Archive of Postings to August 2020 |
A Lifetime Ago |
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Seventy-five years ago today Japan’s years of aggression and brutality across Asia and the Pacific were brought to an abrupt end by their realisation that allied atomic bombs could destroy entire Japanese cities. For my uncle the news signalled an end to his time in the British Army fighting in the jungles of Burma - and the prospect of getting back to his family in England unharmed.
But I’m pretty sure that none of the families of those that served in this forgotten army objected to the words. In fact their only objections seem certain to be over the exclusion of this traditional song ... despite it featuring in previous anniversary broadcasts. To make up for weakness of the BBC’s cancel culture woke squad here is the first verse of Rudyard Kipling’s poem - By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin' eastward to the sea, Update 23-Aug-2020 Just to compound the BBC’s descent into absurdity comes the news that Land of Hope and Glory and Rule Britannia are likely to be dropped from the Last Night of the Proms on the whim of Dalia Stasevska this year’s conductor. Not sure why a single Ukrainian born, Finnish national should take priority over a much-loved tradition at this once per year celebration of British heritage. But then the BBC seems determined to kill-off anything - and anyone - that stands in the way of its complete wokewash. Update 28-Aug-2020 Ms Stasevska’s management company has now issued a statement insisting that she had no part in the BBC's decision to cut the patriotic anthems. This seems to imply that the conductor was used as an unknowing decoy for the BBC management to hide their revisionist agenda behind. The wokewash continues ... |
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tags: VJ-Day, anniversary, woke-speak, misguided, BBC |
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What’s Going Wrong? |
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As a fan of cycle racing the virus restrictions have meant that so far this year there has been no chance to watch hours of live TV from around a variety of scenic European venues.
So how did Tuscany cope handling a sports event within the pandemic restrictions? No problem - the crowds were just as dense as previous years. No one in the crowds or amongst the officials was seen wearing face coverings. And the competitors were definitely breathing heavily by the finish. True it was outdoors which might help but the sheer numbers packed into the centre of Sienna meant that social distancing was non-existent. However it seems that no one was breaking the rules. Tuscany is functioning pretty close to normal. And based upon this afternoon’s observations the financial impact on this part of Italy will be far less than it will be in the UK. Back here we have the Chief Medical Officer warning that restrictions cannot be relaxed as we have reached the limit of what can be allowed. The government are reversing the lifting of some restrictions with very little notice - and there are threats that pubs will have to shut in order for schools to reopen after the summer break. What’s going wrong? Italy was hard hit at the start of the pandemic - so how come it is the UK where the restrictions are much worse and the financial impact greater? Clearly there are serious problems - but whether these are caused by the Goverment, the public servants, the medical professions or simply a stupid, non-compliant public is anyone’s guess ... |
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tags: virus, disease, threat, finance, economy, employment, rules |
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Just The Facts Ma’am |
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Back in the day this time in July would be when whole towns went on their annual holidays. And even though the days of mass employment in a regional manufacturing industry are long gone people still feel the need to take a break now.
Trying to get an accurate picture of employment this autumn - based upon realistic projections about thousands of employers - is almost impossible. Instead we have just best guesses. But even the most optimistic observers expect that unemployment will rise - quite possibly by a lot. A view that does not seem to be reflected in the recent story that unemployment could hit 3 million. Given that there are 9 million on furlough - and that some sectors such as tourism, hospitality and entertainment are predicting up to 90% of them will become redundant - the figure of 3 million unemployed seems too low. For that to be the case a large percentage of the 9 million need to return to work. Perhaps that is the government plan - but what ever is being calculated behind closed doors it would be much better for Whitehall to give us the unvarnished facts .. just the facts. |
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tags: virus, disease, threat, finance, economy, employment, work |
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Expert Opinion 2 |
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After watching Government broadcasts daily for months Grandads have largely been prepared to follow the experts’ advice - no matter how much it lacked in logical consistency.
When the risks were greatest and the case numbers were peaking back in April the sage advice was that face coverings were not required outdoors, in supermarkets or in the few shops that were still open. In fact they were being described as counter-productive because wearers might act as if they were better protected than any non-surgical mask can provide. But then last week Scotland decreed that they were going to be required in shops from 10-July while the UK-wide government in London did not. Now we are told that the disparity between Scotland and England will end on 24-July when the same rule will apply. But why? If face coverings are required now in Gretna Green why not a few miles south in Carlisle? If they are compulsory in 10 days time in England what is so different over the next 9 days? Why wait until 24-July for them become so important that you will be liable for a fine for not obeying. Now face coverings are just one of the differences in rules that were and will be applied seemingly at random by various levels of government - often claiming to be based on medical advice. Advice which is itself inconsistent and lacking in hard evidence. The only slight bright spot is that the police have no chance of enforcing the law .. like so many things that politicians pass laws about! |
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tags: quarantine, virus, disease, threat, expert, advice, masked |
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Expert Opinion |
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Today the UK press have a series of quotes from Tom Jefferson, a professor at Oxford University's Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. One was - In 1918 around 30 per cent of the population of Western Samoa died of Spanish Flu, and they hadn’t had any communication with the outside world. He added: The explanation for this could only be that these agents don’t come or go anywhere. They are always here and something ignites them, maybe human density or environmental conditions, and this is what we should be looking for.
Now the case of Western Samoa is not some minor incident hidden in the archives. It was the subject of a royal commission and a UN report. It impacted relations with New Zealand for decades. So either the professor is deliberately giving out false statements or is most unsuitable for his academic rank and position ... So much for this expert’s opinion. Now let’s all hope that those experts in the UK Government’s SAGE group live up to their grand title regarding the handling of Covid-19. |
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tags: quarantine, virus, disease, threat, expert, advice |
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To mark the anniversary there are various events today; the main ones being covered by the BBC. And normally the BBC do make a good job of covering such state occasions. Sadly this year the BBC seems to have failed by excluding the iconic Army marching song On The Road To Mandalay - apparently because part of one line might be considered offensive (to person or persons unknown?).
But today it was back to normal with Eurosport showing live coverage from Tuscany of races rescheduled from Spring. With a packed programme scheduled for the coming months being trapped at home will be a bit more bearable - despite the threats of infection from second waves and the constant stream of new rules to restrict our behaviour.
But this year there are some unique economic clouds to add to those in our summer skies. At the bottom end the over 75’s are facing the cost of a BBC TV licence being deducted from their pensions in August. While at the top end around 9 million furloughed - and government funded - staff are waiting to see what happens when employers are required to start contributing next month. The expectation is that many companies will simply make many of them redundant - with plenty of companies folding to avoid paying their debts.
But the latest round of political micro-management is pushing even the most responsible seniors to the edge of their credibility. And the chief issue today is face coverings.
His statements should have carried some weight considering his position and the specialisation in evidence-based research. However some very basic fact checking reveals the real source of the outbreak - On 7 November 1918, the New Zealand passenger and cargo ship Talune arrived at Apia from Auckland. On board were people suffering from pneumonic influenza, a highly infectious disease already responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths around the world. Although the Talune had been quarantined in Fiji, no such restrictions were imposed in Samoa. Sick passengers were allowed to disembark. The disease spread rapidly through the islands. [NZ Government]
FOOTNOTES |
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