• We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies from this website. Read more here

UK Lockdown

tavyred

Very well known Exeweb poster
Joined
Aug 23, 2004
Messages
13,909
Yes, fair points.

I would like to say, I’m not blasé about how dangerous the virus can be to some people. Or that the NHS would be under more significant pressure than at other times.

I still to this day don’t know how an ‘overwhelmed’ NHS is defined. Even if the overwhelming of the NHS is the biggest trump card that can be played, it doesn’t necessarily justify lockdowns. What about building more capacity in staffing and facilities to cope with its new needs? Easier said than done obviously, but hopefully you see my point.

Do I think it’s an overreaction? Well, truthfully, I don’t know. In the absence of a portal into another timeline in which we didn’t have lockdowns, none of us do.

It’s more the way in which restrictions are implemented and policed which is the problem to me.

There’s little scientific basis for many of the measures put in place, and it makes me uncomfortable for people to be getting harassed by the police for sitting in a park having a picnic. It’s the bureaucracy and safety theatre, the accusations of being a murderer for meeting up with friends and being part of a community. It’s dehumanising.

Ultimately we’re debating on a League Two football club’s forum. Nothing is changing on behalf of what anyone says on here, but it’s something to do in lockdown, innit.


:)
Not arf. 😄
I’m just as hacked as you are after this year of unparalleled upheaval, and maybe because I am naturally more pro-establishment than most people, I just can’t believe that our Government and their experts have wilfully entered into actions with the express intent to deny us our basic right to mix with each other just for the hell of it if you’re being unkind, or if you’re being just a bit better inclined toward them, because they’re not expert enough or perhaps because they are too risk adverse to listen to the libertarians among us.
The vaccines are giving us the space to be cautious and in a year where the people tasked with guiding us through this have all too often appeared like rabbits caught in the headlights, I’m happy for that caution to be our watchword at the moment.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DB9

IndoMike

Very well known Exeweb poster
Joined
May 9, 2010
Messages
34,044
Location
Touring Central Java...
The thing that has caught my ear in the last week or so from Boris (admittedly not exactly glued to the coverage as much now) is a reining back of vaccine dependency in his output and pushing forward of testing once again, particularly the lateral flow variety. I might be a bit over cynical here 😉 but wasn't it Hancock who nailed his colours early on to the vaccine mast whilst Boris was an enthusiastic pusher of "Operation Moonshot"? Not saying that Boris still wants to get his pet project to the forefront but how many lateral flow tests have we bought in, stacked up, waiting to be used?

NB. Doing a test and sitting around in the car park for half hour is a small price to be able to see my Gran in her Nursing Home even if she isn't sure who I am anymore.
I thought the lateral flow tests were considered to be not very reliable..
 

IndoMike

Very well known Exeweb poster
Joined
May 9, 2010
Messages
34,044
Location
Touring Central Java...
One of the biggest problems this cohort of current government have is that they spent the previous 5 to 6 years stocking anti expert analysis. It's not about knowing what you're doing, but you're own gut feeling rather than listen to those whom know.

Unfortunately this has not only clouded his voters judgement, but been the root cause of how are government have handled this whole sorry situation.
I agree.
As I implied in my unanswered post, I don't think there is any reason to doubt the advice or sincerity of the scientists. I can't imagine they have a hidden agenda. We are not experts, so the only thing we can do is follow their advice, like it or not
 

InTheBigBank

Resigned
Joined
Feb 3, 2010
Messages
503
I agree.
As I implied in my unanswered post, I don't think there is any reason to doubt the advice or sincerity of the scientists. I can't imagine they have a hidden agenda. We are not experts, so the only thing we can do is follow their advice, like it or not
The problem arises when some experts are deemed the good guys, and others the bad guys.

One such example is Sunetra Gupta, an epidemiologist at Oxford university, surely her title can be deemed sufficient enough to be granted expert status. Yet as a supporter of the Great Barrington Declaration she has been censored, smeared and ignored by her contemporaries and the media; simply because her opinion on lockdowns differed from the other side of the debate.

I don't think blind allegiance to the spiel of experts should be a given.

I'm neither a football manager nor a record company executive, but I can tell you Lloyd James is sh*t and Radiohead are as dull as ditch water.
 

IndoMike

Very well known Exeweb poster
Joined
May 9, 2010
Messages
34,044
Location
Touring Central Java...
Yes, but you can't tell me which scientist is right and which is wrong re covid and lockdowns because you don't have the expertise, experience or access to all the data. I don't either, which is why I tend to go with the majority expert view.
The problem is really that the man in the street who doesn''t approve of lockdown dismisses the scientists who recommend it and those who approve of the lockdown dismiss the scientists who think it's not necessary
The point about blind faith is not relevant. We have to believe someone, so I believe the majority view held by the scientists, assuming their CV is relevant and sufficiently impressive. This is not to dismiss alternative opinions out of hand and certainly not to attack anyone, but since I have zero expertise on the topic it would be hubris on my part to go against the majority view.
P*ssed off with lockdowns? Yeah, of course.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DB9

Alistair20000

Very well known Exeweb poster
Joined
May 5, 2009
Messages
52,236
Location
Avoiding the Hundred
Dear Indo

I will reply more fully to post 13,738 when I have time. Meanwhile I go along with WHO on the disbenefits of Lockdowns.


 

IndoMike

Very well known Exeweb poster
Joined
May 9, 2010
Messages
34,044
Location
Touring Central Java...
I would appreciate that. Not out to score points : just interested to know the reasons for your self- confessed cynicism on this topic. Always respect your opinion, even though we seldom agree.😆
 

Hants_red

Admin
Staff member
Joined
May 27, 2007
Messages
62,060
Location
League 1
Have had my first workplace LFT this morning (negative). I'm sure who ever designed the tests are pranking us :)
 

Rosencrantz

Very well known Exeweb poster
Joined
Jul 12, 2019
Messages
10,122
Location
Tiverton
Dear Indo

I will reply more fully to post 13,738 when I have time. Meanwhile I go along with WHO on the disbenefits of Lockdowns.


Seems sensible and what we are now pursuing hopefully. Lockdowns are a last resort tactic to limit community transmission whilst population immunity takes effect through vaccination.

I note that population immunity through transmission as advocated by The Great Barrington Declaration is considered "scientifically problematic and unethical". I realise that shielding of the vulnerable was put forward but it seems that the data put forward by the herd immunity side of the debate in September that around half the population would have had the virus doesn't match this report which suggests surveys has shown less than 10% globally as of December had been infected. That's before you get into the details of shielding the many millions that are vulnerable.

Of course the kicker in the WHO article is that the extra time given by lockdowns should be made advantage of to the fullest by Governments.
 

Mr Jinx

Very well known Exeweb poster
Joined
Nov 28, 2006
Messages
14,799
I'm sure who ever designed the tests are pranking us :)
They're all made in China. You couldn't make it up. We are now totally owned (if we weren't already).
 
Top