Coronavirus

[Batch]

as an aside, have the government stopped doing daily updates?

[Quagmire]

as an aside, have the government stopped doing daily updates?

Weekends have been stopped.

[4D]

We could do with some graph/stats on the latest figures. Be interested to see the R number prediction too.

[Arriba]

Had a self employed tradesman proudly tell me he's had a 4.5k payment from the government and will get another 4k payment shortly. This fella has continued to work during the virus. How the fuck is this right? Money for fuck all whilst others in normal employment still work, get no extra and will have to suffer the consequences afterwards.

[Nemo]

Had a self employed tradesman proudly tell me he's had a 4.5k payment from the government and will get another 4k payment shortly. This fella has continued to work during the virus. How the fuck is this right? Money for fuck all whilst others in normal employment still work, get no extra and will have to suffer the consequences afterwards.

This isn't fraudulent, this is how the self-employment support is meant to work - people can carry on working (unlike for PAYE employees), but will get some financial support in anticipation of them having less work over the period. Of course, some people will probably do better than they normally would as a result of this, but when designing interventions as quickly as they did, you're never going to be able to get a perfect system. Plenty of people fall through gaps, some get too much support.

Would hope that anyone genuinely better offer as a result of the support gives the money back or to charity, but there are always going to be some who won't.

[4D]

Correct. It's based on 80% of trading profits. HMRC are introducing checks too. The 4.5k will relate to Mar to May and the 4k willrelate to Jun to Aug. That'll be all.

[StfcRusty]

I gather that the Colston statue was erected to thank him for his charitable contributions to the City and not as a marker of his involvement in the slave trade.

Just read that the plaque with the Colston statue says ""Erected by citizens of Bristol as a memorial of one of the most virtuous and wise sons of their city."

[Reg Smeeton]

Not sure I referred to war memorials or similar. I referred to the act of burning flags per se.

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.

[4D]

How many on here have visited the Colosseum in Rome?

[Saxondale]

Had a self employed tradesman proudly tell me he's had a 4.5k payment from the government and will get another 4k payment shortly. This fella has continued to work during the virus. How the fuck is this right? Money for fuck all whilst others in normal employment still work, get no extra and will have to suffer the consequences afterwards.

Arriba, Ive taken a 7k grant and will have another one.  Ive also had 9 weeks of work.  Unfortunately as I work in live music I may not have any more work until January.  Or possibly beyond that. 

The criteria for getting the grant is that you have lost work because of the pandemic and the restrictions.  Im not turning it away.  Im not pissing off on a holiday or buying a new car because I don't know if I will be able to earn again for a very long time. 

I hope Im back working in October.  Cant see it happening, but rather than just declaring bankruptcy Ill take any support I can.  at 49 I have never taken a penny from the government in unemployment or housing benefit.  Or Universal credit or any other benefits like that.

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.

[sir windon]

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.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p01qb45n

[Arriba]

This isn't fraudulent, this is how the self-employment support is meant to work - people can carry on working (unlike for PAYE employees), but will get some financial support in anticipation of them having less work over the period. Of course, some people will probably do better than they normally would as a result of this, but when designing interventions as quickly as they did, you're never going to be able to get a perfect system. Plenty of people fall through gaps, some get too much support.

Would hope that anyone genuinely better offer as a result of the support gives the money back or to charity, but there are always going to be some who won't.

I've used 2 tradesmen during the covid crisis. Both are quids in as they've worked as normal. There are winners and losers just as in life and I don't think that's right. Might not be fraudulent but it stinks when others are getting nothing or are really struggling at the moment.

[Arriba]

Arriba, Ive taken a 7k grant and will have another one.  Ive also had 9 weeks of work.  Unfortunately as I work in live music I may not have any more work until January.  Or possibly beyond that. 

The criteria for getting the grant is that you have lost work because of the pandemic and the restrictions.  Im not turning it away.  Im not pissing off on a holiday or buying a new car because I don't know if I will be able to earn again for a very long time. 

I hope Im back working in October.  Cant see it happening, but rather than just declaring bankruptcy Ill take any support I can.  at 49 I have never taken a penny from the government in unemployment or housing benefit.  Or Universal credit or any other benefits like that.

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.

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.

[suttonred]

Well a bit like the DFE laptops for disadvantaged kids, well intentioned, but a right fucking lash up that wasn't thought through properly.

[Batch]

Weekends have been stopped.

Oh right ta, didn't spot today's in BBC1 scedule earlier...its there now.