So, let's leave Conference behind, onwards and forwards ...

Please can I join the riot. I haven't a pitch fork would a walking stick do? (I don't need it for walking so I can wave it about).

trisher

Please can I join the riot. I haven't a pitch fork would a walking stick do? (I don't need it for walking so I can wave it about).

I've got spare one, trisher. Small but serviceable...

Hetty58

MaizieD, in NZ, where my eldest lives, they effectively nipped Covid in the but - so the mad dash for vaccines wasn't necessary!

Not comparable. The whole of New Zealand has a smaller population than London.

Modompodom

Hetty58

MaizieD, in NZ, where my eldest lives, they effectively nipped Covid in the but - so the mad dash for vaccines wasn't necessary!

Not comparable. The whole of New Zealand has a smaller population than London.

Thank goodness for you, Modompodom

London population - 9 million

NZ population - 5 million

I'm tired of NZ being held up as a shining example. And they're not shining much at present. My youngest son is living there and it's no fun whatsoever.

Why Jacinda thought she could make NZ Covid free and keep it that way is a mystery.

???????

48% fully vaccinated and 28 deaths in New Zealand to date. I call that success.

Well you tell them that, Casdon.

Schools aren't open. Mandatory vaccines for teachers and health workers.

Maybe this Guardian article would help you to understand

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/11/new-zealand-covid-update-country-on-knife-edge-as-cases-expected-to-rise-further

Casdon

48% fully vaccinated and 28 deaths in New Zealand to date. I call that success.

5 million people living in the whole area of NZ (268,021 sq km.) 9 million people living in London (1,572 sq km). London is the most populated city in Western Europe. There can be no comparison.

Shall we compare it to Wales then, similar demography but 3m inhabitants- 5973 deaths, or Scotland with 5.5m inhabitants and 8792 deaths. Deaths in the UK are still rising on a daily basis. Whatever way you look at it New Zealand have managed much better than the UK.

I was asked who I would replace the Government with and I would like to see Caroline Lucas as a stable, sensible leader who has ideas and humility.
I am sick of the old Eton brigade who think that because they have had an elitist education it gives them the right to govern.
I feel after 11 years of no hope, no ideas, poor management and a lack of leadership we deserve a radical shake up. I can but dream !!

MaizieD

trisher

Please can I join the riot. I haven't a pitch fork would a walking stick do? (I don't need it for walking so I can wave it about).

I've got spare one, trisher. Small but serviceable...

Thanks MaizieD I promise to take good care of it and put it to good use!

I was wondering and I think if leaving schools closed would have saved thousands of lives it would have been a price worth paying.

It seems further disruption on supply chains are inevitable

news.sky.com/story/hgv-driver-crisis-forces-cargo-ships-to-divert-from-uk-because-of-container-backlog-12432213

Okay all you people with such short memories, let’s look at what Boris and his team of experts did.
Produced the vaccine, the furlough scheme, stamp duty holiday to bolster the building trade. Working from home. Mandatory wearing of face masks. Lockdowns etc. Many of you GNs would probably be dead by now if Boris did not bring in these restrictions. Someone mentioned immigration, IMO, we do not have a problem with the NHS, a shortage of housing, or a lack of school places, we just have too many people. Let’s put it in simple terms, could say, one of you afford to have 10 people living in your house, feed them, clothe them, see to their medical health needs and educate them, no I think not. Yet that is what people are expecting the government to do. We are a small island and we are full. It is becoming ridiculous and politically correctness gone mad. I phoned two different companies recently and a recorded message said ‘press 1 if you want to speak to an English speaking operator’. I am in England!!!

Did Johnson produce the vaccine? Or was it years and years of research by other people?

Lord Frost in Lisbon (btw who elected him????? I thought we were not so keen on un-elected civil servants making key decisions for the country)

The Not-So-Secret Diary of David Frost aged 13¾.

And utterly humiliated by him very self.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/oct/12/rip-it-up-and-start-again-frost-numbs-the-senses-with-spoiled-teenager-act?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

he puffed and he puffed- but went out with his tail between his legs.

Scones......the bit in your post about Father Christmas not being able to get a visa, made me think of something I heard recently. Real story. A chap found out that his 11 year old daughter was going to find out
from a cousin (slightly older) that Farher Christmas wasn't real.....so he sat her down when she came in from school and told her that Father Christmas had caught Covid-19 and died, so he and her mum would play his part from now on !! Bit of genius on his part I thought. She probably knew already that that's what happens. Sorry to hijack the posts but thought a bit of light humour might help !

"Let’s put it in simple terms, could say, one of you afford to have 10 people living in your house, feed them, clothe them, see to their medical health needs and educate them, no I think not. Yet that is what people are expecting the government to do." ajswan, yes, because they have been elected to make good on promises given. Your argument is ridiculous - of course none of us as indivuals would promise to the whole nation to house, clothe and feed 10 people and provide health and education needs. Why would we if we could not do it?

I don't know how the 'we are full' argument is stacking up now we don't have enough people to fill jobs!

Susieq62

I was asked who I would replace the Government with and I would like to see Caroline Lucas as a stable, sensible leader who has ideas and humility.
I am sick of the old Eton brigade who think that because they have had an elitist education it gives them the right to govern.
I feel after 11 years of no hope, no ideas, poor management and a lack of leadership we deserve a radical shake up. I can but dream !!

Caroline Lucas?! You jest? And all on her own as well ?

ajswan

Okay all you people with such short memories, let’s look at what Boris and his team of experts did.
Produced the vaccine, the furlough scheme, stamp duty holiday to bolster the building trade. Working from home. Mandatory wearing of face masks. Lockdowns etc. Many of you GNs would probably be dead by now if Boris did not bring in these restrictions. Someone mentioned immigration, IMO, we do not have a problem with the NHS, a shortage of housing, or a lack of school places, we just have too many people. Let’s put it in simple terms, could say, one of you afford to have 10 people living in your house, feed them, clothe them, see to their medical health needs and educate them, no I think not. Yet that is what people are expecting the government to do. We are a small island and we are full. It is becoming ridiculous and politically correctness gone mad. I phoned two different companies recently and a recorded message said ‘press 1 if you want to speak to an English speaking operator’. I am in England!!!

I've been out this evening but glad to come back in and see the comedy element is still available on GN.

To echo Maybee70; Boris produced the vaccine? I was just listening to Prof Gilbert on Radio 4 and she seems to think it was her and her team.

Trisha57

"Let’s put it in simple terms, could say, one of you afford to have 10 people living in your house, feed them, clothe them, see to their medical health needs and educate them, no I think not. Yet that is what people are expecting the government to do." ajswan, yes, because they have been elected to make good on promises given. Your argument is ridiculous - of course none of us as indivuals would promise to the whole nation to house, clothe and feed 10 people and provide health and education needs. Why would we if we could not do it?

Exactly no you could not do it, but you expect the nation to do it. What part of simple terms do you not understand. How can the NHS cope with millions more people coming to this country. The problem is that the ‘do gooders’ do not tend to live in areas with a very high population of immigrants. There are areas where there are no longer any British butchers, only halal, no English hairdressers, the fish and chip shop has gone and the pie and mash shop etc. I know because I used to work in this area and saw it gradually change.

I phoned two different companies recently and a recorded message said ‘press 1 if you want to speak to an English speaking operator’.

It happens to me all the time when make a phone call here but I have to press 2. English is the second choice.
Oedden nhw'n Gymraeg?

Fair enough, there's no English hairdressers where I live. And not a pie and mash shop to be seen.

Lovely chipper, though.

So now we are straying into “it’s all the fault of too many immigrants” territory. Though what the NHS would be like without immigrants in its workforce I shudder to think. As for the “world beating” vaccination programme, that has stalled , with a much smaller % of our population being vaccinated than elsewhere and infection rates still rocketing with the ease of restrictions - 38,000+ compared with 2,000 in Italy.