AVB

Blackbird recommended a hotel in Wales - Celtic Manor. A decent one but not the best in the UK by a long shot. I enquired and it was £9K for a week B&B. Also looked at the Four Seasons in Hampshire - That was £11K for B&B.

Ha ha. The only private jets I have been on have been corporate. Normally owned by loss making Banks with big ego CEO’s. Nothing better than sitting in a plane, drinking champagne thinking how on earth can we afford this (we can’t).

Fortunately I've got flexible tickets. Haven’t booked hotel in Mauritius yet but that won’t be a problem. Portugal is the MIL‘s place so flexible. I was discussing with the family today and debating whether, if travel was permitted, whether we would fly. The resounding answer was yes.

I’ve still got flights booked to Mauritius in July and Portugal in August but I reckon only 50/50 chance and decreasing. France more likely but not much more.

Normally I would think that. But the population have become so hooked on doom and gloom, fed by a rabid media, that it’s is in fact doing anything other than being oppressive that will cause dissatisfaction. Look at the majority of lockdown fanatics on here! “Lock the borders, lockdown the country, shoot the dissenters” = “good job Boris”, whereas giving people back their freedoms and “it’s too soon, Grannie will die etc” = “bad job Boris”.

Governments don’t have money they just fleece the taxpayers. Now they realise they have a compliant population they just keep on hiking tax in the name of ‘covid’ or ‘protecting the NHS’. This government are anything but conservative.

And he got to enjoy his holiday in Barbados over Christmas so he must have had some happy memories of that.

You say lockdown ending but then start up again will be likely because of a minority breaking the rules! Surely it will flare up again because we ended lockdown? If we end lockdown there will be less rules to break. Even countries that were supposedly virus free are seeing flare ups

I believe the restrictions are there because you are paid by the Government regardless of whether you are furloughed or not. So there no point in furloughing. But they should still be able to put you on paid leave as though you were ‘furloughed’ if your case warrants it.

Can you explain what these different rules are for public sector employees and what this double tax thing is you refer to? I’m intrigued.

So it’s not just the UK residents that are the only naughty people in the world who don’t always follow the rules. If you believed our press you would think it was. But considering the lax restrictions in America and, from what you say, lots of rule bending, how come cases are falling in most areas? Anybody have any ideas?

I’m all for good news when it is relevant to me but the Isle of Man coming out of lockdown means nothing. Then you claim that people aren’t following the rules but then state that the R rate is falling so clearly a lot of people are. I am just not sure what point you were trying to make.

I don’t think many on the U.K. mainland will understand how the situation is in NI. And a significant number won’t even be bothered.

I love it when people compare places like the Isle of Man (population 90,000) to England (population 56mln). What’s the point!

What has that got to do with what I posted about? A lot of traffic that went from Ireland through the U.K. to Europe went via Rosslare to Fishguard and nowhere near NI. Now goes direct from Rosslare to Europe.

I read today that since the trade agreement has come into effect there has been a 40% increase in exports direct from Ireland to mainland Europe rather than via the normal route to the U.K. and then across the channel. That, to me, sounds like a result with a reduction in lorries clogging up our roads. Is there a downside to this I have missed?

I thought my children’s school used teams but in fact they use zoom.

Very true. However it seems a similar story from people I know in other States - Utah, Colorado, Texas, New York. So are there any States that have a similar lockdown to us? The attached link which I have just found seems to show minimal restrictions in all but a couple. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/states-reopen-map-coronavirus.html Looking at these US stats it’s weird. Very limited restrictions in nearly all States but cases have been falling in all States since December or January. They must be doing something right.

Is there any evidence to support that view though? My understanding, and happy to be corrected, is that even if you have had the vaccination you could still catch COVID, still test positive and still transmit the virus. Which, if true, will cause more of a problem as people will let their guard down once vaccinated and therefore more likely to become infected.

It’s funny that the government don’t agree that “it is only a couple of days”. And cue then every other union clambering to get their workers prioritised. Why would children who test positive be sent home but a teacher who tests positive wouldn’t? Surely if the teacher tests positive they would have to also be sent home as they still present a risk of spreading the virus. So being inoculated doesn’t guarantee that schools will be fully staffed. So what’s the point? Does it protect teachers? - Only those low risk ones who wouldn’t be vaccinated as part of the 9 current priorities Does it guarantee schools remaining open? - No as teachers who test positive would still need to isolate.

You do realise that having the jab doesn’t necessarily stop the spread of infection so how will teachers having the jab protect Parents?

Yes I want schools open. Just tell me who should be sacrificed to vaccinate a low risk (under 50 no medical condition) teacher? The current priorities are listed above. The government have made it clear, and it is blindingly obvious, that for every person you push up the queue somebody has to be pushed down.

That to me says that Americans are learning to live with it.

I found the Queens Gambit quite gripping.

Just goes to show what I know. I assumed South Wales was all industrial - oil refineries, foundries etc.