Mr Derwent that is a crazy accusation. None of us want to see more unnecessary deaths. People of all political persuasions are now realising the peril that we have been put in.

We have to keep the pressure on the government to keep doing the right thing. I can't ignore people I know who are on the front line saying there is no PPE, despite Hancock and others saying it will all be fine.

This is one of the very few things we are all in together. The virus doesn't discriminate. Those in power need to be held to account, we can't keep turning blind eyes.

Vile bastards

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/ ... ing-demand

John, you and others have an agenda against our elected government and no matter how you try to disguise it you are failing. If Corbyn was in charge performing in exactly the same manner you would be defending him. That is the irony.
We are all in this together and your answer is to make cheap political points.
Don't want to stand shoulder to shoulder with people who will delight in the governments failure.
Have a serious word with yourself and ask yourself where all this vitriol against a democratically elected government will end.
The people who you support have failed miserably and, at present, are nowhere to be seen.
Are you proud of that.
I would love you to meet my Dad and Grandad and their mates and explain your position
to them.
You are right to call it crazy.
I've got no more to say to you my friend.

I am not advocating that anybody should vote tory and never have done. What we must do however is support democracy and the country have put these people in power and we all have to accept that because the alternative is anarchy and, believe me, we are inches away from that if we spout the same shite as you.
We can only rid the country of these people at the ballot box. Which part of that don't you understand?????????????????? Unless of course you are advocating civil war in which thousands of people. including your friends and family will lose their lives. Is that what you want ??????????????????

I'm not sure what "getting behind the only people who can beat this virus" means.
It seems to me that medical staff and researchers on one hand and us, by staying at home, on the other are the people who are going to beat it. How exactly do you get behind doctors and researchers? Clapping the front line staff is a brilliant gesture but that's not going to advance the work of people working their nads off in a lab.
As for getting behind the government, I'm at a complete loss as to what that involves. A whip round?
To be honest it comes across as a sound bite.

Probably the only people who should be getting behind anyone are that very government, and it's clear people don't think they are showing much competence at doing so.

Wow what a ridiculous post, absolutely awful stuff. Yet you are asking people to have a word with themselves? You need to wake up Sir. You manage to type a lot of words without actually adding or saying anything it's like you fail to grasp the gravity of this crisis. This is life and death and it could touch every single one of us in some way before it's over.

This has got absolutely nothing to do with politics, things like political parties are completely trivial right now. This is not about anarchy or civil war the very justifiable anger is about the preservation of human life, that put very simple should be the only focus of this situation. Keeping people safe, keeping people alive. It is an undeniable fact though that our government have decimated the NHS over the last decade which before this started puts the country in worse place to deal with such a crisis. Then herd immunity has set a path for a catastrophic outcome. You think that people wouldn't be saying anything if Corbyn (or whoever that matter) had led us down a path that was going kill thousands and thousands of people!? Are you serious? Unbelievable.

Clapping for the NHS is all well and good but it's not going to keep them out of mortal danger because they have't even got the correct protective clothing to fight this. Do you think that is acceptable? If you had relative being put in that position wouldn't you question the people presiding over this disaster? The same people encouraging us to clap were the same people cheering in the commons when they voted against giving Nurses a pay rise not that long ago. You think we should all sitting at home uttering empty platitudes about getting behind the NHS and 'Boris?' That isn't going to help, the correct face visor or protective scrubs would though, clapping isn't going to stop people dying. Of course we are behind our health workers I just wish people in more senior positions had been before now and weren't about to be responsible for lots of them dying.

The government are failing, they are not protecting people as they should be. The 'lockdown' is a farce compared to just about everywhere else in the World, they are making decisions and non decisions that are costings lives. I think it's fair to acknowledge that this a very difficult and complex situation but it's very clear that many on the cabinet and in very senior positions are not up to this and need help, one of the main people being the Prime Minister who is currently hiding in his flat. I think it's time to forget about the elected government during this crisis who cares about the ballot box this is life and death? We should have the best people in the best positions to fight this irregardless of political allegiance. Ex Prime Ministers and senior cabinet members, people from China who are coming out of the other side of this, the very best people to preserve human life. Now that would be coming to together. Will it happen or will money and self interest continue to take priority?

I told you this was happing with the kits used for testing

Try being in my job which is worse enough telling NHS trusts sorry I can advise you how to do the sample preparation of samples manually but I cannot get you a machine which does 1000-2000 a day, and why you called me. I wouldn’t swop this at all to be a front line worker in nhs. We have been trying to find other protocols using different kits to spread the need across five platforms rather than two which are in very short supply, but it takes time and the key step of inactivating virus needs to be accounted for.

Do you think the targets set for testing by the middle of this month are realistic Compo or just sound bites?

Even fetish shops are showing better support of front line staff relative to their capacity.
Yes it's probably good publicity for them, but the important thing is that it "is".

https://twitter.com/MedFet_UK/status/12 ... 8878848002

I stood clapping. As a socialist it felt all too little , cringeworthy neo-liberal bollocks.

Until all NHS staff, Carers, pharmacists and cleaners get protective equipment and wages that reflect their key worker status we should not rest. Clapping for these people on the frontline does nothing as they put their lives and those of their families on the line for the rest of us.

The one thing we can do, is ensure nothing goes back to ‘normal’ after this. When all the clapping has finished, the camera videos shared and people grinning at neighbours not knowing at what time have they clapped enough, we hold this government to account and DEMAND better pay and formal recognition for our keyworkers.

The hypocrisy of someone clapping who voted Tory, the party that never wanted the NHS , and have historically done everything in its power to dismantle it , the very people who only a few years ago stood grinning at each other after defeating an opposition party motion to increase NHS workers pay.

Yes we have machines to do a lot more than that if we get kits.

I'm talking a load of words he says and then trebles it. His criticism is not political he says and accuses the PM of hiding in his flat. He can't even disguise his political point scoring. He obviously wants the PM to go around spreading death. Fucking dead clever that is.
I can't be arsed to tear the rest of the drivel to bits, Fucking political nonsense.
He can start an argument in an empty room he says..........oh wait he's right on that one.
Silly little boy.

Mr Compo, I am grateful for your contribution on this subject and I am embarassed that people who haven't got a clue what they are talking about feel suitably positioned to attack the Government, through their political red mist.
You have tried to keep us informed as much as you can (maybe as much as you dare, who knows).
Most of us appreciate this and are deeply grateful.
The reason I am writing this to you is because I want you to continue to help us and don't want you to be put off by the politically driven drivel emanating from the few...........the usual suspects as it were. I am sure you are made of sterner stuff and will ignore the ignorant but I thought it needing saying.
Once again........THANK YOU.

[quote="horden"]

I stood clapping. As a socialist it felt all too little , cringeworthy neo-liberal bollocks.

Until all NHS staff, Carers, pharmacists and cleaners get protective equipment and wages that reflect their key worker status we should not rest. Clapping for these people on the frontline does nothing as they put their lives and those of their families on the line for the rest of us.

The one thing we can do, is ensure nothing goes back to ‘normal’ after this. When all the clapping has finished, the camera videos shared and people grinning at neighbours not knowing at what time have they clapped enough, we hold this government to account and DEMAND better pay and formal recognition for our keyworkers.

exactly. when the virus is over and the clapping stops non clappers and clappers should demand a big change and go as far as they can go to legally achieve this. imagine the uproar from the health and safety brigade if workers anywhere were not provided with safety equipment for their jobs. there would be an uproar but health workers just have to grin and bear it. originally i thought similar to derwent on the issue of the virus but am changing my mind due to the non activity to one section of workers and their basic rights.

I think you've explained what it means when you suggest the Government should be the ones getting behind people. I think if you read fully what they have done so far to support people through this crisis you will see that the list is quite substantial. Not perfect because there is no such thing, but substantial.
However, as is always the case, you have to want to see it and, as always, there are people who don't want to see it.
I don't think anybody is advocating a whip round as getting behind but interestingly enough I shall be having a wager on the virtual Grand National at teatime and, as the proceeds are being donated to the NHS, I am, by taking part, getting behind a form of whip round.
Keep safe mate.

Wow.

It’s amazing you can get that angry about me having a different view on this but not about a government who up until March 12th thought herd immunity was the way forward and that culling ‘a couple of hundred thousand’ of YOUR age demographic would have been a good result. Bizarre.

I am not suggesting the Prime minister doesn’t self isolate he could do what the Canadian Prime Minister is doing though at least, I see nothing stopping him doing live news conference. He is hiding.

I have no political allegiances, I dislike the Prime Minister and think this government have been doing a awful job for decade though. I also think the handling of this crisis is endangering life. I make no apologies about feeling strongly about that I am just shocked that you don’t and would rather personally attack people on a forum.

And there my point about political point scoring is underlined.

I was hoping and praying that the mighty NHS would not be used as a political football but it looks like I prayed in vain.

I'm not quite sure you understand what political point scoring is. Here we are discussing the handling of a crisis which is unprecedented in our lifetime and your opinion is it is being mis handled and part of your "evidence" to back your accusation is you don't like Boris and suggest he could do live news conferences whilst he's self isolating and because he isn't doing that, he is hiding. That is just pure speculation and a perfect example of the fact that you are politically point scoring for the sake of it. I don't mind you point scoring and it does not anger me. You never anger me, you actually amuse me. Recently you went missing for a short while and I felt bereaved because in your desperation for an argument, you actually argue with yourself.
Nah, I'll never get angry with you.
Keep spouting it and I'll keep laughing at it.
Never more than now we need light diversions.
Keep safe.

Why are you shocked? It's exactly what he does.

Well him and his neighbour.

Surely political point scoring would be if I had allegiance to another political group or belief?

I don’t. I am not point scoring and couldn’t give a shit about politics right now I am worried about my friends and family. This is life and death it supersedes everything.

There is another example of point scoring, PJ.

This is exactly what I'm trying to get across to you.

If you'd stopped after the word Compo I would have thought, hey that is a good and very reasonable question and would have watched out for his answer.

But no, you couldn't resist adding the next four words. In trying to underline your point with cynicism you completely destroy it, causing people to think "there he goes again"
They very well may be sound bytes but until they are proven to be such, there is no need. The question is perfect without the cynicism or are you desperate to be able to say "I told you so" at the end of April.

Death threats on a forum, oh dear...

I just asked the missus if she wanted a cup of tea.

She’s kicked me out the house for point scoring.

It’s just a question man! A perfectly fair one Compo himself was frustrated by some of the misleading terminology being used last week about testing kits.

What you are suggesting is anyone being critical of the government is ‘point scoring’. That is bonkers.

Sir, the Divorce League Table thread is that way...

That's better but It would be more convincing if you didn't spout so much anti government propaganda because you don't like Boris.
Personally I am not a Boris fan but the guy has no experience of solving this and will make mistakes, just like you or I would. I am convinced he is desperate to find the answer. What I'm not convinced about is whether criticising him in the manner of calling for him to be held to virtual manslaughter charges, criminal negligence or being locked away will put him in the clear frame of mind to lead this charge against the virus.
I prefer to see Hancock on the podium but that is just my choice. He is the Minister for Health and appears to be locked in with both the medical and scientific teams and obviously has more rapport with them than Boris has. I have no proof of that, it's just a gut feeling and I may be totally wrong. I am not going to be tempted to turn this into a political football.
As a matter of interest I am a card carrying member of the Labour party but absolutely refuse to get involved in attacking the Government on this issue.

I agree completely. I assume you are referring to the death threat to hundreds of thousands of our citizens by calling for the NHS to walk out.

It is oh dear, very oh dear....... but if I'm faced with the choice of killing hundreds of thousands or just one man then the answer is obvious.

I would prefer of course to do neither as I love everybody.

I said it was a perfectly fair question if you read my post again. There was no need for the last four words. Compo will answer any technical question any of us ask but he has no idea about the sound bytes and it is unfair to ask him.

You can't blame me if your lass kicks you out. I could say more on that but I won't.

Decent short read from the LRB:

https://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2020/april/rolling-it-out-ramping-it-up?utm_campaign=20200404%20icymi&utm_content=ukrw_subs_icymi&utm_medium=email&utm_source=LRB%20icymi

In other news the Labour party has announced Keir Starmer is to replace Jeremy Corbyn. In an act of Cross Party unity to fight Coronavirus he has been invited to join in the fray and will meet Boris Johnson shortly.
Hopefully he will bring another dimension to the table.
If he does join the team I would like to see him actively involved to the point of being co opted into the Cabinet until this National crisis is conquered.
As I believe party politics and political point scoring has no place in our country at this time, a move to involve the leader of the opposition would be a significant step.
Time will tell if our political leaders are willing to follow such a path but I would like to see the idea mooted at least.

Given that the politicians stand up alongside the heads of the NHS and PHE etc at the daily news briefings, does anyone believe that the decisions being taken are not in accordance with the expert advice? If it was not in accordance with advice would the heads of services not speak out? In these circumstances politians will be following the information and advice given by the experts. They have no option. Boris and his team does not order swabs or reagents or ventilators. All they can do is free up cash for their purchase and the organisations charged with fulfilling these instructions get on with it. In this very fluid situation hopes and aspirations cannot always be met. Its just the way it is.

Will mistakes have been made - for sure. The experts were slow to realise the importance and complexity of ramping up testing. Their failure to elicit support from the private sector/academia has been unhelpful. I think the lack of checking temperatures at airports, supermarkets, building sites etc is also a big mistake. However, this is an new virus and a new scenario that has not been experienced before.

The cost vs life dilema has been a fact of life since NICE was set up in 2000. Cancer treatments are denied some people because of cost and value for money.

Overall I'm critical of the timing of some of the decisions but I see little point in making it a political issue now. There will be plenty of time to review the decisions and advice when this is all over. Until then I would agree to cross party unity. Invite Kier Starmer to join the Cobra discussions. Let him do some of the press conferences. There is clearly SNP and Welsh involvement in Cobra so include Labour as well.

Stay safe.

Seems a bit strange though, all those calling for Starmer to join the fray wouldn't have been saying the same thing had Corbyn or Rebecca Bailey Long been Labour leader , Nandy would've got an invite though , so how is that fair? so like it or not, it is political.

Nicola Surgeon's involved so I don't see why Corbyn, Long or Nandy couldn't have been invited!

Maybe Corbyn has been invited,he should have been. There are two possibilities. Either he has been invited and declined or he hasn't been invited. I have no idea which it is.
Maybe this is a question that should be asked at the press bulletins. I have noticed that the Labour Party has gone quiet of late and I have commented on that. Is that because they don't want to get involved, which I would find extraordinary, or are the media just ignoring them. Who knows but we need answers on this.
In any event Starmer is going to get involved, so whatever the problem was, it appears to have been solved.
I've no doubt the conspiracy theorists will take to the stage.

Agree. Scotland and Wales are allowed to govern their own affairs , hence their involvement. I doubt Corbyn was asked , then again the party have been in the middle of a leadership contest , so maybe they declined or it wasn't thought proper protocol, who knows. It’s no coincidence that, on the day Keir Starmer was elected Labour leader, Boris Johnson broadcast a call for all Opposition parties to work with his Tories on the fight against coronavirus. He wants them to share the blame for the complete cock-up that has cost many lives so far, and will cost many more; he’ll try to do what the Tories always do – pass ownership of their stupidities onto somebody else. This is typical Johnson and also why I'm sceptical of Starmer. As soon as he was announced leader of the Labour Party, Starmer said “In the national interest, we will engage constructively with the government. Not opposition for opposition’s sake… with the courage to support where that’s the right thing to do.”

Personally I would just stand back and let Johnson stew in his own juice.

Update Monty.
My daughter had a fiver each way on the winner !! I liked the name she said. HA.

for me what starmer said was spot on. its not time for scoring political points but more on using your experiance and own thoughts to attempt to improve the situation. just letting johnson get on with it when he johnson could end up being succesful in this period would only see starmer having a bigger fight on his hands to get his party back in power. he would be seen as a real political opportunist if he criticised all the way down the line and ended up with boris,s egg all over his face.

Well it looks like these southerners Brighton n London have been taking the piss plus the forieghners shopping at East ham about social distancing will result in a total ban on any outside exercise.
A shame really on the good people of hartlepool n there dogs who have been abiding by the law on what I have seen so far.
UTP.

Not my choice for leader , but I will give him a fair crack of the whip , lets see what he has to offer, will give him a year or two before judging him. His immediate task is to bring the party together, in that respect he could well be the right choice.

The first thing Starmer has to do is completely obliterate Momentum. Harsh as that may seem it has to be done if the Party is to become electable.
He started off great and then spoilt it by political point scoring, the very thing he vowed not to do.
The country is desperate for a genuine, effective opposition but I am worried if he is the man to effect that. Time will tell.
You can criticise Boris and the Tories until you are blue in the face but until you can oust him you are stuck with him.
I am amazed that people are prepared to stick to their unacceptable ideals, instead of adopting the acceptable policies which appeal to the electorate.
The country doesn't want the hard left. After three consecutive defeats, culminating in a thrashing you would think that would sink in.
It begs the question of how clever the present Labour hierarchy actually are.

doubt anyone could say that corbyns policies were really that hard left. might have been more left wing than in the previous two defeats but not too much. agree that the majority may not want a hard left government but neither do they want a blair type one either. might as well just vote tory again than have someone like him again. momentum in one form or another will always cling to the labour party but the partys main problem is their attempt to win over the national media to give them and their policies an even playing field. about time we revert to voting for policies of parties and not one person, the leader.

Ahhhh the bloke who said Jimmy Saville had nothing to answer for.

It all boils down to one thing, credibility with the electorate.
After everything that had gone on over the last ten years. Government was there for the taking and yet great swathes of the country that had always supported the party, turned against them. That was a massive shock to the system and it could possibly take years to rectify.
Corbyn and anti semitism played a massive part but they all dismissed that as nonsense.
Keir Starmer said the other day that getting rid of anti semitism in the party was a day one priority so he must believe it's considerable presence. How many Corbynites will he have in his cabinet. Not so long ago Rebecca Long-bailey was asked if she would continue the Corbyn line if she were elected. Her answer was " I haven't spent the last four years writing those policies to abandon them now". At the time I thought.....well that's her gone. So traditional Labour supporters are split and so is the party.
In order for Starmer to solve the party's problems he has to understand what they are The number one priority is getting the party singing the same song and then making it electable. Two massive tasks. They also need the electorate to turn against the Tories but that means government mistakes which will make us all suffer.
I don't envy Starmer one little bit. He needs a good start to get people thinking he might just be worth giving a chance to.

As a coronavirus blacklist thread....

Just gunna drag this back to its original intention...

Few local shops in hartlepool unpacking bacon n selling it for very inflated fees.

Noticed a few things in my local costcutter gone up in price loads, i understand they may be getting charged more and have no choice, but its still not nice too see.

Eh ????????????? I couldn't stomach the guy. I suggest you explain that claim a bit further.

wasnt he at the DPP when the allegations surfaced.

I haven't a clue, I thought you meant me.

Horden might know Mr Dykey.

Easy enough to check out, under Starmer Pol Pot would of got a caution

Mayor of London of Sadiq Khan is lobbying the government for more PPE for London transport workers.

FFS just close public transport, especially in London. It is utter madness that it is still running.

Ten workers dead, drivers ‘terrified to go to work’ with good reason, how many have caught the virus and passed it to someone else on the network? Surely a safer alternative can be found to get people to work?

Close it to everyone but the most important key workers? Limit numbers to ensure social distancing? Make the transport for those most important workers free so the drivers don’t to need to have any contact. Hotels are empty put NHS workers in them close to hospitals where possible to take out the need for travel. This surely can’t continue it is not a safe environment.

A month ago the Prime Minister was telling everyone how he was shaking everyone’s hand and all you need to do is wash them now he’s fighting for his life. Surely this is the moment for the few that haven’t to wake up here?