Why am I not surprised when I see the latest reports, articles and opinion pieces on ‘that’ virus in certain of our ‘quality papers’ (paywalled), a.k.a. Broadsheets: it’s about Boris-Bashing and that’s it.
It is also noteworthy that the papers ‘for the plebs’ apparently have decided to go for a ‘division of labour’, with the DM filling their pages with reports on every aspect of the coronavirus outbreak while The Express is the go-to paper for Brexit news.
Let’s start with Brexit and the Trade negotiations which won’t take place as planned in the coming week because of COVID-19. The Express (link) reports that, In stark contrast to our negotiating team, Michel Barnier’s draft plan has of course been leaked – to the Guardian, from which The Express copied their text. So I put a clothespeg on my nose and went to the Guardian in the hope of finding a link to that draft document. Link there was none, but if you must, see their report here.
There are other Brexit stories in the Express – on Galileo and how we ‘must surrender’ (link), on Fisheries where the EU seems to have climbed down (link) and a revealing little report on what the BBC correspondent Katya Adler said. Here’s the relevant quote:
“BBC’s Europe editor Katya Adler said the bloc has grown “anxious and irritated” over the lack of progress on the issue of the Irish border. Ms Adler told the BBC’s newscast podcast: “Somewhere the EU is really not pleased with any progress because it does not see any, […]” (link)
That’s how Remainers reinforce their ‘critique’: it’s in the BBC, which is then copied by The Times, so it must be true, and we must all cower before the mighty Barnier who is … ‘irritated’. Don’t ask if we, perchance, also ought to be irritated.
Meanwhile, Peter Foster, that staunch Remainer at the DT, writes – shock-horror! – that British travellers’ passports will be stamped upon entering the EU:
“It is understood that a UK request for nationals to use electronic e-gates was rejected because the EU’s borderless Schengen zone does not currently have the technology to accommodate “third country” nationals. “The technology is being developed in the next couple of years and, when it is available, it should be possible for UK nationals to use it – but until then they will have to queue for a stamp in their passports,” said a source with knowledge of the talks. […] As well as using separate lanes to those used by EU citizens, the advice also warns that travellers may need to show a “return or onward ticket” and demonstrate that they have enough money for their stay in the EU country. The guarantee of free mobile roaming charges will also end.” (paywalled link)
Oh dear oh dear oh dear! The horror! It’s rather petty, but in the current times of COVID-19, where people are told to stay away and EU borders are being closed, this report might be just a tad irrelevant. At least we’ve learned that Peter Foster still has ‘sources’ …!
While Brussels has finally come up with a master plan – ‘health checks’ for everyone at the borders (link) – and while Ms vdLeyen said that this outbreak threatens the Eurozone economy, she still said that unilateral travel bans should not be employed and that of course everybody must ‘work together’. Kumbaya, innit!
The first Remainers are now creeping out from behind their sofas, demanding that there simply must be an extension to the deadline. The DT published an article yesterday, written by David Henig, who is director at the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE) and ‘former trade negotiator in the UK government’ – meaning he was part of Ms May’s and Oily Robbins’ team, and thus an ‘expert’.
He is full of concern for the poor civil servants who will be stretched by the pandemic, as will business, and says we must also think of the poor EU administrators. None of them can possibly also deal with the Trade negotiations. His conclusion raised my blood pressure to new heights:
“Perhaps it all looks like yet another remainer plot to foil the will of the people, to which I’d say have more faith than that. We’re already out and this is about the UK making our own decisions and a time of global crisis, and quite frankly about doing the right thing when we have a choice. […] I have suggested a simple formula of an extension of only the exact period of time lost to the global pandemic. There may have to be a minimal financial contribution, but that right now is not worth getting upset about. It will all be over soon. Delay full Brexit now and stay in control. Fail to do so and be asked about it on a daily basis, distracting numerous public sector officials as well as business.” (paywalled link)
It’s all oh-so-reasonable – but note well his proposal, that the extension be ‘only’ as long as the global epidemic lasts. According to the WHO and to UK estimates, it’ll last a long time. So we’d have to stay in, with all the uncertainties for business, and would have to pay only ‘minimal’ Danegeld – with no guarantee that we’d not have to pay more, to support all the damaged EUrozone economies. The comment posters under that article were having none of it.
As our MSM are falling over themselves reporting about sports events being cancelled, about London Transport perhaps having to go into lockdown (link), about the WHO ‘taking a swipe at Johnson’ (link), that ‘Western tourists’ are apparently being denied entry into East Asian countries (paywalled link), and an alarmist report from Wales (link) where ‘20,000 people’ might die because ‘10,000 died in the last flu epidemic’, showing that officials have a very relaxed attitude to numbers when it comes to promoting their Panic Agenda, there are two items which are worrying, one less so than the other.
We read, firstly, that the local elections this May will be postponed for one year (link) – fair enough, you can’t have hustings when people are self-isolating and gatherings with more than 500 attendants are cancelled … Sorry, London, you’ll have an extra year of Mr Khan …
The other is that a ‘Corona Virus Bill’ will be rushed through Parliament before the end of this month (here). In that report, the Bill sounds reasonable and reasonably benign. The Times however reports rather worrying aspects:
“Emergency laws to help to limit the spread of the virus will be introduced after the number of people infected in Britain rose by 200 in 24 hours to 798. The measures, seen by The Times, will also let councils lower standards in care homes to deal with staff shortages. The legislation, which ministers intend to push through parliament in two weeks, will equip the government to deal with the disease. Ministers believe that the virus will infect the majority of the population, and the laws will stay in place for two years.” (link, paywalled)
The Times has only seen a draft, so there’s no point in quoting what they’ve made of it. We can get hot under the collar when we know the proper text. I just want to draw your attention to the time-span of two years for which this Law will remain in force. Remember the proposal above to postpone the end of the transition period? That ‘little time’ looks to be two years … two more years of paying an ‘insignificant sum’ of Danegeld …
These new ‘emergency laws’ also illustrate that government officials – civil servants, national and local – will get powers to interfere with our civil rights while being allowed to abandon their oft-proclaimed ‘duty of care’ for which we pay them our taxes.
And finally, about that demand to “scrutinise” the government models. I don’t know what this is supposed to achieve except give Johnson-bashers more stuff to bash him with:
“Scientists have demanded that the government “urgently and openly share the scientific evidence, data and models it is using” to allow independent experts to scrutinise the findings that have led Britain to make choices different from those made by many other countries.” (link, paywalled)
The underlying agenda here seems to be to show that the measures taken by Johnson are insufficient. He apparently ought to have immediately gone ‘full China’, or at least ‘full Italy’. It’s as if the ‘hour of the experts’ has finally come, giving them powers to abolish democratic control for ‘security’ reasons because we, the people, are deemed to be too ignorant to look after ourselves. After that panic-buying of bog rolls one would have to agree that those experts might have a point.
That is what I find frightening, that so many well-educated people seem to believe taking China-like measures is a price worth paying, reassuring those who are apparently incapable to take a step without nanny state telling them what to do, holding their hands. It also provides a great model for those experts demanding ‘measures’ to ‘save the planet’. Is that the society we now must look forward to?
Take care, be of good cheer and don’t let the ‘experts’ dismay you! Wash yer hands and
KBO!
Billy-Bunter-Boris, as I predicted, is a sloth – but not only that, a brainless sloth.
He will be proven to have been AT LEAST three weeks late in making decisions for our country.
Do you imagine for one moment that he has that basic facility of empathy and/or sympathy?
He has never needed to engage in communications with ordinary working people . He is a Privileged Spoilt Brat and everything he has done in the past twenty to thirty yeRs has shown this to be true.
From his doddering around with simple but vital decision making he is proving day after day that he is devoid of vision…….but especially so when it comes to the common man – the simple man on the Clapham Omnibus!
If he doesn’t get his finger out real soon he will condemn us to around six months of chaos….
and more importantly, ALL that comes with it.
Let me say here and now that I am a supreme optimist and have been all of my long life, but this prig puts the fear of God in me.
Quite simply he has never had to face the prospect of poverty or to need to know where the next few bob is coming from. As a consequence he is just incapable of viewing the world like an ordinary Brit and a Churchill HE IS NOT.
A quick post to you Viv and all your colleagues, as well as all of your contributors – many thanks for your continued excellent site; always worth reading and stimulating.
Stay well!
🙂
Yes Boris is a prisoner of the Media pack and the Medico stats bods. ” We know f**k all so we must have emergency powers ”
even Adolf came up with a better excuse
Could it be the case that almost everyone will eventually get this bug? Will it embed itself into the everyday list of bugs that our collective level immunity will have to deal with?
How long can people isolate so as not to become infected? The initial restriction on traveling for still holds good but eventually we will have to come out of our shells.
An answer to the apparent irresponsible leadership of the Government, I have heard, is that they want to flatten the peak but not too much as it would be saving victims for, or even encouraging a second wave. Providing herd immunity.
For me now concerns about prevention is shared with a concern about my ability to deal with the virus when infected.
There are also financial opportunities such as raw materials and long term investments, bonds, although many will lose on medium to high risk investments. Politically there will be opportunists and we can hope that they get come-uppance. Socially, maybe some will start washing their hands when this threat is over and do us all a favour. Globalism will be questioned and it is my hope companies will stop cheating our values and society by cheap production in China.
The scientists are saying that 80 per cent of people will eventually get the bug although the vast majority will survive it. People like me, though, …!
China appears to wining its battle against the spread of the virus whilst the Tory government complacently tells people to wash their hands and self-isolate if they have a cough or high temperature whilst suggesting that letting the virus rip through the population will achieve herd immunity. Herd immunity is normally achieved these days by mass vaccination, not mass exposure. As there is no vaccine at present, the government should by trying to stop the spread by all means until a vaccine becomes available in a few months time. When the deaths in the UK surpass those of China with a population of 1.3 billion, then the Tory Party will have some explaining to do.
Firstly! Never believe a single FACT(?) that comes out of China.
In the case of Xi and Putin ALWAYS remember as The Lord Acton remarked – ” Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely……..Great men are almost always bad men……..” This was never more true than in the case of these two Dictators.
So, statistics coming out of China? Most probably ‘bunkum’!
Not much Xi and Putin can teach our political and corporate establishment about lying.
This coronavirus thing is looking ever more to me to be a convenient excuse to introduce martial law globally. I’m wondering just how many much of our freedom we will regain when the coronavirus scare is over?
Hear hear. This whole thing seems so contrived. Once freedoms are gone you never get them back. Generally minimal government interference is best: I can’t think of many problems that it doesn’t worsen. Unfortunately most people’s kneejerk reaction is to demand that Govt MUST remedy most problems. As a result they’ve’ve created a monster : the overbearing state.
Trump instituted a travel ban on the EU: Orange man bad. The Saudis have just instituted a similar ban, plus on 12 other countries: Um, not a peep. Discuss!
Whenever I hear on BBC, and I try not to listen or watch BBC, anything about Trump they are so biased and insulting it is a disgrace.
Good morning Viv,
I am seriously interested about the proposed Bill giving extra powers to somebody or other..This is a time to be anxious, and anything can happen very fast ( Given the massive political majority ), And WE the people need to be aware of Socialism which will leap onto anything not protected. Never mind the corruption implications which are already stretched fine.
I wonder, would it be worth while to start a sort of sub line or summat about this bill seperate from brexit as it could be equally bad for our constitution if allowed to flourish.?
I believe that on a thing like this just avoiding it is not enough. Its basic impact for evil needs exposing, or removing from sight to prevent jumpers onto bandwagons exploiting its existance.
When I can get my sticky fingers on the actual text I’ll certainly publish the link – the debates in the HoC and HoL are more important though. If there will be any, that is, what with MPs and ‘Lords’ probably self-isolating over the coming days.
XR the climate changers must love all this and Greta especially. Flights cancelled, cars off road,self isolation, and of course the economy crashing world wide. Mission accomplished.
Thinktank complains Coronavirus killing globalisation as we know it.
https://summit.news/2020/03/13/think-tank-complains-coronavirus-is-killing-globalization-as-we-know-it/
“These new ‘emergency laws’ also illustrate that government officials …will get powers to interfere with our civil rights while being allowed to abandon their oft-proclaimed ‘duty of care’ for which we pay them our taxes”. I knew this was coming as sure as day follows night. They’ve just been waiting for the opportunity.
Correct. The old refrain that we will have to surrender some of our liberties for our own protection will be used to justify a power grab of sorts.
The most terrifying words you will ever hear are : “I’m from the Government and I’m here to help. “
Its notable that it’s the public services, media and the educational establishment, that are pushing for ‘everyone as far as possible’ to work from home. The ‘as far as possible’ is the key , meaning we the elite with our highly important jobs that is, the plebs out their that actually do things that keep the country going such as front line emergency service workers power workers, transport, fuel refinery and delivery workers, supermarket workers must just carry on so as there are problems at all for us important people particularly as the ‘nanny’ is still coming in to look after the kids while the school is closed and the ‘daily’ too The bus driver on the ‘park and ride’ this morning had a good laugh when I asked him if he was preparing to work from home. Comment of the week must go to ‘ All these people working from home is keeping vehicles off the road and helping our carbon foot print so it’s doing some good’ is what I was told during a conversation yesterday. OMG thank goodness I was sooo worried about that Greta will be pleased!
Sorry about the typo ‘their’ missed it!
Working from home.
If selective work is undertaken from home successfully during the crisis one wonders whether, after the crisis passes, that companies discover they can make huge savings laying off highly paid professionals and outsourcing the work to English speaking professionals in Asia.
I don’t recall there being a hue and cry from the professional classes when blue collar jobs were being outsourced to Asia.
“It is understood that a UK request for nationals to use electronic e-gates was rejected because the EU’s borderless Schengen zone does not currently have the technology to accommodate “third country” nationals.”
Ahh, I see! On the other hand if you are an uneducated, illiterate, gang raping black man that has forced his way into Europe illegally, the EU will welcome you with open arms and provide you with a lifetime’s free money and housing at the expense of the working population of whichever EU country that you end up in.
BoJo is keeping the UN Global Migration Compact totally quiet, but soon millions of the type of individual detailed in your 2nd para will be flown into UK as legal immigrants. Voice of Europe regularly reports on huge bottlenecks of them building up in Europe ; https://voiceofeurope.com/ One by one other states are trying to close their borders with varying degrees of success. What easier solution than to dump them legally on UK? The chances of our rotten Government standing up for us is nil.
Postponement of local elections: talk about a get out of gaol card for Labour! They’ll be hoping to do noticeably better after a year of Starmer’s oozing unctious lawyerly pabulum into the adoring mouths of the Guardianistas.