John52 Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 teflon2 - 2020-05-16 6:35 PM Brian did you actually read the first line in my post I'm challenging the repeated comments posted by others that declare that because we live on an island we should have been able to reduce the corona virus infection rate of infection. (^) Thats because the sea gives us a better barrier than the land borders other countries have. It would have required foresight, and as Brian points out - would have been difficult. But they are planning to do it now. So if we can do it now, why couldn't we do it then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 John52 - 2020-05-17 7:44 AM teflon2 - 2020-05-16 6:35 PM Brian did you actually read the first line in my post I'm challenging the repeated comments posted by others that declare that because we live on an island we should have been able to reduce the corona virus infection rate of infection. (^) Thats because the sea gives us a better barrier than the land borders other countries have. It would have required foresight, and as Brian points out - would have been difficult. But they are planning to do it now. So if we can do it now, why couldn't we do it then? You have been told why once already! There were hundreds of thousands of Brits that were caught abroad by the lockdowns and restrictions caused by the virus. There were a large amount of Foreign Nationals in the UK who wished to return home. Because you are still wandering about on your jollies, you think lots of others are too. *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rael Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 747 - 2020-05-17 10:40 AM John52 - 2020-05-17 7:44 AM teflon2 - 2020-05-16 6:35 PM Brian did you actually read the first line in my post I'm challenging the repeated comments posted by others that declare that because we live on an island we should have been able to reduce the corona virus infection rate of infection. (^) Thats because the sea gives us a better barrier than the land borders other countries have. It would have required foresight, and as Brian points out - would have been difficult. But they are planning to do it now. So if we can do it now, why couldn't we do it then? You have been told why once already! There were hundreds of thousands of Brits that were caught abroad by the lockdowns and restrictions caused by the virus. There were a large amount of Foreign Nationals in the UK who wished to return home. Because you are still wandering about on your jollies, you think lots of others are too. *-) There are still many Brits stranded abroad. My daughters boyfriend is still stuck in virtual solitary confinement on a cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico. He worked on the ship but they are struggling to get employees home. I think the original OP is probably correct. Just because you live on an island doesn't seem to make it easier to contain Covid-19 or any other virus. Unless you completely close your borders at the outset then it makes no difference. You only need to let in one infected person and thats it. That would mean, no trucks, cars, flights, ferries, tunnel etc. at all. Could we have coped with that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 teflon2 - 2020-05-16 6:35 PM Brian did you actually read the first line in my post I'm challenging the repeated comments posted by others that declare that because we live on an island we should have been able to reduce the corona virus infection rate of infection. (^) Yes John, I did, and I quoted it before giving my own response, in which I "padded out" the reasons why, although a seductive idea, as you say, it would not have been practical to achieve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 John52 - 2020-05-17 7:37 AM Brian Kirby - 2020-05-16 11:48 AM The overriding question to me is why that decision was, actually, taken - because that is, from everything I have seen and read, the point at which the virus began to spread unchecked within the UK. As far as I can see its the infighting within the Tory party, resulting in policy swinging backwards and forwards getting the worst of both worlds. Cameron called the Brexit referendum to stop it, but it didn't work. We see it in many other areas, like the Prison service with policy switching back and forth between rehabilitation, and punishment, again getting the worst of both worlds :-S BoJo didn't even bother to tell the leaders of the devolved nations about his change of policy in his confusing broadcast last Sunday night - which was bound to get their backs up. He is going to have to give us even more of your money, to bribe us not to vote for the Nationalists, if he is to maintain his empire https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/17/as-lockdown-consensus-unravels-boris-johnson-divides-nation-and-party Fair comment but, on past experience I doubt it would have been that different whichever party was in government. Our collective problem - which I think goes back to the title of this thread and its reference to living on an island - is that we do not have long-term settled policies on anything. Those with land borders seem a little more inclined to peep over the border to see what works there, and adapt and adopt it. We just look and point and snigger - at those who do things differently. Each time our government changes from left to right, and back, the "new boys" set about unpicking what the "last lot" did at least as energetically as they set about imposing their preferred policies instead. In the process we march halfway back down whichever hill we have just been marched up, wasting untold time and money in the process - just so that one group who think they know all the answers can erase the answers of another group who had thought likewise. It is insane, but we are encouraged to think it is the best system of government in the world - and far too many of us buy that line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtravel Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 pelmetman - 2020-05-16 7:44 PM Seems to me ;-) ...... Max doesn't have a very positive view of his fellow Italians :D ........ I reckon I even detect a hint of superiorty complex? >:-) ......... You remind of someone on here? :D ........ Oh yeah Waldorf (lol) ........ I guarantee that I don't have a mustache but that I have a rather thick hair. However tomorrow (second step of the covid second phase) here the hairdressers will reopen and I will be able to cut a little. Max P.S. If this worries you, I also guarantee that I do not suffer from superiority complexes. Against anyone, even if here it wouldn't be so difficult to have one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 rael - 2020-05-17 10:21 AM........................I think the original OP is probably correct. Just because you live on an island doesn't seem to make it easier to contain Covid-19 or any other virus. Unless you completely close your borders at the outset then it makes no difference. You only need to let in one infected person and thats it. That would mean, no trucks, cars, flights, ferries, tunnel etc. at all. Could we have coped with that? No, but we may have learned a salutary lesson as to how extremely vulnerable our attitude to importing food, medicines, vehicles, machinery, aircraft, shipping, railway equipment, raw materials etc, and to offshoring anything that could be made at home to distant suppliers, plus selling chunks of our infrastructure to the highest bidder, has left us. We should very quickly have been in acute difficulty with food and medical supplies, and at some greater leisure the supply of almost everything else we need to function. As it is, even without that degree of border closure, we are still struggling to source sufficient clinical PPE (plus a few other things!). But hey, they all need us far more than we need them! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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