Boris in hospital

Westdene Seagull · Apr 13, 2020

Green Cross Code Man said:
That article is just rubbish.

I watched the PM on live tv. The context in which he said 'take it on the chin' was ignored. The article says that it was ignored, there was a reaction on here and elsewhere about his comment.

This is from the Mirror who quoted him at the time over a month ago:

"At the moment what they are telling me is, actually, slightly counter-intuitively, things like closing schools and stopping big gatherings don't work as well perhaps as people think in stopping the spread," he said.

"One of the theories is perhaps you could take it in on the chin, take it all in one go and allow the disease to move through the population without really taking as many draconian measures. I think we need to strike a balance.

"I think it would be better if we take all the measures that we can now just to stop the peak of the disease being as difficult for the NHS as it might. I think there are things we may be able to do."

As you can see, 'one of the theories' 'I think we need to strike a balance' 'It would be better if we took all the measures we can now to stop the peak being difficult for the NHS'.

However much you wish he had advocated 'taking it on the chin' he did not at any point suggest that. Boris has not always covered himself in glory, there is plenty of material out there to attack him with if you are so inclined, but this instance is not one of those indiscretions.

I'd not engage if I was you. I'm no fan of Johnson but haters will always be haters - and there appears to be a few on here. There are also some sudden experts on the situation who would have got everything right - despite no government in the world having done so.

Green Cross Code Man · Apr 13, 2020

Bakero said:
Surely the suggestion was that we need to take it on the chin to some extent but also impose some "Draconian" measures.

Well personally I think that taking it on the chin implies a full hit. When he talks of balance, it means careful management of the situation.

Blue Valkyrie · Apr 13, 2020

Thunder Bolt said:
No. He has the same punctuation errors as Pretty pink fairy.

Soylent Blue is looney, reincarnated.

He also mysteriously posts more when PPF is banned.

Blue Valkyrie · Apr 13, 2020

Bakero said:
How do you interpret strike a balance? Between what?

It means half take it on the chin. Sort of a glancing blow, possibly.

"Operation Last Gasp" was a more monstrous thing to say anyway.

Bakero · Apr 13, 2020

Green Cross Code Man said:
Well personally I think that taking it on the chin implies a full hit. When he talks of balance, it means careful management of the situation.

Why mention taking it on the chin? It's not as if the public were hankering for it.

Chicken Run · Apr 13, 2020

Westdene Seagull said:
I'd not engage if I was you. I'm no fan of Johnson but haters will always be haters - and there appears to be a few on here. There are also some sudden experts on the situation who would have got everything right - despite no government in the world having done so.

The latest opinion polls compiled by Mark Pack.

yxee · Apr 13, 2020

Bakero said:
Why mention taking it on the chin? It's not as if the public were hankering for it.

Seems like a valid summary of that approach to me. It's a figure of speech

Baker lite · Apr 13, 2020

Blue Valkyrie said:
He also mysteriously posts more when PPF is banned.

Get the tin foil hats on girls, going to be a long summer.

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Blue Valkyrie · Apr 13, 2020

Baker lite said:
Get the tin foil hats on girls, going to be a long summer.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Ah, "Tin foil hats".

One of PPF's favourite expressions.

:facepalm:

Bakero · Apr 13, 2020

yxee said:
Seems like a valid summary of that approach to me.

Quite. Strangely, a week later it was revealed that it was the approach being pursued by the government.

Green Cross Code Man · Apr 13, 2020

Blue Valkyrie said:
It means half take it on the chin. Sort of a glancing blow, possibly.

"Operation Last Gasp" was a more monstrous thing to say anyway.

I totally agree. I said before that there is plenty of material to throw back at Boris without needing flights of fancy. I think the last gasp comment was hateful, it came back to bite him though, almost in the worst possible way.

Green Cross Code Man · Apr 13, 2020

Bakero said:
Why mention taking it on the chin? It's not as if the public were hankering for it.

It is clearly an expression he'd heard prior to the time when he infamously said it. He used a comparison with the word 'better' immediately after saying 'take it on the chin' as he wanted to make it clear that he thought another way was preferable. He was giving the public an idea of some of the methods the govt may use. LOads of the time people do hanker for more openness, it seems this is a case where one is damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Hugo Rune · Apr 13, 2020

yxee said:
Seems like a valid summary of that approach to me. It's a figure of speech

The approach was a lot more subtle than the ‘take it on the chin’ rhetoric though. The ‘young’ and ‘80% asymptomatic’ were meant to be the ones taking it on the chin whilst the elderly and vulnerable were shielded protecting the NHS and fattening the curve.

The Trace, track and treat WHO approach was never on the table until recently. We still have a lockdown ‘light’, borders remain open, there is a shortage of PPE and testing is still at low levels.

Mr Johnson should have fought Covid-19 on the beaches. He should have followed Farage’s lead again. When we needed the maternal and authoritarian instincts of a Thatcher, we got the libertarian and selfish recklessness of a Popularist chancer.

The gammon-rhetoric that no Country in the world has handled this well and any British government would have ended up with the same tragic death count is insular, ignorant and profoundly misinformed, oh for a Woman in charge.

https://www.newslaundry.com/2020/04...k9LcdkbsYS4mwadzYVNaNmhENZpx_8MAfc_KRLYnmoTKI

Thunder Bolt · Apr 13, 2020

Hugo Rune said:
The approach was a lot more subtle than the ‘take it on the chin’ rhetoric though. The ‘young’ and ‘80% asymptomatic’ were meant to be the ones taking it on the chin whilst the elderly and vulnerable were shielded protecting the NHS and fattening the curve.

The Trace, track and treat WHO approach was never on the table until recently. We still have a lockdown ‘light’, borders remain open, there is a shortage of PPE and testing is still at low levels.

Mr Johnson should have fought Covid-19 on the beaches. He should have followed Farage’s lead again. When we needed the maternal and authoritarian instincts of a Thatcher, we got the libertarian and selfish recklessness of a Popularist chancer.

The gammon-rhetoric that no Country in the world has handled this well and any British government would have ended up with the same tragic death count is insular, ignorant and profoundly misinformed, oh for a Woman in charge.

https://www.newslaundry.com/2020/04...k9LcdkbsYS4mwadzYVNaNmhENZpx_8MAfc_KRLYnmoTKI

Quite. New Zealand went into lockdown, tested and traced immediately. There has been one death.

The Netherlands went into lockdown on 15th March, a full week before our government decided to close schools.

10,000 deaths in the UK. Ten thousand.

https://www.theguardian.com/comment...avirus-deaths-preventable-government-account?

NHS staff are worried about complaining because emails can be traced, so doing it by WhatsApp, to show the lack of PPE.
The government were warned with Operation Cygnus that handling an epidemic needed resources.
https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/present...aordinary-exchange-care-minister-coronavirus/

Bozza · Apr 13, 2020

Thunder Bolt said:
Quite. New Zealand went into lockdown, tested and traced immediately. There has been one death.

There's been five deaths in New Zealand.

But, yes, their overall response seems to be about the best around.

Thunder Bolt · Apr 13, 2020

Bozza said:
There's been five deaths in New Zealand.

But, yes, their overall response seems to be about the best around.

I hadn't kept up with their latest figures. For the sake of my mental health, I am trying to avoid too much news, but sometimes it just slaps me in the face like the 10000 figure.

Garry Nelson's teacher · Apr 13, 2020

Thunder Bolt said:
Quite. New Zealand went into lockdown, tested and traced immediately. There has been one death.

The Netherlands went into lockdown on 15th March, a full week before our government decided to close schools.

10,000 deaths in the UK. Ten thousand.

https://www.theguardian.com/comment...avirus-deaths-preventable-government-account?

NHS staff are worried about complaining because emails can be traced, so doing it by WhatsApp, to show the lack of PPE.
The government were warned with Operation Cygnus that handling an epidemic needed resources.
https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/present...aordinary-exchange-care-minister-coronavirus/

I'm sorry but it is totally unfair to compare the UK with NZ. It is simply not a valid comparison. After all, NZ is an island and we...…………….oh hang on.

vegster · Apr 13, 2020

Thunder Bolt said:
Quite. New Zealand went into lockdown, tested and traced immediately. There has been one death.

The Netherlands went into lockdown on 15th March, a full week before our government decided to close schools.

10,000 deaths in the UK. Ten thousand.

https://www.theguardian.com/comment...avirus-deaths-preventable-government-account?

NHS staff are worried about complaining because emails can be traced, so doing it by WhatsApp, to show the lack of PPE.
The government were warned with Operation Cygnus that handling an epidemic needed resources.
https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/present...aordinary-exchange-care-minister-coronavirus/

Disturbing reading and disturbing listening. Nick Ferrari is usually quite pro-Tory in his questioning and his approach to news stories, he certainly gave the Tory Care Minister an unusually severe working over. She effectively damned herself by hiding behind the usual government mantra's and obfuscation.

Indeed we all saw the tragedy unfolding in Northern Italy and watched that spread through the rest of the country and then the explosion of cases in Spain, we had no God-given right to dodge it, it was coming whether we liked it or not and whatever we did, but we needed to act fast and we failed.

beorhthelm · Apr 13, 2020

Thunder Bolt said:
The government were warned with Operation Cygnus that handling an epidemic needed resources.
https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/present...aordinary-exchange-care-minister-coronavirus/

this article highlights how we need to change how and who we question over issues. what is the point of quizing Ms Whatley, in office for 2 months about something 3 years ago? should be directing questions to Mr Philip Dunne, who was incumbent for 3 years prior. they dont want answers though, just box office.

RossyG · Apr 13, 2020

Garry Nelson's teacher said:
I'm sorry but it is totally unfair to compare the UK with NZ. It is simply not a valid comparison. After all, NZ is an island and we...…………….oh hang on.

It’s an island of fewer than five million people with nowhere near the same population density.

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Boris in hospital

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