Tuesday 15th December 2020

[refitman]

Morning all.

[Willow904]

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Michael Rosen
@MichaelRosenYes
If you collect together
in large gatherings
you'll get in trouble.

If you refuse to collect together
in large gatherings
(called 'schools')
you'll get in trouble.

[Willow904]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/ ... alth-chief" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Pre-existing inequality led to record UK Covid death rate, says health chief

[gilsey]

'Lockdown is middle-class people staying at home while working-class people bring them things'

Not sure who came up with that but it's right enough.


Record rise in redundancies in the run-up to second lockdown

[gilsey]

Government advisors suggest downgrading HS2 Midlands-Yorkshire link

The government must dramatically increase investment in the railways if it wants to meet its levelling up commitments to the north and midlands, its infrastructure advisors have said.

In a new report the National Infrastructure Commission also suggested the leg of HS2 going through the east midlands could be suspended and piecemeal upgrades carried out instead to deliver some benefits more quickly.

"What we're saying is that if you want to make some significant improvements to your levelling up agenda, then you really do need to invest in these regional links which give you the benefit in the short term, and to make the most of that you need to increase the budget in the first place as 25 per cent or if you're feeling generous 50 per cent, Sir John Armitt, the commission's chair told reporters on Tuesday morning.

Something I've been thinking about lately is the tories 'long-term strategy' approach as a justification/excuse for not spending money now, and HS2 is probably the most dramatic single example.

Social care is the obvious one that's been going on for years. Many of the problems could be solved overnight by throwing money at it, low wages and private residents subsidising state-funded ones as examples. But no, we need a 'long-term strategy' so that moderately well-off people ie tory voters don't have to pay too much, and tumbleweed in the meantime.

The other day a tory commentator was using it for child poverty on Newsnight. Apparently we need to think about the long-term. Keynes springs to mind.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Michael Rosen
@MichaelRosenYes
If you collect together
in large gatherings
you'll get in trouble.

If you refuse to collect together
in large gatherings
(called 'schools')
you'll get in trouble.

Williamson threatening legal action over a few days schooling (at which little traditionally gets done anyway) is exceptionally stupid even for him.

[tinyclanger2]

Hello!

[AnatolyKasparov]

Well hello to you too, glad somebody has posted as well.

[citizenJA]

Good evening, everyone.

[tinyclanger2]

I guess the Mr T is just incapable of any dignity whatsoever

[AnatolyKasparov]

I mean, even Putin has said Biden won now (add your "Trump's boss" quip here)

[citizenJA]

Lawrence Gilder
@LawrenceGilder

#DailyCovidUpdate | 15th December 2020

- Cases: 1,888,116 (+18,450)
- Deaths (28-day): 64,908 (+506)
- Deaths (60-day): 70,625 (+603)

- Average Cases: 19,696.57 (up from 18,815.43 yesterday)
- Average Deaths: 410.57 (down from 426.29 yesterday)
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(cJA bold)
Hundreds of people dying daily
New cases shot up by nearly 900 since yesterday

[citizenJA]

I guess the Mr T is just incapable of any dignity whatsoever

He's a deeply unhappy person. No one with a healthy self-esteem acts or speaks as he's done.

[citizenJA]

I hope he's helped by psychological counselling as part of any custodial rehabilitation sentence.

[citizenJA]

Ian Lavery MP
@IanLaveryMP
COVID outbreak at Eton.....Action: students are ALL working remotely...right move I would say.

COVID outbreak in state schools....action: The @Conservatives
Gvt are threatening legal action to keep the students at school.

What’s that saying about rules for the Rich ?
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this is outrageous
government doesn't just tolerate inequality it revels in it

[RogerOThornhill]

Evening.

So, it would appear that Quilliam's report on grooming gangs was, as some suspected, a heap of junk. No wonder the Home Office didn't want to publish their own report.

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We could do with more think tanks being humiliated I reckon...

[tinyclanger2]

The T character is clearly challenged in terms of relationship with reality; what really worries me are the people who won't cross him because they want the votes of his supporters more than they want to improve the actual lives of his supporters.

[citizenJA]

Goodnight, everyone.
love,
cJA

[AnatolyKasparov]

Evening.

So, it would appear that Quilliam's report on grooming gangs was, as some suspected, a heap of junk. No wonder the Home Office didn't want to publish their own report.

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We could do with more think tanks being humiliated I reckon...

Together with the Burchill news, seems like there has been a belated pushback against some of the more dangerous nonsense floating around today.