Best Posts in Thread: Covid Farce UK

The Brexit negotiations under May were not going anywhere - certainly not to the UK's benefit. The electorate (i.e. those who voted) voted for Brexit and so elected the Tories, under a firm Brexiteer, to get it done. I have voted Labour most of my life (with a few periods of forlorn hope in the LibDems) but I recognise they would have either reneged on the Brexit vote or kept us as vassals of the EU. People in the UK are fed up with people legally trying to gain residency being refused, after spending thousands of pounds on Visa (and sometimes legal) fees, but thousands illegally entering and being aided by the State. Boris is no longer important to Brexit but Labour is currently unelectable because people know they will open the gates and send out the rescue boats en masse to assist illegal immigration. With a small country, housing insufficient for the current population, schools having students with a dozen different languages and essential services far less accessible than 50 years ago, people will not vote for any government which fails to introduce and enforce a system whereby the country gets the immigration it needs and through legal channels.

 

I went through the same 2.5/2.5 visa route for my now wife, plus prior to that a 2 year Visa and prior to that a 1 year Visa and prior to that she obtained her Visa to come to the UK as a student. So, 9 years of Visas and all at ridiculous fees - plus immigration give a phone number to check progress but never answer the phone and then cut you off. Even my local MP had little luck dealing with them. One Visa they issued arrived after the date it had expired. Then they refused my wife's child entry and so we left. That is why I get very annoyed at how they help bring thousands into the UK, then bring their families (none speaking English, which is a requirement for legal entry). They even admitted mature males they classed as children - one 30 year old being put into school with 15 year olds. They said it was too difficult to determine age accurately but they prosecute people for having relationships with persons perhaps one year under the legal limit.

I feel sorry for the many people, usually men, who are refused entry for their wives because they do not have an income of £18,600 a year but they sell Golden Visas to foreign crooks who have made London the World's capital for money laundering.

 

Paying France to do what it should be doing anyway - and we all know the French will fail to enforce it.

 

It's been reported today that the Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now in isolation
having come in into contact with the Health Secretary of just three weeks, who has a covid variant.
This comes on the eve of an easing of rules, that will allow people to choose whether or not to wear face masks in public places.
Returning holidaymakers being told they will now need to self isolate after this Government allowed them to travel!
Also the Track and Trace has pinged 100's of people telling them to self isolate!
You could not write a better sketch for a Monty Python series than this!!
In short the UK is about to be thrown into chaos once again, I'll give 2/3 weeks before there will be talk of another lockdown.....
Stay happy and smile at this crazy world we live in, things can only get better?

 

As more elderly persons are vaccinated it increases the young as a percentage being seriously ill but they are less likely to proceed to death and so the death rate should be falling - and the evidence points to that.

The model needs to find a tolerable level of illness and deaths (no death being 'acceptable') and then Covid19 becomes a flu-like illness which allows the economy to function as 'normal' (or 'new normal'). There are signs in the UK that this is happening but may be derailed by future more aggressive variants (with recombination of two different viruses being the worst-case scenario).

 

They should give the £54M to the UK immigration department so that their enquiry phone lines don't have to charge extortionate rates and they could also cancel the charge you have to pay before they will answer an email enquiry.

 

AGREE, some time ago i spent thousands and jumped through fiery hoops to get a 2.5 year visa for my wife, yes 2.5 and after that more money and hoops to get another 2.5 which at the end of you can then apply to be permanent, (note apply, not guaranteed)
The breaking point was that when we applied for our daughter to get a visit visa they refused it on the grounds she might not return to the Philippines.
Hindsight is a great thing but i should have told her just to go to France and get one of those small boats across the channel, seems like people doing that never have to return.

 

Hmm, can't say I agree to that. I think Sir Keir is a decent and smart guy whom many would trust to lead the country; if (big if) he could manage to free Labour from the stifling influence of the unions and their minions in parliament then Labour would indeed look a lot more capable again.
However, the UK does appear to have landed in a political dead end; the sum of covid policy fails, a conservative party in disarray because of a bunch of opportunist populists, Labour still tied to dogmatic unions, and Libdems seemingly powerless to drive a real wedge into the political scene, coupled with persistent Brexit woes, will make it near impossible for anyone well-meaning to steer the country back to some sense of normalcy.

I realize that my take on UK politics is coloured somewhat by my Dutch liberal glasses though, and that every system has its advantages and disadvantages, but that first past the post system really seems in need of improvements, since it disenfranchises so many voters. On top of that it promotes attempts at gaining advantages by the ruling party through redistricting which sometimes looks really silly on a map. Time for some proportional representation maybe? If that ever happens, don't make the mistake of allowing marginal parties to win a single seat in parliament, better have a 5% threshold like they have in Germany. Oh and while you're at it, please look at bringing democracy to the house of Lords, rather than the "old boys" system you have now.
Ah well, daydreaming is allowed no?

 

Agreed...... but what or rather whom are the alternatives? I don't see any senior politicians from any party at this time being capable or indeed trustworthy to lead government. Never seen such a collective shower of shite in parliament as this present bunch.

 

PM and Chancellor both self-isolating. UK Gov Ltd has got itself into a mess of a cul-de-sac, promising 'freedom day' from today whilst the Delta variant is now causing 50K+ new cases per day. They have dug themselves in a hole promising the freedoms and cannot back down. If cases now rocket up more they face a revolt if they implement more lockdowns. Either way, I think the current leadership is f***;*d (facing ultimate citizen kickback; election defeat). I do not think they will last the current term of government with the same leadership.