Best place for UK electricians to work abroad?

[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.

 

[LastManOnline]

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.

Agreed. Very hard to know what the exact answer to that one is but I think we all know what the question is.. "How MUCH pain will we have to endure.." before we turn the corner on this coming recession.
We have the double whammy of Brexit to cope with. I am looking at it purely in economic terms. Already the drop in export figures between ROI and UK is staggering. Economically we have shot ourselves in both feet.( Don't want to get into the politics of it or "who fired the gun". People's choices are respected ). I would say that there will be some happy politicians that are glad they can hide a lot of the Brexit damage behind the Covid scenario. From our experience of previous, recessions, I would expect lower middle class and working class to bear the brunt of the pain again

 

[LastManOnline]

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.

I admire your optimism. And to be frank its always a more advantageous mindset than a pessimistic one, as that can lead to digging a deeper hole rather than focusing on climbing out of the one we are already in. Anyway time will tell.

 

[Risteard]

Glad you corrected that

Be helpful if you could correct this

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

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.

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 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?

I am completely opposed to restrictions anywhere. Totalitarianism is not the answer to COVID. Also the evidence shows they aren't effective. Varadkar will hopefully be prosecuted for his leaks - never want to see him again. He only re-registered as a doctor for the look of it in the media - spin is all he does. So he'll get no respect from me for it ever. I actually despise him.

 

[Risteard]

Oh, and @zerocraic is Maitiú Ó Tuathail.

 

[Des 56]

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.

I must admit it seems such a sad reality those tragically died may have been a cost burden to the country that economists and politicians are not referencing

 

[mattg4321]

That's because it's an almost insignificant amount.

If you take a figure of 100k excess deaths as an example. Assuming these people would not have died without Covid.

Assume they are all pensioners, and costing the NHS an average of £9k a year (Guardian said over 85's cost an average of £7k a year back in 2016). Plus full state pension of around £9k a year - total £18k per person.

That's a £1.8 Billion saving per year. A lot of money, but actually not very much in the scheme of things.

The budget deficit this tax year is forecast to be £355 Billion. This is £300 Billion higher than the pre pandemic forecast. Next tax year is forecast have a £234 Billion deficit, again much higher than the pre pandemic deficit forecast.

Of course we are also forgetting that a not insignificant amount of the money spent on pensioners will work its way back to the treasury via taxes too, which eats into the £1.8 Billion 'saving'.