O/T:- Impressed with the leadership

[SmiffyPie]

It also makes me chuckle that the majority of current ICU patients are young and unvaccinated. Poor overworked bloody NHS staff should chuck 'em out tell them to sod them off home.
Makes my piss boil!

[magpie_mania]

I said pretty much the same a few posts back.

Just been watching the Christmas lectures with JVT. Why wasn't there more stuff like that - visual stuff, easy to understand (yes I know the lectures are for youngsters). Showed clearly how aerosols transmit Covid, the value of masks, the mathematical stuff behind the pandemic.

[BigFatPie]

I would like to offer an example as to what these "record breaking number of infections and rapidly rising hospitalisations" mean to the NHS in real terms. One of my daughters works as a nurse on an Oncology ward, she's newly qualified and has only been on the ward for 3 months. Her biggest problem isn't based on numbers in hospital due to Covid, it's about staff shortages due to Covid. Basically, although she's still a novice, she's had to take on responsibilities way above her grade because the bank staff sent to provide a skeleton crew don't have a clue. Yesterday, a man she was nursing who was facing his last hours couldn't be certified 'end of life' because no consultant or registrar was available to sign the paperwork. They were busy elsewhere. That meant the bloke had to take his last breath alone because protocols don't allow the family to be contacted unless it's officially termed end of life.

To put some perspective on it, she was on a 12 hour shift over Christmas which became a 13 hour shift because it took an hour to get a bank nurse to replace her on the night shift. Her annual salary is £28,610. She's in the process of buying her first house, but because the legal people keep saying "Sorry, we're short staffed due to Covid" it's taking months longer than it should. I wonder what their salary is compared to hers? I wonder what they would think if she said "Sorry, we can't treat your dying mum because of Covid".

Boris Johnson was full of praise for the NHS staff who kept him alive when he had Covid and made a point of clapping for them on the steps of Number 10, but then kicked them in the teeth by offering a below inflation payrise. That's why I despise the Tories with a passion.

Great post Elite, and it seems to sum up the situation we’ve always had with this pandemic in that the health service has been defunded to the extent where it can’t function in normal times let alone the one we face at the moment.

But hey everyone, do what you like, it’s your ‘personal responsibility’.

[applepie2]

Great post Elite, and it seems to sum up the situation we’ve always had with this pandemic in that the health service has been defunded to the extent where it can’t function in normal times let alone the one we face at the moment.

But hey everyone, do what you like, it’s your ‘personal responsibility’.

Agreed. And I’d be a lot happier with personal responsibility if everyone displayed it. But even our esteemed Government doesn’t show much personal responsibility, and as for Johnson, I’ve seen more responsibility from a two month old puppy.

[Elite_Pie]

Maybe a bit off topic but still about 'the leadership' in one sense, it was good to see Ghislaine Maxwell found guilty.

I wonder if Prince Andrew will sleep well tonight?

[BigFatPie]

Maybe a bit off topic but still about 'the leadership' in one sense, it was good to see Ghislaine Maxwell found guilty.

I wonder if Prince Andrew will sleep well tonight?

The Grand Old Duke of Nonce will be alright, he’s got the taxpayer (via his mother) paying all his legal bills.

[magpie_mania]

Maybe a bit off topic but still about 'the leadership' in one sense, it was good to see Ghislaine Maxwell found guilty.

I wonder if Prince Andrew will sleep well tonight?

Very off topic!

[jackal2]

So, just to reiterate what I’ve already said in earlier posts, I had my third COVID booster jab over two weeks ago and I would recommend people to take theirs.

I also wear a mask on public transport and when moving through busy areas and I would recommend others to do the same. Wear one all the time if you wish.

And I can confirm I will not be going to the pub on New Years Eve, although that’s a moot point because I haven’t been to a NYE party in a pub in 20 years. For the sake of argument though, if I was considering it, I would give it a miss this year.

In other words, I would make the same personal choices I presume some recent posters would, judging by their comments.

The only difference in my position is that I don’t think the Government should legislate to enforce restrictions any greater than it already has at this stage. In fact, I think they should consider relaxing the restrictions on the number of days’ isolation required, as recommended by health officials in America to ease the disruption to services and businesses.

The current situation as reported in a Guardian article tonight is that there is a rising number of hospital admissions, but it is not going up in an exponential way. If that position changes then the Government may have more justification to tighten controls, and there may be greater public consensus that they should so, but for now I think it is right to strongly advise rather than enforce.

This isn’t an extreme opinion, I simply lean one way rather than the other at present on an issue that is dividing public opinion generally. I actually find it quite odd that some of the more left-leaning posters are so ready to cede freedoms and grant more authoritarian powers to a Prime Minister they don’t like or trust, but that's up them!

[cher1]

Maybe a bit off topic but still about 'the leadership' in one sense, it was good to see Ghislaine Maxwell found guilty.

I wonder if Prince Andrew will sleep well tonight?

Hope he's - finally - sweating. There's a photo circulating of Maxwell and Epstein in the Queen's cabin at Balmoral 🤨

I know Andrew isnt very bright, but even he must realise how stupid he was to distance himself from Epstein by saying it was Maxwell he was actually friends with. That's looking rather foolish right now.

[Maggie's Farm]

I actually find it quite odd that some of the more left-leaning posters are so ready to cede freedoms and grant more authoritarian powers to a Prime Minister they don’t like or trust, but that's up them!

if you see everything in life through a UK party political lens, perhaps it is odd.

I find it quite heartening how many people are making personal sacrifices to benefit the whole.