When will this shit end?

[steviewevie]

13 minutes ago, Leyrulion said:

It's almost as if the E.U. needed something to distract from the story about their abysmal distribution efforts. 

But that is a really crap distraction as was bound to backfire...and it's not really EU doing this, but maybe someone angry in German govt or civil service, or maybe just a big screw up. Really stupid whatever it is. They really need to increase public confidence in the vaccines across europe otherwise they're going to have a massive problem on their hands.

[eFestivals]

Just now, steviewevie said:

But that is a really crap distraction as was bound to backfire...and it's not really EU doing this, but maybe someone angry in German govt or civil service, or maybe just a big screw up. Really stupid whatever it is. They really need to increase public confidence in the vaccines across europe otherwise they're going to have a massive problem on their hands.

it's probably a huge misunderstanding from an individual reporter, as it's unlikely just the one reporter got that same briefing.

[efcfanwirral]

 

5 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

There is definitely an element of that although I think it is partly engrained in parts of the electorate that they will forgive the Tories for nearly anything whereas if an opposition party says something wrong they get jumped on.

I can imagine! I’ll always remember the day after the 2019 GE, Sky News spoke to an older couple in a Northern constituency that had voted Conservative from Labour. The couple said they had voted Conservative because they wanted change! Completely ignoring the fact that they are voting for the party that’s been in power for the last decade. 

The polls that show Labour occasionally going up or down by a couple of points but Tories have levelled out at their current number shows the elections are pointless now - they have a base that'll vote for them whatever happens.

And the silent majority who don't do polls are unlikely to be the left who are very vocal on social media. 

They've already won the next election, but are still making damaging decisions for popularity based on the paranoia that it won't stay that way. System is completely broken

1 minute ago, northernringo said:

There are far more positives than negatives with Twitter.

This story was being printed in a German newspaper, yeah?

If it wasn't for Twitter, the rebuttal from AZ wouldn't have been as instantly widespread nor tweets like Alex Wickham's.

Also without twitter the only thing most people would see is corporate owned media

[steviewevie]

I don't know what the fuck I'd do all day if they binned twitter...do some work maybe? talk to my family?

[Ozanne]

3 minutes ago, efcfanwirral said:

 

The polls that show Labour occasionally going up or down by a couple of points but Tories have levelled out at their current number shows the elections are pointless now - they have a base that'll vote for them whatever happens.

And the silent majority who don't do polls are unlikely to be the left who are very vocal on social media. 

They've already won the next election, but are still making damaging decisions for popularity based on the paranoia that it won't stay that way. System is completely broken

Also without twitter the only thing most people would see is corporate owned media

That’s not necessarily the case. The polls show if a GE election was held today a hung Parliament could be quite likely. The Tories at the moment would be the largest party but no other party would be willing to prop them up in government. It’s very tight though and could as easily be a Tory win but it’s not as certain as you suggest. 

[fatyeti24]

11 minutes ago, northernringo said:

There are far more positives than negatives with Twitter.

This story was being printed in a German newspaper, yeah?

If it wasn't for Twitter, the rebuttal from AZ wouldn't have been as instantly widespread nor tweets like Alex Wickham's.

It's only because of Twitter, via this thread, that I was aware of this story at all!  Otherwise I would have remained happily unaware of what's turned out to be nothing more than a temporarily worrying non-story. It'd be hard to claim my life is in any way enhanced by the episode.  The opposite, probably!

 

 

[fatyeti24]

8 minutes ago, efcfanwirral said:

 

Also without twitter the only thing most people would see is corporate owned media

"most people" aren't on Twitter!

[Crazyfool01]

Twitter is a mixed bag for me ... I often get myself drawn into threads that I know I shouldn’t bother reading .... any  tweeters with smiley faces as avatars are ones I should be avoiding ... but there are also some very decent Glastonbury related accounts on there that I follow and are very much in spirit of the festival 

[efcfanwirral]

3 minutes ago, fatyeti24 said:

"most people" aren't on Twitter!

That is true actually- then it'd push things like brexit from 52/48 to 60/40 or more! 

It is all extremely dangerous at the same time though, but I guess its either regulated where one side chooses what is true and isn't or its banned completely 

[DeanoL]

The 8% thing was a ridiculous story and it's shocking anywhere published it without double- and triple- checking the facts. I know journalists are not scientists, nor necessarily have a background in data, but do you really need that to know that it's likely bollocks? I mean, you get told it's 8% in over-65s, your next question should be "okay, what is it in 45s-65s" and when you're told "90%" (y'know, the figure we've see all along) is the obvious response not: "well how the heck does that work?"

You don't get to 66 years' old and suddenly become a magic pixie. Over 65s still have the same bodies as the rest of us, the same immune systems and so on. The vaccine could certainly be less effective (or more dangerous) in an older age group, but there's almost no chance of such a severe drop-off. Because there's no material difference between a 65 and a 66 year-old.

That was obvious to me the second I saw the story. 

[northernringo]

7 minutes ago, fatyeti24 said:

It's only because of Twitter, via this thread, that I was aware of this story at all!  Otherwise I would have remained happily unaware of what's turned out to be nothing more than a temporarily worrying non-story. It'd be hard to claim my life is in any way enhanced by the episode.  The opposite, probably!

 

 

That is a fair point but I imagine there are numerous people in Germany who are now a bit more relieved due to the quick rebuttals of the story on twitter.

If I was German, and saw that story printed in the paper I'd be immediately worried, as would my family. However now, as I've seen responses on Twitter suggesting it is rubbish (AZ, other journalists, etc), I'd be less concerned and would spread the rebuttals around older relatives (eg my parents) who maybe fall in to that category.

Swings and roundabouts really!

[efcfanwirral]

12 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

That’s not necessarily the case. The polls show if a GE election was held today a hung Parliament could be quite likely. The Tories at the moment would be the largest party but no other party would be willing to prop them up in government. It’s very tight though and could as easily be a Tory win but it’s not as certain as you suggest. 

I think people who claim they'd vote Labour in anger wouldn't be able to pull the trigger this quickly just in case the socialist elements of the party somehow managed to force Starmer out (and thats if they believe he's any different after supporting the last leadership).

I'd do it as an "anything but them" against the Tories but same as America, voting against one thing doesn't necessarily make the other good, (as I'm sure some middle Eastern countries are soon to find out)

Edited January 26, 2021 by efcfanwirral

[xxialac]

"Hotel quarantine likely to target arrivals from areas deemed officially high risk, ie: Portugal, South America, Southern Africa (incl Mauritius, Seychelles, Cape Verde) Panama Only British/Irish nationals/residents are allowed in from those locations."

[efcfanwirral]

1 minute ago, xxialac said:

"Hotel quarantine likely to target arrivals from areas deemed officially high risk, ie: Portugal, South America, Southern Africa (incl Mauritius, Seychelles, Cape Verde) Panama Only British/Irish nationals/residents are allowed in from those locations."

So anyone else can just go via a different route. Bottled it 

[Ozanne]

1 minute ago, efcfanwirral said:

I think people who claim they'd vote Labour in anger wouldn't be able to pull the trigger this quickly just in case the socialist elements of the party somehow managed to force Starmer out (and thats if they believe he's any different after supporting the last leadership).

I'd do it as an "anything but them" against the Tories but same as America, voting against one thing doesn't necessarily make the other good, (as I'm sure some middle Eastern countries are soon to find out)

I’m not so sure, recent MRP polling shows that all bar roughly 7 ‘red wall’ seats that went Tory are going back to Labour if a General Election is held now.

I’m also not sure it was the socialist part of the Labour that those voters didn’t like, it seemed to be more personal against Corbyn (unfairly so) and also Brexit. Both factors are now in the past so it’ll be new issues or an emergence of older ones that will be a main factor going forward in those areas. 

[xxialac]

1 minute ago, efcfanwirral said:

So anyone else can just go via a different route. Bottled it 

The idea that the virus is e.g. in Portugal and South America but not in Spain is complete madness and shows that the decision in political.

[Crazyfool01]

An absolutely grim milestone ... 20,000 deaths was once mentioned 😞 Covid: UK virus deaths top 100,000 since pandemic began https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55757378

[fatyeti24]

3 minutes ago, northernringo said:

That is a fair point but I imagine there are numerous people in Germany who are now a bit more relieved due to the quick rebuttals of the story on twitter.

If I was German, and saw that story printed in the paper I'd be immediately worried, as would my family. However now, as I've seen responses on Twitter suggesting it is rubbish (AZ, other journalists, etc), I'd be less concerned and would spread the rebuttals around older relatives (eg my parents) who maybe fall in to that category.

Swings and roundabouts really!

 

7 minutes ago, efcfanwirral said:

That is true actually- then it'd push things like brexit from 52/48 to 60/40 or more! 

It is all extremely dangerous at the same time though, but I guess its either regulated where one side chooses what is true and isn't or its banned completely 

Yeah, fair enough. I'm not arguing against twitter btw, I just find more solace in ignorance these days. I use this thread as my filter. 

One aspect of lockdown is it simplifies life - all I can do is stay in, walk the dog once a day and go food shopping as infrequently as possible. Finding more things online to terrify me does my mental health no good!

[Paul ™]

9 minutes ago, efcfanwirral said:

So anyone else can just go via a different route. Bottled it 

Depends on mode of transport really no? If flying then there's always a record of where you have been in passenger records. But if in Europe going overland then not in Schengen.

There isn't any flights from Portugal direct to the UK anyway just now, anyone having to return are being made to go via Madrid or Dublin apparently.

8 minutes ago, xxialac said:

The idea that the virus is e.g. in Portugal and South America but not in Spain is complete madness and shows that the decision in political.

Yes it's totally political. Spain also has huge ties with South America as you know, yet no measures are either in place nor being mentioned. 

[zahidf]

Sad news about hedgehogs going extinct.

[xxialac]

Just now, zahidf said:

Sad news about hedgehogs going extinct.

I don't think I could be any more depressed but not the poor hedgehogs and don't put Grayling in charge forgodsake!

[steviewevie]

8 minutes ago, zahidf said:

Sad news about hedgehogs going extinct.

ah man, surely we can save the hedgehog, a good start would not be putting Grayling in charge.

[zahidf]

Interesting on the EU vs AZ argument.

 

[steviewevie]

 

[xxialac]

1 minute ago, steviewevie said:

ah man, surely we can save the hedgehog, a good start would not be putting Grayling in charge.

Can see it now.

"Terribly sorry, I appear to have inadvertently run over the last remaining pair of hedgehogs in my ministerial car".