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A new name for the UK - Plague Island

(109 Posts)
Dinahmo Tue 22-Dec-20 23:28:30

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/22/worlds-media-ask-how-it-went-so-wrong-for-plague-island-britain-covid

The most depressing thing I think I've read all year - some opinions from the world's media. We really are cut off from the rest of the world. All that talk of sunny uplands being just ahead is absolute nonsense.

trueblue22 Tue 22-Dec-20 23:30:53

Typical for The Guardian but it's not all doom & gloom. I just had this sent to me and gives me so much hope

Dinahmo Tue 22-Dec-20 23:32:27

I've only just come back to GN this evening having been working for most of the day and hadn't realised that the same subject is being discussed on the Corona virus section. I don't often look at that.

growstuff Wed 23-Dec-20 05:33:40

trueblue22

Typical for The Guardian but it's not all doom & gloom. I just had this sent to me and gives me so much hope

What do you mean? Typical of the Guardian to report what newspapers in other countries are reporting? That's what journalists are supposed to do.

BlueBelle Wed 23-Dec-20 07:05:08

I think the user name tells you all growstuff

Can blame the overseas news if it was the other way round our press would have just the same vitriolic headlines
Walk on by

EllanVannin Wed 23-Dec-20 07:13:52

This has been known for some time. It's a step-up from it being classed as a " cess-pit " a few months ago ! As said by Dr Richard North ( author and blogger ) when referring to Brexit.

vampirequeen Wed 23-Dec-20 07:30:02

Our media censors what we see and hear. I watch the UK news and a friend in South Africa sends me links to relevant news stories. It's fascinating to see/hear what we're not told. For example, long covid isn't iust about breathlessness and fatigue, it's about heart conditions, blindness, a shingles like condition, in fact anything that can go wrong when the immune system is compromised.

David0205 Wed 23-Dec-20 08:11:50

The whole travel ban was caused by our scurrilous media over hyping the new strain virus, it was discovered many months ago in Brazil and is circulating in many countries. Are we worse than any other country?, probably not, but they have responsible media.

Ellianne Wed 23-Dec-20 08:24:55

vampirequeen

Our media censors what we see and hear. I watch the UK news and a friend in South Africa sends me links to relevant news stories. It's fascinating to see/hear what we're not told. For example, long covid isn't iust about breathlessness and fatigue, it's about heart conditions, blindness, a shingles like condition, in fact anything that can go wrong when the immune system is compromised.

Sorry vampirequeen, I think every rag and TV news channel in the UK has been telling us about the other connected illnesses for months now. And do has half the population of gransnet.

Ellianne Wed 23-Dec-20 08:25:19

*so not do

kircubbin2000 Wed 23-Dec-20 08:27:46

I think it's because they say the guardian is a lefty rag. I don't read it but my friend does and she has some anti royal views.

petra Wed 23-Dec-20 08:34:35

We happened to find it first because we have world leading genetic sequencing capabilities.
Scientists in other countries have recognised this.
Seems we are a victim of our own success.
But don't let the truth get in the way of a good story,eh. ?

Ellianne Wed 23-Dec-20 08:51:16

petra

We happened to find it first because we have world leading genetic sequencing capabilities.
Scientists in other countries have recognised this.
Seems we are a victim of our own success.
But don't let the truth get in the way of a good story,eh. ?

Exactly petra! All this waffling from other countries is part of the blame game. Their scientists didn't get there first so they are delaying announcing they have it too. Then when they do discover it, they can say it must have come from the UK.

biba70 Wed 23-Dec-20 09:48:42

Waffling !- because of this many countries which have already suffered terrible, like Italy- will have to go into lock down again.

The fact is, this mutant was discovered here in UK and we kept quiet about it- allowing it to spread all over.

As an Island, or rather, Islands- we have always done everything we could to protect ourselves from diseases that came from outside, like Rabies. And when our cattle were sick with CJD, we tried to hide it, and quite rightly other countries stopped exports.

That is the responsible thing to do.

Ellianne Wed 23-Dec-20 09:56:30

Covid-19 : une, deux, trois vagues ? Dans l'Histoire des pandémies, "c'est la norme"

Others countries knew full well there would be a second and third wave, and that they would need to go into lockdown again. It is hardly surprise to them. Their newspapers were reporting this months ago as above. Gallic shrug, c'est la vie.

biba70 Wed 23-Dec-20 10:05:25

you truly don't get it, do you? Or rather, you don't want to get it. (and stop with your French nonsense- just not needed thanks).

It is a FACT that the new variant was found in UK, and that our Government CHOSE to keep it quite, and thus NO containing it. No wonder other countries are not happy about it.

Grany Wed 23-Dec-20 10:06:55

Private firms contracts no putting out to tender

m.youtube.com/watch?v=UYuW07GNVKI

Callistemon Wed 23-Dec-20 10:11:27

vampirequeen

Our media censors what we see and hear. I watch the UK news and a friend in South Africa sends me links to relevant news stories. It's fascinating to see/hear what we're not told. For example, long covid isn't iust about breathlessness and fatigue, it's about heart conditions, blindness, a shingles like condition, in fact anything that can go wrong when the immune system is compromised.

But we have been warned about all that in the media here; I don't follow S African news media but have heard about this.

If you want to know in more deoth, read The New Scientist or BMJ

Callistemon Wed 23-Dec-20 10:12:02

Depth!

Ellianne Wed 23-Dec-20 10:18:50

and stop with your French nonsense- just not needed thanks
It's not MY French nonsense biba, the quote is lifted directly from a French newspaper this autumn and is entirely authentic.

Alexa Wed 23-Dec-20 10:27:38

This septic island

cupaffull Wed 23-Dec-20 10:32:18

Isn't this just evidence that it doesn't pay to be honest! This country does more genome sequencing than the rest of Europe or they will already have found the mutation in their populations given the exponential rises in their infection rates!

Adds weight to Chinas actions of not saying anything to anyone about the virus when they already knew about it in November 2019, if not even earlier.
And you can bet your life that its not the French contributing to the cost of testing all those truckers... Macron will have had his hands in our pockets as quick as a flash!

Galaxy Wed 23-Dec-20 10:37:21

Dear god. The antagonism towards Europe is breathtaking to behold.

Ellianne Wed 23-Dec-20 10:40:24

Exactly what I'm saying cupaffull, the rest of Europe is hanging onto our findings. The only other country up there with the UK on this genomics information is Denmark with its discovery of the mutant strain in minks.

Urmstongran Wed 23-Dec-20 10:46:27

And if the truckers get tested over here any positive cases go onto OUR Covid figures. Clever Mr. Macron.

At the start of the pandemic, hauliers didn’t leave their cabs. Documents checked by officials and waved on.

Now? Dear god, 4,000 lorry drivers out & about, mingling, sharing roadside continental type breakfasts.

I think Macron has shot himself in the foot over this.

The majority of those drivers stuck in Dover wont get home to spend Christmas with their families now. There aren’t enough ferries.

Macron though - he will be having a fine dining experience with expensive foods & wine. Lucky Mr. Macron.