The Corona Virus

[The Bedlington Terrier]

With the number of deaths this year running at below the five year average, most undertakers are laying staff off and twiddling their thumbs.

I would like to hear a rational explanation from someone at SAGE for the reduction in deaths sinkov.

Where have the pictures of swathes of coffins and men in white suits gone?

[sinkov]

SAGE are only concerned with covering their backs BT, as their fantasy predictions are, at long last, starting to be held up to ridicule. I suppose, under the circumstances, covering their backs and the backs of the politicians who acted on their 'advice' is the rational thing to do. Rational for them anyway, not for the poor buggers whose lives and livelihoods they've needlessly wrecked.

[wanderlust]

Not sure what's going on with NHS. Waiting lists for routine operations like hip operations are piling up - 5 years for some - especially for older people who seem to be at the back of the queue. My youngest did his ACL about a month ago but booked in for an op next month whereas my mate has been waiting to get his knee cleaned out for 2 years.
I'm slightly concerned about government interference given that Javid has come in straight from the JP Morgan job. On the one hand I suspect that the NHS is being set up for privatisation/compulsory healthcare insurance but on the other I'm struggling to see how the government is going to pitch it to the people.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Not sure what's going on with NHS. Waiting lists for routine operations like hip operations are piling up - 5 years for some - especially for older people who seem to be at the back of the queue. My youngest did his ACL about a month ago but booked in for an op next month whereas my mate has been waiting to get his knee cleaned out for 2 years.
I'm slightly concerned about government interference given that Javid has come in straight from the JP Morgan job. On the one hand I suspect that the NHS is being set up for privatisation/compulsory healthcare insurance but on the other I'm struggling to see how the government is going to pitch it to the people.

The NHS is the most sacred of all sacred cows lusty. One million people are employed within this behemoth.

I am amazed the Tories have not already carved it up and sold it off piecemeal to their chums.

One million votes might just be the reason.

[wanderlust]

The NHS is the most sacred of all sacred cows lusty. One million people are employed within this behemoth.

I am amazed the Tories have not already carved it up and sold it off piecemeal to their chums.

One million votes might just be the reason.

Yes it's right up there with Income Tax hikes in the vote losing charts but I suspect both sacred cows will be slaughtered in the next ten years the way it's going.
The Tories have already introduced over 1000 "stealth taxes" but they only target small sections of society so don't bring in the big bucks and something will eventually have to be done about the massive debt they've run up and the fact that our infrastructure, pensions, transport system, healthcare and other services have slipped well below our european neighbours' standards - but the neighbours happily pay up to 30% income tax to cover the cost.
Can you imagine the Tories pitching that in an election? I can't, but it may get railroaded through.
Maybe they'll just let it go to **** and leave the mess for someone else to try to sort out.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics...past-10-years/

[sinkov]

I remain bemused at the awe in which 'our' NHS is held by the public, as lusty says it's a sacred cow, cannot be touched, it's worshipped like a religion. In reality, it's not that good at what it does, other countries have better health services, no other country, as far as I'm aware, uses a similar funding method, and it's most certainly not free, we all pay for it one way or another. But the myth persists and it's untouchable, any attempt at reform or improvement is treated with suspicion at best, scepticism or outright derision from the Left.

And so it will bumble on, staggering from crisis to crisis, the only solution being to chuck ever more money at it, until one day it won't be able to cope at all. What then ?

[The Bedlington Terrier]

I remain bemused at the awe in which 'our' NHS is held by the public, as lusty says it's a sacred cow, cannot be touched, it's worshipped like a religion. In reality, it's not that good at what it does, other countries have better health services, no other country, as far as I'm aware, uses a similar funding method, and it's most certainly not free, we all pay for it one way or another. But the myth persists and it's untouchable, any attempt at reform or improvement is treated with suspicion at best, scepticism or outright derision from the Left.

And so it will bumble on, staggering from crisis to crisis, the only solution being to chuck ever more money at it, until one day it won't be able to cope at all. What then ?

I'm opening a thread to run hopefully for a while just on how my fellow Madders perceive the NHS.

[wanderlust]

Another staggeringly bemusing U-turn from Boris.
Concerned about voters complaining about the number of people getting pinged they've reduced the threshhold - only people who come into contact with someone who has it in the previous two days will be pinged (previously it was five days)
So can someone explain to me why the self isolation period is 10 days then?
If they can spread it for 10 days why only ping people who have come into contact with them in the last two?
Am I getting the wrong end of the stick here or is the government really stupid?

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Another staggeringly bemusing U-turn from Boris.
Concerned about voters complaining about the number of people getting pinged they've reduced the threshhold - only people who come into contact with someone who has it in the previous two days will be pinged (previously it was five days)
So can someone explain to me why the self isolation period is 10 days then?
If they can spread it for 10 days why only ping people who have come into contact with them in the last two?
Am I getting the wrong end of the stick here or is the government really stupid?

The government is really stupid.

[sinkov]

The government is really stupid.

Impossible to come to any other conclusion isn't it, but it's a conclusion many reached on here a long time ago.