OT. The futures Bright, the Futures Brexit!!!

[Andy_Faber]

I hear the Spanish think their government are a farce and should've followed the lead of the British instead of doing their own thing

There’s some of that in the English language papers, more their own incompetence, focus on manipulating the numbers and inability to control youth than comparison with U.K.

[ramAnag]

Somewhere in Berlin a German language teacher named AuspfalhenAnag is berating Angela Merkel and demanding to know why she wasn't a patch on that English Johnson fellow

...and somewhere in the region of Gatwick a chap, who hasn’t made much sense since he changed his initials from RR, continues to get twitchy every time he hears - or believes he hears - his beloved Boris challenged.

[Andy_Faber]

Would that be the same government who has altered the way deaths are recorded for the third time and at the same time decided to knock 5,000 of the total Still over a 1000 positives everyday , nothing to get complacent about

Yes that’s the one Mista but hoping that HMG might actually be learning from their errors where others aren’t. I accept there’s a long haul ahead though

[swaledale]

I think it's a bit early to start counting our chickens AF, we're a little bit behind the timeline of other countries.

I think the important figures will be the new hospital admissions over the next few weeks..

However, the government were widely criticised when relaxing the lockdown 7 weeks ago and if you'd believed the critics, we should have been inundated with new hospital admissions by now. The government were also widely criticised for their quarantine measures against visitors to Spain, measures that have since been copied by every other country. Could you imagine the fuss, if we'd been one of the last countries to act, instead of the first?

I wonder if the German media are demanding to know why it took their government so long after the UK, to take action?

Therein lies the problem, the medical and scientific experts will err on caution, its not their job to worry about the economy, the Governments role is to strike the right balance, looking vaguely competent whilst they do so.

[ramAnag]

Therein lies the problem, the medical and scientific experts will err on caution, its not their job to worry about the economy, the Governments role is to strike the right balance, looking vaguely competent whilst they do so.

Indeed...but then most of us suspect - at the risk of yet another slapped wrist from GP - that appearances aren’t deceptive and our inadequate Government is now incapable of even ‘looking vaguely competent’.

Perhaps the problem is that, increasingly there are ‘pet’ medical and scientific experts who we hear from only because they add credence to the Government ‘line’.
Personally I find it ever more difficult to know who to trust, but am inclined to follow common sense and scientific advice from those who aren’t on the ‘payroll’.

[mistaram]

Yes that’s the one Mista but hoping that HMG might actually be learning from their errors where others aren’t. I accept there’s a long haul ahead though

Yes I agree I think they are learning Just seen Chris Whitty saying it's highly unlikely there will be a safe vaccine until the winter of 2021so it will be a long haul People still not taking it serious though

[MadAmster]

Yes I agree I think they are learning Just seen Chris Whitty saying it's highly unlikely there will be a safe vaccine until the winter of 2021so it will be a long haul People still not taking it serious though

Is the absence of "serious cases" due to CV19 having its predicted summer sleep or is it, as I have said from the off, weakening and fading into the same insignificance as its familial forebears SARS, MERS etc did? Will it fade before there is a vaccine? That is still my opinion.

It could also be a new, weaker strain of Corona.... in which case it might stir its loins again come winter.

We shall see.

[mistaram]

A Military Policeman?

Actually I meant Met Police officer

[mistaram]

Indeed...but then most of us suspect - at the risk of yet another slapped wrist from GP - that appearances aren’t deceptive and our inadequate Government is now incapable of even ‘looking vaguely competent’.

Perhaps the problem is that, increasingly there are ‘pet’ medical and scientific experts who we hear from only because they add credence to the Government ‘line’.
Personally I find it ever more difficult to know who to trust, but am inclined to follow common sense and scientific advice from those who aren’t on the ‘payroll’.

RA there are many top medical experts who have been banned from talking to the media by the government . More than one too scientist has said the government have not taken the advise they have been given . That's one of the reasons there has been so much confusion about what you can and can't do The government quite rightly have a policy that if a country has an infection rate of more than 20per 100,000 then your advised not to travel there and if you do to quarantine for 14days But on the 18thAug Portugal had a rate of 24.6 and we lifted all travel restriction

[Ram59]

Indeed...but then most of us suspect - at the risk of yet another slapped wrist from GP - that appearances aren’t deceptive and our inadequate Government is now incapable of even ‘looking vaguely competent’.

Perhaps the problem is that, increasingly there are ‘pet’ medical and scientific experts who we hear from only because they add credence to the Government ‘line’.
Personally I find it ever more difficult to know who to trust, but am inclined to follow common sense and scientific advice from those who aren’t on the ‘payroll’.

I tend to agree with you there RA, but don't you also think that the media also have their own pet experts who disagree with everything that the government do?

[swaledale]

This thread seems to have morphed with the Govt's handling of Covid thread! Though clearly the competence on display by the government is similar!

To bring it back to where it was supposed to be, here are a few Brexiteer quotes that no doubt the Leavers will have conveniently forgotten!


"There will be no downside to Brexit" - David Davis MP

"The day after we vote to leave we hold all the cards and can choose the path we want" Michael Gove MP

"The free Trade Agreement that we will do with the EU should be one of the easiest in human history" Liam Fox MP

"Trade relations with the EU could be sorted out in an afternoon with a cup of tea" Gerard Battern (UKIP)

“We won’t know the full economic consequences for a very long time. The overwhelming opportunity for Brexit is over the next 50 years.” Rees-Mogg MP

“By 2030 we should come out about even”. Andrew Lilico, the executive director of the analyst Europe Economics and a leave campaigner

“I think Britain in 100 years’ time will thank God they came out.” Digby Jones former Director General of the CBI

"The last time we went through line by line and challenged quite a lot of the legal basis of these things, and we'll continue to do that referring to rumours of a £40bn bill) They sort of made that up" David Davis

“there will be no forms, no checks, no barriers of any kind [between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK].” Boris Johnson

“There will continue to be free trade and access to the single market” – Boris Johnson


”We will maintain a free flowing border at Dover. We will not impose checks in the port. The only reason we would have queues at the border is if we put in place restrictions that created those queues. We are not going to do that.” Chris Grayling

“If Brexit is a disaster, I will go and live abroad. I'll go and live somewhere else.” Nigel Farage

[ramAnag]

I tend to agree with you there RA, but don't you also think that the media also have their own pet experts who disagree with everything that the government do?

I do, Ram...sad state of affairs really, although there is plenty to disagree with. Tends to make me very selective and ever more reliant on my own common sense and that of others.
Too many ‘agendas’ perhaps, and insufficient leadership...certainly.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Too many ‘agendas’ perhaps, and insufficient leadership...certainly.

So he with a very clear agenda speaks of too many agendae. Oh the irony.....

[swaledale]

So he with a very clear agenda speaks of too many agendae. Oh the irony.....

Something can only be ironic if its true and rA may have a leftish lean, but his agenda is wanting clear guidance and a semblance of competent action from the government, I can't see he'd ahve a different slant if Labour was in power. I mean either the Government has ****ed up royally on a number of issues, tried to deflect the blame for mistakes anywhere but amongst its own ranks, made outlandish "world beating claims" or it hasn't the facts speak for themselves.

[ramAnag]

So he with a very clear agenda speaks of too many agendae. Oh the irony.....

Honestly GP...your posts these days remind me of being stalked by an irritating puppy.
I am but one of a growing number on here who are critical of the PM, the Government and the handling of any one of three current crises, but every time I, in particular, comment there’s a guarantee of a meaningless and facetious response from you.
As I say...it’s more irritating than a matter of any concern, but I do wish you’d make your mind up and actually provide an opinion for once.