UK Politics Thread XIII: The Brexit Ship Departs

[Fartsniffage]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-55133081

[Fartsniffage]

I'm curious if Hurdergaryp or Fartsniffage knows any "lower social group" individuals who own a second house in the south of France, or if they've been taken in by the daft conspiracy theories bandied about that Brexit was only voted for by the rich.

I know at least 2 C2s with second homes in Europe. One in France and one in Spain. And one with a yacht in Greece. But that's irrelevant to the point I was making. It's not just second home owners who have been waking up to the realities of travel to Europe without free movement. A little while back the DM was upset at the fact Brits would have to stand in the slow non-EU customs lanes at airports, before that it was the possibility we'd need to get a visa.

Some leavers really did seem to think we would get all the benefits of being in the EU without any of what they see as drawbacks. And it's funny watching them understand that Britain isn't as special as they think.

[Celritannia]

Because who doesn't like a single party having control over the courts and Parliament?

[The Free Joy State]

Because sh8 doesn't like a single party having control of the courts and Parliament?

I am not surprised to see this. This government has been taking many steps to centralise power, which is not the direction that power should be going in.

We should have fixed terms (and, for the record, I think five years are too long; I think four year terms are quite long enough) and more power to the courts so that we can be protected from corrupt acts by the government. No PM (regardless of their political stripe) should have arbitrary power over elections.

[An Alan Smithee Nation]

I've always suspected that haggis hatch from Scotch eggs.

[An Alan Smithee Nation]

55 Tory rebels voted against the government. Not a good look for the party, I wonder if any will end up in Farage's latest farrago of a party.

[The New California Republic]

Covid vaccinations are starting next week.

The elderly and priority NHS staff will be vaccinated first, so don't go clogging up NHS 111 or your GP's phone line with requests for it. The NHS themselves will be contacting people to arrange vaccinations, so nobody has to do anything right now.

[Dumb Ideologies]

55 Tory rebels voted against the government. Not a good look for the party, I wonder if any will end up in Farage's latest farrago of a party.

It depends on their reasoning, honestly.

If it is the muh liberties "argument" then sure. Some support the principle but quite reasonably point out that the methodology for the tiers is quite nonsensical and done on administrative geographies that often make very little sense in the current context and on which there seems to be very little receptiveness to accepting local evidence and knowledge that the government have accepted for other purposes. If you're an MP representing a local area that is having its economy wrecked without good reason and the government has little interest in hearing your evidence then I think voting against is justifiable.

My local area has a very low Covid rate. There are detailed documents prepared for economic development and planning evidence bases which suggest our commuting and shopping behaviour is closely associated with neighbouring districts which are in tier 2. However, there is a city in the county that has a high rate so into tier 3 we must go, no appeals, do not pass go, do not collect a pint even with a substantial meal.

On that topic, just in case anyone hasn't seen the story about a pub offering a creatively renamed ale.

[The New California Republic]

On that topic, just in case anyone hasn't seen the story about a pub offering an ale renamed "substantial meal".

Next to the dictionary definition of "Bad faith" there'll be a picture of this guy's face.

[The Archregimancy]

Here's the UK government's vaccination priority list:



I'm in group 4 (and not on the basis of age). Wooo me.

[Dumb Ideologies]

On that topic, just in case anyone hasn't seen the story about a pub offering an ale renamed "substantial meal".

Next to the dictionary definition of "Bad faith" there'll be a picture of this guy's face.

I hope for his sake that access to Heaven isn't arbitrated by the NSG mods.

[The Archregimancy]

Next to the dictionary definition of "Bad faith" there'll be a picture of this guy's face.

I hope for his sake that access to Heaven isn't arbitrated by the NSG mods.

I only take care of access for the Orthodox; Anglicans will have to ask a different member of the team.

[The Huskar Social Union]

A gym owner in newry tried to keep his gym open by quoting the magna carta and not consenting to fines or consent to the police and got arrested by the police after they repeatedly warned him


And of course all the folks on fakebake are like "Oh you are such a hero! Too right! You got to live your life hun"


its amazing how this guy found a loophole to try and keep his gym open, but big companies like pure gym couldnt, almost like getting your law knowledge off of facebook is a bad idea

[The New California Republic]

A gym owner in newry tried to keep his gym open by quoting the magna carta and not consenting to fines or consent to the police and got arrested by the police after they repeatedly warned him


And of course all the folks on fakebake are like "Oh you are such a hero! Too right! You got to live your life hun"

So he's trying the same Magna Carta trick as that salon owner last week. Well, it's not really a "trick" as such, more like a steaming pile of shit.

[An Alan Smithee Nation]

A gym owner in newry tried to keep his gym open by quoting the magna carta and not consenting to fines or consent to the police and got arrested by the police after they repeatedly warned him


And of course all the folks on fakebake are like "Oh you are such a hero! Too right! You got to live your life hun"

So he's trying the same Magna Carta trick as that salon owner last week. Well, it's not really a "trick" as such, more like a steaming pile of shit.

When will people learn prog rock never solved anything... that puts me in group 8 going on 7.

[The Archregimancy]

So he's trying the same Magna Carta trick as that salon owner last week. Well, it's not really a "trick" as such, more like a steaming pile of shit.

When will people learn prog rock never solved anything...

For anyone too young to understand that reference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pQ6ltz ... el=Maximus

I promise you it's real, not some sort of prog parody - even if it does sound remarkably like a potential Spinal Tap track.

[Vassenor]

Here's the UK government's vaccination priority list:

(Image)

I'm in group 4 (and not on the basis of age). Wooo me.

Dont think my asthma diagnosis is severe enough to put me in band 6 so I'm fine waiting my turn.

[The New California Republic]

Here's the UK government's vaccination priority list:

(Image)

I'm in group 4 (and not on the basis of age). Wooo me.

Dont think my asthma diagnosis is severe enough to put me in band 6 so I'm fine waiting my turn.

Generally no. It's meant for those individuals where a Covid diagnosis would constitute a death sentence. The rest of us will need to wait. It's the same line of thinking which assures that the vulnerable are rescued from a sinking ship first. As in that case, I'm more than willing to wait my turn before being disembarked off of Ship Covid.

My BF is convinced that me and him have already had Covid in the very earliest stages of the outbreak in December/January, as we were both very ill at around that time with symptoms that have since been recognised as Covid-related. For me it was on the level of a cold/flu, but it hit him far harder, as his symptoms dragged on for weeks afterward and were more severe. This was back before testing was really a thing, so neither of us was diagnosed, and neither of us has been tested afterwards for the presence of Covid-associated antibodies.

[Greed and Death]

I'm curious if Hurdergaryp or Fartsniffage knows any "lower social group" individuals who own a second house in the south of France, or if they've been taken in by the daft conspiracy theories bandied about that Brexit was only voted for by the rich.

I know at least 2 C2s with second homes in Europe. One in France and one in Spain. And one with a yacht in Greece. But that's irrelevant to the point I was making. It's not just second home owners who have been waking up to the realities of travel to Europe without free movement. A little while back the DM was upset at the fact Brits would have to stand in the slow non-EU customs lanes at airports, before that it was the possibility we'd need to get a visa.

Some leavers really did seem to think we would get all the benefits of being in the EU without any of what they see as drawbacks. And it's funny watching them understand that Britain isn't as special as they think.

That's What I told them when Boris paid me for a celebrity endorsement of leave.

[Ifreann]

A gym owner in newry tried to keep his gym open by quoting the magna carta and not consenting to fines or consent to the police and got arrested by the police after they repeatedly warned him


And of course all the folks on fakebake are like "Oh you are such a hero! Too right! You got to live your life hun"


its amazing how this guy found a loophole to try and keep his gym open, but big companies like pure gym couldnt, almost like getting your law knowledge off of facebook is a bad idea

Very odd how belief that you can refuse to consent to fine and get exempted from covid restrictions by printing out a bit of the magna carta correlates very strongly with not having legal advice. Probably a coincidence.

[The Huskar Social Union]

A gym owner in newry tried to keep his gym open by quoting the magna carta and not consenting to fines or consent to the police and got arrested by the police after they repeatedly warned him


And of course all the folks on fakebake are like "Oh you are such a hero! Too right! You got to live your life hun"


its amazing how this guy found a loophole to try and keep his gym open, but big companies like pure gym couldnt, almost like getting your law knowledge off of facebook is a bad idea

Very odd how belief that you can refuse to consent to fine and get exempted from covid restrictions by printing out a bit of the magna carta correlates very strongly with not having legal advice. Probably a coincidence.

He is going to court over it

[Vassenor]

Very odd how belief that you can refuse to consent to fine and get exempted from covid restrictions by printing out a bit of the magna carta correlates very strongly with not having legal advice. Probably a coincidence.

He is going to court over it

But they'll clearly have to let him go if he refuses to consent to the court proceedings and its authority. Clearly.

[The Archregimancy]

Just in case any of you are wondering what a government e-mail to the clinically extremely vulnerable looks like:

Dear [redacted],

I wrote to you a few weeks ago to let you know about the guidance and support that was in place for people considered to be at highest risk from COVID-19 (sometimes referred to as clinically extremely vulnerable) during the four-week period of the national restrictions. That guidance, as well as the national restrictions for the general population, will be coming to an end on 2 December.

On 23 November, the Prime Minister announced that the Government will be reintroducing the system of local Tiers from 2 December. At each Tier there will be a set of rules that everyone in your area must follow. This letter is to let you know about the new guidance that will be in place for clinically extremely vulnerable people from 2 December, and which you may want to follow to help keep yourself safe.

This guidance includes additional precautions covering things like socialising, travel and going to work and school. These are not rules but advice, so you can choose whether you wish to follow them. There is a table at the bottom of this letter that summarises the precautionary actions you can take.

Unlike the guidance that has been in place since 5 November, we are no longer advising you to stay away from work or school. However, you should continue to keep the number of social interactions that you have low and try to reduce the amount of time you spend in settings where you are unable to maintain social distancing. This might include gatherings with large numbers of people, especially indoors, because it significantly increases your risk.

The full guidance can be found online at https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus and you can find out what Tier your local area is in here: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-local-restrictions

If you are advised to shield in the future, we will write to you setting out the guidance and additional support that will be available if you need it.

Advice for clinically extremely vulnerable children and young people
As our knowledge of COVID-19 has grown, we now know that very few children are at highest risk of severe illness due to the virus. Doctors have therefore been reviewing all children and young people who were initially identified as clinically extremely vulnerable to confirm whether they are still thought to be at highest risk.

If this letter is addressed to a child or young person, and you have not yet heard from your child’s hospital doctor or GP to discuss this, please contact whoever usually provides care for your child to check whether they should still be considered clinically extremely vulnerable. If you have already discussed this with your child’s doctors and they have confirmed your child is still considered highest risk, your child should follow the advice as set out in this letter.

Advice for the festive period
From 23 to 27 December, the Government will be changing some restrictions on social contact. This allows you to form a ‘Christmas bubble’ in which you can spend time indoors and outdoors with people from up to three households, including your own. You can choose to be part of a Christmas bubble if you are clinically extremely vulnerable, but it does involve greater risks for you as you will be increasing the number of people you have contact with.

It is important that you and the other people in your Christmas bubble consider these risks carefully before agreeing to form a bubble. Forming a Christmas bubble is a personal choice and should be balanced against the increased risk of infection. More information on Christmas bubbles can be found at the end of this letter.

Access to health and care
The NHS is open, and we urge you to continue to access all the NHS services that you need, whatever Tier your local area is in. It is safer for you to use the NHS than to try to manage alone.

You can also quickly and easily access a range of NHS services from home, including ordering repeat prescriptions or having an online appointment with your healthcare professional. To find out more visit: https://www.nhs.uk/health-at-home or download the NHS App. You should also continue to receive support from social care if you require it.
Please make sure your GP has your most up to date contact details, including your home address and, if possible, a personal email address, so that we can contact you quickly in the event that guidance changes in the future.

Access to additional support
Please visit https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support to get more information on what government support is available to everyone during the pandemic.

Your local council may run local support networks or hubs, and there might be local charities in your area that can provide you with any extra help you need. Your local council’s website will have more information about this.

NHS Volunteer Responders are also available to help with things like collecting shopping, medication or other essential supplies and with transport to medical appointments. They can also provide a regular, friendly phone call which can be provided by different volunteers each time or by someone who was previously advised to shield and will stay in contact for several weeks. More information is available at https://www.nhsvolunteerresponders.org.uk or you can call 0808 196 3646 between 8am and 8pm.

If you are in a Tier Three: Very High alert area you can also register via https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-shielding-support to request access to priority supermarket deliveries, if you do not have someone you can rely on to go shopping for you. If you already have priority deliveries with a supermarket, that will continue – you do not need to do anything further.

If you are in a Tier Three: Very High alert area and need other forms of help, you should contact your local council directly. Find out how your local council can help you at https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-local-help.

It is also really important to look after your mental health. The Every Mind Matters website offers advice and practical steps that you can take to support your wellbeing and manage your mental health during this pandemic. You can visit them at https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters.

Vitamin D supplements
During the autumn and winter months everyone is advised to take a supplement of vitamin D every day to support general health and in particular for bone and muscle health. Many of us have been indoors more than usual this year and so might not have been making enough vitamin D from sunlight. You can find general advice on vitamin D here: https://www.nhs.uk/vitamin-d

This advice is particularly important for people who have been shielding this year due to COVID-19, or who are living in care homes, because they are most likely to have been indoors over the spring and summer and so may not have been able to obtain enough vitamin D from sunlight.

The Government is offering a free 4-month supply of daily supplements of vitamin D for all adults who are clinically extremely vulnerable to support general health and in particular for bone and muscle health. If you would like to opt-in to receive your free supply of vitamin D, you will need register your details between 30 November 2020 and 4 January 2021 at the following link: https://www.nhs.uk/get-vitamin-d

You do not need to opt-in to receive the vitamin D supplements if:
- You are already taking, or are prescribed, a vitamin D supplement by your GP or healthcare professional
- You are currently living in a nursing or residential care home as we will provide these direct to the home where you live.

We expect to start distributing the vitamin D supplements from January 2021. Further guidance on how to safely take vitamin D supplements will be provided during the opt in process.

I know it has been really hard for you during the pandemic and appreciate the sacrifices that you have made. We will continue to support you in your efforts to keep yourself and others safe.

Yours sincerely,

MATT HANCOCK
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

[detailed summary of formal guidance removed]

And yes, Mr Hancock's 'signature' really is in all-bold large capitals.

[North American Imperial State]

Just in case any of you are wondering what a government e-mail to the clinically extremely vulnerable looks like:

Dear [redacted],

I wrote to you a few weeks ago to let you know about the guidance and support that was in place for people considered to be at highest risk from COVID-19 (sometimes referred to as clinically extremely vulnerable) during the four-week period of the national restrictions. That guidance, as well as the national restrictions for the general population, will be coming to an end on 2 December.

On 23 November, the Prime Minister announced that the Government will be reintroducing the system of local Tiers from 2 December. At each Tier there will be a set of rules that everyone in your area must follow. This letter is to let you know about the new guidance that will be in place for clinically extremely vulnerable people from 2 December, and which you may want to follow to help keep yourself safe.

This guidance includes additional precautions covering things like socialising, travel and going to work and school. These are not rules but advice, so you can choose whether you wish to follow them. There is a table at the bottom of this letter that summarises the precautionary actions you can take.

Unlike the guidance that has been in place since 5 November, we are no longer advising you to stay away from work or school. However, you should continue to keep the number of social interactions that you have low and try to reduce the amount of time you spend in settings where you are unable to maintain social distancing. This might include gatherings with large numbers of people, especially indoors, because it significantly increases your risk.

The full guidance can be found online at https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus and you can find out what Tier your local area is in here: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-local-restrictions

If you are advised to shield in the future, we will write to you setting out the guidance and additional support that will be available if you need it.

Advice for clinically extremely vulnerable children and young people
As our knowledge of COVID-19 has grown, we now know that very few children are at highest risk of severe illness due to the virus. Doctors have therefore been reviewing all children and young people who were initially identified as clinically extremely vulnerable to confirm whether they are still thought to be at highest risk.

If this letter is addressed to a child or young person, and you have not yet heard from your child’s hospital doctor or GP to discuss this, please contact whoever usually provides care for your child to check whether they should still be considered clinically extremely vulnerable. If you have already discussed this with your child’s doctors and they have confirmed your child is still considered highest risk, your child should follow the advice as set out in this letter.

Advice for the festive period
From 23 to 27 December, the Government will be changing some restrictions on social contact. This allows you to form a ‘Christmas bubble’ in which you can spend time indoors and outdoors with people from up to three households, including your own. You can choose to be part of a Christmas bubble if you are clinically extremely vulnerable, but it does involve greater risks for you as you will be increasing the number of people you have contact with.

It is important that you and the other people in your Christmas bubble consider these risks carefully before agreeing to form a bubble. Forming a Christmas bubble is a personal choice and should be balanced against the increased risk of infection. More information on Christmas bubbles can be found at the end of this letter.

Access to health and care
The NHS is open, and we urge you to continue to access all the NHS services that you need, whatever Tier your local area is in. It is safer for you to use the NHS than to try to manage alone.

You can also quickly and easily access a range of NHS services from home, including ordering repeat prescriptions or having an online appointment with your healthcare professional. To find out more visit: https://www.nhs.uk/health-at-home or download the NHS App. You should also continue to receive support from social care if you require it.
Please make sure your GP has your most up to date contact details, including your home address and, if possible, a personal email address, so that we can contact you quickly in the event that guidance changes in the future.

Access to additional support
Please visit https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support to get more information on what government support is available to everyone during the pandemic.

Your local council may run local support networks or hubs, and there might be local charities in your area that can provide you with any extra help you need. Your local council’s website will have more information about this.

NHS Volunteer Responders are also available to help with things like collecting shopping, medication or other essential supplies and with transport to medical appointments. They can also provide a regular, friendly phone call which can be provided by different volunteers each time or by someone who was previously advised to shield and will stay in contact for several weeks. More information is available at https://www.nhsvolunteerresponders.org.uk or you can call 0808 196 3646 between 8am and 8pm.

If you are in a Tier Three: Very High alert area you can also register via https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-shielding-support to request access to priority supermarket deliveries, if you do not have someone you can rely on to go shopping for you. If you already have priority deliveries with a supermarket, that will continue – you do not need to do anything further.

If you are in a Tier Three: Very High alert area and need other forms of help, you should contact your local council directly. Find out how your local council can help you at https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-local-help.

It is also really important to look after your mental health. The Every Mind Matters website offers advice and practical steps that you can take to support your wellbeing and manage your mental health during this pandemic. You can visit them at https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters.

Vitamin D supplements
During the autumn and winter months everyone is advised to take a supplement of vitamin D every day to support general health and in particular for bone and muscle health. Many of us have been indoors more than usual this year and so might not have been making enough vitamin D from sunlight. You can find general advice on vitamin D here: https://www.nhs.uk/vitamin-d

This advice is particularly important for people who have been shielding this year due to COVID-19, or who are living in care homes, because they are most likely to have been indoors over the spring and summer and so may not have been able to obtain enough vitamin D from sunlight.

The Government is offering a free 4-month supply of daily supplements of vitamin D for all adults who are clinically extremely vulnerable to support general health and in particular for bone and muscle health. If you would like to opt-in to receive your free supply of vitamin D, you will need register your details between 30 November 2020 and 4 January 2021 at the following link: https://www.nhs.uk/get-vitamin-d

You do not need to opt-in to receive the vitamin D supplements if:
- You are already taking, or are prescribed, a vitamin D supplement by your GP or healthcare professional
- You are currently living in a nursing or residential care home as we will provide these direct to the home where you live.

We expect to start distributing the vitamin D supplements from January 2021. Further guidance on how to safely take vitamin D supplements will be provided during the opt in process.

I know it has been really hard for you during the pandemic and appreciate the sacrifices that you have made. We will continue to support you in your efforts to keep yourself and others safe.

Yours sincerely,

MATT HANCOCK
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

[detailed summary of formal guidance removed]

And yes, Mr Hancock's 'signature' really is in all-bold large capitals.

Wow his 'signature' matches his personality, dull and boring

[Ifreann]

Very odd how belief that you can refuse to consent to fine and get exempted from covid restrictions by printing out a bit of the magna carta correlates very strongly with not having legal advice. Probably a coincidence.

He is going to court over it

Best of luck to him in convincing a judge that he's allowed to break the law in a specific, limited way.

---

Just in case any of you are wondering what a government e-mail to the clinically extremely vulnerable looks like:

[...]


And yes, Mr Hancock's 'signature' really is in all-bold large capitals.

Politely ending a conversation by screaming my name at the other party.