I'm glad you agree.

Derwent called my old man " a fucking gobshite" the other week.
My old man responded by saying Derwent was stupid.
Guess who got threatened with a ban ?

I wouldn't removed his posts though. My mates all think he is funny as fuck.

I'd like to think I'm part of 'the bunker leftwaffe'. Since this whole crisis started I can think of two or three posts I've made that were slightly irreverent, mildly piss taking, but no more. I've also directly asked someone to not reply to me, as I felt that their response had nothing to do with my actual post and I think life's too hard right now to be engaging in petty points scoring. So the idea that I've been part of a group that has tried to victimise those who we don't agree with is ludicrous. Mostly, all I've tried to do is offer reasoned opinions, answer questions where I think I can, post links to some interesting ideas, and give my perspective. I've occasionally fallen short, but don't we all sometimes? If I do continue to post (and I'll make that decision on a day to day basis; I'm finding this whole thing so incredibly difficult. It's killing my motivation, I feel I can't do this anymore (I'm a bloke who needs interaction and I should be playing cricket right now) and I'm trying to filter out 'bad news' as much as is possible while staying informed), I'll try my best to act in accordance with my original plea. These are not normal times; I really didn't want to post this again, as it's not about me, it's about realising how much social media can be a lifeline, a chance to interact. That can, and should, be a good thing. For me it's quite simple; if you want to respect how others may feel, you simply amend the way you respond, whatever the provocation, whatever the post before. You simply make the decision to do the right thing, whatever others say to you. The decision is yours and yours alone.

Oh god, please no. As dire as it sounds reading the threads here has became a daily highlight for me.

edit - fuck me when I began writing this three more posts were posted under me. Bunker has never been this active since I've been a member.

Not how I would put it but there again how I would put it would get me banned I think.

I love how PJ thinks he is snow white, one with issues should stay out of the midday sun and no alcohol with your medication!

Starmer shares one thing with Blair; a legal background. Starmer's legal background, however, is massively different. Before he entered politics he was regarded as a radical lawyer (he co-edited, for instance, an important text on miscarriages of justice - with Clive Walker, who's actually a poolie!). He did some radical things as DPP (like the victim's right to review). I think he's more left leaning than he's been portrayed. The big question for me, is can he manage the media?

I don't see and won't ever see what is wrong about caring for people's rights and the vulnerable in society. Likewise, I will never realize how people could champion a nation that puts profit before people to such a ruthless extent as ours does.

If that makes me a looney lefty, ok, cool.

The left are anything left of Maggie Thatcher. The right are anything right of Tony Benn.
(whoops, boomer examples)

Honestly surprised some conspiracy theorist has not found a way to blame Blair for Covid-19 yet...maybe I should start working on one and send it to the Sun.

That's nice, please thank them for me. I'm thinking of doing signed photographs at £2000 a pop, all proceeds to the RNLI. Let me know if any of yer mates are interested.

I don’t think I’m anything, I am certainly not perfect and have fell short of the standards talked about on here on several occasions.

You’re another very sad man though who’s not helping at the moment and adds very little in terms of content apart from when you are being insulting toward fellow posters, posting ‘jokes’ lifted straight off the Internet or moaning about things that don’t matter. Stay out of grown up threads (not that this abomination is that) if you have nothing to add other than name calling.

Damn you PJ, you quoted him. I have reason to post offensive retorts now.

How about something positive. I dont think I know any of you although I've been going to Pools since 1990. I'm on here because I have not lived in my home town for 20 years and I miss the club, the town and it's people. The bunker lets me get a little flavour of it.

I believe I've only said stuff that people would disgree with and not get offended by. If not, I'm really sorry. Sincerely.

What we have in common is decency. That is clear. I'm holding onto that thought.

We're in exactly the same boat, Mr Imp as regards your opening comment.

I'm pretty sure no one has been offended by what you post. Just a bit exasperated by "don't do it like this ..." when it isn't followed by "... do it like that".

I'm sure people would be interested in the "do it like that" part. I am.

So am I. Again not offended but curious as to why you dont give us the altrenative view or how that works. Rather than just saying Corbyn etc

Good to hear folks.

I guess I am just disappointed that we were presented with poor choices and are still living with one of those.

I am disappointed with the general lack of respect for people of opposing views in the world. Debate yes, belittle and name call... no. You've experienced it yourselves I'm sure, from all sides.

I thought the other day, if ministers are getting burnout, get some other ministers in to help. The other parties has some experienced people, get them in. Rosette colours don't matter now. If only eh?

I find every poster on here inoffensive, which in the nature of the post makes it offensive that I'm not offended???/ I'm really confused. Can we have a list of who I should find offensive and those inoffensive? The problem with being neutral is not knowing what side to take? If it's not offensive to anyone I'll continue to sit on the fence.

I suspect that the mocking and abuse is far outweighed by people who just downright ignore it. That hurts a bit too, but we obviously don't have the right to expect everybody to be interested in what we have to say.

This.

Mr Imp I have said a couple of times that if the government had formed a covid-19 cabinet of the best most experienced people to deal with this no matter what political allegiance you would have a lot more trust and faith in them at the minute. As soon as you do something like that it’s displays transparency and a feeling that they are working in the very best interests of the country and it’s people.

The last week has just looked like self preservation, damage limitation, denial and subterfuge. Watching people like Hancock is becoming painful and incredibly frustrating while so many are dying.

Just a question on Hancock... [see other thread as I'd like to stay on topic]

again not sure what that has to do with Hancock. Unless we are starting to give the government credit for others work.

Remebre we critisising the government for their decisions. Ones they are in control of.

Nah, one person who appears to be having a mental breakdown just needs to turn his internet off for a few days.

Can people please stop quoting him.

At the moment, statistics are unreliable. incomplete and inconsistently collected. Expert opinion seems divided. The media have been utterly irresponsible throughout so I don't consider them reliable.

I think only patience will tell whether this government, who have made mistakes are in the realms of pigs ear or not. I get it that some think otherwise. Can't have a discussion without me respecting that. Hopefully that comes across.

Sorry what statistics seem unreliable?

17,000 dead in hospitals?

Hospitals short of PPE?

The government advocating herd immunity and then exchanging its mind half way through?

The only media outlet that was truly awful wa the sun on good friday proclaiming it to be a very good friday on the day 900people died.

It was actually nearly as crass the other day when they lead with ‘Pubs shut til Christmas’ with a star next to a massive pint glass as if it was advertising bar snacks saying ‘549 dead see page 4.’

Only 20 years? You're not even a real exile; let me tell you what a real exile looks like...

Yep, I'd agree with this. I never know if my posts are ignored because people are silently nodding while reading, thinking 'here he goes again', or, more likely, tldr!

Statistics are unreliable, always have been. Modern sociology arguably started with Durkheim and his study on suicide, a study based on official statistics on this. One of the modern criticisms of Durkheim's approach is his use of statistics; later studies have, in essence, suggested that these figures are a social construct and tell us more about how we record the data, rather than about the social phenomenon of suicide.

I come from this as a criminologist; there's a wealth of literature on the construction of criminal statistics and how we collate them and make use of them. But there's always shades of meaning; one of the things usually accepted is the accuracy (more or less) of the homicide rate. The nature of the crime, the extent to which suspicious deaths are investigated, and the strength of recording mechanisms means that they're regarded as a decent reflection of what's happening 'out there'. For different reasons, car crime is usually a decent barometer. Why? Most of us do report this, even if only for insurance purposes. The figures on drug crime, however, are largely meaningless; they are a reflection of the police's effort to detect, rather than representative of the underlying figure of drug use.

What does this mean for the Covid-19 statistics? There's a hierarchy of accuracy, I would suggest. In hospitals, where patients are tested, the data will be pretty robust (but there will still be a margin of error). Outside of hospitals, with a shaky testing regime, the figures are prone to what doctors, who certify death, are putting on the death certificate. Some may be over cautious to record death as Covid related, some too quick to do so. I suspect that's why the ONS is currently giving us total death numbers and comparing these to previous years. All deaths are recorded, so this gives us some insight into the overall impact. For numbers who have the disease, without a testing regime these are meaningless, particularly if we want to compare rates of infection between countries. They're simply a reflection of how many tests are taking place.

To cut to the chase; hospital deaths, as the most robust and up to date data set, are rightly been used as the barometer for how we're doing in tackling this. The data isn't perfect, but it's good. Sadly, as we all know, it paints a chilling picture.

Ahem...

You just walked into the room PiN as I was having some humble pie.

Dont be afraid to stand for what you believe in, even if that means standing alone.

Thank you all. This place has been a much easier read today. Suppose it helps we've had some football to discuss. But there's been a lot more fun posts on here too (I've had a good laugh at some of them). Let's keep this going.

You still holding on to your accent? My vowels have shifted a bit. Fed up of being mocked for Hartlepool vowels. I once ended a sentence with the word 'like' when I was at work. Jeez people got some mileage out of that one. Doesn't help that my own family got wind of it too and were equally merciless.

I'm originally from Trimdon and still have a recognisable accent. It's softened, but most definitely still there. We have a lot of overseas students in my department and I still get the 'where are you from' question early in the year. I've met a few guys from the board over the years at away games; I'm sure Monty (certain we bumped into each other in Cardiff at the play off match) was surprised by how much I'd kept my accent.

Indeed. I felt like I was back at work in Sedgefield.

35 years since I've lived in Hartlepool and last time I was there, xmas before last, I got the remark "I seem to remember you talking posher than that before."

I deliberately use the word LIKE when I type, even though I'm not from Hartlepool , and the word MARRA when I address someone I respect and like , event though I never had the most pitmatic accent. I use the word LIKE sometimes as a bit of a piss take , but use the word Marra to keep the dialect going , as I generally hate the one accent fits all country we're becoming and even more so , the Americanisation of it.

It's 42 years since I lived in the town. Moved here March 1st 1978.
I don't think my accent has changed much but people who don't know me think I'm a geordie, which is vehemently denied.

I was once chatting with a very well-spoken regular of Kitty O'Shea's pub in Paris, who I'd never engaged with before.
As time went on a Geordie accent started emerging (the Newcastle top kind of gave him away).
I said "you do realise you're speaking Geordie, don't you?" He replied "It's your fault yer c*nt. You're the one who started with the accent!"

Yeah similar kind of story earlier this year. Worked down south for 6 months and in the office was a mackem, a lad from Peterlee and myself. It does tend to re-enrich the accent!

When I first came down here I thought they all sounded the same. It was only after being here a fair while that I noticed the subtle differences between the different areas. Barnsley accents are soon noticeably different from the others.
My favourite expression from Sheffielders is shintin.
To explain.
A knock on the door is answered by a young lad.
A man at the door asks the lad if he could speak to his mam.
Shintin came the reply.!n

For years I'd do what linguists call 'code switching'. Softer accent around colleagues, then it would be stronger (with more dialect) in social situations or when on the 'phone to anyone from home (I still call it home!). There was always a bit of leakage; my ex could always tell when I'd been on the phone to family as the accent was stronger.

round here in keighley everyone thinks i have a strong north east accent. when i,m back in the north east they say i,ve a bit of a yorkshire accent.

Same happened to me when I lived down South. I think in order to get people to be able to understand you, you have to modify your accent. Now I am back in the NE my accent has come back.

Sometimes people not been able to understand you can be a blessing , remember once saying to this lass I worked with " do you take it up the arse " she looked at me horrified and replied " WHAT DID YOU SAY ! " I knew I was in trouble so had to do some quick thinking " so I put on my best southern accent and replied " I see the sun has got out at LARSST..."

Ok , I made this up