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Coronavirus - the new strain XX

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gavreid said:
Government Ministers refuse to mask up in the HoC

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Mike Clancy, the general secretary of the Prospect union, which represents many parliamentary staffers, said it was frustrating so many Conservative MPs “chose to ignore the Speaker’s very clear advice about wearing masks in an enclosed space”.

He added: “Not only does this show huge disrespect to the Speaker, it demonstrates contempt for the safety of their colleagues and the many staff attending the packed chamber who are required to wear masks.

“It is abundantly clear that large numbers of MPs believe that rules simply don’t apply to them, and are comfortable with recklessly undermining public health messaging.

“With the Commons set to resume full-time in just a few weeks, it is time to rethink the light-touch approach to mask wearing in the chamber. It has demonstrably failed, and more rigorous enforcement must be considered.”


https://www.theguardian.com/politic...staff-at-risk-by-not-wearing-masks-in-commons
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It would be nice to see a photo of the other side of the house.
 
Ah, there's the beginning of the labour/conservative distinction. Labour should rebrand as the party of the mask. As Descartes said, Larvatus prodeo, j’avance masqué.

(Actually, no.)
 
mandryka said:
Ah, there's the beginning of the labour/conservative distinction. Labour should rebrand as the party of the mask. As Descartes said, Larvatus prodeo, j’avance masqué.

(Actually, no.)
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Yes, a mostly symbolic difference - something both parties are comfortable with. In reality there is more or less total consensus: business as usual please.
 
Seanm said:
You’re about 40 years behind the times, or more! This has been the express intention of neoliberal thinkers since the 1920s, and a political reality since the 1980s. What we’re seeing now are the fruits of that. Things can of course get worse. Covid response is a foreshadowing of the likely response to climate catastrophe, IMO. Borders, police, f— the poor and f— the world.
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I want to make a distinction between the following two points of view:

1. Facilitating the forces of capitalism is the best thing to do to maximise the welfare of ordinary people (trickle down etc.)

2. Facilitating the forces of capitalism is a good in itself, something which must be done even though ordinary people suffer (60K deaths a year in the UK)


(2) is what I'm suggesting is beginning to emerge as a way of thinking about things, part of the post covid zeitgeist. It is medieval, the pendulum has swung -- substitute mammon for god. And my evidence for it is the way we're all accepting the rightness of the 60K deaths, with no arguments or discussion, as if it's just obvious.
 
mandryka said:
I want to make a distinction between the following two points of view:

1. Facilitating the forces of capitalism is the best thing to do to maximise the welfare of ordinary people (trickle down etc.)

2. Facilitating the forces of capitalism is a good in itself, something which must be done even though ordinary people suffer (60K deaths a year in the UK)


(2) is what I'm suggesting is beginning to emerge as a way of thinking about things, part of the post covid zeitgeist. And my evidence for it is the way we're all accepting the rightness of the 60K deaths, with no arguments or discussion, as if it's just obvious.
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Bollox
 
mandryka said:
I want to make a distinction between the following two points of view:

1. Facilitating the forces of capitalism is the best thing to do to maximise the welfare of ordinary people (trickle down etc.)

2. Facilitating the forces of capitalism is a good in itself, something which must be done even though ordinary people suffer (60K deaths a year in the UK)


(2) is what I'm suggesting is beginning to emerge as a way of thinking about things, part of the post covid zeitgeist. It is medieval, the pendulum has swung -- substitute mammon for god. And my evidence for it is the way we're all accepting the rightness of the 60K deaths, with no arguments or discussion, as if it's just obvious.
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Personally I’m not convinced by either 1) or the first bit of 2) as a starting position anyway, but I do take the point about the acceptance of 60k deaths. I think we’re all a bit punch drunk on the numbers, so current death rates are almost a relief. It’s a good reminder that it’s still a shitload of death and misery.
 
Debs said:
Having just watched the 6 O'Clock news it was apparent that there were maskless morons on the Labour benches also.
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I wasn't limiting my comment to just the Tories. Frankly it's just jaw dropping and almost beyond my comprehension that we have a virus that transmits so easily in enclosed spaces where people are close together, but the one simple action of wearing a mask can reduce the likelihood of transmission and yet these idiots are trying to make some sort of point by not wearing one. It's plain and simple stupidity!
 
My octogenarian Mum who had the Pfizer jab in Feb and second jab 12 weeks later was admitted to hospital with Covid for 2 weeks and was thankfully discharged yesterday. She was seriously as opposed to critically ill. Still got a nasty cough.
Seems that Pfizer which originally gave 97% protection offers 60% protection against the Delta variant. ( link needed )
The PM and the other idiots in the HoC photo need to lead by example because this just isn't over yet.
 
I said from the start that we wouldn't get Herd Immunity until we had 80% of the population vaccinated (that's 80% of the population NOT 80% of adults) - with Delta it may well be as high as 90%.

I also stated that we would be into booster jabs each year for the vulnerable.

Funny old thing that...
 
mandryka said:
I want to make a distinction between the following two points of view:

1. Facilitating the forces of capitalism is the best thing to do to maximise the welfare of ordinary people (trickle down etc.)

2. Facilitating the forces of capitalism is a good in itself, something which must be done even though ordinary people suffer (60K deaths a year in the UK)


(2) is what I'm suggesting is beginning to emerge as a way of thinking about things, part of the post covid zeitgeist. It is medieval, the pendulum has swung -- substitute mammon for god. And my evidence for it is the way we're all accepting the rightness of the 60K deaths, with no arguments or discussion, as if it's just obvious.
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Historically I don’t know how easy it’s been to distinguish those two. I think the ideologues and politicians have always had the rights of capital foremost in mind, with the greater good somewhere in the mix, and sometimes playing a very minimal role. By this stage though I think you’re right, at least as far as the Tory party goes. They don’t GAF and they’re tired of pretending they do: they’ll boast about letting the bodies pile up before accepting any meaningful limits to their own rights.

I don’t know about the zeitgeist though, or what it is “we” are all willing to accept. Most people, I think, accept that a pandemic involving a new, deadly virus is going to chalk up some big numbers, and that most governments are fairly limited in what they can do about that. But it’s not yet settled what we’ll put up with long term, or why. If we do end up accepting 60,000 deaths PA it will IME be down to despair and fatalism as much as faith in mammon. There’s no reasonable opposition, what are we supposed to do.

I do think fear keeps people compliant, which is why iSage are so counterproductive.
 
gavreid said:
33 904 cases today, 111 deaths and 776 admissions. These are more in line with where we were a month ago now i.e. there's no sign at all of improving figures.
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A major concern was that hospitals would be overwhelmed by Covid admissions. If that is not the case then that is good. I am not clear what some people here think we need to continue to do re restrictions and at what point it will be acceptable to begin to accept it like we do flu?
 
tiggers said:
I wasn't limiting my comment to just the Tories. Frankly it's just jaw dropping and almost beyond my comprehension that we have a virus that transmits so easily in enclosed spaces where people are close together, but the one simple action of wearing a mask can reduce the likelihood of transmission and yet these idiots are trying to make some sort of point by not wearing one. It's plain and simple stupidity!
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#CHAOS
 
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