Coronavirus - political views - supporting or otherwise...

[Old Skier]

Well if Scotland is anything to go by watch out for fireworks in England when the Exam results get posted.

Some Scots moms and dads think it was quite OK that some teachers assessments on low attaining pupils give a 20% improvement on the 2019 figures.
Imagine the hoohaa if the Scots Government went with that.

Education achievement in Scotland I believe has been lower than England for several years so politically it might have been a great idea to boost the grades. We will see next week if the same scam is tried.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

The results were in about 2 weeks ago. My understanding, I have a daughter who will be getting her results this Thursday so I have followed this quite closely, is that the schools over estimated but the exam boards reeled them back in. The results will show a 1% improvement over last year, if the report I read was correct of course. I'm not surprised that schools were over generous but equally it is good that the exam boards are there to retain the credibility of the qualification.

I think they did well in the whole.
A relative of mine had an unexpected A and an unexpected D....which one will the school appeal.
Scots Gov under pressure and back tracking now. I think that will probably make things worse.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I think they did well in the whole.
A relative of mine had an unexpected A and an unexpected D....which one will the school appeal.
Scots Gov under pressure and back tracking now. I think that will probably make things worse.

It has been enormously difficult and quite an undertaking to estimate marks on this scale. They were on a hiding to nothing, all of the exam boards. Unprecedented times and all that.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Your lack of anything in this Government has nothing to do with Cummings so stop trying to pretend it does. You threw your toys out of the pram way before the Cummings fiasco. You have no interest in anything you disagree with and have no interested in what others post.

Your continued posts on the same old same old shows everyone your lack of interest in others views.

Survey of public opinion finds that the trust in the government dropped very significantly following the Cummings day trip to BC.

https://www.itv.com/news/2020-08-07...ent-fell-after-cummings-durham-trip--research

Dominic Cummings’ trip to Durham at the height of lockdown while suffering from coronavirus drastically undermined public trust in the Government’s handling of the pandemic, according to new research.

The analysis, conducted by University College London (UCL), found the actions of the Prime Minister’s chief adviser reduced people’s willingness to follow social distancing rules.

What trust I hold in the government is neither here nor there. However it does seem to be matched by much of the population - and that should matter to us all.

What others might post about the government is fine. But it does not change what has happened over the last four years. And for me that has not been fine.

 

[Ethan]

Your lack of anything in this Government has nothing to do with Cummings so stop trying to pretend it does. You threw your toys out of the pram way before the Cummings fiasco. You have no interest in anything you disagree with and have no interested in what others post.

Your continued posts on the same old same old shows everyone your lack of interest in others views.

Go on then, persuade us the Govt has done at least a decent job on Covid.

 

[Old Skier]

Go on then, persuade us the Govt has done at least a decent job on Covid.

If you see the daily YouGov polls it might surprise you.

I have no evidence like you that they have handled the crisis in the best way within the country's capabilities. Hopefully we will find that out in the wash up once things become settled.

 

[Old Skier]

Survey of public opinion finds that the trust in the government dropped very significantly following the Cummings day trip to BC.

https://www.itv.com/news/2020-08-07...ent-fell-after-cummings-durham-trip--research

Dominic Cummings’ trip to Durham at the height of lockdown while suffering from coronavirus drastically undermined public trust in the Government’s handling of the pandemic, according to new research.

The analysis, conducted by University College London (UCL), found the actions of the Prime Minister’s chief adviser reduced people’s willingness to follow social distancing rules.

What trust I hold in the government is neither here nor there. However it does seem to be matched by much of the population - and that should matter to us all.

What others might post about the government is fine. But it does not change what has happened over the last four years. And for me that has not been fine.

There were very few on here that agreed with the Cummings fiasco, what's that got to do with the general day to day running of the country.

Are you going to shout Cummings everytime the government do something that you disagree with.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

There were very few on here that agreed with the Cummings fiasco, what's that got to do with the general day to day running of the country.

Are you going to shout Cummings everytime the government do something that you disagree with.

Unfortunately (and obviously) it is difficult to trust someone to run the country who lies and practices to deceive (as he has been proven as having done recently and continuously over the last 20yrs). Unlike many for whom Cummings was the catalyst - my mistrust of Johnson and his government is not founded upon Cummings or their handing of the coronavirus pandemic. That mistrust does not then make it any the easier to believe and trust what they say now, and it does not make it easy to overlook and forgive the mistakes that have been made - for which there has been little acceptance of responsibility by Johnson - for whom as example our Test and Trace system remains 'World Beating'. It's not - and it's clearly not. In fact it's struggling to get fully up to steam - officials and the boss of Serco tell us that. And because of that it cannot deliver what the country requires for schools to go back without fear in September. That observation does not denigrate the efforts of those who work in it - it simply points a deceit that Johnson and other ministers continue to perpetrate. And as long as these deceits continue I will struggle to believe what they say.

That I do not trust Johnson matters not. That many others do not trust him should bother all Conservatives.

 

[Old Skier]

Unfortunately (and obviously) it is difficult to trust someone to run the country who lies and practices to deceive (as he has been proven as having done recently and continuously over the last 20yrs). Unlike many for whom Cummings was the catalyst - my mistrust of Johnson and his government is not founded upon Cummings or their handing of the coronavirus pandemic. That mistrust does not then make it any the easier to believe and trust what they say now, and it does not make it easy to overlook and forgive the mistakes that have been made - for which there has been little acceptance of responsibility by Johnson - for whom as example our Test and Trace system remains 'World Beating'. It's not - and it's clearly not. In fact it's struggling to get fully up to steam - officials and the boss of Serco tell us that. And because of that it cannot deliver what the country requires for schools to go back without fear in September. That observation does not denigrate the efforts of those who work in it - it simply points a deceit that Johnson and other ministers continue to perpetrate. And as long as these deceits continue I will struggle to believe what they say.

That I do not trust Johnson matters not. That many others do not trust him should bother all Conservatives.

You missed the IMO. Many countries track and trace systems are not working in the manner that governments wanted, mainly due to people failing to give the necessary information or deliberately failing to cooperate as seen in germany recently.

People are proving to be a bigger obstacle than government in many instances.

 

[Ethan]

You missed the IMO. Many countries track and trace systems are not working in the manner that governments wanted, mainly due to people failing to give the necessary information or deliberately failing to cooperate as seen in germany recently.

People are proving to be a bigger obstacle than government in many instances.

Few international tracing systems are working worse. Some have worked very well indeed. Contact tracing is not a call centre algorithm activity. It needs boots on the ground and local contacts, and PHE could easily have been scaled up by bringing in related staff. The UK does contact tracing pretty well, actually, for example for STDs, but the decision to stop Covid tracing in March, then after the stable door is open, replace it with a Serco/Dido call centre version was a horrible, foreseeable, we said so at the time mistake. Most of the tracing claimed by Dido was done by PHE anyway. The app was always a side show, the main effect of which was to lob a load of money at Cummings' sidekicks' brother who is CEO of the firm Faculty who got the contract.

 

[Jamesbrown]

If you see the daily YouGov polls it might surprise you.

I have no evidence like you that they have handled the crisis in the best way within the country's capabilities. Hopefully we will find that out in the wash up once things become settled.

I’d take yougov polls with a pinch of salt, your pre selected for the survey and they can swing them how they like by selecting people’s past voting habits. Just a theory as I do them everyday and it just seems very coincidental with the questions I get.
Good to do though as you get an Amazon voucher every couple of months.

 

[Swinglowandslow]

They might well be - but as DfT says - I don't live in Scotland. However the problem for me is not so much the advice or the decisions being made on schooling ...it's about the politicians in Westminster mouthing them. I don't need to trust Sturgeon and her crew in Holyrood. However I am asked (and need) to believe and trust Johnson and his lot in Westminster. And by their words and actions over the last 4 years (and indeed to an extent in some matters over the last 6months) I just don't.

Are you sure? You wouldn't like to repeat that would you, just so we really know that you don't trust Johnson & co.
The way you go on , honestly!!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

There were very few on here that agreed with the Cummings fiasco, what's that got to do with the general day to day running of the country.

Are you going to shout Cummings everytime the government do something that you disagree with.

The sad fact is SILH and the others are going to have to put up and shut up until we next go to the polls where they can make a change to the way to the government runs the country. All this "I don't trust Johnson" is repetitious and happens on a daily basis on here. I'm with the majority and thought the Cummings episode was a fiasco and sent a poor message at an important time in lockdown but that is now history. It just seems whatever announcement comes up is met with "Is that true?"

 

[Old Skier]

Few international tracing systems are working worse. Some have worked very well indeed. Contact tracing is not a call centre algorithm activity. It needs boots on the ground and local contacts, and PHE could easily have been scaled up by bringing in related staff. The UK does contact tracing pretty well, actually, for example for STDs, but the decision to stop Covid tracing in March, then after the stable door is open, replace it with a Serco/Dido call centre version was a horrible, foreseeable, we said so at the time mistake. Most of the tracing claimed by Dido was done by PHE anyway. The app was always a side show, the main effect of which was to lob a load of money at Cummings' sidekicks' brother who is CEO of the firm Faculty who got the contract.

Could I ask who the “We” are, or have you transferred from working in a pharma company to becoming a member of sage. Although I appreciate your expertise in some of your post I didn’t realise you were now an advisor.

 

[chrisd]

The sad fact is SILH and the others are going to have to put up and shut up until we next go to the polls where they can make a change to the way to the government runs the country. All this "I don't trust Johnson" is repetitious and happens on a daily basis on here. I'm with the majority and thought the Cummings episode was a fiasco and sent a poor message at an important time in lockdown but that is now history. It just seems whatever announcement comes up is met with "Is that true?"

There is no way on earth that SILH is ever going to "put up and shut up" he is clever in his trolling and sadly the mods let him get away with it because he does it much cleverer than most.

 

[pendodave]

Could I ask who the “We” are, or have you transferred from working in a pharma company to becoming a member of sage. Although I appreciate your expertise in some of your post I didn’t realise you were now an advisor.

Is this some sort of bizarre deflection?
I'm genuinely impressed by your desire to continue to defend the indefensible.
And genuinely curious to see how utterly incompetent the government would need to be to have you admit what a s***show this whole sorry saga has been.
Hey ho.

 

[SocketRocket]

Few international tracing systems are working worse. Some have worked very well indeed. Contact tracing is not a call centre algorithm activity. It needs boots on the ground and local contacts, and PHE could easily have been scaled up by bringing in related staff. The UK does contact tracing pretty well, actually, for example for STDs, but the decision to stop Covid tracing in March, then after the stable door is open, replace it with a Serco/Dido call centre version was a horrible, foreseeable, we said so at the time mistake. Most of the tracing claimed by Dido was done by PHE anyway. The app was always a side show, the main effect of which was to lob a load of money at Cummings' sidekicks' brother who is CEO of the firm Faculty who got the contract.

You continue to have absolutely no balance in your political outlook. You do have a lot of knowledge on health matters as being a qualified medical doctor one would expect but when it comes to anything political you are completely blinkered against the Conservatives which is a shame as I'm sure you would add so much more to discussions. I hold my hands up to having the opposite political preferences to you but I dont jump in with all guns blazing at every opportunity to castigate the opposition.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

There is no way on earth that SILH is ever going to "put up and shut up" he is clever in his trolling and sadly the mods let him get away with it because he does it much cleverer than most.

I’d suggest living in a Democracy nobody needs or should have to “put up and shut up” if people had of done that, we’d still be living in the dark ages.

I’d also suggest SILH trolling (in your opinion) is no worse than Homers stalking (in my opinion) of SILH.

 

[Ethan]

You continue to have absolutely no balance in your political outlook. You do have a lot of knowledge on health matters as being a qualified medical doctor one would expect but when it comes to anything political you are completely blinkered against the Conservatives which is a shame as I'm sure you would add so much more to discussions. I hold my hands up to having the opposite political preferences to you but I dont jump in with all guns blazing at every opportunity to castigate the opposition.

Offer one coherent argument in favour of your position. refute anything I have said above which is untrue. Tell me why the Govt has done anything better than a terrible job with Covid. Don't just accuse me of being against them, tell me why I am wrong. What have I missed that will change my mind when you enlighten me?

 

[Ethan]

Could I ask who the “We” are, or have you transferred from working in a pharma company to becoming a member of sage. Although I appreciate your expertise in some of your post I didn’t realise you were now an advisor.

I didn't realise your arguments had descended to personal attacks. You are obviously taking this personally. You really shouldn't. That snarky response misses the point(s). I was talking about contact tracing in general and Serco and Dido in particular. Everything I said is in the public domain, including anger at stopping contact tracing, calls to scale up PHE instead, and that most (85%, I think) of cases in the first week of NHS Test and Trace claimed by Dido were in fact traced by PHE.

The failure of NHS Test and Trace can be easily estimated by someone with GCSE in Maths, starting with the publicly available number of new cases cases that week and a few quick sums leading to a percentage actually traced and engaged. The Govt then wisely stopped publishing all the figures so that people couldn't tell just how bad it was. No medical or pharma credentials are needed to easily find al this stuff.

I don't see where SAGE comes into it, although I do know one of the guys on the Independent SAGE.