2 big stories
Another three weeks… For some, probably myself included, it may not seem so bad, but for anyone who had persuaded themselves that this wasn’t going to last, the next few days of adjustment will be tougher. At least there is the hint of a plan, although John Crace in the Guardian wasn’t wildly impressed…
Mind you, Raab did hedge his bets a bit by saying that the restrictions would initially remain in place for another three weeks. It sounded as if he was hoping the prime minister might be back in action by then, so that it would be Boris Johnson and not him who would have to break it to a stir-crazy nation that the three weeks might then turn into another three weeks. And then another three weeks after that.
If you’re a rather unpleasant regime, is it easier to make friends by a) cleaning up your act or b) buying a prominent sports team? In the case of Saudi Arabia, the answer appears to be b), as the unpopular Mike Ashley appears to have managed to sell Newcastle United to the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. A new form of diplomacy, or merely a black and white paint job?
2 social media posts
Nick Tyrone is of the view that the Corbynista will never accept Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour Party, and that’s probably spot on. His solution?
Starmer should change the rules as to how the Labour Party elects leaders as soon as the politics will permit. This may not be for some time. Go back to the thirds methods that existed before Miliband screwed it up. It will be the best way to wipe away the stain of the last ten years of Labour’s dive into incompetence away.
Never let it be said that you don’t learn anything here, and with a hat tip to Ros Scott, I certainly learned something yesterday, courtesy of the National Archives…
Why were fishermen rioting in Newlyn in 1896? What did Lowestoft have to do with it? Exactly how many mackerel were involved? 🐟
Head of Modern Domestic Records Chris Day @Dentiloquy brings the archive to you in 60 seconds for today's #ArchiveFromHome pic.twitter.com/FkmJwWXABh
— The National Archives (@UkNatArchives) April 16, 2020
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Tastes change ~
Nine in ten paying more than necessary in Vehicle Excise Duty
A radical agenda but can Burnham deliver?
Reg Calvert and his boarding school of rock
A shocking abuse of the legal system where the rich try to bully the weak and poor into submission
David Le Grice
David Warren
Brendan Roberts
Ruth Bright
4 Comments
The problem is going to be about what to do if the numbers stabilise at around 500 deaths per day. Under normal circumstances the red lights would be flashing – but because we saw the death toll get pretty close to double that last week, and it would have exceeded 1000 deaths per day if care home and other non hospital deaths had been included, it wouldn’t seem too bad. Then there will be the inevitable calls to loosen the restrictions.
But, we shouldn’t forget to do the arithmetic. 250 x 500 = 125,000. That’s the death toll to the end of the year on the basis of 500 deaths per day.
I worry that the Lockdown may already be starting to breakdown in London. My area seems as quiet as ever but theres been a big increase in Traffic on the main Road.
In order to discuss the present situation we need information.
This means testing of course. So an action plan to ensure we can answer the simple questions about what, where, when and so on. If we cannot get enough from private companies the government build the facilities.
We need information about the advice being produced for the government. Full disclosure of what happens at the various advisory committees.
Our biggest resource is our people.
This is too important for the present muddling through.
It’s good to know the same old Brexit arguments were operating in 1896, though on a more local scale.