When will this shit end?

[steviewevie]

5 minutes ago, blackred said:

I mean, this sounds pretty good to me?

yeah, might have to vote tory!

[steviewevie]

 

[ErnestWorthing]

32 minutes ago, Mr.Tease said:

Yep, think the worst thing going forward would be the Tories promising mass spending and investment, rebuilding manufacturing and industry in the north (think there will be a big rise in nationalism/desire for self sufficiency among voters), ambitious green projects, extra health spending, and mass investment in science and tech, while Labour opposes it/offers nothing but "oh we have to exercise caution- also we have no idea's on how two tackle any of the major problems we face, except 'being sensible' ".

 

That really does sound like the worst thing, awful, God forbid someone should spend on those things

[jparx]

Just now, steviewevie said:

 

I remember the Welsh health minister getting dragged over coals a few weeks ago for a relatively slow start. Bet he’s feeling smug as fuck right now.

[Mr.Tease]

2 minutes ago, squirrelarmy said:

A large issue with this country is that politics has become tribal.

They know the government is shit but they’re afraid of change. You can’t convince the average little Englander to turn socialist over night. 

It’s got to be a gradual process. We don’t have a left wing majority in this country and shouting at people and telling them that they should support left wing policies is too much for them to handle and it will close their minds to the possibilities. 

I don't know,  I think nowadays an 'entertaining' or 'charismatic' leader seems to transcend traditional political allegiances (though maybe that's always been the case!), as people have no interest/understanding really in ideology- they just want simple, easily understood solutions to problems or issues, no matter how dumb those 'solutions' may be ('build a wall', 'get Brexit done' etc), and the leader to appear to be 'on their side' (even if, in reality, they aren't) and a 'maverick' (so they seem honest even if they're a habitual liar).

Again, I think that's always been the case, but I think more so in this day and age where people have less focus, time, interest or understanding for politics. Labour hasn't had a charismatic leader (or any real charismatic options) since Blair, really (and I'm not fan of Blair!), and seem to have no 'charismatic' or 'entertaining' leaders waiting in the wings.

[DareToDibble]

8 minutes ago, xxialac said:

I'm sorry to hear about this which must be very stressful for your and your fiancee.

But no responsible government can guarantee certain events will go ahead.

Things can change between now and September and so it may not be possible.

On the positive everything at the moment is pointing to small scale events being allowed by then, and I'd say yes the headlines are overly negative. So I'd expect the best outcome but have a plan B just in case.

Thank you. I obviously hope it goes ahead but I’ve kind of gotten my head around the fact it might not and seeing the positive of how much money we would save 🤣

Understandably it’s harder on her as she has this plan of doing it in front of all friends and family, the big day etc.

I’m still quietly confident we’ll be fine as we’re talking about 100 people, nothing like gigs and festivals. The only concern is this “socially distanced” line.

[Mr.Tease]

Just now, ErnestWorthing said:

That really does sound like the worst thing, awful, God forbid someone should spend on those things

I mean worst thing for Labour electorally

[Mr.Tease]

9 minutes ago, blackred said:

I mean, this sounds pretty good to me?

I like those policies, I was talking about it being a disaster for Labour electorally😂 I'm going to have to go back and edit my post!

[Chef]

Is anybody else just really bored of all this now? I was watching TV last night (Schitts Creek) and I realised I was just so bored of sitting on the sofa, watching telly. I've done every job I can in the house, listened to a lot of music, cooked a lot of new recipes and don't even start on walks. 

I just want a pint with some mates in a sunny beer garden and to go to a gig. Aside from not seeing friends and family for over a year in some cases I am very lucky that I don't have anything major to worry about, secure work, good size house and live in village with lots of green space around, family healthy etc. but I almost feel numb with boredom.

Anyone else feel like this? Not down or low, just bored.  

[squirrelarmy]

7 minutes ago, blackred said:

I mean, this sounds pretty good to me?

I don’t think there’s any danger of it happening. 
 

As a local example, a lot of people are unhappy with how busy most of the main roads are. They’re more angry about the local Labour government spending money on improving bus and cycle links instead of spending money on the roads so they can drive to places easier. 
 

The average voters don’t understand infrastructure spending. 

[Ozanne]

Wasn’t Harold Wilson fairly left wing, or have I got that wrong?

[steviewevie]

2 minutes ago, Chef said:

Is anybody else just really bored of all this now? I was watching TV last night (Schitts Creek) and I realised I was just so bored of sitting on the sofa, watching telly. I've done every job I can in the house, listened to a lot of music, cooked a lot of new recipes and don't even start on walks. 

I just want a pint with some mates in a sunny beer garden and to go to a gig. Aside from not seeing friends and family for over a year in some cases I am very lucky that I don't have anything major to worry about, secure work, good size house and live in village with lots of green space around, family healthy etc. but I almost feel numb with boredom.

Anyone else feel like this? Not down or low, just bored.  

govt should really be sending out strong opiates to everyone.

[incident]

1 hour ago, JoeyT said:

 

This is not a big deal.

All of the numbers for doses needed are, almost necessarily, estimates and so are usually given as approximate (rounded) numbers. Then even within that, it's entirely likely that someone gets a vaccine outside of the area that they're registered in - they might be staying with relatives (especially given the current sitution), or their GP record could be wrong. Until about 3 years ago, I was still registered with a GP at my parents address despite not having actually lived there since 2001.

[jparx]

1 minute ago, Mr.Tease said:

I don't know,  I think nowadays an 'entertaining' or 'charismatic' leader seems to transcend traditional political allegiances (though maybe that's always been the case!), as people have no interest/understanding really in ideology- they just want simple, easily understood solutions to problems or issues, no matter how dumb those 'solutions' may be ('build a wall', 'get Brexit done' etc), and the leader to appear to be 'on their side' (even if, in reality, they aren't) and a 'maverick' (so they seem honest even if they're a habitual liar).

Again, I think that's always been the case, but I think more so in this day and age where people have less focus, time, interest or understanding for politics. Labour hasn't had a charismatic leader (or any real charismatic options) since Blair, really (and I'm not fan of Blair!), and seem to have no 'charismatic' or 'entertaining' leaders waiting in the wings.

This is why I think the future is celebrities becoming puppet leaders. Dwayne Johnson would totally win a US election regardless of the party (I know he’s leant both directions in the past). If the progressive wing of the democrats could get him on board with their policies I could totally see the US voting in a left wing government without even realising it and just rallying behind an uber popular figure.

Labour need to get someone like Rashford in as leader, have a few slogans (free meals for all!) and people will lap it up.

[Mr.Tease]

1 minute ago, Chef said:

Is anybody else just really bored of all this now? I was watching TV last night (Schitts Creek) and I realised I was just so bored of sitting on the sofa, watching telly. I've done every job I can in the house, listened to a lot of music, cooked a lot of new recipes and don't even start on walks. 

I just want a pint with some mates in a sunny beer garden and to go to a gig. Aside from not seeing friends and family for over a year in some cases I am very lucky that I don't have anything major to worry about, secure work, good size house and live in village with lots of green space around, family healthy etc. but I almost feel numb with boredom.

Anyone else feel like this? Not down or low, just bored.  

I think more numbed than bored. As someone who's always been anxious and planing things and fretting about things, it feels weird to just be numbed/not fretting or even thinking about the future, just plodding along day by day. Think it's just what we do when overwhelmed- your brain just numbs you to protect you. Helps alleviate the anxiety but it also means you have no spark or enthusiasm.

[fraybentos1]

19 minutes ago, Mr.Tease said:

And all that helped lead us where we are today, just like the 'I'm not going without Christmas! I'm spending it with my family regardless' helped tip us into the absolute disaster of the past few weeks. I get the desperate need and want to spend time with friends and family, but can we please learn a bit of a lesson for what happens every time we say "f*** it! Let's just do whatever we like!'.

I’m not doing whatever I like and haven’t been for a year. Been sticking to the rules for the most part. I’m sure you’ve never broken any of the rules Mr anonymous man on the internet. 
 

The example I described, the risk was minimal. It was at a time when barely anyone had covid and was outdoors. It’ll be even more lax this year with some vaccinated.

 

[squirrelarmy]

1 minute ago, jparx said:

This is why I think the future is celebrities becoming puppet leaders. Dwayne Johnson would totally win a US election regardless of the party (I know he’s leant both directions in the past). If the progressive wing of the democrats could get him on board with their policies I could totally see the US voting in a left wing government without even realising it and just rallying behind an uber popular figure.

Labour need to get someone like Rashford in as leader, have a few slogans (free meals for all!) and people will lap it up.

We should not be looking at American politics for inspiration for how to run our country. 

[jparx]

4 minutes ago, Chef said:

Is anybody else just really bored of all this now? I was watching TV last night (Schitts Creek) and I realised I was just so bored of sitting on the sofa, watching telly. I've done every job I can in the house, listened to a lot of music, cooked a lot of new recipes and don't even start on walks. 

I just want a pint with some mates in a sunny beer garden and to go to a gig. Aside from not seeing friends and family for over a year in some cases I am very lucky that I don't have anything major to worry about, secure work, good size house and live in village with lots of green space around, family healthy etc. but I almost feel numb with boredom.

Anyone else feel like this? Not down or low, just bored.  

Yep I feel exactly the same. When I read Taylor’s post about yet another album release, I had a moment where I thought “Christ, Taylor swift has released three records in lockdown and my biggest achievement is back to back Champions League wins with AC Milan on football manager”. 

I started the thing off being really productive, lost some weight, learned some new skills etc, but I’m firmly in the routine of just watching tele, playing the same video games and eating food. It’s proper Groundhog Day stuff.

[Mr.Tease]

2 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

govt should really be sending out strong opiates to everyone.

The opposite- we need stimulants! Stack!

[steviewevie]

4 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

Wasn’t Harold Wilson fairly left wing, or have I got that wrong?

I don't know...wasn't he kind of centre left? He's kind of remembered for his 2nd time as PM which was a bit of a disaster.

[jparx]

1 minute ago, squirrelarmy said:

We should not be looking at American politics for inspiration for how to run our country. 

No but I do think the left should be learning lessons from the Trump era. 

[Mr.Tease]

1 minute ago, fraybentos1 said:

I’m not doing whatever I like and haven’t been for a year. Been sticking to the rules for the most part. I’m sure you’ve never broken any of the rules Mr anonymous man on the internet. 
 

The example I described, the risk was minimal. It was at a time when barely anyone had covid and was outdoors. It’ll be even more lax this year with some vaccinated.

 

And if a few people do it, it's fine (I've never had a problem with people occasionally cheating- like a 'cheat day' with a diet, I think people are more likely to stick to it long term if they occasionally relax), it's a problem if everyone starts doing it all at once though.

[DeanoL]

15 hours ago, charlierc said:

Bit of both I would've thought. I also think a few of these kind of shows also had very late announcements.

This was an artist who sold out the 1000 capacity standing Leamington gig in 24 hours a few years back but couldn't shift 200 socially distanced tickets a week. And last year did a very well-received series of regular seated gigs in theatres. 

Not saying there aren't other factors in play, for sure. Not the sort of gig people wanted, price was higher, you had to book a minimum of two tickets, student population not there, difficulty of getting child care - but to go from selling 1000 tickets in 24 hours to less than 200 tickets in a week is still huge. Not to mention that last show was part of a tour where there were other gigs in the Midlands, this was one of about 4 shows they were doing as a trial. 

That fall in demand is scary. And it's partly what's led me to decide not to start promoting shows again until everyone is vaccinated and all restrictions are dropped.

 

[Chef]

8 minutes ago, Mr.Tease said:

I think more numbed than bored. As someone who's always been anxious and planing things and fretting about things, it feels weird to just be numbed/not fretting or even thinking about the future, just plodding along day by day. Think it's just what we do when overwhelmed- your brain just numbs you to protect you. Helps alleviate the anxiety but it also means you have no spark or enthusiasm.

Yeah, maybe numb is a better word for it. Even planning things wouldn't help with all the uncertainty about the short and medium terms. 

[DeanoL]

13 hours ago, JoeyT said:

Wind it in mate.

You can bet your bottom dollar the majority of the population will take the shackles off with or without the governments blessing once the over 50’s are vaccinated.

Only fools think otherwise.

For that to be true it means the driving factor behind lockdown compliance for the past year hasn't been either fear of doing something illegal, or fear of getting COVID, but instead has been purely altruistic, wanting to make sure the NHS and our elderly population were okay.

I mean, I hope you're right, because that would actually speak volumes about what a brilliant, compassionate society we were. It means the overwhelming majority of us sacrificed our freedoms for a year just to protect others.

I wish we lived in a society like that, I really do. But we don't. We really, really don't.