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405,000 signed up to act as NHS volunteers,makes you proud and shows this country isn’t just made up of selfish arseholses

If true, just makes my stance about never going into a Spoons again feel even better. What a cockwombling, wankpuffining c£€t.

Change your username m8 ....

If anyone who lives near BS7, can’t get out and cannot do home deliveries, but needs some essentials, please DM me. Doing my next shop in 2-3 days and happy to buy a few things and leave them on your doorstep.

Unfortunately it is also about having an economy when we get to the other side of this. An economy that will be in recession, with the double whammy of the Brexit idiocy that maybe dump us into a depression if Bozo carries on insisting on no extension to the talks and we leave with no deal.

So seemingly we as construction workers and our families are immune to Covid-19 then? An absolute disgrace that construction sites are still open. ******* shut them and give us our 80% wage like every other person! Ive payed enough into the system to deserve that!!!

I think normal life will be on hold for a long time - although it’s possible rules might be relaxed from time to time. There are only two ways this recedes: either we get a vaccine or herd immunity develops. The reason the original herd immunity strategy was abandoned is that it would have led to a massive overburdening of our critical care capacity. What’s happening now is an attempt to let the virus spread at a manageable rate - but that also slows the progress to herd immunity. Eradicating it in the UK, even if possible, wouldn’t resolve the problem unless we could absolutely isolate ourselves from the rest of the world until the virus was no longer a problem i.e. vaccine or global herd immunity, One of the possibilities outlined in the Imperial College study is a series of periods of “tighter and looser” constraints - lockdown when there’s a risk of critical care beds being overburdened, relaxed temporarily when cases come down, then turned on again before capacity is threatened. I suspect that’s what we’ll see. Quite what “looser” would look like, I’ve no idea (shops but no pubs? Behind closed doors sport but none live?) I can see problems with a position where those who have had the virus have advantages over those who haven’t: if some are working and earning (and able to circulate freely) whilst others aren’t, the latter would feel hard done by and, logically, would be given an incentive to expose themselves to the virus to get back to normal. And how would the authorities be able to ensure only those “permitted” are out and about? As I say, I don’t know the answers and am glad I'm not the one who has to make the decisions. I strongly believe this initial lockdown will extend well beyond the next three weeks. I expect to see BJ in a couple of weeks congratulating us on our efforts, and telling us there are signs it’s working, so we just need to carry on for a while longer. The game changer would be if it turns out that a large number of people have had the virus. That would indicate that the proportion of sufferers who need hospital and critical care would be lower than currently projected, so that the disease could circulate more freely without jeopardising critical care capacity, and would allow us to get to herd immunity sooner. Fingers crossed.

As the old saying goes,if it’s got legs and isn’t a table,the Chinese will eat it.

You tarred an entire sector with the same brush. If somebody has low tax returns, then naturally, they would only be entitled to minimal support. However, currently, they don't even have that. People always think the grass is greener on the other side. Your view of the self-employed being some kind of Del boy figure with wads of cash in their pockets and under the floorboards being an example. You should try living the life of the self-employed for a while. My experience of them is that it's not so rosy - Certainly, many are not in the position to turn work down (to sit at home instead) because someone offers cash. In fact, in this day and age, cash payments are becoming rarer and rarer as people realise the importance of keeping paper trails and proof of transfer of funds. Many self-employed don't even have a choice - They are told that is how they are going to be employed by unscrupulous employers. They work on zero hours contracts and don't enjoy many benefits and rights that others take for granted - Again, I urge you to try living that life for a while and see how you enjoy it. Many will already have been told there is no work for them, no notice, no holiday pay, just dropped like a lead balloon with no income moving forward. Taxi drivers are normally self-employed for example. We all take them for granted - Pick up a phone and one appears to take us from A to B for a few pounds. I dare say they don't declare all of their earnings. I would go further and suggest that if they did, once running costs are factored in, they are more or less working for minimum wage, perhaps even less. Tax evasion is rife - From the pennies that the self employed don't declare, right up to the thousands of pounds that big businesses don't declare or the millionaire football manager who opens foreign bank accounts in the name of their dog.

Has a post ever aged worse?

Do they work for you? Are you Miss Millie? ?

Something from The Golden Orient on East Dundry Lane, maybe?

My old man is 82 and has COPD but hasn’t been tested so why should a bloke who is no different than all of us apart from having being born to a nonsense institution be any different

There are some fantastic people out there, many more than the arseholes but the media tend to focus on them. It’s great news and credit to all those fantastic people

Only issue with that is we still don't know for certain if people who have had it before are definitely immune. There is a small amount of evidence in China that a small proportion of people may test positive again*. In most cases, this is thought to be asymptomatic but may mean people who have had it can still transmit. That would massively complicate things. *It is also possible that this can be explained by errors in testing.

To be fair to the store manager, he went beserk when he was approached and sorted it very quickly but, as you say, those that rely on deliveries cannot guarantee them due to people that don't normally use that service being extremely selfish. It's about time the people of the UK started growing a pair IMHO and start thinking about others.

?

Don't you have any rainy day money working for that lot?

On a lighter note, this (pre-lockdown) FB post went a little wrong:

Lee Mack has Coronavirus. Not going out...

In times of despair, one can always count on a JB status to bring some cheer

Is that Richard Branson I see lingering just off-stage?

The latest 'song'....

On a more light hearted tone, one of our own has been putting tunes on youtube, about the virus. Take a look, they're really very good. More to come....

This is where self employed people (the dodgy ones , its cash in hand guvnor!) will have wished they had not taken those cash in hand jobs, off the books to save themselves some tax returns. Now many are up in arms that they are not getting paid and or wont be getting paid much due to their tax returns. My cousin is one of these tax Dodgers and he is screaming blue murder at the government, he hasn't mentioned the thousands upon thousands of pounds he hasn't paid in tax over the years, which he could of saved for such an event such as this (better still he would have paid the tax due) but instead spunked away on things he didn't need. Yes you cannot tar all self employed people with the same brush, but their are a load out there that will have bought this misery on themselves and contributed in a small way to bringing this country to its knees buy reducing funding for key services. And those who pay for jobs cash in hand should also take a look at themselves.. also contributing the reduction of funding to key services. Of gunding of public services themselves has been mismanaged for years, but that is another debate. Some self employed people.... Sow what reap you..... rearrange. I genuinely feel sorry for all those that have complied with tax laws and hope you get your money very soon.

IF you are self employed, you don’t work, you don’t eat. My wife and I have spent the last five years trying to build two businesses. No weekends off, no Bank holidays except Christmas Day. That has all gone now. Government has closed our businesses (correct decision, I’m not arguing it). As things stand, we will get £93/week (in 5 weeks time) whilst my neighbour who has a lovely Range Rover and gets his salary and paid holidays every month, gets 80% of his salary. Of course we realise we need to stay in, but how are we supposed to live? With mortgage, bills and Council Tax we cannot exist on 2 x £93. What are we to do?

No he’s Colonel Sanders.

Just for piss taking purposes I googled it. Just over £300K. Result: 50000000 SSP = 323346.00031 GBP That sounds familiar doesn't it?

Judging from his paunch he always has a lot on his plate.

I think there needs to be definite science supporting immunity before thousands of people are allowed to run wild. I get the "we can't go on like this forever" argument, I really do. But weigh that against the alternative of trying to get on with normal life whilst a lethal virus is being passed around unchecked. There is no perfect answer, but given the choice, and assuming support for ALL people, I'd vote for remaining in the bunker for as long as we can.

I think the point of the self test kits they’re due to roll out in the millions are to find who has developed antibodies towards the virus (suggesting they’ve been infected at some point without previous confirmation). I guess if you’re one of the lucky ones who’ve come through it unscathed and with a degree of immunity you can indeed continue some kind of ‘normal’ life. Whether that means pubs and bars etc can reopen? I don’t know.

Animal husbandry. That's something that must change, and must change for good there. Eating bats, live animal markets...this will cause significant issues in the end.

A friend of mine works in sales for a large dealership group, all showrooms closed as of yesterday but servicing and MOT still open as they're classed as essential. I've got an MOT booked in next week and as far as I'm aware it's still happening.

I hope China crashes and burns after the shit storm it's put on the whole world to be honest.

I would call the dealer. Mine's in tomorrow and they're picking it up.

They'll lose their licence. end of. Then not get it back after all this is over. I doubt the lockdown takings will cover the cost of losing their livelihood.

For all the times I read the news and chalk up another reason why I have given up on people, I then read stories like this and see that maybe I shouldn't be so cynical all the time. There are many, many good people out there, and if you're doing some volunteering through the mainstream NHS app, or with another organisation, or something off your own back like @And Its Smith, then fair play to you. And, for what's it's worth, you have my thanks. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/25/astonishing-170000-people-sign-up-to-be-nhs-volunteers-in-15-hours-coronavirus

More a Maria Whittaker fan (saw her once at Alton Towers, tiny thing, well, not all over)

Provided its not food from a supermarket. Whether vulnerable or not can't get a delivery for love nor money.

Making out that people are going around pocketing thousands of pounds cash in hand. It just doesn't happen. Who would pay in this way? You might get a plumber who calls out and changes a washer on a tap or an electrician who comes out to repair a light - These things, people may well just pay cash for. It might save them £20. However, if you have an extension built, you're hardly likely to have £40K sitting around the house, nor would you want to pay cash. You would want evidence of transactions so that if there is any dispute, you can show what you've paid. I think you are being naive if you think people pocket thousands of pounds in this way - Most would be traceable anyway. In any case, I don't think self employed are asking for their entire income to be paid, just some kind of support. I watch the news and I see people going to building sites, not because they want to but because they have no choice. How can it be fair or reasonable for one builder to get 80% of his wages paid but his workmate (who does exactly the same job) get nothing just because they are employed differently? To be, it just demonstrates the abuse of workers that goes on and everyone is happy for it to do so when it suits them.

Was in the morning news that a British citizen died in Hungary yesterday due to COVID19. RIP! Listen to the authorities, share work duties with colleagues (who works from home, who's going in a few days a week if possible, it breaks monotony). We have relatively low confirmed ill people (227 till today), people took the stay at home agenda surprisingly well and disciplined. Stay safe (and sane) everybody!

CIS is only the construction industry. As has been pointed out there are an awful lot of self-employed on top of that.

Don’t know about that mate, but this is more sinister than it appears. IMHO. There is much more too this

That's very assumptive. In fact any self employed subcontractors pay there tax in advance and its paid by the person that pays them. It isn't like it used to be. Everyone pays by bank transfer. I would say anyone with a turn over of £35k plus simply cannot avoid paying the correct amount of tax. Only the small 'cash in hand' workers have the opportunity to avoid tax. And this will (or should) bite them on the arse now.

More likely that you got abuse down to the fact you said you hoped someone sneezed in another person's food, because they dared to challenge you. Rather than some agenda against the self employed. Just a guess though.

There needs to be a list put together of companies who mistreat Thier employees during this outbreak.