O/T. The Government's handling of Covid

[MadAmster]

Just had a push notice that Starmer is in self isolation due to a child of his testing positive.

[MadAmster]

Covid related and possisbly Brexit related post but maybe only vaguely related to the Government but I decided to post it here all the same.

Last quarter, GDP rose by 4.8% compared to Q2 of 2020. In GDP terms, a large rise compared to the normal changes which are zero point something. However, the UK is still 4.4% behind pre Covid GDP compared to most other G20 countries.

It would be interesting to read your thoughts on why this should be.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Be interesting to be able to unbundle the impact of Brexit and Covid from this stat, but I cannot and so cannot meaningfully comment beyond the fact that Q2 2020 was the worst quarter for covid impact in all probability, with the highest furlough and SEISS numbers, so no surprise that GDP was low in Q2 2020 (making the high year on year rise at Q2 2021 more plausible).

I guess also there would be an impact in the year on year climb from Brexit bedding in between 2020 and 2021

Perhaps the more interesting comparison would be against Q2 2019 before either covid or brexit, although there would have been some anticipation of the latter

[MadAmster]

I heard on the beeb this morning that Q2 2020 was down 20% on 2019.

If we take 2019 as 100. Then 2020 was 80. 2021 is 4.8% up which is 83.84 which is 16.16% down on 2019.

[swaledale]

I'd be happier if Covid held a press conference to tell us how its going to get rid of this ****ing government!

[Trickytreesreds]

I'd be happier if Covid held a press conference to tell us how its going to get rid of this ****ing government!

Give me an alternative that is an improvement and I will vote for it.

[Andy_Faber]

I'd be happier if Covid held a press conference to tell us how its going to get rid of this ****ing government!

I’m guessing you are in your fifties of sixties Swale, I doubt you’ll ever see another Non-Tory govt

[Geoff Parkstone]

Interesting the way that the government has handled the social care funding issue by adding on to NI the 1.25% levy and then bringing this into play for those over the retirement age who are still working. I will get stuck with the latter, but in the bigger picture of things I don't mind that.

At the same time the triple lock pension adjustment is being suspended for a year - again I think probably reasonable.

But what did make me laugh (or cringe) was the reaction of a WASPI woman who complained that in assessing the total cost of staying with the triple lock, the government had failed to take into account the pension savings they had made from the increased death rate amongst pensioners due to covid!

And I thought I was cynical - - - -

[swaledale]

Give me an alternative that is an improvement and I will vote for it.

Any government that isn't Tory is clearly an improvement, but of course you were told by your right wing elite funded media and internet sources that Corbyn was bad for the country, mmm well maybe, but maybe for the average guy and woman in the street he would ahve been a breath of fresh air, but then history suggests the proletariat in the UK aren't terribly bright because they keep voting in Government s that screw them!! Go figure that one.

[swaledale]

I’m guessing you are in your fifties of sixties Swale, I doubt you’ll ever see another Non-Tory govt

Blimey your kind of ignoring the fact that less than 38% actually voted for this government and during the Blair years the same was being said of the Tories. It might take another election but as sure as night folows day the Tories will lose power, Brexit will do for them once the impact becomes very clear.

Then we will be clamouring to rejoin the Single market and customs union - a Norway style arrangement if you like - which I think will happen within 5 years.