Other government news. Life outside of covid

If the Tories remove the Triple lock on pensions many will have to claim Universal Credit. Then we shall witness pensioners who have paid tax in the UK throughout their working lives forced to attend food banks as the only way of supplying their essentials needs.

Just what the right in Britain loves to see.

Not a good look

www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/robert-jenrick-has-claimed-100k-expenses-for-country-manor/14/04/

That is disgraceful. How is this allowed?

He should be asked to provide documentation for his expense claim - by HMRC. He should be declaring his £100,000 as income and then claiming the expenses through his accounts and paying tax on the difference.

During the early 80s I worked for a small practice that dealt with the tax affairs of 4 (all Labour) MPs including a home seretary. We used to prepare expense claims and declare their expense allowances. If the claim exceeded the allowance there would be a reduction in their tax liability and vice versa.

Mind you, that might not happen now, things have changed with HMRC and not just because of legislation. These days the head of HMRC has lunch with the CEOs of international corporations and they arrive at the tax that the companies will pay.

Care workers’ ears must have pricked up yesterday and a glimmer of hope in their day when they heard Tigger Hancock say “ I am here to tell you of the next steps in our social care package”

So how were our care workers going to be recognised in their outstanding work? It wouldn’t take much as up until recently the government had totally ignored their existence.

“More testing” said Tigger “definitely more PPE”

But Tigger saved the best until last.

He knew what care workers really wanted it wasn’t testing, it wasn’t PPE or more money or a Home Secretary who dismisses them all as low skilled, no of course not.

What they really wanted was a shiny brand new green badge.

I kid you not

A badge. A sodding badge.

Even the writers of The Thick of It wouldn’t have come up with something quite so crass.

And there we were all thinking that it was the bear who had the little brain.

Thanks to John Crace.

"WWM2* MyIH commented this pm that the writers of The Thick of It would have a fine time after the crisis is over. We wait in hope

These people are just so damned insulting and patronising. But it's a typical response when people working in the public sector are under paid and under pressure:

Nurse of the Year
Teacher of the Year

Make excuses for not sorting out PPE and testing and, as a consolation prize, offer a badge!

I wonder what a badge for MPs would have on it!

Keir Starmer is getting more and more support for his call for the government to work on a meaningful exit plan from lockdown.

Businesses need the information on the possible way it will happen.

Scientists say that the government needs to publish its plans before they action them in order that they can be scrutinised for possible issues.

The population needs to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and that they can see that they will once again be back to earning a salary and pay their mortgage etc..

Transparency is so important in taking the country with them and gain trust.

No words Growstuff- just the picture of an anchor.....⚓️

If you wonder if forward planning is necessary just look at where we are today. Forward planning was never carried out during the first two months when this would have proven so valuable. As a consequence, PPE crises is still with us with one CEO of a large hospital trust phoning the bbc to see if they could help him in tracing PPE.

The testing is beginning to look like more than a crises, if 5h3 government doesn’t get a grip soon it is going to become a national scandal.

Plan, plan, plan.

Test test test

It isn’t rocket science.

Take Germany as the model and they won’t go far wrong.

The death rate has leveled off but not fallen yet so I think it is reasonable to continue as we are, in a few weeks a gradual return to work will be ordered. The Building industry will be first, and probably others where social distancing or masks are practical and available.
Pubs, restaurants, travel and events will be closed for a long period, if we do get an accurate antibody test it will make it easier

Whitewavemark2 in regard your post @07:06 today, whatever Keir Starmer may think and state, the time to plan on how Britain may come out of lockdown is in the days prior to the next review, that being in three weeks time.

By that time the government will have more data available to it on how the release of lockdown has gone in other countries.

Along with the above, further data will be available on how the epidemic has progressed within regions and among varying age groups within Britain.

The worst thing that could happen for business in Britain at the present time would be to spend further resources on preparing for a release from lockdown that may then not come about.

Some people could try thinking about this matter more before sounding off and that should include Keir Starmer.

Although, I feel he maybe just trying to divert attention away from the current unprecedented serious problems within the Labour Party.

Or he could be commenting on the current unprecedented global crisis. I care about what is going on in the labour party but I want the opposition to focus on the covid issue at the present time.

grandad

The U.K. is the only country in Europe and probably one of very very few world wide, who has not apparently any plans for exit.

They didn’t plan going in resulting in the absolute shambles we are seeing now.

They must plan going out

grandad

I am grateful that Starmer is putting the lives of people in the country before party politics.

Only 9% of people wan5 the U.K. to return to how it was

news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-only-9-of-britons-want-life-to-return-to-normal-once-lockdown-is-over-11974459?dcmp=snt-sf-twitter

As far as messing things up though you can't do much better than this government. There was the EU PPE miss and now the tests that don't work! $20mill down the drain. Paying China for tests that don't work. When Boris mentioned "pregnancy tests" someone should have twigged!
thehill.com/policy/international/493263-uk-payed-20-m-for-faulty-coronavirus-antibody-tests

77% of people polled now want the U.K. to partake in the bulk purchase of PPE etc. And also to remain as a member if The European Medicines Agency.

Sounds very level headed and sensible.

I wonder if this will change some of the attitudes towards Europe or if that is just too entrenched.

A huge amount of criticism voiced In the health select committee.

It looks as if we are on course to be the worst in Europe.

What an accolade.

Even the herd immunity idea has been blown up, as it appears that many people who have covid mildly then you have very few antibodies which it is thought will disappear over time.

Ooh immigrants to pick our food.

Brexiters must be tearing their hair out and Patel apoplexy.

I was avid in opposition to Britain leaving the European Union. However, that battle is over and the Bill for the United Kingdom to leave the EU has passed through parliament and we have now withdrawn.

All that is left to negotiate is any trading agreement that Britain will negotiate with Europe, and as it stands at this point in time that has to be concluded by the end of this year or Britain goes forward on WTO terms of trade.

The Brexit debate is now "water under the bridge" and only a change of government and fresh negotiations on Britain rejoining the EU would change the above.

That scenario will not happen in the foreseeable future as there will be no change of government and therefore no change stance. So, those on this thread and others who keep harking back to Brexit can just forget it.

We are out of the European Union and Britain must now go forward from where we are as any other thoughts are totally pointless and we now as a nation must make best of the circumstances we have.

Actually the way we view and interact with Europe is vitally important.