Current Affairs

[oldbluefox]

I wasn't aware they were having a dig at Dominic Cummings. The Press have been strangely quiet on the activities of Barry Gardiner as well. It seems to me that the daily briefings take on a different aspect of the situation each day. Different experts are invited to share their own particular expertise.

[Gill W]

The lack of medical experts on recent daily briefings does make me wonder. Has it got anything to do with Professor Jonathan Van-Tam or Dr Jenny Harries having a dig at Dominic Cummins?
I’ve seen or heard zero. Surprised the media aren’t making a fuss.
Anybody else got any facts?
Jon

I certainly haven’t seen Van Tam since he said the rules applied to everyone in response to a question about Cummings. I haven’t seen Jenny Harries say anything say anything that could be construed as off message, in fact I’ve thought of her as a ‘yes woman’, but I haven’t seen her recently either.

I haven’t seen any official comment about why the scientists are apparently missing from the daily briefings. But there’s plenty of online chat about it. But no facts, and I doubt that the conclusions that are being drawn will please the forum, so I won’t share!

[Mervyn and Trish]

I see nothing sinister in the make up of the briefing each day. As Foxy says they have the relevant people to the day's topic.

On a different note there is a story in the media about a tourist who arrived in the UK on a flight from Switzerland planning to go to hospital on the tube with what he believed was a tooth or ear infection. He didn't know that he had to go into quarantine.

That raises two questions for me. First was his purpose in travelling to make sure of our NHS in preference to his own country's? Do they not have dentists and hospital in Switzerland? Or did it arise within that very short flight?

Secondly, do they not have an equivalent of our Foreign Office issuing advice on travel? Who would be naïve enough to travel in the current circumstances without checking? I'm unlikely to be going to my favourite place of Madeira any time soon, but if I were planning to I know that the FO advice is not to do so and I know exactly what would be required of me on arrival. Does this virus have the as yet unidentified ability to fry peoples' brains?

[Manoverboard]

If I had the choice of a dental visit in London or Zurich there would only be one winner.

My question would be " Why didn't he go to Budapest, far cheaper "

The ' tourist ' could of course be based in London but working in Switzerland, could also have passports issued by both Countries. Half a story from the media is my guess.

[Mervyn and Trish]

If I had the choice of a dental visit in London or Zurich there would only be one winner.

My question would be " Why didn't he go to Budapest, far cheaper "

The ' tourist ' could of course be based in London but working in Switzerland, could also have passports issued by both Countries. Half a story from the media is my guess.

Yes very likely. But if living in London has even less excuse not to know about the quarantine, unless his job in Switzerland involves extensive periods with his head in a soundproof bucket!

[Manoverboard]

Yes very likely. But if living in London has even less excuse not to know about the quarantine, unless his job in Switzerland involves extensive periods with his head in a soundproof bucket!

There are lots of jobs like that in Switzerland

[anniec]

I certainly haven’t seen Van Tam since he said the rules applied to everyone in response to a question about Cummings. I haven’t seen Jenny Harries say anything say anything that could be construed as off message, in fact I’ve thought of her as a ‘yes woman’, but I haven’t seen her recently either.

I haven’t seen any official comment about why the scientists are apparently missing from the daily briefings. But there’s plenty of online chat about it. But no facts, and I doubt that the conclusions that are being drawn will please the forum, so I won’t share!

Here at AnnieC Towers we believe Van Tam has been despatched to the gulag. And I agree with you about Jenny Harries.

Does the online chat suggest the scientists are refusing to toe the party line?

[Jonty S1]

I certainly haven’t seen Van Tam since he said the rules applied to everyone in response to a question about Cummings. I haven’t seen Jenny Harries say anything say anything that could be construed as off message, in fact I’ve thought of her as a ‘yes woman’, but I haven’t seen her recently either.

I haven’t seen any official comment about why the scientists are apparently missing from the daily briefings. But there’s plenty of online chat about it. But no facts, and I doubt that the conclusions that are being drawn will please the forum, so I won’t share!

Here at AnnieC Towers we believe Van Tam has been despatched to the gulag. And I agree with you about Jenny Harries.

Does the online chat suggest the scientists are refusing to toe the party line?



Dr Harries was the expert on the day following Prof. Van-Tam comments. She was asked did she support his view, to which she replied that she did.
Jon

[screwy]

So sack them and get someone else, hells bells there enough so called experts on here and popping up on TV giving their 'Expert' opinions.

[anniec]

Dr Harries was the expert on the day following Prof. Van-Tam comments. She was asked did she support his view, to which she replied that she did.
Jon

Very many thanks, Jon; I missed that. Good for her.

[Gill W]

I certainly haven’t seen Van Tam since he said the rules applied to everyone in response to a question about Cummings. I haven’t seen Jenny Harries say anything say anything that could be construed as off message, in fact I’ve thought of her as a ‘yes woman’, but I haven’t seen her recently either.

I haven’t seen any official comment about why the scientists are apparently missing from the daily briefings. But there’s plenty of online chat about it. But no facts, and I doubt that the conclusions that are being drawn will please the forum, so I won’t share!

Here at AnnieC Towers we believe Van Tam has been despatched to the gulag. And I agree with you about Jenny Harries.

Does the online chat suggest the scientists are refusing to toe the party line?

The online chatter says that the scientists and medics are distancing themselves, as they don't agree with what the government are doing regarding the lifting of the lock down.

It's only been two briefings we've had without someone from the science/medical side - but probably seems longer as they don't do briefings at the week end.

We'll have to see what happens this evening. If there's a third night without a scientist/medic, it could be construed as a bit odd!

[Manoverboard]

... We'll have to see what happens this evening. If there's a third night without a scientist/medic, it could be construed as a bit odd!

Doesn't seem at all odd to me, it's just tittle tattle.

I'de happily settle for a weekly update from a scientist/medic in spite of being ' super vulnerable ', so what's the problem with not getting an update for a few days ?

[Gill W]

The current R figure nationally is between 0.7 and 0.9 with two regions, the south west and the north west recording 1.0 and 1.1 so Gill's prediction does not ring true, and since these figures were published only last week neither does her accusation that " they are playing it down now, so they are hoping we will have forgotten about it by June!"
Sorry Gill I think I will stick to Onelife's predictions in future, dodgy though they are.

Merv quoted the current R in his tweet, broken down by region. None of them are 0.7 or 0.8

Matt Hancock (as quoted in the Independent two days ago) “The overall view of Sage is that the R is between 0.7 and 0.9 and it is higher in the southwest of England and the northwest but it remains below 1 in each area.” Other sources yesterday quoted the R rate in the north west as 1.1.
I was referring to your earlier post which Merv mentioned. The R rate has not increased appreciably at all although after this weekend it's anybody's guess what will happen.

Latest update: Sage reporting that the R rate has fallen below 1 in all areas. Good news indeed!!!

Based on this report from 5th June I don't believe that I miss spoke about the current R value

https://www.mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk/now-casting/

I haven't found anything to confirm that the R is now below 1 in all areas, apart from a clip of Matt Hancock saying that last night. As he didn't have a scientist or medic on the podium with him, there was nobody else who could verify this. I'm going to take that comment from him with a pinch of salt, as he may not be entirely telling the truth.

[david63]

as they don't do briefings at the week end.

Yes they do - although there is not normally much in them.

[screwy]

The Cabinet did not hold a minutes silence for Floyd...Hurrah.

[Gill W]

... We'll have to see what happens this evening. If there's a third night without a scientist/medic, it could be construed as a bit odd!

Doesn't seem at all odd to me, it's just tittle tattle.

I'de happily settle for a weekly update from a scientist/medic in spite of being ' super vulnerable ', so what's the problem with not getting an update for a few days ?

Well yes, I said it was chatter.

I don't think it's a problem not to have a medic or scientist every evening, but it does leave the field free for the politician to be economical with the actualité if there's no one else there to provide facts on the medical/scientific side of things. Also, when we are used to seeing a scientist or medic each evening, and then they stop appearing with no explanation, people are going to notice and comment. It's a bit like the daily figure for PEOPLE being tested, that was suddenly dropped, so people comment about that. But I'm not going down that route again.

Let's see what happens in half an hour. Van Tam or Harries might appear and we can all give a sigh of relief that they haven't been banished!

[Gill W]

as they don't do briefings at the week end.

Yes they do - although there is not normally much in them.

I believe they were stopped from the weekend just passed - apparently they weren't getting the ratings !

[barney]

Our area of Torridge has now gone one month without any covid cases so although they lump the south west together, it’s very regional.
The R figure includes Bristol, Plymouth and Exeter.
There have been 12 fatalities in North Devon hospital, nearly all from care homes.
It seems that the general public have dodged a bullet.
I was talking to the optician in Torrington this morning and he said that he doesn’t know anybody who has contracted covid or even anybody who knows anybody.
It does appear to be a big city disease that is much worse for the oldens.

[Manoverboard]

... We'll have to see what happens this evening. If there's a third night without a scientist/medic, it could be construed as a bit odd!

Doesn't seem at all odd to me, it's just tittle tattle.

I'de happily settle for a weekly update from a scientist/medic in spite of being ' super vulnerable ', so what's the problem with not getting an update for a few days ?

Well yes, I said it was chatter.

I don't think it's a problem not to have a medic or scientist every evening, but it does leave the field free for the politician to be economical with the actualité if there's no one else there to provide facts on the medical/scientific side of things. Also, when we are used to seeing a scientist or medic each evening, and then they stop appearing with no explanation, people are going to notice and comment. It's a bit like the daily figure for PEOPLE being tested, that was suddenly dropped, so people comment about that. But I'm not going down that route again.

Let's see what happens in half an hour. Van Tam or Harries might appear and we can all give a sigh of relief that they haven't been banished!

If they are banished then we get two more ... seemples.

The Politian's can waffle all they like because I would actually prefer to watch them only once a week as well.

Mobietta and I have only been out of the village once during these past 11 weeks or so, we are quite relaxed about everything but in all honesty the very last thing we need to cope with is a daily ruining total of every disaster a Politian, Statistician or Medic can dream up .... just don’t need it and I cannot understand why anybody else does either.

[anniec]

Well yes, I said it was chatter.

You did, and you were reluctant to enlarge; I asked you for more detail and you provided it, so thank you.

[anniec]

as they don't do briefings at the week end.

Yes they do - although there is not normally much in them.

They don't - they've stopped the weekend briefings because audience numbers were dropping, or similar.

Perhaps they should engage a celebrity or two instead of the scientists, to up the ratings.

[david63]

They don't - they've stopped the weekend briefings because audience numbers were dropping, or similar.

Yes they do have them - perhaps they may be stopping them in the future

Saturday 7th June - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfOM7tgE3L0
Sunday 8th June - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOWTgW85ouk

[anniec]

They don't - they've stopped the weekend briefings because audience numbers were dropping, or similar.

Yes they do have them - perhaps they may be stopping them in the future

Saturday 7th June - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfOM7tgE3L0
Sunday 8th June - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOWTgW85ouk

They announced on 2 June that there would be no more weekend briefings: https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus- ... s-11999188

[screwy]

Who cares, it's the same old waffle.Beligerent journos trying to get an amswer that they know isn't going to come or trying to trip up a minister.Scrap them and just give the data .

[Mervyn and Trish]

Mostly when the scientists/medics have appeared recently all they have done is read out the latest slides. The main speaker is now doing that. I would content that at this stage the medics have better things to do with their time than stand there while hacks fire the same inane questions at the politicians.