United Kingdom VI: Summer Lovin'

[Protocol Penguin]

This is why we need proportional representation.
If Jeremy Corbyn wants to make Labour2 with all his followers, they can.
There's enough of a difference within Labour to create at least two political parties.
Really tired of a 2-party race.

Like most European countries, basically – a big social-democratic party, and a much smaller far-left party. Corbyn and his band of Marxist oddballs wouldn’t even be in a Labour-type party anywhere else in Europe.

[monel]

Corbyn was not favoured by the Blairites and was attacked from the moment he became leader. I can remember the papers even mocking his dress sense and how old he looked.

Labour think they can only win as a tory lite party, and the press want that too.

[Hirst]

He was also inexplicably mocked for having an allotment, as if growing a few vegetables was an insane and really out there hobby.

[MartyG]

Labour think they can only win as a tory lite party, and the press want that too.

The last 50 years of GE results would tend to agree



Clinging onto Corbyn is not going to help Labour out at the next one.

[Golgo]

^ That steady increase in Tory vote share since the crash and through the injustices of austerity and then the incompetencies and infighting of Brexit is just extraordinary. Proof that this country is fundamentally Tory in its DNA. Sadly the only chance of getting socially progressive policies through is indeed through the Trojan horse of a Tory Lite/New Labour approach, which is what Blair understood before he went totally insane.

[monel]

Back in 1997 any version of Labour would have won but they got in tight with Murdoch etc the rest is bad history.

[Protocol Penguin]

I think we forget how radical a change New Labour felt in 1997. We had a decaying Tory administration riddled with sleeve and in-fighting, and New Labour was offering a ‘clean’ and decisive government. Some of their early policies like a NMW and beefing up in-work benefits took the country a huge shift to the left as well.

[QualityChimp]

Covid-19 vaccine update:

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/17/covid-vaccines-how-much-they-cost-whos-bought-them-and-how-theyre-stored.html

Moderna - 94% effective in preventing Covid-19. - between $32 and $37 per dose
Pfizer-BioNTech - over 90% effective in preventing coronavirus infections. - $20 per dose
AstraZeneca-Oxford - Data from late-stage trials should be made available before the end of the year. - approx. $3 to $4
Johnson & Johnson - approx. 98% success rate. - around $10 a dose

In other news:
Rishi Sunak refuses to say if he will profit from Moderna Covid vaccine

[Zaki]

Michael Fabricunt:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/nov/18/tory-mp-will-face-no-further-action-for-anglo-muslim-relations-tweet

[SuperDanX]

on the plus side it looks like we’ll soon see the end of this wretched virus.

Covid-19 vaccine update:

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/17/covid-vaccines-how-much-they-cost-whos-bought-them-and-how-theyre-stored.html

Moderna - 94% effective in preventing Covid-19. - between $32 and $37 per dose
Pfizer-BioNTech - over 90% effective in preventing coronavirus infections. - $20 per dose
AstraZeneca-Oxford - Data from late-stage trials should be made available before the end of the year. - approx. $3 to $4
Johnson & Johnson - approx. 98% success rate. - around $10 a dose

In other news:
Rishi Sunak refuses to say if he will profit from Moderna Covid vaccine

[SuperDanX]

Michael Fabricunt:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics...elations-tweet

Why is he wearing Boris Johnson’s hair?

[Neon Ignition]

Yep, Summer 2021 is starting to look really good now for having COVID down to a permanently manageable level at minimum assuming distribution doesn't become an issue.

[Asura]

Yep, Summer 2021 is starting to look really good now for having COVID down to a permanently manageable level at minimum assuming distribution doesn't become an issue.

It's a good sign, but I'm trying not to think of a date in case of disappointment. I imagine the gov't will prioritise older/at-risk people (as they should) but as someone who is neither, I'll probably be pretty far down the list.

[Blobcat]

I'm hoping NHS staff will get a slight advantage, but that might not even help me much as this pandemic as proven that the government doesn't automatically see dental as an essential service. No wonder so many kids teeth are rotting and uncared for.

Still, our boss has been excellent supporting us with the furlough and getting hold of PPE and extra equipment to protect us and keep his business going, I'm sure he will fight for us to all try and get the vaccine sooner rather than later (his wife caught Covid in April).

[Neon Ignition]

Actual frontline keyworkers should be first for sure. It'll take well into 2022 before a proper handling of the virus is in place because so many countries will get screwed when it comes to distribution as the richer countries hoard it for themselves first but despite the gross incompetence of the UK the thirst for economic recovery will likely mean a very hard push next year. I think huge numbers will still need vaccinating come next winter but enough should be done that everything is open again. International travel is going to be the hard one, it helps us that we have 70m people to cover rather than America where it's been allowed to run rampant, can't imagine the long term health issues that have been allowed to breed there.

I think there'll be a lot of disappointed people reading about the vaccines and thinking January-Feb will be when things snap back though.