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

People who have messaged me who’re being told by their bosses to go into work tomorrow include:
Construction workers
WHSmith & JD Sports staff
Debt collectors
Airplane manufacturers

(I kid you not)

This is madness. And the government is allowing it.

— CarolineJMolloy (@carolinejmolloy) March 23, 2020

debt collectors wtf, hope they collect a dose tbf

some fucking strange definitions of Key Workers still being used last night.

On that, spot the difference:

They literally changed the advice on @10DowningStreet pic.twitter.com/gBnVLG8mJR

— Louise (@McAttackL) March 24, 2020

Some of that hypertargeted social media Dominic Cummings sorcery might actually work for some constructive and useful purpose right now but apparently this supposed master of the art of communication has completely lost the ability to communicate effectively. It's almost as if weirdos from William Gibson novels aren't actually much use in a global health emergency.

yeah but the russians aren't assisting this time round - no need, everything's collapsing without their input

they've even got millions in free ad credits on FB that they can't be arsed using, he'd have grabbed them with both hands during the Leave/GE19 campaigns, so it shows where his priorities lie.

I guess there's no point, people aren't spending much time on the internet right now.

There's also an argument that unambiguous mass communication is more important right now but if they could manage to go Get Brexit Done every ten seconds you'd think they'd be able to go Stay At Home a bit more, and maybe a week or so earlier?

exactly, and whatever happened to 'no more dither and delay'? they've been masters of it these past couple of weeks

When you load up twitter/fb/insta in the Netherlands, at the very top is a "to stay informed w/ trusted info visit X" which redirects to the Dutch research institute for public health. I'm guessing that's what those free ad credits get you?

I can tell some of the local bed manufacturers here are still operating

well, "home shops" are still open, and I need a new bed. I was thinking after last night's news that I wouldn't be able to get one now and then I saw the words "home shops" on the list. but this also seems a poor time to go and lie on a succession of publicly-available beds to try them out, so I will probably still not buy a bed

I've been working from home but most of my job (the familiar and comfortable bits) is to support frontline staff who can't work from home, so not quite sure what will happen now they're officially being sent home too.

from my boss's communications I think there's a good chance I'll still be paid for something, and I realise many people aren't in such a good position, but it still feels weird, having a job which is 2% Online! Digital! Now High Priority! (btw I have no idea how to deal with most of the stuff that might now arise through this formerly tiny part of my job) and 98% no longer relevant, and wondering how that's going to work.

Some of that hypertargeted social media Dominic Cummings sorcery might actually work for some constructive and useful purpose right now but apparently this supposed master of the art of communication has completely lost the ability to communicate effectively. It's almost as if weirdos from William Gibson novels aren't actually much use in a global health emergency.

Isn't about time we had free broadband btw?

I couldn't sleep early a.m. this morn so put 5 live on for the lols. The first caller i heard was a right bleedin' cockernee geezer who was saying anyone breaking the conditions of the lock-down should be "put in a warehouse".

Small local Post Office (actually a W.H. Smiths) closed (unforseen circumstances"?). HSBC branch also closed and cash machines off line. So I guess that balances out the non-useful stuff that is open.

massive dark lol that my recent cunning lifeplan -- quit job*, live off savings for a couple of years while i mainly work on a best-selling book then slide back into the self-employed sub-editing market -- now means that last year's NOT GREAT earnings will be the benchmark if/when govt organises a support plan for freelancers.** bcz the slide back into the self-employed sub-editing market has been a v slow slide and the couple of years is now stretching to four and savings while pleasant to have right now = all too finite :( :(

i mean maybe now is not the worst time to be spamming everyone re my apparent healthy availability and my skill at living on my own and WFH

*tbf this bit of the decision was validated by subsequent events at the magazine in question and my 16-odd years there quietly building up my savings to cushion my (re)turn to writing was also not a terrible plan BUT
**update news on this possibly due at the end of the week or start of next maybe we'll see

was due to move jobs pretty imminently (interviewed, offered etc) but now unsure whether it is sensible to move jobs giving impending depression. would be giving up X years' service (i.e. ant potential redundancy payments) for 6 month's probationary period where you can be let go with a week's notice. hmmm

the homerton mutual aid whatsapp just posted this so i'm passing it on: https://survivorsnetwork.org.uk/online-resources-available-during-social-distancing-and-self-isolation/

the labourer across the road whose got a redder face than the ribena man is always working away and his van hasn't been back for weeks. Building sites have got to be amongst the top ten best workplaces for spreading viruses, they all sit in the same little cabins at dinnertime and the less said about the portable toilet cabins the better.

there is always some raggy copy of The Daily Star that about 50 brickies have pawed (after they've had a shite probs) on the table of the canteen. I feel sick just thinking about it!

i went past three builders yesterday that were all sat in their van side-by-side having a teabreak and that was on a sunny day

they Key Worker Yeomen of the order of the high vis love sitting in those scruffy transit vans, suffocating in their own toxix farts.

I posted this on one of the other threads but there's a building site nearby and mr spacecadet went to the shop at lunchtime y/day and a pack of builders descended and were definitely not respecting social distancing in their scrum to get lunch

(he was more fine about this than I would've been tbh, he's probably forgotten about it already and I'm still worrying about it!)

feel sorry for them still having to go and sit in their tin boxes and climb scaffolding to build a hotel and block of student housing which was always a bit unnecessary in this part of town and will be even more so now nobody will be staying in hotels or student housing for months - though maybe they can requisition it once it's finished for medical/quarantine purposes?

convert it into a prison for breachers imo

I caught H1n1 whilst working on a public housing refurb site, it went through it like wildfire. I was going through a snagging list that involved going into about 11 different properties in one day, each one with often crowded w/ multiple trades in there at the same time. I didn't have a chance!

Connections pic.twitter.com/LBvk99Quc5

— The Justin Horton Show (@ejhchess) March 24, 2020

Keir has hope

It is disgraceful that ministers have broken their promise to renters. No one should be at risk of losing their home because of this crisis.

The Government still has time to reconsider - and I hope they will. https://t.co/jUVE60DD9B

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) March 24, 2020

Jesus Christ

Sweet Jesus. For the love of god, lock up your boomers. pic.twitter.com/nuxZqXPI8t

— 🏡🦠 StepHOMEanie 🦠🏡 (@YesMissMurphy) March 24, 2020

xp
I wouldn't expect Starmer to be to the right of Ed Davey on renter protection, not yet anyway!

Fuck me we’re all going to die.

This is excellent:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-nottinghamshire-52017811?

Bit of light relief

yes you all lost your seats https://t.co/aQBocJNOHe

— jonathan nunn (@demarionunn) March 24, 2020

Two supermarket vans were destroyed in “sickening” arson attacks in Bristol and police riot vans were called out soon after Boris Johnson announced the new restrictions.

The delivery vans were destroyed in the attack outside an Iceland store in Arnside Road, Southmead, on Monday night.

Richard Walker, managing director of the retailer, said:

At a time when home delivery is literally a lifeline for some vulnerable people, this is sickening.

In a statement, Iceland said police riot vans were called out and youths threw missiles at the police as they tried to disperse them. Later in the evening, the two home delivery vans were set alight and the fire brigade attended to put out the fire.

What are you rebelling against? erm.. frozen peas

rage against the mashed swede

I get pissed off with Iceland when they send me short-dated milk.. But.. Lads...

(receives text from the government)

(imagines the living rooms of gen x-ers/xennials quoting Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos all across the country)

seriously, other countries have been doing it for days so I guess it's a good idea though I think the Dutch one got some actual useful info in whereas this one's all Brexity buzzwords and a URL

It’s not incredibly convincing is it
https://i.postimg.cc/dVHsTyLY/D9-E66904-5-A8-F-4608-92-A7-27922967-FBE5.jpg

I had to go out (don't @ me) and it is definitely much quieter out there today. bank was only letting people in one at a time too; lots of places shuttered.

Lots of places only allowing 5/6 ppl at a time:

https://twitter.com/LeftieStats/status/1242439336878055428?s=20

Boris Johnson's favourability rating, via @YouGov, 22-23 March (changes since 17-18 March):

Favourable: 55% (+12)
Unfavourable: 35% (-11)
Don't know: 9% (-3)

— Stats for Lefties 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️ (#RLB2020) (@LeftieStats) March 24, 2020

Lol thanks don't know what happened to the link.

Obviously plenty of time for all that to come down.

I have seen plenty of "we should support the prime minister at this difficult time" around Facebook, of course later on it will be "all in the past and time to move on" and he will never be held accountable.

This is day one of this partial lockdown, give it time.

Aldi had got 2 metre individual zones marked out in tape by the tills. it was v quiet anyway

This is day one of this partial lockdown, give it time.

yeah just wait till neighborhood watch have had their bayonet training

I don't know why we're even looking at approval ratings, there's nearly five years left to run until an election, in all probability.

There are still two months left to run on the Parliamentary term that Cameron run in 2015.

I was talking to a Boris loving teaching assistant on the phone earlier who was saying nothing can prepare a country for something like this, you can't blame the PM. yep, best just copying countries that did it disastrously wrong and then try and blame it on the disobedient population when the bodies start predictably piling up. Goddamn Tory shithole country.

i've seen genuinely decent but nicey-nice Labour members giving the government the thumbs up over this shit, this is why i hate blitz spirit, people need to stay strong and hold onto their hate

i imagine what johnson and cummings are counting on is that no matter how terrible things get, johnson will still be PM when this has run its course, and will then take credit for steering us through to the other side, 'sent the virus packing' etc