"we'll change the things that need changing and that's all we'll change": the paSUKification of post-brexit politics 2021

yep he's a tory wanker but often he's quite a conviction pol when it comes to civil liberties, well apart from voting for the spycops bill with lots of Labour wankers as well!

Those dreaded words 'not bad for a Tory'

But enough about me! Etc etc oh the lols

Though the link between hospitalisations and deaths has been broken

Yep this is true for now, but every case is a potential variation, and we just need one that can shrug off one or more of the vaccines and we're off to the races again.

(Not to mention long COVID)

Cummings said he had taken the job in No 10 to “improve science, defence, Whitehall and more” – topics he had long ruminated on after his work in the civil service as a special adviser to Michael Gove.

The threat of Brexit remaining uncompleted, with Theresa May hamstrung by no parliamentary majority, could have meant another referendum, which would have left MPs unable to campaign safely outside London “without armed guards”, Cummings recalled he thought at the time.

When the thing you want more than anything is something others also want enough to physically harm elected representatives.

tbf there are plenty of things i want enough to physically harm elected representatives

just a bit of mordant humour, spycops, honest

Boris apparently making mask wearing on public transport non-mandatory because of "People sitting alone at night in train carriages."

You will not be surprised to find out none of what he's saying makes any sense.

"This is absolutely not the end of Covid, don't act like it is ..." <removes all restrictions>

Though the link between hospitalisations and deaths has been broken

Yep this is true for now, but every case is a potential variation, and we just need one that can shrug off one or more of the vaccines and we're off to the races again.

(Not to mention long COVID)

― Andrew Farrell, Monday, 5 July 2021 bookmarkflaglink

So the scientists at the press conf are saying the link has been weakened not broken, which is a distinction.

The rationale for the opening now (and correct me here please) is that at this point we are only delaying when (the models are very accurate on timing of waves) people get covid, apparently, not if. I think they are looking at getting people in and out of hospital now than late Autumn and winter where the expectation is of increased pressure on the nhs due to other diseases returning (flu).

If hospitalisations go up I'd say it will be hard to get economic activity going again. A deep recession is where we will see some real suffering.

AFAICT the sole rationale for opening on july 19th is that they said they were going to open on july 19th, and they also said there would be no more delays. that's it. they picked july 19 because it's 4 weeks after they last time they said were going to reopen and 4 weeks is a round number. there was no science to the decision and no new information between july 15 and now could have changed the plan.

I think xyzzz's rationale is correct. Whitty more or less said as much whereas Boris was just waffling a lot of garbage as per. Pressure on the NHS tends to be at the forefront of a lot of decision making.

I heard the laughably implausible excuse from some tory that their concern is that if masks remained mandatory on public transport it would send out a negative message that it isn't quite safe and encourage more people to get into their cars.

As long it's only poor people, Muslims and the disabled dying the Tories couldn't give a flying fuck.

Sorry my post was just regurgitating Whitty's rationale -- as I was watching the press conf -- so that others could read and disagree if they wished to do so.

It was odd -- I could call it other things -- to even bother with delaying from June 21st in the first place. We weren't doing putting any new restriction to deal with Delta.

You can back your way into arguments for the various lockdown dates that have the ring of truth, but I think it’s been date first, then reason for a few months now.

Rather: political decision/impulse first, then come up with a scientific motivation that fits the plan.

Which they have a couple of scientists on hand to nod along to.

I think Fauci in the US disagrees with the government occasionally, that wouldn't and hasn't happened here.

But then they don't want to put their pensions and knighthoods at risk.

Right.

The second chart here is good news for the UK I suppose (although it's obviously tragic for the ROW).

But the first chart plus reopening gives away the "plan", which implies a surge in cases on the same scale as last winter, and sacrificing the long term health (and in some cases the lives) of kids who can't be vaccinated in the UK:

The UK's rise in Delta cases (per capita) is higher than many countries experiencing significant surges in Asia and Africa were Delta is dominant. The difference is the UK's minimal rise in deaths and 86% adults vaccination rate (≥ 1 dose)@OurWorldInData pic.twitter.com/mokCAFKkKC

— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) July 5, 2021

(https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/04/opinion/covid-vaccine-kids-risks.html for why it's pretty weird that the UK hasn't approved vaccines for kids yet)

The Tories are overrun with libertarian headbangers, that's why.

You should have seen the cold hearted creep who was just interviewed on Channel 4 news.

Other than businesses like music venues being able to reopen, are there any rules changing post the 19th that are being actively enforced at the moment in practice?

1m+ distancing and advice to WFH is definitely keeping some offices closed; that could be a big change

It feels like if you wanted to head off a spike in cases, you’d have to start nicking people for giving a coworker a lift in your car again, but idk.

The directives around working from home have been so weak, most companies that wanted to rush people back to offices might have done so already but we’ll see what kind of shift happens over the next couple of weeks.

the government have been rushing their employees back to offices for a few weeks now tbf

at my last job, nobody was ever sent home because the company primarily exists to flatter the boss's ego

You can back your way into arguments for the various lockdown dates that have the ring of truth, but I think it’s been date first, then reason for a few months now.

― 𝔠𝔞𝔢𝔨 (caek), Monday, 5 July 2021 bookmarkflaglink

Rather: political decision/impulse first, then come up with a scientific motivation that fits the plan.

― 𝔠𝔞𝔢𝔨 (caek), Monday, 5 July 2021 bookmarkflaglink

Certainly looks that way though Whitty maintains that a wave would happen.

As long as people aren't dying it's 'fine'

Re: vaccines for kids. Decision to be made soon. Looks like they haven't hurried due to outcomes for children being so much better so looking at data on what vaccines would do for children that are ill.

Meanwhile more ppl will go to jail as we protest for better things.

🚨BREAKING: Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Policing Bill) passes 3rd reading in the house.
Ayes 365
Noes 265

— Ben Smoke (@bencsmoke) July 5, 2021

There's the real fuckery

the most 2021 UK political story will be when the government offers vaccines to African countries in return for acting as dumps for refugees. https://t.co/GVZcz4jHYI

— jamie k (@jkbloodtreasure) July 5, 2021

i know two people who have had covid who have not been able to go back to work after a year. one of them lost a lung. I'm not convinced that simply 'not dying' is the best possible outcome but the idea that anyone deserves better than that is not going to be seriously reflected in any political/media discussions any time soon is it?

It seems they quietly let the Islamophobic bigot T Phillips back into the Labour party 3 weeks back behind closed doors, not something they'd want to broadcast before the Batley polling day. Fucking wretched party.

They lost the Muslim vote anyway

this contempt for ethnic minorities will come back and bite them hard in many marginals and even some supposedly safe seats come the next council elections and the general election. And they won't be able to do damage limitation by flooding these constituencies with everything they've got like they did last week.

that bullshit "people voted for hope" claptrap and the Jo Cox "more in common" memorial platitude has always been an utter crock of shit. The result showed people couldn't be more divided and what hope are the Labour offering? Hope that more bigoted racists will vote for them than the amount of ethnic minorities they've alienated.

This is true (and the bill has to go through the House of Lords) while it is also true that more ppl will go to jail.

More serious note when peeps are like "the bill has passed, its all over" you're making a pretty unhelpful defeatest political intervention 😬 that essentially says it was a win in parliament or nothing. This has literally never been how oppressed people have won anything, ever.

— Shanice 😈 (@Shanice_OM) July 6, 2021

Government defeats in the House of Lords - UK Parliamenthttps://www.parliament.uk › about › faqs › lords-govtd...

Government Session Number of defeats
Conservative 2019‑2021 114

I didn't realise they'd had that many defeats in the Lords.

thing is if I understand the British system correctly something that gets voted down in the lords just goes back to the commons and if they really wanna make a point of it they can pass it again, right?

sounds about right, I always get lost when looking through the process of 2nd readings .. 3rd readings ..amendments blah blah.

Seeing fewer masks worn is bad but seeing fewer Union Flag masks worn is not bad.

haha, saw my first example of that today!

Clause 38 on the face of it seems to criminalise rescue of asylum seekers at sea by removing "for gain" from an existing offence. A lot depends on the meaning of "facilitates". Organisations which "aim to assist asylum seekers' and do not charge for services are exempt, though. pic.twitter.com/IfXn8XptxM

— Colin Yeo (@ColinYeo1) July 6, 2021

Also apparently it only applies if you're male?

haha, saw my first example of that today!

Ditto. Let's hope it was the same person.

for quite some time most places i've been have been primarily maskless. I went to a busy supermarket a couple of months ago where i only saw one other person wearing a mask.

I've been going to supermarkets, two or three or more times a week, all thru the pandemic and mask wearing has gone from 10% to about 90% in that time. It increased steadily but after it was made compulsory pretty much everyone started wearing one.

... more like 95%.

I'm talking Morrisons not Waitrose btw!