O/T. The Government's handling of Covid

[Geoff Parkstone]

Its like arguing with a woman, Ram59, every time you raise a valid point they change the subject to something similar but not the point at hand, but where they think they can "win" moving on from the topic that they are "losing". That is why I decided not to bother debating any longer: just a waste of keystrokes. I'd urge the same

[ramAnag]

You really are starting to annoy, RA. We were discussing whether we should have closed the national borders last spring and now there are calls for the same thing. I mentioned how stupid that the media kept comparing our situation with that of New Zealand and why couldn't we close our borders just like them?

Likewise with comparing us with Australia, in numbers alone we vastly differ, but the biggest difference is how goods come into the country. We have thousands of lorries and vans arriving every day through our ports and tunnel, bringing ***** foods and supplies, how would you deal with them? 100% of food and supplies entering Australia and New Zealand, do so via air freight or on container ships and don't come with a driver.

Much is being made of SAGE 'advising' the government to close the border, a slight twisting of the truth. SAGE advised the government that the only way to stop new variants was to close the borders, no sugar Sherlock!

It's like me advising MM, the only way to guarantee promotion, is to sign Liverpool's manager and first team squad, obvious not possible.

You do seem easily offended these days, no matter how innocent the perceived ‘challenge’, Ram.

In point of fact Andy and I were discussing the usefulness or otherwise of Trump’s ‘China Virus!’ comments and the levels of credit and criticism which the government deserve. You introduced the media talk on the NZ issue which I can see the sense of but which hadn’t been brought up on the forum as a comparison before to the best of my knowledge.

Go back and have a look if you don’t believe me.

My comments on Grant Shapps’ observations weren’t aimed at you at all. I am just astounded that a Government minister can be so ignorant as to fail to recognise that a) Australia is also an island. b) Australia is not a continent. c) Being an island somehow prohibits us from controlling our borders. Were we not an island before Brexit and are our borders the only ones in Europe crossed by ‘thousands of lorries and vans’?

As it happens I do see the sense of your comments as regards the difficulties surrounding the ‘thousands of lorries and vans entering through our ports’.
The only answer I can come up with is that some of the virtually instant tests that are now available are implemented either before they leave or immediately upon arrival.

P.S. ‘Accessible clothing’ is always requested where vaccinations are concerned up here, GP. They get frustrated with geriatric, and apparently rather s exist, ‘James Deans’ using up valuable time struggling to remove their clothing.

[Andy_Faber]

"accessible clothing! That will be fun for a motorbike rider such as I. Not heard anything yet, they must be getting through them faster in Derbyshire, unless you have a younger average population than commuterbelt Surrey

...or rA has ‘got on their case’ (I’m sure he hasn’t). A thankfully very distant relative of mine has been on someone’s case about getting a jab every day since December that I’m aware of.At 54, she’s five years younger than I with less health conditions and she’s clearly worn someone down as she is getting her first dose today...

[Andy_Faber]

You do seem easily offended these days, no matter how innocent the perceived ‘challenge’, Ram.

In point of fact Andy and I were discussing the usefulness or otherwise of Trump’s ‘China Virus!’ comments and the levels of credit and criticism which the government deserve. You introduced the media talk on the NZ issue which I can see the sense of but which hadn’t been brought up on the forum as a comparison before to the best of my knowledge.

Go back and have a look if you don’t believe me.

My comments on Grant Shapps’ observations weren’t aimed at you at all. I am just astounded that a Government minister can be so ignorant as to fail to recognise that a) Australia is also an island. b) Australia is not a continent. c) Being an island somehow prohibits us from controlling our borders. Were we not an island before Brexit and are our borders the only ones in Europe crossed by ‘thousands of lorries and vans’?

As it happens I do see the sense of your comments as regards the difficulties surrounding the ‘thousands of lorries and vans entering through our ports’.
The only answer I can come up with is that some of the virtually instant tests that are now available are implemented either before they leave or immediately upon arrival.

P.S. ‘Accessible clothing’ is always requested where vaccinations are concerned up here, GP. They get frustrated with geriatric, and apparently rather ***ist, ‘James Deans’ using up valuable time struggling to remove their clothing.

I’ve always found that wearing of biker gear when off the bike thing a bit perverse, surely bikers could identify themselves in street gear simply by shaking their heads disdainfully for no good reason all the time

[ramAnag]

...or rA has ‘got on their case’ (I’m sure he hasn’t). A thankfully very distant relative of mine has been on someone’s case about getting a jab every day since December that I’m aware of.At 54, she’s five years younger than I with less health conditions and she’s clearly worn someone down as she is getting her first dose today...

No, I honestly haven’t. Received an out of the blue phone call at 8.45 this morning. I know a recently turned seventy year old who was ‘done’ last weekend so thought I might be getting close but I haven’t been ‘on their case’ at all and the young woman I spoke to was unfailingly polite with what felt like an ‘invitation’ rather than any sort of ‘this is it...take it or leave it’ demand.

[Andy_Faber]

No, I honestly haven’t. Received an out of the blue phone call at 8.45 this morning. I know a recently turned seventy year old who was ‘done’ last weekend so thought I might be getting close but I haven’t been ‘on their case’ at all and the young woman I spoke to was unfailingly polite with what felt like an ‘invitation’ rather than any sort of ‘this is it...take it or leave it’ demand.

As I said I’m sure in your case you haven’t. And again, good for you!

[Geoff Parkstone]

No, I honestly haven’t. Received an out of the blue phone call at 8.45 this morning. I know a recently turned seventy year old who was ‘done’ last weekend so thought I might be getting close but I haven’t been ‘on their case’ at all and the young woman I spoke to was unfailingly polite with what felt like an ‘invitation’ rather than any sort of ‘this is it...take it or leave it’ demand.

Would I be right to assume that, giving your past comments on the matter, you will be phoning your local school to find a worthy teacher to concede your place in the queue to

[ramAnag]

Would I be right to assume that, giving your past comments on the matter, you will be phoning your local school to find a worthy teacher to concede your place in the queue to

Lol...I though I was a ‘waste of keystrokes’ and not worth debating with a couple of hours ago, and yet here you are again.

Anyway...no you wouldn’t, Barry Sheene.
In the unlikely event of me receiving a phone call between now and Saturday morning saying, ‘Hello Mr. rA, we’ve decided to postpone the vaccinations of apparently healthy 65+ year olds in favour of those on the ‘front line’’, I’d be both agreeable and amenable...but as you and I both know, that isn’t going to happen and vaccinations are non transferable.

[Geoff Parkstone]

It wasnt a debate, but rather a question. But as a sidenote, what form of identification did they ask you to bring with you to prove that you are indeed "Mr rA" as opposed to an old looking 43 year old history teacher from Littleover Community School pretending to be you?

[ramAnag]

It wasnt a debate, but rather a question. But as a sidenote, what form of identification did they ask you to bring with you to prove that you are indeed "Mr rA" as opposed to an old looking 43 year old history teacher from Littleover Community School pretending to be you?

Do please remember that you instigated this ‘waste of keystrokes’, not I...but I think you’ll find debates invariably start with a question and that you’re attempting to reignite a previous argument.
I see you’ve been Googling Derby schools again, but as it happens...I haven’t been asked to provide any type of identification, I imagine the usual ‘DoB and first line of address’ details will suffice. Maybe we’re just more trustworthy up here than in darkest Surrey.