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[Doctor Gollum]

Being debt free has certainly helped with the stress levels.

[Doctor Gollum]

I see six weeks off hasn't helped Rods outlook any... 

Nice to see his wildly enthusiastic predictions of death and infection have yet to be met.

[Viral_Jim]

I'm not pro Boris, in any shape or form, and I have concerns about the long term impact on various public services that another 8-12 years of conservative rule. BUT...

There is no easy metric to determine the efficacy of governmental strategies to battle covid. For example, on deaths per 1m population, we are 3x better than Sam Marino, but only half as good as the USA, neither of which I think is likely to be true.

For my overall take on the situation, I refer you to Theodore Roosevelt:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;

[Rods2]

I've got some work but not a lot, but I will get something from the Government until July where I've taken a hit, so I'm hoping there will be some signs of normality by then where there is talk of some things opening in the next few weeks. Some further pending work on the horizon which will happen, but many people are currently furloughed, so no decisions are going to be made immediately. Watching the 2nd half 2019 slowdown & this has been a much longer economic cycle than the typical 41 months, I had fortunately been putting some money aside as a buffer where I thought there might be a mild recession in 2020. I'm better prepared than in 2008, so I'm hoping it's just going to be a large but short term hit to the economy with a reasonably fast recovery.

I would never expect Labour to do anything other than make a complete Horlicks & then use spin to cover their tracks, but that is irrelevant as it is not their innings. The party whose innings it is used to have a reputation for reasonable competitance & in one area they have done very, very well with the fast delivery of the Nightingale hospitals by preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best & thankfully they have been virtually unused. Army logistics at its finest in the planning, construction & fitting out in a very short period of time. No antibody testing means this is still an open feedback loop to calculate how many people have been infected in the UK & where we are at in terms of herd immunity. Italy have found antibody test infection rates of up to 38% and Germany & the Netherlands some hot spots are ~16% which is good for herd immunity & will make a 2nd peak less likely, I suspect New York is also well on the way to herd immunity. Covid-19 has been much more widespread than confirmed cases show with 50-80% of infections are asymptomatic or with very mild symptoms so they haven't been tested. If you don't know you've got it or think that you have a mild cold, why would you bother with a test?

[Doctor Gollum]

I'm not pro Boris, in any shape or form, and I have concerns about the long term impact on various public services that another 8-12 years of conservative rule. BUT...

There is no easy metric to determine the efficacy of governmental strategies to battle covid. For example, on deaths per 1m population, we are 3x better than Sam Marino, but only half as good as the USA, neither of which I think is likely to be true.

For my overall take on the situation, I refer you to Theodore Roosevelt:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;

One of the best men to have ever held that Office.

And an oft overlooked point...

Success comes from the experience of failure.

[New POD]

Human nature dictates that people get pissed off very quickly, esp young people. It only takes a couple of folk to make a break for it and others follow very quickly.
The lockdown may prove to have been a massive lifesaver. Or the most expensive overreaction in history.

Tell that to the families of those who have died....... 

Indeed. 
The things I've learnt.:
how dangerous seasonal.flu is. Never realised so many people die.
And that my Grandad, lost both parents to Spanish flu in 1918. Aged 8.
And that you can't take anything for granted.

[Lizzie Zoom]

We haven't been anywhere near a supermarket since the middle of March everything is delivered to our door & it's great no idiots with shopping trolleys to contend with , wifey does a list each Monday and everything turns up on Wednesday to me 12 weeks isolation means exactly that. Personally I don't think it would make any difference who was in power it's a very complicated situation but I'm glad it's Boris, and indeed a learning curve for us all.

I have joined the 'elderly and vulnerable' queue outside Sainsbury's at about 0715 on Monday's and Wednesday's, with us being let in at 0800, after the NHS workers at 0730.

All very disciplined, as you would expect from our age group, and once inside shopping has been a dream.  So much space around everyone, and if other customers or staff are there, we are all dancing around to ensure the 2 metre rule is practiced.  It has been far easier that "normal" shopping, with no crowds to fight through.  I have then always used the Smart Shop so at no stage do I encounter a member if staff with a transaction, as I just pay by card for my trollies worth that I have packed on my way round, and leave.  Even a big shop that includes my daughters needs has been completed within 30 minutes.

I wish this part of social isolation could continue for ever!

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Human nature dictates that people get pissed off very quickly, esp young people. It only takes a couple of folk to make a break for it and others follow very quickly.
The lockdown may prove to have been a massive lifesaver. Or the most expensive overreaction in history.

This sounds like an episode of Colditz.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

We haven't been anywhere near a supermarket since the middle of March everything is delivered to our door & it's great no idiots with shopping trolleys to contend with , wifey does a list each Monday and everything turns up on Wednesday to me 12 weeks isolation means exactly that. Personally I don't think it would make any difference who was in power it's a very complicated situation but I'm glad it's Boris, and indeed a learning curve for us all.

I have joined the 'elderly and vulnerable' queue outside Sainsbury's at about 0715 on Monday's and Wednesday's, with us being let in at 0800, after the NHS workers at 0730.

All very disciplined, as you would expect from our age group, and once inside shopping has been a dream.  So much space around everyone, and if other customers or staff are there, we are all dancing around to ensure the 2 metre rule is practiced.  It has been far easier that "normal" shopping, with no crowds to fight through.  I have then always used the Smart Shop so at no stage do I encounter a member if staff with a transaction, as I just pay by card for my trollies worth that I have packed on my way round, and leave.  Even a big shop that includes my daughters needs has been completed within 30 minutes.

I wish this part of social isolation could continue for ever!

Ahhhh.......you poor old thing, Lizzie. I suggest STMO does the same.

His lad will 'escape' and inseminate the local ladies before giving covid to his 'old fella'.......and that will be the end of STMO.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

The quiet shops and roads have brought joy to all of us. If only we could turn back time to a point where the country wasn't hideously overcrowded !

[Doctor Gollum]

Hello Enoch... 

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

As for Prof. Ferguson. His model, which was used to convince the UK Govt. the lockdown was needed, was also used for Sweden. His prediction for Sweden was that if they didn't lockdown they would have 40,000 deaths by the beginning of May.
They decided not to lock down and their death toll yesterday was 2941.
Personally I suspect lockdown is right for the UK, or at least parts of it, due to being so overpopulated. If London and the south East had stayed open the death toll might have been catastrophic.
We will never know for sure though.
The general idea of slowing the spread to stop health services becoming overwhelmed seems a sensible one. The management of the detail has been pretty poor, although Im not so sure all the blame lies at the door of the Govt.
There must be people in the NHS, pen pushing, well paid management types, who are responsible for procurement. Govt. ministers jump in front of a camera to take credit because they think it will show them in a good light to the whole nation when they ar apparently, personally in charge of these things.
Then, when it goes tits up, it explodes in their faces.
I saw a bloke on the news the other day who CEO of NHS procurement, or some such fancy title, complaining about how the Govt. had handled the PPE crisis. His job title made me wonder, if it actually should be him taking the blame.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Hello Enoch... 

I would turn it back 20 years to just before Bliar opened the floodgates. That would do just fine for me.

[STEMO]

Hello Enoch... 

I would turn it back 20 years to just before Bliar opened the floodgates. That would do just fine for me.

1960 for me, please.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Hello Enoch... 

I would turn it back 20 years to just before Bliar opened the floodgates. That would do just fine for me.

1960 for me, please.

Why?

In 1960 the north of England was  grim. Colour (and the indoor crapper) hadn't been invented, and everything was in black and white.