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[LastManOnline]

4 times a day? I’ve worked pretty much throughout the last year and never been stopped and never heard of anyone I know being stopped.

Is Eire pretty much East Germany these days?

I think what happened is the government took a bit of a gamble with the Xmas holiday thinking that because of our strict lockdown policy up until December we could "treat" ourselves to a little holiday. It backfired badly. We went from one of the lowest infection rates at the beginning of December to one of the highest in the world by end of December.

 

[LastManOnline]

You've no idea what the Gardaí have been like through this. It's become a totalitarian police state.

Strict yes. But not "heavy-handed". By and large I think they have leaned towards being proactive. The vaccine rollout has clearly not gone to plan which is a real pity.

 

[nicebutdim]

I think what happened is the government took a bit of a gamble with the Xmas holiday thinking that because of our strict lockdown policy up until December we could "treat" ourselves to a little holiday. It backfired badly. We went from one of the lowest infection rates at the beginning of December to one of the highest in the world by end of December.

News in NI was showing Garda checkpoints being used to enforce travel restrictions last summer. It may be that enforcement was ramped up after Christmas, but doesn't appear to have begun at that time.

I'd been expecting some sort of similar situation when first lockdown was imposed in NI, but it never happened. It seems that enforcement here was light and lockdown generally relied on people voluntarily complying. Other than facing significantly less trafic, and splitting my time less between two locations, life hasn't really changed much for me - the other half can't say the same as she works with the public and has to wear a mask all day ?

 

[i=p/u]

Construction all go again on 6th.

 

[LastManOnline]

You've no idea what the Gardaí have been like through this. It's become a totalitarian police state.

Just reading a British report on the number of covid deaths in UK so far. Comparing that to covid deaths in Eire it would appear that the approach here to lockdown has worked significantly better. Whereas the approach to vaccine rollout has been handled far better in UK

 

[Mike Johnson]

Was that Covid deaths in % or total numbers?

The rollout of vaccine has been better in the UK that the rest of the world it would seem to me, especially if you look at the numpties in the EU who go the ordering process so wrong and now want to blame the UK.

 

[LastManOnline]

Was that Covid deaths in % or total numbers?

The rollout of vaccine has been better in the UK that the rest of the world it would seem to me, especially if you look at the numpties in the EU who go the ordering process so wrong and now want to blame the UK.

Percentage wise. UK has 13 times our population but 30 times the number of deaths. Yes the EU has got the rollout badly wrong and have added to the problem by their inappropriate reaction.

 

[Risteard]

Just reading a British report on the number of covid deaths in UK so far. Comparing that to covid deaths in Eire it would appear that the approach here to lockdown has worked significantly better. Whereas the approach to vaccine rollout has been handled far better in UK

I think the post-Christmas spike showed that NPHET/the State's approach was without any critical thinking. Having severe restrictions for almost all of the last year (and then promising people that extreme restrictions would return on St. Stephen's Day or shortly after) actually caused people to go mad in the few days of slightly eased severe restrictions. There's been a complete lack of nuance. And Tony Holohan, Rónán Glynn and Phillip Nolan are as much to blame as Leo Varadkar and the insufferable Micheál Martin in my opinion. The State will be bankrupted for decades to come.

But that's just my opinion obviously.

There also hasn't been any opposition. In fact all the so-called "opposition" want is even more draconian and heavy-handed restrictions.

 

[mattg4321]

Lockdown is way over the top now imo. We have all the vulnerable vaccinated and yet we are still under house arrest.

The likes of Whitty and Vallance have already said eradication is a pipe dream, so what are we waiting for?

 

[LastManOnline]

I think the post-Christmas spike showed that NPHET/the State's approach was without any critical thinking.

NPHET were not in agreement with the governments approach to the Xmas holidays.

severe restrictions for almost all of the last year (and then promising people that extreme restrictions

Your use of phrase "severe and extreme restrictions". These are the same measures that account for the significantly lower death rates in Eire compared to other countries.

. And Tony Holohan, Rónán Glynn and Phillip Nolan are as much to blame as Leo Varadkar

I don't support any of these politicians policies but I give Varadkar credit for spending his weekends working in hospitals(he is a trained doctor) and putting himself on the frontline while making no political capital out of it.

and the insufferable Micheál Martin

That's the same guy who has been volunterily sending help to N. I.
when your heath system got overwhelmed

in my opinion. The State will be bankrupted for decades to come.

Believe me, we have been through much tougher times than this. Not sure where you get your information on the economy. It does, nt add up.

But that's draconian and heavy-handed restrictions.

"Draconian" "heavy-handed" "totalitarian". Have you actually travelled around ROI?. Those are not adjectives people normally associate with this country. But as you say "that's your opinion"

 

[i=p/u]

Up the bus lane lads

 

[Mike Johnson]

Lockdown is way over the top now imo. We have all the vulnerable vaccinated and yet we are still under house arrest.

The likes of Whitty and Vallance have already said eradication is a pipe dream, so what are we waiting for?

We are waiting for the numpties in this world to take a considered approach to a world wide pandemic and not rush around spreading Covid to everyone else.

 

[mattg4321]

Close the borders to all but essential travel and enforce testing and quarantine until the EU clowns sort their s@@@ out.

They’ll probably want to stop denigrating the same vaccines that they are heavily reliant on first though. Idiots.

If we do the above we can get back to a semblance of normality here soon as we have done well with the vaccination program. We need to accept that people will carry on dying though. As indeed they always have for one reason or other.

Everyone spending money within the U.K. this summer is hardly a terrible thing either.

 

[nicebutdim]

Before anyone falls out over lockdowns etc, I note that tomorrow's Sunday Times reports that the UK is to offer Ireland 3.9 million vaccine doses.

 

[Risteard]

NPHET were not in agreement with the governments approach to the Xmas holidays.

Your use of phrase "severe and extreme restrictions". These are the same measures that account for the significantly lower death rates in Eire compared to other countries.

I don't support any of these politicians policies but I give Varadkar credit for spending his weekends working in hospitals(he is a trained doctor) and putting himself on the frontline while making no political capital out of it.

That's the same guy who has been volunterily sending help to N. I.
when your heath system got overwhelmed

Believe me, we have been through much tougher times than this. Not sure where you get your information on the economy. It does, nt add up.

"Draconian" "heavy-handed" "totalitarian". Have you actually travelled around ROI?. Those are not adjectives people normally associate with this country. But as you say "that's your opinion"

NPHET weren't in favour of the loosening of restrictions in the lead up to Christmas - but it is this constant Level 5 approach which was the cause of the people's reaction in my opinion. The younger average population age was the big reason for the lower numbers I believe too.

The hospitals were in no worse a position than during each and every winter. If it makes you feel better I have even less time for @zerocraic's friend than Martin - and I say that as someone who's ma's family were Fine Gaelers.

I think the damage to the economy will become much clearer when the next budget is in - the borrowed billions weren't free. And yes, I've travelled throughout Ireland. Unfortunately I haven't been able to visit my ma's relatives in Tramore for a couple of years now at this stage though. As I say, there has been a lack of any sort of nuance with the approach. I believe the global approach was always fundamentally flawed though - you can't approach a disease with the exclusion of all other factors including the overwhelmingly negative effects of the reaction you take to it. I see it as totalitarianism and not a democratic response to a threat. I really fear for this being a standard reaction every time there's a new disease. It's not credible to claim that new diseases are a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.

 

[LastManOnline]

NPHET weren't in favour of the loosening of restrictions in the lead up to Christmas -

Glad you corrected that

The hospitals were in no worse a position than during each and every winter.

Be helpful if you could correct this

If it makes you feel better

Not about making me feel better. It's about getting the facts and presenting them objectively

I have even less time for @zerocraic's friend than Martin - and I say that as someone who's ma's family were Fine Gaelers.

If "zerocraic" is Varakakar, I agree he could lighten up a little. But his personal sacrifice in putting himself in danger on the covid front line deserves a little respect, I think.

I think the damage to the economy will become much clearer when the next budget is in - the borrowed billions weren't free.

Correct. They never are. We had to digest a lot if pain after 2008.But the economy has bounced back. We don't have the luxury of getting free billions in aid from UK every year. It would be nice though. Any tips on how we could arrange that?

As I say, there has been a lack of any sort of nuance with the approach. I believe the global approach was always fundamentally flawed though - y

As I said earlier, a bit more objectivity and factually based comment would be helpful. It's clear that you are unhappy about the approach taken in ROI. But would you hold out the approach in NI as an example to follow?

 

[pc1966]

We (speaking as UK mainland, in particular Scotland) have generally seen Varakakar as a sound leader, much better than the blonde buffoon we currently have.

At the start of the pandemic the UK had the worst death rate in Europe, but that has improved but more by occasional good luck than good leadership.

The first lock-down a year ago helped bring it under control, except for care homes where the death rates were very high (and our glorious leaders tried to blame the staff for not following the non-existent guidelines at the time, and for lack of PPE they failed to plan or provide).

To a large extent the first non-incompetent thing they did was the furlough scheme to allow folk and businesses a better chance to survive lock-down, of course we will be paying for that for decades to come. But then the early role-back or restriction and then re-apply, and then lets have a Xmas as it will be alright (from a press popularity point of view) have all taken their toll. Schools much go back in Jan! Next day, more lock-down, schools closed after one good day's virus-spreading!

Really the only two things that have gone well in the UK are the vaccine roll-out, and the sped-up testing for possible drugs to combat the impact of the virus which has dramatically cut the death rate of those hospitalised by it (which at least the wider world has benefited from).

How things will go forward is anybody's guess, but I think most countries are going to have major economic problems for a decade or more. Possibly worse for the UK as it is heavily dependent on the service/tourism industries, and they will also be negatively impacted by Brexit as well (though in the immediate future the massive restrictions on foreign travel dwarfs that).

 

[Deleted account]

How things will go forward is anybody's guess, but I think most countries are going to have major economic problems for a decade or more. Possibly worse for the UK as it is heavily dependent on the service/tourism industries, and they will also be negatively impacted by Brexit as well (though in the immediate future the massive restrictions on foreign travel dwarfs that).

agree we are all going to have economic problems just like every other country in the world, but not sure how the service industry is going to be any worse than other industries In this country.

also UK tourism is nothing compared to our European neighbours. UK is not a hotspot for tourism.

 

[pc1966]

It is more that the service industries (pubs, restaurants, hotels, etc) have been closed during lock-down, leading to much more economic impact than countries with a larger proportion of manufacturing, farming, etc. Also remember that the west end theatres of London contribute more the the UK's GDP than the whole of the fishing industry!

 

[Deleted account]

Totally agree regarding fishing industry in uk.

British do not consume fish in the quantities our European neighbours do.

UK fishing industry died years ago it just doesn’t realise it yet.

also agree that London theatres do bring in tourism, but not in the quantity as a lot of other European countries. Other European countries rely on tourism alot more than us.



as for us bouncing back. I think we will get the economy up and running very quickly once lock down is fully lifted.

as for the extra national debt We have accumulated during lock down. .... I’m going to be slated for the next thing I state, but....

over 50,000 people have died above what is normal over the last year. Most receive state pensions and extensive medical and social care.

let’s be conservative, say each person received £20, 000 off the state each year that’s...

£20,000 times 50,000 people.

£200,000,000 per year saving. That should cover the interest on the additional debt and pay a bit off each year.

I’m not saying we are not better off, but this is a rich country with deep rooted assets and a strong economy. We will bounce back very quickly.