Current Affairs

[Onelife]

I salute everyone of them

Will you still be saying that when they drag us into this conflict?

“Never Again”

It’s happening in Ukraine David and yet we look away while allowing theses atrocities to continue. As John has said… we should put Russia on notice that continued bombardment of a sovereign nation will draw the West into defending Ukraine. I don’t believe for one minute Putin would take it to the end game.

[david63]

I don’t believe for one minute Putin would take it to the end game.

I do not share your confidence

[Manoverboard]

The atrocities, lest we forget, have partly arisen because the Russian is using inaccurate artillery rather than very accurate rockets fired from planes due to weaponry supplied by the West.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I don’t believe for one minute Putin would take it to the end game.

I do not share your confidence

Nor me.

[Manoverboard]

I don’t believe for one minute Putin would take it to the end game.

I do not share your confidence

Nor do I

[Onelife]

The threat of an apocalyptic nuclear strike won’t in my opinion come from the Wests conventional use of a defence deterrent (NFZ)… it will, IMO come from the ongoing sanctions that could push Putin into thinking “Why do we need a world if Russia is not in it” which ultimately will leave those who are left to rewrite our history books to include “Never Again, lest we forget”

[towny44]

I don’t believe for one minute Putin would take it to the end game.

I do not share your confidence

Putin is a bully and a coward, and would be too frightened to use his nukes in case he became a casualty.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Whatever we may think, I believe NATO, UK, US and EU experts and txcticians have more knowledge and access to better intelligence than us. Yes, inconceivable at it may seem, there are people cleverer than us.

[towny44]

Whatever we may think, I believe NATO, UK, US and EU experts and txcticians have more knowledge and access to better intelligence than us. Yes, inconceivable at it may seem, there are people cleverer than us.

Cannot dispute that Merv, however I think the problem is that no western politician could ever afford to be blamed for starting s world war, which is IMO the only reason for them not to consider taking action to support Ukraine.
However I doubt that their intelligence of how Putin would react in any situation is any better than ours. But in my opinion if Putin succeeds in this venture, these same politicians will very soon have to face the decision all over again as Putin invades the next buffer zone on his list.

[Onelife]

Whatever we may think, I believe NATO, UK, US and EU experts and txcticians have more knowledge and access to better intelligence than us. Yes, inconceivable at it may seem, there are people cleverer than us.

One of those people (a retired UK Military General) said this afternoon that he wouldn’t rule out a NFZ and also remarked that this option would still be on the table. He also commentated that Putin’s NukiBoo threat was bullsh*t

[Onelife]

I see Covid figures have started to rise again…perhaps the booster jabs have started to wane?

[towny44]

I see Covid figures have started to rise again…perhaps the booster jabs have started to wane?

Don't forget Keith that the govt no longer issue data over the weekend and it seems that this inflates the Tuesday and Wednesday data.

[david63]

One of those people (a retired UK Military General) said this afternoon that he wouldn’t rule out a NFZ and also remarked that this option would still be on the table. He also commentated that Putin’s NukiBoo threat was bullsh*t

I am fairly certain that another retired Military General could be wheeled out to say the opposite.

I would much rather listen to a current Military General who has access to all of the current intelligence instead of a retired general who is hypothesising - just like we are doing.

[Ranchi]

Embarrassed to say that I had to give up reading the paper today and go to Google to look up the meaning of LGBTQIA+. I have the general idea of the term but as the acronym grows I feel I should have an accurate definition. I do try to keep up with modern ideas but increasingly find I tend to avoid discussing quite a few topics as I am uncertain of the current principles currently in vogue.
Ironically, the newspaper I was reading was the one which a few months ago wound me up by including ‘Cairo ( the capital of Egypt)’. A bit patronising to its readers, I thought at the time. I was always advised that if you insist on using acronyms then the it should be accompanied by its definition the first time it appears in the piece.
Perhaps I should change newspapers! (but it’s <£30pa & I like the sport and its crosswords.) & The Guardian can always provide a balance free of charge.

[Mervyn and Trish]

It is the most bonkers abbreviation in the world and now seems to summarise pretty much as "everyone". Why does anyone's sexuality actually matter? By making a huge fuss about it the zealots are doing anything but encourage equality and inclusiveness. We're all just people.

[Manoverboard]

Yes but the problem is that we are not all the same people and any differences that arise will logically result in hostility. Tribal warfare between neighboring villages springs immediately to mind. But we have evolved you may say, of course but there will always remain a lingering hostility to anybody who is different to self.

[Gill W]

I see Covid figures have started to rise again…perhaps the booster jabs have started to wane?

Don't forget Keith that the govt no longer issue data over the weekend and it seems that this inflates the Tuesday and Wednesday data.

That's going to happen every week now, so the best thing to do is to look at the trend. e.g. if you are looking at Tuesday and Wednesday, also look at the previous weeks figures for Tuesday or Wednesday, so see if they are more or less than this week's figures. Or look on the front page of the dashboard and see the change over the last 7 days.

At the moment all indicators suggest that there is a rise in cases - that's coming from the UK Government, Zoe and ONS.

I don't think anybody is surprised - All requirement for mitigations has been removed, BA2 is spreading, and as, Keith says, it's possible that vaccine effectiveness is starting to wane. Add to that a chunk of the population who now believe that Covid is over, or it's 'mild' enough to ignore and therefore don't bother to be careful any more. I'm quite surprised at the amount of elderly people who don't wear their masks now, particularly if their booster is now waning.

[david63]

Looks like the Zoe app will not be with us for much longer https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-60708330

[barney]

Got the email today asking for payment for our June cruise.
We are still undecided.
I've come to the conclusion that covid is going to be with us for years to come and we have to bite the bullet at some time.
However, I'm very uncomfortable with the unloading of positive cases into foreign hotels.
I'm going to try and call P&O before I make payment and see how the land lies.
Without assurance that this won't happen, we'll give the cruise a miss.
Does anyone know if they are still allowing you to kick the deposit further down the road?

[david63]

I'm going to try and call P&O before I make payment and see how the land lies.
Without assurance that this won't happen,

I suspect that you already know the answer - it will be along the lines that this is a fluid situation and anything can change anytime, or in other words they do not know.

[towny44]

Got the email today asking for payment for our June cruise.
We are still undecided.
I've come to the conclusion that covid is going to be with us for years to come and we have to bite the bullet at some time.
However, I'm very uncomfortable with the unloading of positive cases into foreign hotels.
I'm going to try and call P&O before I make payment and see how the land lies.
Without assurance that this won't happen, we'll give the cruise a miss.
Does anyone know if they are still allowing you to kick the deposit further down the road?

We had our TA ask if we could delay the balance on our June cruise, for exactly the same reason as yours, without any success. I then e-mailed Paul Ludlow, and got the same brush off from the executive correspondence group. We decided to pay the balance anyway, and I just hope we dont live to regret the decision. However we will do our best to maintain adequate social distancing to try and avoid catching the dreaded C.

[screwy]

Same here John, can’t live wrapped in cotton wool forever, but we’ll still take all necessary precautions. So it’s off to the canaries on Ventura in June,only 12 weeks.🛳

[Stephen]

Don't forget a pack of straws

il_570xN_2885121580_jg37.jpg

[screwy]

Plastic straws and container.! Have you no thought for the environment.?

Sorry, silly question.

[Onelife]

I see Covid figures have started to rise again…perhaps the booster jabs have started to wane?

At the moment all indicators suggest that there is a rise in cases - that's coming from the UK Government, Zoe and ONS.


Hi Gill, Shropshire has seen Infections, hospital admissions and deaths shoot up this past seven days, and as you say this pattern seems to be replicated across most parts of the UK.

No one should be in any doubt how infectious this virus still is, my sister husband and daughter all have Covid (all fully vaccinated), thankfully the daughter has started to improve, however my sister is still very poorly and her husband phoned this morning to say he is feeling worse. The Doctor said my sister should be in hospital but she has refused as she and her husband are the main carers for their daughter who need constant supervision.

I still feel our Government is taking a very lax approach to this ongoing pandemic, with certain sections of society, namely the vulnerable having to take the brunt of what seems to be their Russian roulette approach to dealing with it.