O/T. The Government's handling of Covid

[Ram59]

That might be you Andy...mine pairs perfectly with my car, two sound docks in the house and any rental car...and I’m a technological f***wit.
Having said that, I downloaded the Covid App today and it tells me the risk in my postcode is ‘MEDIUM’....but I’m 1800 miles away from my postcode and all I get is an expanding green circle telling me my app is ‘active and scanning’.
Think I might have broken the system...Ram59...please advise.

You can't be serious RA, I'm a bit of a technophobe myself, but I managed to download the app. I did so because, these things only work if a large majority also download them.

As it happens, I went to walking Football tonight and they are bringing in a rule that you've got to scan in your phone before you can play. I scanned mine and it immediately showed up where I was playing and my arrival time. So that bit worked anyway.

I would assume that if one of the other players tests positive, then the app will tell me, but I'm not counting on it.

[ramAnag]

I much preferred ‘Hancock’s Half Hour’ to Hancock’s Covid App...over sixties joke.

[AdiSalisbury]

I checked the definitions on the app, and for England there is only medium or high

[ramAnag]

I checked the definitions on the app, and for England there is only medium or high

Brilliant! Sophisticated hi-tech stuff then.

Interesting discovery this morning. Apparently Sir Patrick Vallance - government’s chief scientific adviser and Covid TV star - has a £600,000 shareholding in GlaxoSmithKline who have a deal with the Government to supply 60m doses of Covid-19 vaccine.

I don’t really understand such things, just be happy if they’d find a vaccine...but it would seem to place something of a question mark over impartiality.

[Geoff Parkstone]

So, not sure if this should be on this thread or else thread.

I looked at the "about the app" on NHS track n trace app and at the foot of the page is a drawing I guess showing the diversity of covid so to speak.

There are 4 figures, 2 appear male, 2 female and one is in a wheelchair. One has a turban.

There is one white figure and 3 non white. The white figure is a ginger. So here I am, one of the about 80% of the country who is unrepresented in the pictogram.

White Lives Matter 🤔. In truth I don't care about the image, it doesn't offend me, just find it over the top trying to be PC, but I wonder what the reaction would have been if 3 of the 4 figures had been white?

[Geoff Parkstone]

Oh yes, and one of the figures is not wearing a mask - that must be the DUP representative

[MadAmster]

Brilliant! Sophisticated hi-tech stuff then.

Interesting discovery this morning. Apparently Sir Patrick Vallance - government’s chief scientific adviser and Covid TV star - has a £600,000 shareholding in GlaxoSmithKline who have a deal with the Government to supply 60m doses of Covid-19 vaccine.

I don’t really understand such things, just be happy if they’d find a vaccine...but it would seem to place something of a question mark over impartiality.

I am not sure of the veracity of that story rA although I first saw it a few days back. Also seen that Witty supposedly has a similar "conflict of interest".

Seems to be a recurring theme of late. £400K donation to the Tories apparently leads to a £90 odd million PPE contract, friends/family of Goings appear to be getting all manner of government contracts...... all obviously above board though (cough)

[Geoff Parkstone]

Re Vallance, and all other such experts. The problem is that they gain the high level of skills and knowledge by working in a specific industry, and tend to get rewarded by share options, or just buy into the company that employs them.

Then they rally to the nations cause as an expert and become national advisers: maybe for a fee, maybe not. So rather than having their student loan paid off, the whingers out there complain that they have this conflict of interest. What do you want him to do about it?

He has the skills the government want to tap into... should he be made to jettison part of his pension fund?

Being a shareholder doesn't necessarily give any decision making power. That comes with executive directorship. If he is an executive director then both he and the company will be obliged by company law and stock exchange rules to manage the inherent conflict and potential for insider trading.

Being influential in government decision making and awarding of contracts to a company he has a material interest (is it material, probably not) in should be similarly controlled. He's not just going to be able to make such decisions himself - indeed I imagine there are specific controls to prevent it.

His views could influence the decision making, but what do you want a vaccine or just to pick holes?

[Trickytreesreds]

Brilliant! Sophisticated hi-tech stuff then.

Interesting discovery this morning. Apparently Sir Patrick Vallance - government’s chief scientific adviser and Covid TV star - has a £600,000 shareholding in GlaxoSmithKline who have a deal with the Government to supply 60m doses of Covid-19 vaccine.

I don’t really understand such things, just be happy if they’d find a vaccine...but it would seem to place something of a question mark over impartiality.

Well why are you shocked?

Just to enlighten you. In the 8 years I was at HMP, they displayed the security threat upon entry.

LOW means an attack is highly unlikely
MODERATE means an attack is possible, but not likely
SUBSTANTIAL means an attack is likely
SEVERE means an attack is highly likely
CRITICAL means an attack is highly likely in the near future

It never dropped below substantial. Make of that what you will.

[Andy_Faber]

So, not sure if this should be on this thread or else thread.

I looked at the "about the app" on NHS track n trace app and at the foot of the page is a drawing I guess showing the diversity of covid so to speak.

There are 4 figures, 2 appear male, 2 female and one is in a wheelchair. One has a turban.

There is one white figure and 3 non white. The white figure is a ginger. So here I am, one of the about 80% of the country who is unrepresented in the pictogram.

White Lives Matter 🤔. In truth I don't care about the image, it doesn't offend me, just find it over the top trying to be PC, but I wonder what the reaction would have been if 3 of the 4 figures had been white?

Don’t get me started on this