Are you watching the Prime Minister speaking live on news channels?

It's a great pity course work was more or less abolished in schools.

It is ridiculous Lemongrove. Other countries use a percentage of recent pay to work out what someone needs for Sick Pay. We could do exactly the same deducting the NI. Very few people will be paying for their medical treatment in other countries. They will either be insured or come under a low-income scheme.

You need to compare like with like not make it up to paint the last ten years, when the Conservatives could have done more for the low-paid and less for the wealthy, as the fairy-tale that suits you but no one else would recognise.

I’m hoping the same WW it has to be explained in the best possible way by parents, as a sort of treat and an adventure!

It's a great pity course work was more or less abolished in schools.

It was done to appease all those who wanted the education of the past for this generation, rather than the education of the future, Graymar. Like so many things it has come back to kick them where it hurts (hopefully).

Being ‘ insured’ costs money GGM3
Sick pay is not just for the low paid, but for everyone, so although you may not think it enough, is a level playing field.
There is good reason to bump it up for this year.

The low paid can hardly afford to meet the costs they have to meet - rent, food, heating, clothing, etc, etc. The better paid, and in particular the very well paid, can not only easily meet their basic needs but probably are able to save, and have a reasonable amount of savings and investments that can be used to tide them over for a while.

Lemongrove your world is very different to mine as you do not appear to be able to understand the facts of living your life on low pay. I know you will tell me you have "been there" but obviously your "there" is not what it is for some.

Being insured does cost money but so does starving people and making them homeless which is going to be the outcome for many trying to live on £94.25.

I cannot understand the mindset that says £94.23 is enough for each and everyone whether you have something to fall back on or not. It just seems totally out of touch with reality or callous to the extreme and I have no way of knowing which.

typo. £94.25.

That’s ok with me.

If you start your journey fit and well, well educated, good nutrition, thought processes all fine perhaps you can " live" off this low amount of money for a short period of time.

If however ,through no fault of your own ,your heath is not good, you make poor choices which lead to more poor choices which lead to sleep deprivation and terrible food and so on the money is pitiful.

Sick pay is for a short duration.Seven days at home, or fourteen if a family member is affected, then back to work.
I did say upthread that I agreed bumping up the sick pay for a while if it was doable.

Anybody watching the Live media coverage where Whitty and Vallance are speaking and doing a Q & A.

I will stick with what they are saying. Boris Johnson can only do the same.

Channel? Or am I too late?

Does anyone know if we are having a 'daily Boris' and what time if we are.

Why are people saying it’s only 7 or 14 days off work. My husband is a contractor and the company he works for has closed now for at least 5 weeks with no guarantee that he will return then, or indeed ever. He counts as self-employed so has no employee rights. No sick pay as he’s not sick at the moment. Only in this mess because big companies hardly take on any permanent staff but just use agencies to supply temporary staff who can be laid off at a moment’s notice.
We have some savings, not much and they certainly won’t last indefinitely. Only option is to apply for benefits.
However, in regards to the crisis, I do think Boris has been doing reasonably well, and have been quite impressed so far.
I’m hoping that measures will be put in place to address problems for self-employed people soon, and would also like to see more stringent implementation of social isolation rules, and I do think those will be coming in the near future.

pollyperkins

It was being aired as I typed and they were giving information today on the ' technical/science based ' side of how they are making their decisions, collating data etc. etc.

My understanding is, it has been the case so far this week, there will be daily updates from the government via the PM or his Cabinet Ministers and or Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance.

www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/boris-johnson-coronavirus-press-conference-time-updates-a4390806.html

'The time of the daily televised press conference is usually between 4 or 6pm, according to Number 10, but it varies from day-to-day.'

Sky free view 233 and BBC free view 231 have covered them all thus far so I wonder if this morning was today's update or if they will do another this afternoon.

Personally I prefer to read/watch/listen /hear from the horses mouth rather than read/watch/listen/hear from those who think they know all the facts but probably do not and those who play political football with the COVID 19 crisis as is sadly been the case from time to time on social media in particular.

Agree! Thanks for the info.

I have just seen footage of a doctor speaking, I think it might be Channel 4? Absolutely terrifying.

Exactly midnightschild. We need our government to look at the bigger issue.

In the US they have sent cheques direct to citizens to help them ride this out and I believe they have done something like this in Australia. Many economic experts are suggesting some sort of citizen quantitative easing as a necessity to keep our economies going.

Although Trump thought this a good thing IBS did not - there's a surprise! However, Keir Starmer is backing a similar scheme but so far all we have seen has been money paid to businesses. They will not recover when the time comes if no one has money to spend. Let's hope Johnson, in this instance, looks to the US rather than the far-right of his party.

If posts on here are anything to go by death by poverty is ok as long as it doesn't affect their taxes.

The doctor speaking has been taken down from my fb group, causing huge anxiety.

Greymar / GG Mk 3

Will you be watching today's update in a minute?

Yes POGS. I am.

GG. MK3

Did you catch Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance this morning, it was very interesting.

BJ Says tonight we can turn the tide within the next 12 weeks if folks are going to avoid pubs clubs and groupings. collective resolute actions must be taken he says

He's floundering and waffling today.