[theo_luddite]

It seems the Chief Procrastinator is still procrastinating - wake me up on Monday if he ever actually says anything.

[hibeejim21]

The guys a complete disaster, apparently Sunak was preparing to resign and thats why the PC was delayed so long. The sheer contempt he is showing for people down south is absolutely jaw-dropping.

People were literally finding out they had to close their businesses from Robert xxxx Peston.

[hibeejim21]

From todays times:

Software bungle meant NHS Covid app failed to warn users to self-isolate

For a month, the Department of Health and Social Care failed to use software developed to make the app work properly. Users whose “risk score” should have triggered an alert were not contacted. As a result, a government source said, “shockingly low” numbers of users had been sent warnings since the app was released on September 24.

It took officials five weeks to fix the problem and make a voluntary software update available last Thursday.

The latest disclosure may explain why government scientific advisers on Sage recently warned that the £12bn test and trace system, of which the app is an integral part, has had only a “marginal” impact on Covid-19 transmission.

[theo_luddite]

It's still a Hotel California app. You can check in anytime you like but it's clueless as to when you leave. Allegedly, it logs you out at midnight, whether you left at 01:00 or 23:59 or anytime in between. I've no idea what happens if you go from one place to another that are using the app and it's fancy arsed bar code other than it supposedly registers you've been to both. We've been fleeced for £billions for this bag of shit and nobody admits to being accountable. Plus as I said before, the b'stards branded it as NHS when they haven't had two minutes worth of their knowledge or advice built into it.

[hibeejim21]

Farage now turning the Brexit party into the anti lockdown party. Surely he isn't going to be given huge exposure by BBC and SKY with this pish ? Naah he will be.

BJ should have been announcing his resignation on Saturday for being the useless, idiotic clowntramp that he is. A lot of people have died because of his dithering and posturing. Andy Burnham and the northern mayors must be wondering what the xxxx is going on ? When Burnham was taking a stand it was because he knew low paid workers in the north couldn’t survive on 67% furlough. Now the tories have accepted this isn’t enough when it comes to the country as a whole. They are showing absolute contempt for the northern English people.

[0762]

I'll just add to that with the way he is ignoring the orchestrations of the Scot govt and indeed the other devolved govts where it seems that when the S of England experiences a lockdown then the financial support differs for the likes of Scotland with no borrowing powers to call on - "better together" eh (not!!!) as the support for Scotindy continues to rise with an additional fact that the loathing of PM Johnson predominates amongst many Scots up here! No surprise TBH!!

[hibeejim21]

Yup - a staged 'there you go' to the Scots tory leader in parliament. Followed by a reversal the next day from Jenrick.

You wonder if the tories are deliberately trying to break up the UK. This of course all stems from the internal market bill, which basically makes Scotland a political colony of England. It also has some of the same vibe of the Burnham thing, with the tories desperately trying to make their opponents look bad but actually make themselves look bad instead.

[ritchiebaby]

I honestly don't think the Tories have a clue about what is happening, even in the Cabinet. Time and time again Government Ministers come out with their own interpretations and then have to apologise for getting it wrong or "clarify" the position. That's the worst about Dom making up policy as he goes along - he only tells his close buddies what is happening and everyone else is desperately playing catch-up to look as they have been involved in the discussions.

I'm fast coming to the conclusion that all these restrictions/lockdowns are doomed to fail unless the schools and universities are forced to close. Hospitality and retail opened up in the summer with no appreciable increase in cases. Even the introduction of Eat Out To Help Out in August didn't make a massive difference. BUT schools and universities went back in September and WHOOSH, the drama and heartache for millions of people begin.

[0762]

Yep! I concur with that view re schools and universities but IMO it is not applicable to primary schools where again there is no significant evidence that the rate of infections was affected in the same way. I actually predicted the "whoosh effect" well before the return of both of these educational "offenders" and that concern/impending threat was also raised in the Scottish Parliament. The main reason the "alarm bells were ringing" in my ears was because I expected the negative behaviour/flagrant abuse of COVID rules set out by the govt and it unfolded as expected - disgraceful!

[hibeejim21]

I take the point about schools, but you close them and its going to make things worse in other ways. Its a catch 22 situation.

Actually it's not true about the 'eat out to help out' not making a massive difference. Research showed Coronavirus spread more rapidly in areas with a lot of participating restaurants and then infections in those areas slowed after the scheme ended.