When will this shit end?

[JoeyT]

2 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

take your pick

Rugby has been terrible.

I thought when they got that red card we might have a chance. It’s the hope that kills you...

[Hannibal Schmitt]

16 minutes ago, efcfanwirral said:

More positivity here 

That would mean: No matter how much we have vaccinated in UK / Austria / Central Europe / Europe / Eurasia / USA etc., we stay at home because vaccine-resistant mutations can occur and probably always will occur? Really?

[steviewevie]

2 minutes ago, Hannibal Schmitt said:

That would mean: No matter how much we have vaccinated in UK / Austria / Central Europe / Europe / Eurasia / USA etc., we stay at home because vaccine-resistant mutations can occur and probably always will occur? Really?

by staying home you mean we don't travel abroad? yes, that is what she is saying...for this year.

[zahidf]

2 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

by staying home you mean we don't travel abroad? yes, that is what she is saying...for this year.

Moving the goalposts again...

[Punksnotdead]

15 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

take your pick

The Irish kicked your arses in the horse racing this week as well! 😄

[steviewevie]

6 minutes ago, zahidf said:

Moving the goalposts again...

she's been saying the same for months

[charlierc]

My instinct in January was to wait until Easter before making any commitments to go on a plane based holiday. But I did think it was likely to be difficult. I'm OK waiting to 2022 if it can't happen this summer in any case - just more guarantees I can actually go rather than the idea's viability collapsing at the last minute. I don't blame the hesitancy though - if I'm honest I was surprised people were so willing to travel in summer 2020.

[steviewevie]

I think everyone needs to wait a few months before making any decisions on flights abroad or not...we're in a good place, Europe isn't, but they might be a lot better by early summer.

[hodgey123]

16 minutes ago, Hannibal Schmitt said:

That would mean: No matter how much we have vaccinated in UK / Austria / Central Europe / Europe / Eurasia / USA etc., we stay at home because vaccine-resistant mutations can occur and probably always will occur? Really?

This is the part I find so frustrating at the moment, in that we may get to a position where we are retaining restrictions on our behaviour on hypotheticals that may not even happen. That is ridiculous.

[charlierc]

19 hours ago, steviewevie said:

Brazil is in a really bad way. Nightmare.

Yeah - something like 90,000 cases a day and a President who seems disinterested in controlling it. Indeed, it was in the news this week that Bolsonaro has asked the Brazilian Supreme Court to cancel all of their covid control restrictions even despite the country reaching it's highest numbers.

I mean fuck - most countries in the world have done a terrible job in controlling covid at one point or another but they've been a bit of a horror show.

[charlierc]

4 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

I think everyone needs to wait a few months before making any decisions on flights abroad or not...we're in a good place, Europe isn't, but they might be a lot better by early summer.

It's the fact that it's different areas of Europe at different points as well - Spain and Portugal were looking really bad in February but the pair of them seem better as has happened here, only for France, Germany and Italy to have a rapid deterioration this week, as well as talk that Turkey is seeing increases as well.

Probably not gonna really know for a few weeks yet.

[Hannibal Schmitt]

5 minutes ago, hodgey123 said:

This is the part I find so frustrating at the moment, in that we may get to a position where we are retaining restrictions on our behaviour on hypotheticals that may not even happen. That is ridiculous.

I find it a bit bizarre as Europe always have made clear to assume travel when the situations allows it (also Von der Leyen has said this today) which probably will be from summer onwards. 

Situation in Europe is bad but not that dooming as some in the UK reports suggest I must say. With high numbers (but low SA ones) but we have shops and other things fully open for many weeks now and this with vaccination going on rather slow compared to the UK or Israel.

And the virus is "here to stay" probably forever. There won`t be really an immunization for the foreseeable time and COV-2 will always mutate (probably even more) in the future. So you can live in fear/stay at home all time or find a way to live with the virus.

[zahidf]

[SwedgeAntilles]

 

I'll just leave this here for the defenders of the Met. 

[efcfanwirral]

What's the point in an anti lockdown protest of this size now? I get that it's a worldwide movement and happened across many countries but why bother here?

The real protesting happens online - I'm not sure the protest bill, which WILL be passed especially now, is actually the end of the world we think it is. Iraq war had a huge protest movement and made no difference- it hasn't made a difference for decades now. 

When they regulate the Internet is when freedom is truly lost 

[steviewevie]

42 minutes ago, Hannibal Schmitt said:

I find it a bit bizarre as Europe always have made clear to assume travel when the situations allows it (also Von der Leyen has said this today) which probably will be from summer onwards. 

Situation in Europe is bad but not that dooming as some in the UK reports suggest I must say. With high numbers (but low SA ones) but we have shops and other things fully open for many weeks now and this with vaccination going on rather slow compared to the UK or Israel.

And the virus is "here to stay" probably forever. There won`t be really an immunization for the foreseeable time and COV-2 will always mutate (probably even more) in the future. So you can live in fear/stay at home all time or find a way to live with the virus.

ok...well...similar was being said here in December...and then this new variant, B117, got out of control and we had a massive rise in cases and then over 1.5k dead a day and our hospitals pushed to the brink. B117 now the dominant variant in europe, I hope it isn't as bad there as it was here.

[El Matador]

7 minutes ago, efcfanwirral said:

What's the point in an anti lockdown protest of this size now? I get that it's a worldwide movement and happened across many countries but why bother here?

The real protesting happens online - I'm not sure the protest bill, which WILL be passed especially now, is actually the end of the world we think it is. Iraq war had a huge protest movement and made no difference- it hasn't made a difference for decades now. 

When they regulate the Internet is when freedom is truly lost 

Do you think extinction rebellion would have received the same level of publicity if they'd ran an online petition instead? 

[SwedgeAntilles]

Knowing he saw it is *chef's kiss*

[steviewevie]

1 minute ago, El Matador said:

Do you think extinction rebellion would have received the same level of publicity if they'd ran an online petition instead? 

or the anti iraq war protest, or the anti poll tax riots. I don't agree with these anti lockdown people, but I do agree with the right to protest. Not online, on the streets.

[ace56blaa]

10 minutes ago, Barry Fish said:

https://www.nhsemployers.org/retention-and-staff-experience/diversity-and-inclusion/policy-and-guidance/gender-equality-in-the-nhs/sexual-harassment
 

I’ll just leave this here for defenders of the NHS 

1 in 12 ...  do the maths.  ...  The met is no different than any other major organisation

This isn't the gotcha you think it is. We need to root out this behaviour in every major organisation, but it is specifically terrible that the London met as police are meant to protect people and have significant power over the average person. Also this is relevant to the current criticism of the police in the case of Sarah Everett and in their handling of her vigil. So trying to dismiss an organisations corruption because it happens everywhere is counter productive and just seems misjudged in context. 

 

[xxialac]

48 minutes ago, Hannibal Schmitt said:

I find it a bit bizarre as Europe always have made clear to assume travel when the situations allows it (also Von der Leyen has said this today) which probably will be from summer onwards. 

Situation in Europe is bad but not that dooming as some in the UK reports suggest I must say. With high numbers (but low SA ones) but we have shops and other things fully open for many weeks now and this with vaccination going on rather slow compared to the UK or Israel.

And the virus is "here to stay" probably forever. There won`t be really an immunization for the foreseeable time and COV-2 will always mutate (probably even more) in the future. So you can live in fear/stay at home all time or find a way to live with the virus.

Yeah in Spain today:

• Bars, restaurants and shops: Open including inside restaurant dining.
• Mobility: Can travel freely within your region.
• Gatherings: Groups of up to six people 
• Outdoor sports: 50% capacity
• Theatres, cinemas, concert halls, museums: 50% capacity

In summary, life feels pretty normal.

Reports of Europe's demise have been exaggerated...

 

[Crazyfool01]

19 minutes ago, efcfanwirral said:

What's the point in an anti lockdown protest of this size now? I get that it's a worldwide movement and happened across many countries but why bother here?

The real protesting happens online - I'm not sure the protest bill, which WILL be passed especially now, is actually the end of the world we think it is. Iraq war had a huge protest movement and made no difference- it hasn't made a difference for decades now. 

When they regulate the Internet is when freedom is truly lost 

visuals ... and reporting .... you cant see an online protest ..... you can see a massive gathering of people on the streets ...

[Simsy]

21 minutes ago, Barry Fish said:

https://www.nhsemployers.org/retention-and-staff-experience/diversity-and-inclusion/policy-and-guidance/gender-equality-in-the-nhs/sexual-harassment
 

I’ll just leave this here for defenders of the NHS 

1 in 12 ...  do the maths.  ...  The met is no different than any other major organisation

You know that says 1 in 12 NHS staff had been the victim of sexual harassment, not the perpetrator?

[steviewevie]

4 minutes ago, xxialac said:

Yeah in Spain today:

• Bars, restaurants and shops: Open including inside restaurant dining.
• Mobility: Can travel freely within your region.
• Gatherings: Groups of up to six people 
• Outdoor sports: 50% capacity
• Theatres, cinemas, concert halls, museums: 50% capacity

In summary, life feels pretty normal.

Reports of Europe's demise have been exaggerated...

 

Spain and Portugal are ok at moment...France, Poland, Scandinavia definitely not...and Italy and Germany not looking good either.

[efcfanwirral]

15 minutes ago, El Matador said:

Do you think extinction rebellion would have received the same level of publicity if they'd ran an online petition instead? 

 

12 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

or the anti iraq war protest, or the anti poll tax riots. I don't agree with these anti lockdown people, but I do agree with the right to protest. Not online, on the streets.

 

3 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

visuals ... and reporting .... you cant see an online protest ..... you can see a massive gathering of people on the streets ...

But when did it last actually work or do anything apart from make those protesting feel better that they did all they could before the inevitable? Extinction rebellion pissed off way more people than they converted to their cause. 

Allowing protest does keep up the illusion that we live in a free country and society I guess. Its just different from the oppressive regimes of the past.

The people have no power, and never will again