Chat about Novel Coronavirus - 2019-nCoV - COVID-19

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I'm not a supporter of this government (actually a Labour party member). I just don't think it is helpful to characterise them as fascist. Underfunding the NHS isn't fascist. Misleading the public isn't fascist. It is awful though.

If anything, the reason the UK is in a worse position than other countries is the delay in introducing restrictions. That emanated from a classical liberal tendency, not a fascist tendency.

I wouldn't be surprised if the UK was just going to add another 3 weeks on to the lockdown and then wait to see what happens in countries where they ease the restrictions.

If one country sends children back to school is there a subsequent rise in cases/deaths 3-4 weeks down the line?

Very passive and beats having to make an active decision themselves.

I am no fan of this government, but perhaps it makes sense to wait?

At least you get some data from other countries from the "unlocking" as there are so many unknowns. And there are no antibody tests yet, there isn't enough testing capacity yet, the tracking app is not done yet, there are not test/trace teams yet. It may help refine strategies for the lockdown?

But, many people are hurting as their livelihoods are gone, so in that sense waiting cannot go on forever.

The problem is seeing fascism as something that is led from top down as opposed to an actual movement of the masses. A country does not simply wake up one day as a fascist state, it is a knowing process voted for by the masses who allow themselves to believe the lie. I am not saying the tories, boris, england is explicitly fascist (this would be of some offense to victoms fascism throughout history). But what i am saying is that given how politics in britain has moved in the past ten years, it is my belief that we are very much on our way to some form of fascism.

I don't see how you're not takign the side of Our Father Who Art Yet To Be In Heaven, Lord Sugar there - why not criticise the government? if your criticism is 'helpful' then whats the point? Why not call them fascist in order to highlight in extreme the fascistic tendencies of what they're doing?

That stuff about negative press and the Government doing their best can obviously sod off in general. However, I am a bit fucking sick specifically of the briefing being used a the forum for journalists asking gotcha questions of the politician there, when there are so many more interesting and productive things that could be asked.

New ONS numbers are fucking awful.

And now reports of a new illness in children possibly linked to corona...

Hancock told LBC was “very worried” about reports of a new illness in children and experts are “looking into it with great urgency”. He said:

We put out at the weekend a call across the NHS because some cases of this had been identified and then this call essentially says to doctors in other parts of the country ‘have you seen this condition?’ and then they collate the information and find out what’s going on.

He said:

We have lost some children [...] There are some children who have died who didn’t have underlying health conditions.

It’s a new disease that we think may be caused by coronavirus and the COVID-19 virus, we’re not 100% sure because some of the people who got it hadn’t tested positive, so we’re doing a lot of research now but it is something that we’re worried about.

It is rare, although it is very significant for those children who do get it, the number of cases is small.

Absolutely, completely agree. The state of journalism here at the moment has them completely misjudging the difference between gotcha questions that the gov will somewhat ignore/not answer straight, and tougher actual questions that raise real criticisms (à la Piers Morgan atm, bleurgh)

The sooner journalism in this country isn't some shoe in oxbridge son/daughter of some senior management/gov advisor situation the better.

The very clear anti-democratic tendencies of this government back you up, i.e. attempts to prorogue Parliament, suspension of Parliament for the past month to limit scrutiny, widespread adoption of Henry VIII powers to give power to the executive.

gotcha questions that the gov will somewhat ignore/not answer straight

Exactly! Do journalists actually expect that Hancock will have some sort of brainfart and straight-up say "yes we fucked up the EU PPE purchasing thing because we are a bunch of rabid, brexit-obsessed incompetents."

I think their failure is coming from a few different angles. Most mainstream outlets in the UK (bar perhaps the dreaded Daily Mail) have failed to really work out how to exist as a functioning and effective outlet of journalism in the age of the internet. Most of them just made their websites free and thus entered the dog shit eat dog shit world of chasing the bottom of the barrel for clicks. As opposed to maintaining some kind of integrity by charging (As they had done for years via the newspaper). So they are now in a not-so- new landscape which they still haven't fully worked out. Combined with the inate snobism that comes from oxbridge graduates working for presitigious papers sharing the downing street press room with LadBible and BuzzFeed who are much more successful atm.

then on top of that you have the catastrophic dismantling of trust in journalists over the past few years (See that poll from last week) - which basically forces them to go for the headline/gotcha in the hope that they seem like they're asking the real questions, rather than focus on providing actual good, proper and hold-them-to-account journalism which certainly requires a less direct approach and a more probing one.

I have no idea why they are letting the politics reporters do all the briefings instead of the Science or Health correspondents who might have some more relevant questions rather than the same drivel everyday

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Someone needs to do a comparison table - how Fascist is your democracy?! Compare against the top Fascist countries of The C20th!

ha!

That’s my job for today

Can we have right swing in blue and left in red?

Cheers.

Oh dunno, that sounds complicated

How about a buzzfeed style one - Tell us your favourite Disney Princess and we'll let you know how fascist your coutnry is!

I just did the one minute silence but I don't think many did. Felt like it was barely promoted, unless I missed it all?

Upstairs neighbour just talked through it on a conference call which somewhat spoilt the mood :/

Sugar - as a Labour peer - should be fucking ashamed of himself.

The grim truth @rakesmith is that our government may be facist but the country isn't: people are given the choice and they vote for things to be like this.

as a Labour peer

Hmm.

We moved a company meeting back a few minutes, but then it was cancelled anyway cos some people are still having trouble with their Virgin connection

Sorry, i'm not sure how the country not being facsist but the government being it (even though they're voted in by the country) adds up