Coronavirus: overhyped fear-mongering or potential mega doom?

[Eric Cartman]

You'll get the gist of what the plan is if you watch this video. In the meantime, I would avoid the media as they appear to be scaring the sh*t out of you.

I'm pretty sure the telegraph are 'the media' mr patronising.

I have heard enough through work to know that decisions are being made in bad faith, I could give examples (related to education) but I might be fired.

[Wales-Bales]

I'm pretty sure the telegraph are 'the media' mr patronising.

I have heard enough through work to know that decisions are being made in bad faith, I could give examples (related to education) but I might be fired.

It's a government committee hearing filmed in its entirety, and the Telegraph are not adding any spin or opinion! They discuss what is going to happen and what the response will be. No panic he said/she said hearsay, just the facts from the horses mouth.

[Eric Cartman]

It's a government committee hearing filmed in its entirety, and the Telegraph are not adding any spin or opinion! They discuss what is going to happen and what the response will be. No panic he said/she said hearsay, just the facts from the horses mouth.

The horses mouth? A single source is a good way of building your opinion now then? How things change.

Committee hearings make good theatre, I prefer to look at the numbers and what has/hasn't worked in other countries. Probably the worst thing to do is announce that it is a 'hoax invented by the opposition' but a close second is 'sod all'.

Yesterday one of the horses mouths (Chris whitty - CMO for england) said that 'sod all' hadn't worked and we were moving into delay phase. This morning the BBC did a q and a with the chief scientific advisor and he said we were very much 'in the contain phase', it doesn't really matter because they are both largely the same. Comms have been firing around Central and local government and the focus is pretty clearly more around controlling the narrative and message than the virus.

Let me ask you something about contain phase. Imagine a situation where a parent of a child at a specialist provision school had tested positive for coronavirus. Do you think the focus from the authorities (DfE, public health etc) would be on informing the parents of those vulnerable, potentially immunocompromised children so they can make appropriate choices for their own children/families or alternatively taking steps to ensure that the parents wouldn't find out?

[Eric Cartman]

Should be cancelling big sporting events first like Saturdays rugby game , its the adults who are the issue not children .

Children are good at wiping snot all over each other and their parents/grandparents. Yeah, anything where people are close is going to cause an issue so public transport and major sporting events.

If I had no elderly relatives and worked with nobody who was likely to suffer I would probably be not that bothered about the whole thing, it isn't likely to affect me but could be devastating for some (potentially a lot)

[Wales-Bales]

The horses mouth? A single source is a good way of building your opinion now then? How things change.

Committee hearings make good theatre, I prefer to look at the numbers and what has/hasn't worked in other countries. Probably the worst thing to do is announce that it is a 'hoax invented by the opposition' but a close second is 'sod all'.

Yesterday one of the horses mouths (Chris whitty - CMO for england) said that 'sod all' hadn't worked and we were moving into delay phase. This morning the BBC did a q and a with the chief scientific advisor and he said we were very much 'in the contain phase', it doesn't really matter because they are both largely the same. Comms have been firing around Central and local government and the focus is pretty clearly more around controlling the narrative and message than the virus.

Let me ask you something about contain phase. Imagine a situation where a parent of a child at a specialist provision school had tested positive for coronavirus. Do you think the focus from the authorities (DfE, public health etc) would be on informing the parents of those vulnerable, potentially immunocompromised children so they can make appropriate choices for their own children/families or alternatively taking steps to ensure that the parents wouldn't find out?

Would you be willing to speak to the media regarding the hiding of childrens Coronavirus infections from their parents?

[the other bob wilson]

My opinion of Jurgen Klopp goes up even further;-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkIZZCbxngQ

[Eric Cartman]

Would you be willing to speak to the media regarding the hiding of childrens Coronavirus infections from their parents?

I just layed out a scenario that may or may not have happened. You trying to get me fired Mr Walesbales?

It's perculiar how somebody who used to scrutinise multiple sources before forming an opinion is now happy to accept the government/establishment narrative verbatim. What happened?

[Wales-Bales]

I just layed out a scenario that may or may not have happened. You trying to get me fired Mr Walesbales?

It's perculiar how somebody who used to scrutinise multiple sources before forming an opinion is now happy to accept the government/establishment narrative verbatim. What happened?

I thought you were reporting it as being accurate information, in which case it would be relevent to a wider audience.

[Eric Cartman]

I thought you were reporting it as being accurate information, in which case it would be relevent to a wider audience.

I am not a reporter. Care to answer my question, why do government farts smell so sweet to you these days?

[Taunton Blue Genie]

The government aren't taking their lead from public opinion though, they are making an assessment based on their own internal valuations of human life and money. Given what we have seen over the last 10 years that should put the shivers up everybody.

Weird one from the figures from department for health today. Why were half the number of people tested yesterday Vs the day before? I can only think of reasons that might be branded cynical.

The government consulting experts and evaluating the health and economic benefits and disbenefits makes more sense to me than deferring to public opinion!

[Eric Cartman]

The government consulting experts and evaluating the health and economic benefits and disbenefits makes more sense to me than deferring to public opinion!

Yeah me too, I thought you were implying that the balance the government was trying to find was between the opinions in different sections of society (the people saying 'we are doing too much' and the people saying 'we aren't doing enough').

The issue I have with the current approach is that it doesn't take into account that not everybody has the same risk of catching it badly. I have staff who really should be avoiding the workplace right now and can't because the organisation won't deviate from the rigid government advice and operate on a case by case basis.

There is, as always, a critical point where public opinion will shift and everybody will forget that they themselves were saying 'why are we bothering, it's just flu' a few days before. I even heard the classic at a meeting yesterday, 'we have lived through world wars before!', I tried asking her which one she lived through but we swiftly moved on.

[the other bob wilson]

The government consulting experts and evaluating the health and economic benefits and disbenefits makes more sense to me than deferring to public opinion!

But isn't this the Government that were warning us off experts a while ago? What with Gluey taking the "establishment" line in this thread, things aren't half getting confusing lately!

[Wales-Bales]

I am not a reporter. Care to answer my question, why do government farts smell so sweet to you these days?

Is this a serious question or are we still in your hypothetical world of make believe?

[Wales-Bales]

But isn't this the Government that were warning us off experts a while ago? What with Gluey taking the "establishment" line in this thread, things aren't half getting confusing lately!

I had established very early on that the Steele dossier and Trump Russia collusion were a hoax, so I haven't deviated at all. I look at the merits of each case individually, and so far I am not seeing any big red flags in the US & UK government Coronavirus response. I'll let you know if I do though.

[the other bob wilson]

I had established very early on that the Steele dossier and Trump Russia collusion were a hoax, so I haven't deviated at all. I look at the merits of each case individually, and so far I am not seeing any big red flags in the US & UK government Coronavirus response. I'll let you know if I do though.

This is where I say whoosh isn't it?

[Wales-Bales]

This is where I say whoosh isn't it?

Not really. Organ has got the origins of the virus and how it spread covered, and I have commented on the planned response by health experts, which look pretty much textbook to me.

[jon1959]

I had established very early on that the Steele dossier and Trump Russia collusion were a hoax, so I haven't deviated at all. I look at the merits of each case individually, and so far I am not seeing any big red flags in the US & UK government Coronavirus response. I'll let you know if I do though.

You have not established anything of the sort.

You have asserted it with a series of circular and self-referential arguments lifted from your favourite alt-right conspiracy sites - with a little help from Fox News and the Tangerine Toupee himself.

You may have burst your own ear drums in your own echo chamber - but out in the wider world your warped agenda is crystal clear.

It is not one where the words 'truth' or 'evidence' have any place.

I do find myself agreeing with some of the stuff posted by Organ and Nelson (whilst disagreeing with much more) but they have some consistency and integrity even when I think they are wrong. Organ also has a great sense of humour. You on the other hand, Gluey..... no.

[the other bob wilson]

Not really. Organ has got the origins of the virus and how it spread covered, and I have commented on the planned response by health experts, which look pretty much textbook to me.

The smug man with his smiling emojis in sense of humour failure shock.

[Wales-Bales]

You have not established anything of the sort.

You have asserted it with a series of circular and self-referential arguments lifted from your favourite alt-right conspiracy sites - with a little help from Fox News and the Tangerine Toupee himself.

You may have burst your own ear drums in your own echo chamber - but out in the wider world your warped agenda is crystal clear.

It is not one where the words 'truth' or 'evidence' have any place.

I do find myself agreeing with some of the stuff posted by Organ and Nelson (whilst disagreeing with much more) but they have some consistency and integrity even when I think they are wrong. Organ also has a great sense of humour. You on the other hand, Gluey..... no.

Read the dang Mueller report mun

[Eric Cartman]

Is this a serious question or are we still in your hypothetical world of make believe?

I think most people on here, at one stage or another, have wondered if you are the figment of an overactive imaginary ('he can't possibly be real!') but no, serious question. When did you become the guy who tunes in at 6pm to learn his opinions from the government spokesperson?

[Eric Cartman]

The smug man with his smiling emojis in sense of humour failure shock.

Judging by my interactions with him earlier in the thread I can also confirm he is very adept at reading between the lines.

[Eric Cartman]

Not really. Organ has got the origins of the virus and how it spread covered, and I have commented on the planned response by health experts, which look pretty much textbook to me.

You are allowed to criticise the textbook of the implementation of it causes lots of people to die, right?

Another 49 people die of panicking too much in Italy. Have you studied their response? Where did they deviate from the textbook?

USA appears to have the highest death rate in the world, which indicates that they aren't testing enough people, does the textbook have a chapter on testing people to find out if they have the disease?

My favourite Trump highlight was when he asked a bunch of people, carefully selected as the few people alive who come close to matching his intelligence, if you could just use the flu vaccine to treat this virus.

[Wales-Bales]

You are allowed to criticise the textbook of the implementation of it causes lots of people to die, right?

Another 49 people die of panicking too much in Italy. Have you studied their response? Where did they deviate from the textbook?

USA appears to have the highest death rate in the world, which indicates that they aren't testing enough people, does the textbook have a chapter on testing people to find out if they have the disease?

My favourite Trump highlight was when he asked a bunch of people, carefully selected as the few people alive who come close to matching his intelligence, if you could just use the flu vaccine to treat this virus.

They need to fire Professor Chris Whitty immediately and get you to take over ASAP

[Eric Cartman]

They need to fire Professor Chris Whitty immediately and get you to take over ASAP

I'll take that as a don't know to all the questions asked.

[Wales-Bales]

The coronavirus panic is dumb

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 6, 2020