IF Drakeford says...

[lisvaneblue]

So, for the avoidance of doubt, you are happy for a total end to any restrictions, regardless of who is affected?

97% of the population of Wales now have antibodies against Covid either because they have been infected or been vaccinated or both. What else can be done? Let's get life back to normal please Mr Drakeford

[goats]

97% of the population of Wales now have antibodies against Covid either because they have been infected or been vaccinated or both. What else can be done? Let's get life back to normal please Mr Drakeford

Exactly….

[Eric the Half a Bee]

97% of the population of Wales now have antibodies against Covid either because they have been infected or been vaccinated or both. What else can be done? Let's get life back to normal please Mr Drakeford

What else can be done? A common sense approach that doesn't result in huge spikes in Covid cases again would be fine with me. People will be complaining if we go back to normal, lots become ill, even if not to the extent of the first and second waves, and they can't get trains and buses, doctors or hospital appointments, because workers are too ill to work. That is probably the biggest issue to come.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

Of course it is , and if it isn’t , why wouldn’t anybody want a return to normality ?

I think most people want a return to some sort of normality but there is also an acceptance that I find from most people I speak to for a need for some caution and desire for safety. I spoke to a schoolfriend of mine on zoom for the first time in 2 years last weekend. Apart from going to work he hasn't socialised since the first lockdown. Some in his wider family have been the same. I know others who have been the same.

I work with 3 choirs and all of them have had members not returning (and we're not talking about one or two). Other organisations have said the same.

I've been quite happy to go out as often as I could, to meet up with people etc. Do I care if I have to book or wear a mask or keep some distancing? Not if that prevents someone potentially being ill.

[The Lone Gunman]

I spoke to a schoolfriend of mine on zoom for the first time in 2 years last weekend. Apart from going to work he hasn't socialised since the first lockdown. Some in his wider family have been the same. I know others who have been the same.

Why? What are their reasons?

[goats]

Why? What are their reasons?

Are they just unsociable maybe? I know a few who seem to have gone completely now, ballooned in weight and never do anything. I think the fallout from what lockdowns have done is going to seep out slowly for years and years…..

[The Lone Gunman]

Are they just unsociable maybe? I know a few who seem to have gone completely now, ballooned in weight and never do anything. I think the fallout from what lockdowns have done is going to seep out slowly for years and years…..

Meanwhile, I don't know a single person who hasn't socialised at all since the first lockdown. Even my parents have been out with friends a few times, and they're in their mid-eighties and were in the 'shielding' category when that was a thing.

[goats]

Meanwhile, I don't know a single person who hasn't socialised at all since the first lockdown. Even my parents have been out with friends a few times, and they're in their mid-eighties and were in the 'shielding' category when that was a thing.

True, even my mother has been out with her mates, all about 88/89, more of the opinion they know they haven’t got long left anyway so the last thing they want to do is stay at home all the friggin time….sleep when you die

[TWGL1]

I agree with this why don’t the government promote something like this

https://twitter.com/euringer/status/...555590664?s=21

[Eric the Half a Bee]

Why? What are their reasons?

I can only put it down to fear. I have one friend who has quite a severe type of asthma and he's reluctant to go out when rates are high.

As for the schoolfriend mentioned, we've always had a post Christmas meet up in Cardiff with his brother, who spends Christmas with them. For the last two years his brother hasn't even stayed with him for Christmas. They've agreed not to.

It might seem extreme to some. It does to me. However, I totally respect anyone who wants to play things safe. I also sympathise with those who want to get on with things. I've not had Covid, that I'm aware of in any case. I'm quite blase about it; if I get it, it'll probably be a bad cold. I'm in a situation where if I don't work, I don't earn. There are some who are much more fearful and that's fine.

I have one lady in a choir who has virtually no immune system and a list of serious conditions as long as your arm. She has been advised not to leave the house unless it is essential. She has her shopping delivered. She comes to choir every week as she says that is essential to her wellbeing. We have some sort of duty of care to minimise any risk to her and everyone else. It could be a cold. It could be the thing that kills off one member and everyone then is saddened and asks if we could have done more to prevent it. This scenario is really holding back lots of local amateur organisations.

[goats]

I think most people want a return to some sort of normality but there is also an acceptance that I find from most people I speak to for a need for some caution and desire for safety. I spoke to a schoolfriend of mine on zoom for the first time in 2 years last weekend. Apart from going to work he hasn't socialised since the first lockdown. Some in his wider family have been the same. I know others who have been the same.

I work with 3 choirs and all of them have had members not returning (and we're not talking about one or two). Other organisations have said the same.

I've been quite happy to go out as often as I could, to meet up with people etc. Do I care if I have to book or wear a mask or keep some distancing? Not if that prevents someone potentially being ill.

How old are you Eric? 70’s?

[Eric the Half a Bee]

How old are you Eric? 70’s?

43.

[TWGL1]

If the masks etc worked I’d probably agree with you but it appears that the countries with the most restrictive measures have the highest cases. France reported 464,769 Covid cases,UK 94,432 today and masks are mandatory outdoors. Cases in France are up 3,659% since they started vaccine passports and 26,576% since they started mask mandates in 2020,

How can a non medical mask make any difference on transmission?

[Dave Blue]

Thanks, although I was already fully aware of how polls work.

1,000 people (from who knows where) were apparently polled. That led Walesonline to produce a headline which read: "Almost Two Thirds Of People In Wales Say They Prefer Mark Drakeford's Approach to Covid to England's."

Which is, of course, utter horse shit.

What’s horse shit - views that don’t accord with you or a rigged poll?

[The Lone Gunman]

What’s horse shit - views that don’t accord with you or a rigged poll?

What's horse shit? A claim that almost two thirds of people in Wales say they prefer Mark Drakeford's approach to Covid to England's is horse shit.

Nobody knows what percentage of the population holds that view because the population hasn't been asked.

[TWGL1]

What’s horse shit - views that don’t accord with you or a rigged poll?

1,000 people out of a population of 3.138m is an extremely small sample , and everyone I know think Drakeford is out of control. The older generation perhaps have different views

[Rjk]

1,000 people out of a population of 3.138m is an extremely small sample , and everyone I know think Drakeford is out of control. The older generation perhaps have different views

I think for a 95% confidence level you would expect an error of around +/- 3% for a poll of around 1000 people, representing a population of 3 million, assuming there aren't major problems in the study

[Father Dougal]

But did most of the polls say those things would happen? Nah, not really....

Polls aren't meant to be predictions though. Projections perhaps or just snap shots to be taken for what they are but they don't claim to predict outcomes.

[The Lone Gunman]

Polls aren't meant to be predictions though. Projections perhaps or just snap shots to be taken for what they are but they don't claim to predict outcomes.

Indeed. So not really reliable at all, then.

Apparently, according to the latest polls, the Labour Party have a resounding 11-point lead over the Tories. If there was a general election next week, do you reckon Labour would win?

[life on mars]

I don't know anyone that prefers Drakeford's approach

Majority of folk I know disagree with Drakeford and that's been enforced since the Omicron , political point scoring at its worst.

[Tuerto]

Majority of folk I know disagree with Drakeford and that's been enforced since the Omicron , political point scoring at its worst.

Stan and LOM mates in 'Disagree with Drakeford' Shocker

[the other bob wilson]

Stan and LOM mates in 'Disagree with Drakeford' Shocker

Incredible isn’t it, I post a survey of a thousand people that shows sixty per cent to seventeen per cent (a huge margin) in favour of something and those on here who fall into the minority on here refuse to believe it reflects public thinking - out of the thousand, six hundred feel one way and one hundred and seventy another, I think that’s probably outside the margin of error for the poll, but it can’t be right because their mates are agree with them.

[The Lone Gunman]

......it can’t be right because their mates are agree with them.

Tuerto's my mate. He doesn't agree with me.

I'd be genuinely staggered if the results of that poll were an accurate reflection of the way the wider Welsh public is thinking, but these are very strange times. And the timing of the poll (assuming it was carried out very recently) is also telling.

[the other bob wilson]

Tuerto's my mate. He doesn't agree with me.

I'd be genuinely staggered if the results of that poll were an accurate reflection of the way the wider Welsh public is thinking, but these are very strange times. And the timing of the poll (assuming it was carried out very recently) is also telling.

If it was a Brexit like 52/48, I’d agree, but even 60/40 is pretty conclusive and well beyond the margin of error in such polls. As I said when I posted the link, I’m surprised by the result, but I really can’t see how it can be wrong when the figures are so much in favour of the Welsh Government’s approach.

[Tuerto]

Tuerto's my mate. He doesn't agree with me.

I'd be genuinely staggered if the results of that poll were an accurate reflection of the way the wider Welsh public is thinking, but these are very strange times. And the timing of the poll (assuming it was carried out very recently) is also telling.

oddly enough, i would say that the figures are probably quite accurate I think that if another poll was carried out asking a thousand people if They like Mark Drakeford, the 60% would be reversed.