United Kingdom VII: Taking Pride in Your Success

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/feb/19/uber-drivers-workers-uk-supreme-court-rules-rights

The Supreme Court has ruled against Uber finding that drivers are workers entitled to company employee benefits.

[Mayhem]

[MENTION=9465]Brad[/MENTION]
The paperwork required for each country is, potentially, different.
The UK one is badly done, cause more hassle and also means that the company selling to the UK has to register with the UK authorities to do so. This is much of the reason for the delays and paperwork. For many companies, that extra cost (cash *and* time) is not worth it for them. That's a business decision - do you invest time and money for the possible return?

However with the EU, if a company registers in one country it's covered for the other 26 by default. And if it doesn't register, the courier gets to collect the money from the item recipient just as before instead of the company worrying about charging it advance. The UK is the only place forcing businesses to register and collect in advance.

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/feb/19/matt-hancock-acted-unlawfully-failing-publish-covid-contracts-high-court

Another Tory breaking the law

[Cassius_Smoke]

https://www.theguardian.com/society/...cts-high-court
Another Tory breaking the law

I can't imagine why they'd try to keep the contracts quiet...

[cutmymilk]

Yeah, you have Google and Apple offering to make a contact tracing app but nope, my mate Gary is good with computers.

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/feb/19/whitty-at-odds-with-johnson-over-big-bang-reopening-of-schools-in-england

Johnson seems to be headed to opening all years of all schools at once, should go well...

[QualityChimp]

Hancock acted unlawfully over PPE contract details, High Court rules
A legal challenge had been brought by the Good Law Project and three opposition MPs over contracts - many running into hundreds of millions of pounds - to supply face masks another personal protective equipment (PPE), which were awarded without competition.

*Torygraph warning*

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/02/19/airlines-paid-200000-per-flight-carry-ppe-height-crisis/

Embedded Tweet

[fishbowlhead]

https://www.theguardian.com/educatio...ols-in-england
Johnson seems to be headed to opening all years of all schools at once, should go well...

I quite like the lock downs, been fun watching everyone crumble and break each time one is announced, looking forward to the next one.

[cutmymilk]

If you are a loner living alone with no kids, it's all good. Parents who have responsibilities to work from home, whilst also worrying about their kids lack of a proper education and feeling guilty that they can't do more have genuine reasons to crumble.

I don't fall into that second category as my kids are in nursery but if they were older I would have serious concerns. Not to mention I am working from home but would be unable to do anything of worth if nursery wasn't open! I wouldn't crumble but I would definitely do a bad job!

That's without considering people who need to socialise and do regular things like get a haircut...

[Neon Ignition]

Nearly two months in and Jr2's nursery is still dodging opening for us. Bought themselves till 01 March atm

[cutmymilk]

Aren't nurseries open in England? They never closed in Wales. At points we didnt use it and still had to pay but at least we had the option.

[gunrock]

Deffo going to organise another BD meetup when we're able to see each other again.
You'll have to come, Neil.

Another Boulderdash meet? I'm in!!! I hope Rockford can make it this time - I hear he had visa issues before the last meet!

[Neon Ignition]

Aren't nurseries open in England? They never closed in Wales. At points we didnt use it and still had to pay but at least we had the option.

They have been except ours which has been wriggling and twisting its way out of opening since the end of December. They've been getting a lot of flack the longer it drags on so post-half term they will need to drop the act

[cutmymilk]

That is useless. They will lose a lot of customers if they keep it up.

[Soundwave]

If you are a loner living alone with no kids, it's all good. Parents who have responsibilities to work from home, whilst also worrying about their kids lack of a proper education and feeling guilty that they can't do more have genuine reasons to crumble.

I don't fall into that second category as my kids are in nursery but if they were older I would have serious concerns. Not to mention I am working from home but would be unable to do anything of worth if nursery wasn't open! I wouldn't crumble but I would definitely do a bad job!

That's without considering people who need to socialise and do regular things like get a haircut...

I 100% agree with you here having Chloe & trying to work from home would have been awful

The only way we have managed this at all is the childcare bubble
Both the other half & myself are classed as key workers & carry on in the office so my parents take the form of a childcare bubble & have had Chloe throughout this lockdown & have done her homeschooling for us
Listening to them about the work she has to do there is 100% NO WAY we could have worked at home & homeschooled her, just not possible
The level of work she is expected to do & the assistance she needs to complete it requires 100% attention from a parent.

If we hadn't had these bubbles now work would have had to furlough me & there was no way with the amount of work we have at the moment this would have worked.

I could have applied to keep her in school like we did in the first lockdown (when there were no bubbles allowed) but we took the decision this time to keep her out & let work from home...good call too as at one point there was a Covid case in the key worker bubble at her school so that would have been awkward if it had affected her & the rest of us too

So yeah [MENTION=2561]fishbowlhead[/MENTION] people might be crumbling & finding it hard & it might be fun to watch from the sidelines but then some have more stressful home life's & issues to contend with & it's not all plain sailing
I'm lucky that we only have Chloe, some of the parents I speak to from her school have 2 or 3 kids at various ages so they have it even harder trying to juggle multiple levels of learning & I couldn't imagine doing it

Neil