dinou:
- did not enter a plea
- was ejected from court for not speaking name
- was not present when convicted
- was held in custody for 2 dayshttps://t.co/X4zJO8yX4Z

— Lizzie Dearden (@lizziedearden) April 2, 2020

dirty dirty pig scum.

But official guidance issued to officers by the College of Policing and National Police Chiefs’ Council states that “there is no power to ‘stop and account’” under the new laws.

Ms Dinou is not known to have undergone a mental health assessment, and a nurse was not present at court because of coronavirus.

The court made no formal effort to confirm that she spoke English

Cool, cool.

684 new deaths, thanks boris

It's ok though:

Queen records special coronavirus broadcast
The Queen has recorded a special broadcast on the coronavirus outbreak to be broadcast on Sunday, Buckingham Palace said.