UK General Discussion:The Rt. Hon Alex Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, Populist Hero

[Alcibiades]

The pandemic is over - the disease in now endemic in the UK but that ultimately doesn’t matter because we can now combat it with vaccines. 60% of the UK population (including children) have had at least one dose of the vaccine, that’ll probably rise to about 66% by June 21st based on the current pace of vaccinations. Nearly all of the most vulnerable groups have now had their two vaccines. It’s Summer. There’s no evidence that the “Indian” or any other variant has the ability to evade the vaccine in any significant way. It’s over and it’s time to return to normal.

Exactly - cases may continue to ebb and flow for a bit, but there’s no reason to think that there will ever again be a serious spike in deaths or hospitalisations.

[Geoffrey Howe]

When did people on Vote UK start being opposed to lockdowns? It only really seemed to gain traction in September as far as I could tell.

[Zinneke]

The pandemic is over - the disease in now endemic in the UK but that ultimately doesn’t matter because we can now combat it with vaccines. 60% of the UK population (including children) have had at least one dose of the vaccine, that’ll probably rise to about 66% by June 21st based on the current pace of vaccinations. Nearly all of the most vulnerable groups have now had their two vaccines. It’s Summer. There’s no evidence that the “Indian” or any other variant has the ability to evade the vaccine in any significant way. It’s over and it’s time to return to normal.

Doesn't matter, all it takes is one variant that is resistant and you're screwed - especially as your bezzie mates's vaccine from AZ is apparently weak against variants. Especially if you preach hard borders but let a couple of thousand people travel the world in the mean time - I wonder how working class Britain will react to the jet setters bringing back a variant that screws them again.

But rather typical of the Brexit accolytes  to think the world begins and ends in the UK. Only Gordon Brown has made any sense with his proposal to vaccinate the third world.

[CumbrianLefty]

The fact that Boris is now married to someone young enough to be his daughter really needs to stick in more throats than it has .

Its not all that uncommon, and not even *necessarily* a bad thing.

Nor is it the foremost reason to suspect this one might not ultimately end well.

[NewYorkExpress]

The fact that Boris is now married to someone young enough to be his daughter really needs to stick in more throats than it has .

Its not all that uncommon, and not even *necessarily* a bad thing.

Nor is it the foremost reason to suspect this one might not ultimately end well.

Emmanuel Macron literally married his High School teacher, and they've been happily married for almost a decade and a half now, and she's old enough to be his mother.

[CumbrianLefty]

The pandemic is over - the disease in now endemic in the UK but that ultimately doesn’t matter because we can now combat it with vaccines. 60% of the UK population (including children) have had at least one dose of the vaccine, that’ll probably rise to about 66% by June 21st based on the current pace of vaccinations. Nearly all of the most vulnerable groups have now had their two vaccines. It’s Summer. There’s no evidence that the “Indian” or any other variant has the ability to evade the vaccine in any significant way. It’s over and it’s time to return to normal.

Doesn't matter, all it takes is one variant that is resistant and you're screwed - especially as your bezzie mates's vaccine from AZ is apparently weak against variants. Especially if you preach hard borders but let a couple of thousand people travel the world in the mean time - I wonder how working class Britain will react to the jet setters bringing back a variant that screws them again.

But rather typical of the Brexit accolytes  to think the world begins and ends in the UK. Only Gordon Brown has made any sense with his proposal to vaccinate the third world.

But the bottom line - IMO anyway - is that you can't delay a return to "normality" indefinitely purely because of the hypothetical chance there MIGHT be some devastating vaccine resistant variant down the line (especially since the scientific consensus here seems to be "possible, but not likely")

Of course the UK should have acted sooner regarding curtailing movement in and out of the country (the PM's almost desperate neediness not to upset Modi in any way was both craven and predictable) and they - along with others - should be doing more to get poorer countries vaccinated.

But there are lots of things in this country that simply can't wait forever.

[CumbrianLefty]

Rumours now of a two week delay to the June 21 "freedom day" - obstensibly to make a major push to get more people vaccinated in the coming month as protection against the Indian variant.

Most people could probably live with that, if it IS only two weeks.

[S019]

https://twitter.com/jessicaelgot/status/1400391811449847816

[Geoffrey Howe]

Surprisingly, David Davis and Desmond Swayne too.

Somewhat amusing that DFID and the FCO have been merged/demerged nearly every time the party in charge switches.

Fundamentally, this is just an attempt to kill two birds with one stone: claim "financial responsibility" (even though the amount of money saved is minuscule) and get some nationalist support. I have mixed feelings on foreign aid.

[CumbrianLefty]

The list of unhappy Tory MPs does go beyond the usual suspects on this one, for sure.

[Blair]

Surprisingly, David Davis and Desmond Swayne too.

Somewhat amusing that DFID and the FCO have been merged/demerged nearly every time the party in charge switches.

Fundamentally, this is just an attempt to kill two birds with one stone: claim "financial responsibility" (even though the amount of money saved is minuscule) and get some nationalist support. I have mixed feelings on foreign aid.

I might be libelling him but David Davis seems to be rebelling purely to punch the Governments bruise over this.

Johnny Mercer and a few others on this list are people who would not be rebelling if they had a government post… And frankly at least five or 10 of them would be much better in the current cabinet.

In terms of aid spending its self these cuts are obviously awful on the ground but the real tragedy was abolishing DFID which was consistently ranked one of the best departments not only to work for but also in terms of its financial transparency and outcomes.

It also seems strange to oppose overseas aid spending without doing anything to sort out the MOD who have recently bought a tank which makes our soldiers violently ill if they sit in it.

[beesley]

I hope the amendment succeeds. The 'charity begins at home' argument is fairly refutable when you consider this government.

[Blair]

Does anybody know anything about the news site Byline Times? Would be interested if anybody here has any insight into it- I’m seeing it pop up more.

[beesley]

Does anybody know anything about the news site Byline Times? Would be interested if anybody here has any insight into it- I’m seeing it pop up more.

A bit of a pro-Remain, very anti-Tory, social liberal (perhaps 'woke' depending on perspective) fringe news site, perhaps the closest major option is the New European. Their journalism tends to focus more on 'exposing' things and opinion pieces and editorially they are similar to the Independent, but with a style more like Daily Kos. Apparently they do daily print editions but I've never seen one. Their founder is Peter Jukes who usually turns up at book festivals and things. I think they've had a few controversies with things like doxxing, but don't quote me on that.

[pottedstilton]

Does anybody know anything about the news site Byline Times? Would be interested if anybody here has any insight into it- I’m seeing it pop up more.

It's a truly wretched publication. As a measure of its quality, Dawn Butler seems to be quite fond of it.

[CumbrianLefty]

Jukes did some great work on phone hacking, but his subsequent trajectory is a bit more "eccentric".

[Geoffrey Howe]

Food for thought.

https://twitter.com/FraserNelson/status/1400720403644006407

[Silent Hunter]

I would be OK with a delay in full re-opening if the scientists feel that is best. I've had both my jabs anyway.

Just want to get rid of the masks...

[Geoffrey Howe]

I’ve always thought lockdowns are a far bigger deal than masks (though they’re irritating too).

[Alcibiades]

Yeah, I can’t really bring myself to be that worked up about masks. They’re about the least inconvenient measure possible.

[Estrella]

Not sure where to ask this, so I figured this would be the best place: anybody have any idea what happened in the 1989 European elections? The Greens apparently won 2.3 million votes, that is 14.5% (?!).

[Geoffrey Howe]

Nigel Farage voted for them, IIRC.

[thumb21]

I don't know the explaination for their brief strength in 1989, but according to the polls compiled by Pollbase, they also got a boost from that in the general election polls, overtaking the Lib Dems for a while.

[CumbrianLefty]

Of course the SLD (as known at the time) were still in their post merger trough then.

[beesley]

https://twitter.com/ElectionMapsUK/status/1401652081501605890?s=20

Prepare for riots.