Coronavirus

[JBZ]

A much better thing is to be more like the demobbed soldiers in the Swindon Peace Day riots of 1919..... they took exception to SBC shelling out £250 on a flagpole to commemorate the official end of the Great War, and so burnt the pole if not the flag.  Then had 3 days of looting and occupying the old police station in Eastcott Road. Their gripe not much sign of a land fit for heroes.

Just looked that up.  Although I was born in PMH, I don't actually know much about Swindon and little historical tales like this.

[horlock07]

A much better thing is to be more like the demobbed soldiers in the Swindon Peace Day riots of 1919..... they took exception to SBC shelling out £250 on a flagpole to commemorate the official end of the Great War, and so burnt the pole if not the flag.  Then had 3 days of looting and occupying the old police station in Eastcott Road. Their gripe not much sign of a land fit for heroes.

Thank god there wasn't social media in those days.

[Nemo]

I think it's good thing too but it's open to abuse and that's what doesn't sit well with me when some are getting nothing.

Sure, but there was no real way of doing means testing or anything like that to try and sort who needed it from who didn't because of a) the number of people involved and b) the speed at which it needed to be delivered.

As with most welfare policies, it's a balance between too many undeserving people getting it and too many deserving people missing out. I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't like every deserving person to get it and every undeserving person not to, it's just designing that system is a technical impossibility. Which of the problems you get more exercised about is personal preference but probably a good indicator of your politics I guess!

[Reg Smeeton]

Just looked that up.  Although I was born in PMH, I don't actually know much about Swindon and little historical tales like this.

Ah.... PMH the first large hospital to to built for the NHS post war.  Officially opened in 66, it took a while for the NHS to develop as the country was skint, due to the need to repay post war debt to the US and the high cost of defence spending.

Oddly, the Medical Fund Hospital in Evelyn Square, was very sniffy when nationalised into the NHS in 48. Widely regarded as a forerunner of the NHS, it's doctors and trustees were concerned the NHS wouldn't be able to produce such a good service.

Doctors, were particularly concerned by the NHS, and partly explains why GPs are still private companies.

[Valid Pint]

1. as I work in live music

2. There is very little that I will praise this government for but this is one thing I will hold my hand up and say fair enough, you've done what I suggested to you so well done.

1. Genuine question: have you ever worked on gigs at Bristol's Colston Hall?

2. That is a very magnanimous statement.

[Saxondale]

1.  Yes.  Many.  Shithole.
2.  Credit where its due.

[pauld]

55 new deaths today. Even allowing for the weekend lag, that's a marked dip and good news. Hopefully the start of the beginning of the end? At least of the first wave, anyway.

[Banker]

A lot of sirens heard in West Swindon today, first one around 5.45 this morning.
 
Reminding me how it was in March.

[Arriba]

Sure, but there was no real way of doing means testing or anything like that to try and sort who needed it from who didn't because of a) the number of people involved and b) the speed at which it needed to be delivered.

As with most welfare policies, it's a balance between too many undeserving people getting it and too many deserving people missing out. I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't like every deserving person to get it and every undeserving person not to, it's just designing that system is a technical impossibility. Which of the problems you get more exercised about is personal preference but probably a good indicator of your politics I guess!

Good points, well made.

[herthab]

Mass gatherings attracting mindless cretins. What a shock. The usual suspects in the media and elsewhere will use this to 'prove' their own beliefs/prejudices.

Personally I think the protests are highlighting real problems regarding racism and inequality. That doesn't mean I'm one of these fucking idiots who go on about white guilt all the time,  nor do I think defacing war memorials,  or burning flags can have any justification. None at all..

[horlock07]

Helen Whately suffers her almost daily car crash.

https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1270247307347402753?s=20

[RobertT]

Arizona and North Carolina seem to be having their escalation right now, several weeks after removing many lock down restrictions.  Other places have not seen the same style increase - however, States are left to their own devices to deal with Testing and Tracing, many not really doing a great job.  Arizona's Health Dept. has written to all hospitals advising them to switch to Emergency Plans if not already done so and prepare for a critical situation.  ICU beds pretty full in the metropolitan areas.

[pauld]

Over here the excess death rate is slowing as well, late May was the best period for excess deaths since late March. That still takes us to over 63,000 deaths *confirmed* though, FT extrapolations predict it will now be around 66,000.
But heading in the right direction which is good

https://twitter.com/ChrisGiles_/status/1270309248409505792

[mystical_goat]

Helen Whately suffers her almost daily car crash.

https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1270247307347402753?s=20

Absolute fuckwit cunt, that woman.

But that's what you get when Boris & Cumpot purged all the mildly reasonable tories to achieve their full-on Brexit cabinet/group of MPs.

Normally twits like Whately would be sat at the back, saying next to nothing and certainly not making a number of high profile media appearances in which they make a fool of themselves and their party.

"You can't pin this on the scientists!"
"I can pin this on the scientists!"

"errr, I didn't mean that - you put the words in my mouth"

 

[Banker]

Normally twits like Whately would be sat at the back, saying next to nothing

Whately is no politician, that's become apparent.

Ms W was a member of the McKinsey healthcare team that produced the infamous report proposing "£13bn-£20bn” cuts in the NHS, back along. She is in government for a greater purpose down the line, methinks.

https://www.hsj.co.uk/the-bedpan/mckinsey-report-unthinkable-solutions-set-scene-for-nhs-cuts/5015368.article