I read the news today oh boy! Page 2,242

Quote: Lazzard @ 16th December 2020, 3:51 PM

Worth looking into.
My youngest was born in France I think when he's 18 he has the opportunity of choosing French citizenship. Not sure how Brexit will affect that.

I don't think it does, these are all safeguarded in the 95% of matters already signed off. But because the press keep focusing on the big unresolved issues, people get the idea nothing much has been done and settled, which is far from the truth. Thousands of civil servants and a lot of junior ministers have been working on nothing else but Brexit for four years.

It's just three or four big issues that no one's been willing to move on from day one, that's stalling the completion of the deal.

Quote: Michael Monkhouse @ 19th December 2020, 7:11 AM

As Christmas Day approaches and you have fun, do spare a thought for those who are sad and lonely and not enjoying the festive spirit. Do find someone who is unhappy, alone, and not feeling Christmas. Talk to the fellow, and tell him to f**k off out of it. Say, F**k off and f**k you and stop being so f**king selfish and spoiling all the f**king fun for everyone else you f**king f**ker, I mean ffs, you got 364 f**king other f**king days to moan, groan, gripe, whine and whinge, don't f**k with the only cool day left, you dickrash, make a f**king effort for f**king once. F**k you. Really. No joke coming. F**k you.

See this is why you only lasted one week working for the Samaritans

Quote: john tregorran @ 18th December 2020, 8:42 PM

Brendan O'Carroll has signed a new BBC contract this month which also guarantees any specials he makes will be broadcast in the coveted timeslot of 10pm on 25 December until at least 2026.

What a shame we won't be able to watch it here.Oh!dear,how sad,never mind.

Oh shit!

Quote: lofthouse @ 19th December 2020, 10:15 AM

See this is why you only lasted one week working for the Samaritans

Don't you hate it when you chat for hours on the phone and you're really cool and funny and sexy but the miserable bitch never calls back?

Why wasn't the London travel ban immediate.
Carnage at London stations last night - guaranteed transmission of the new super-spreader variant.
And, as usual, the conscientious are punished - the selfish, rewarded.
Or, Tory Policy as it's otherwise known.

Quote: Lazzard @ 20th December 2020, 9:41 AM

And, as usual, the conscientious are punished - the selfish, rewarded.

Or, Tory Policy as it's otherwise known.

So what's new.

And I dread to think what it would be like if that drip Starmer was in charge.

Well as ever with Labour you have two disagreeing factions - That irritating mayor of Manchester playing politics with everything moaning like hell about the local lockdowns, while the new Leader keeps begging for total lockdowns. :S

There's plenty of criticism of the Govt.s handling of Covid measures but any govt. would have a hard time pleasing everyone with this, there is no easy solution. Yes it's become complicated and hard to follow, but would a full on National lockdown from November have worked?

The mounting evidence is that people are increasingly ignoring the rules and doing what they want whatever the threats of fines are. And I say threats because I reported clear lockdown breaches about six times and not once did the police turn up! Including letting a non petrol station based car wash go on working throughout!

I think we'd have been somewhat better off under a Labour government, simply because they wouldn't have had Business in their ear all the time, convincing them to delay action til the very last minute - which has been the cause of all the problems. Whether they'd have handled the mechanics of it any better - I don't know - they wouldn't have relied on the 'chumocracy' so much to handle things - so that would hardly have been any worse. Burnham, as you say, is just playing both sides against the middle.

They say that the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

Quote: Billy Bunter @ 20th December 2020, 10:44 AM

They say that the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

Agreed.
Constantly locking down too late, too little and for not long enough has failed miserably.

As an average, 500.000 people die every year in the uk.
It is, after all a natural process.
2017 was a high point and 2018 was also higher.
This year is well within the average.

Do we take this as isolation is working or just a normal year?

It was at one time predicted there would be 500.000 deaths from covid alone.
I'm not unsympathetic to those that have suffered from the disease, it's vile
But I read that 99% survive it.

(My whole family have had it)

Where are you getting your figures? https://www.statista.com/statistics/1111804/weekly-deaths-in-england-and-wales/

Oh Stephen has posted......must scurry off and do some research.

Quote: Stephen Goodlad @ 20th December 2020, 12:49 PM

Oh Stephen has posted......must scurry off and do some research.

Research is good - it what divides truth from rumour.
Don't knock it.
If I see something I think isn't true, I do some research - who ever posts it.
If you posted your sources it would save a lot of time.

Quote: Lazzard @ 20th December 2020, 12:51 PM

Research is good - it what divides truth from rumour.
Don't knock it.
If I see something I think isn't true, I do some research - who ever posts it.
If you posted your sources it would save a lot of time.

Fullfact.org confirms that there have been 513,659 deaths this year up to the week of 25 September. https://fullfact.org/online/2020-death-toll-comparison/

It then adds the total deaths for the last 13 weeks of 2019 (154,165) to come up with a projected 52 week total of 667,824.

It then states that "that would be the highest annual death toll in the UK since 1985". So clearly not that unprecedented then. And other years would have been higher - the 1969 Hong Kong flu epidemic for example.

In fact, if you look at the weekly figures this year from w/e 2/10/20 to w/e 4/12/20 it is actually a total of 129,134 for E&W, NI & Scotland combined over those 10 weeks. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/weeklyprovisionalfiguresondeathsregisteredinenglandandwales

So, if you project that over 13 weeks, it gives you 167,874 and therefore a yearly total for 2020 of 681,533 - more than fullfact.org's projected figure.

I haven't sourced the total UK death figure for 1985 but we know from fullfact.org that it was more than their projected 667,824. Even if it were exactly that number that means there will be an additional 13,709 deaths in 2020 over 1985. This equates to an additional 263 deaths per week. In an increasing & ageing population.

And of course some of those additional deaths will have been as a result of cancelled treatment for other illnesses and from increased mental health issues.