en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/17537840 Comments by AndyTheScientist https://www.conservativehome.com/parliament/2020/06/coronavirus-count.html#IDComment1088325641 Germany is an outlier, its figures are fudged. They don't test people in the hospital once they are being treated, they only seem to be testing in the wider community. Hence their death rate is low, because they don't test the most likely to die, unlike the UK and Italy who are testing mostly people once they need hospitalisation. All the world figures are very difficult to draw conclusions for. Similarly Japan on the face of it seem to have things under control, and low numbers, but socially people are stigmatised if they are tested so they don't go and get tested. The level of testing there is actually low, hence you can't believe their low counts. 6 days ago Japan had only tested 15000 people we had tested 64000. Thu, 26 Mar 2020 12:54:22 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/parliament/2020/06/coronavirus-count.html#IDComment1088325641 https://www.conservativehome.com/parliament/2020/06/coronavirus-count.html#IDComment1088325361 Yep RT-PCR swab testing. I just had the kit manufacturer on the phone and they could be supplying us with the 1500 tests a week we have the capacity for, granted the extraction part is harder to get hold of but we think we could get those too from discussions with Qiagen. But instead, we have an empty lab and staff at home. Crazy Thu, 26 Mar 2020 12:46:40 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/parliament/2020/06/coronavirus-count.html#IDComment1088325361 https://www.conservativehome.com/parliament/2020/06/coronavirus-count.html#IDComment1088316935 Sadly this crisis is highlighting one of the main problems with the NHS. My company usually processes clinical samples for R&D of clinical diagnostics. All our clinical studies are halted so we have a large spare capacity for Covid-19 testing. We've offered to do it at NHS costs to expand their capacity, had virtually zero engagement from them. We're constantly told we need more capacity it's available but the NHS, as usual, thinks it can do it all itself. The PHE never even phoned us back, the local NHS trust had had some engagement but they don't seem to have any urgency at all, despite the significant ramp-up times to get things swapped over. Thu, 26 Mar 2020 08:48:08 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/parliament/2020/06/coronavirus-count.html#IDComment1088316935 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2020/03/iain-dale-im-assertive-youre-a-bully-discuss.html#IDComment1087460621 My bet is that the department will be infinitesimally better now that calamity Phil is gone. It also looks like Labours smear has fizzled out with no one having the guts to put their name to any of the allegations. Rather pathetic that civil servants who won't stand by allegations run to Labour with them where they know they will not be challenged. Fri, 6 Mar 2020 17:27:32 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2020/03/iain-dale-im-assertive-youre-a-bully-discuss.html#IDComment1087460621 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2020/03/iain-dale-im-assertive-youre-a-bully-discuss.html#IDComment1087460480 Hang on a sec, the person in the department who sensationally got paid £25k after trying to commit suicide happened 2 weeks after Patel took over and had been an ongoing problem long before she arrived. The rest of the allegations are anonymous and should be ignored until such time as they are prepared to stand by their tittle tattle. Fri, 6 Mar 2020 17:21:47 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2020/03/iain-dale-im-assertive-youre-a-bully-discuss.html#IDComment1087460480 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2020/03/iain-dale-im-assertive-youre-a-bully-discuss.html#IDComment1087450866 The problem here is as Iain asks what is the definition of bullying. It appears to some people in these comments, repeatedly insisting a civil servant does what the government and electorate have asked them to do is now defined as bullying. This guy was clearly hopeless, and a minister stating this in not bullying. We should not have to put up incompetent civil servants. The days of just moving them about should be over, it would not happen in any other industry. Fri, 6 Mar 2020 11:16:24 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2020/03/iain-dale-im-assertive-youre-a-bully-discuss.html#IDComment1087450866 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2020/03/iain-dale-im-assertive-youre-a-bully-discuss.html#IDComment1087450470 For years the Home Office has been described as incompetent. From wind rush, to policing of so called hate crimes, the civil service has been and has to be at the heart of that criticism under government after government it has had failures. As for your statement of the home office setting up a new immigration system in a year and supposed "most people" think it's not achievable. How is it not achievable to effectively port over a system which already exists for outside of the EU to everyone, with a couple of tweaks. It's hardly rocket science. Your just making excuses for civil service incompetence again. Fri, 6 Mar 2020 11:00:32 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2020/03/iain-dale-im-assertive-youre-a-bully-discuss.html#IDComment1087450470 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2020/03/greg-hands-we-are-starting-to-negotiate-a-free-trade-agreement-with-the-united-states-its-time-to-get-behind-our-push-for-free-trade.html#IDComment1087290873 Green think around the globe are killing off the car industry pretty much everywhere. Always makes me laugh how much the car industry is lauded as crucial when it comes to Brexit negociations by remoaners. Yet these same people in parliament waved through net zero in the death throws of Mays government without a second thought to the effect on the car industry. Mon, 2 Mar 2020 13:04:18 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2020/03/greg-hands-we-are-starting-to-negotiate-a-free-trade-agreement-with-the-united-states-its-time-to-get-behind-our-push-for-free-trade.html#IDComment1087290873 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2020/02/no-deal-2-why-i-a-leading-former-remainer-am-making-a-case-for-johnson-actively-seeking-it.html#IDComment1087205205 So far it's all posturing by both sides, let's see where we are in a months time. There are certain things that the EU know we will never accept, such as commitment to align to new EU rules in the future and continued membership to CFP. They either know this and will be sacrificed in "negotiations" to resemble standard FTA agreements with no regression, mutual recognition etc. As for fish, EU countries will get acccess but just like Norways waters, that access will be decided and controlled by the UK. Sat, 29 Feb 2020 08:28:18 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2020/02/no-deal-2-why-i-a-leading-former-remainer-am-making-a-case-for-johnson-actively-seeking-it.html#IDComment1087205205 https://www.conservativehome.com/thinktankcentral/2020/02/patrick-hall-ministers-must-act-to-prove-that-britain-is-a-world-leader-on-green-policy.html#IDComment1087141388 Why do we always have to be world leaders? Lets do what is good for the UK for a change. The last green revolution lead to the export of 1000s of jobs to countries who didn't introduce the same punishment costs we did. The same will happen again. We should concentrate on developing green technologies the rest of the world wants to buy, rather than sacrificing our standard of living in the world biggest virtue signal. Thu, 27 Feb 2020 16:19:33 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thinktankcentral/2020/02/patrick-hall-ministers-must-act-to-prove-that-britain-is-a-world-leader-on-green-policy.html#IDComment1087141388 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2020/02/watch-we-will-not-link-access-to-our-waters-to-access-to-eu-markets-goves-statement-on-the-negotiations.html#IDComment1087140731 No it has the ability to grant access to a third party should it want. That is not the same as giving them control. The CFP is a disgrace always has been, it's abhorrently wasteful with the way it treats quotas and by catch. Thu, 27 Feb 2020 15:57:22 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2020/02/watch-we-will-not-link-access-to-our-waters-to-access-to-eu-markets-goves-statement-on-the-negotiations.html#IDComment1087140731 https://www.conservativehome.com/highlights/2020/02/profile-rishi-sunak-rising-star-of-the-johnson-project-2.html#IDComment1086581959 Fingers crossed it was Javid coming out with all these stupid ideas about Mansion taxes, wealth taxes and the like. We voted blue, not red. Thu, 13 Feb 2020 14:39:41 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/highlights/2020/02/profile-rishi-sunak-rising-star-of-the-johnson-project-2.html#IDComment1086581959 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2020/02/watch-the-prime-minister-announces-that-hs2-will-proceed.html#IDComment1086520384 Pretty cunning by Boris, notice how HS2 is now exclusively the Birmingham route. The northern route is no longer HS2 phase 2, it's Northern Power House rail. The high-speed dropped no longer emphasised and the money for phase 2 will be redirected to traditional rail upgrades rather than high speed, which is the biggest part of the cost (straight tracks, miles of concrete sub base etc. Tue, 11 Feb 2020 22:18:08 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2020/02/watch-the-prime-minister-announces-that-hs2-will-proceed.html#IDComment1086520384 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2020/02/tom-mcphail-successive-governments-have-dodged-tough-choices-on-pension-tax-reform-for-too-long.html#IDComment1086499255 Indeed " The Government is spending tens of billions of pounds a year (roughly £30 billion to £50 billion, depending on how you want to measure it), on a scheme which is largely unappreciated by the population." This is a perfect example. They are not spending it, they are simply choosing not to take it off us. Or else do we say the difference between a 100% income tax rate and say 20% tax is government spending too? Tue, 11 Feb 2020 11:03:15 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2020/02/tom-mcphail-successive-governments-have-dodged-tough-choices-on-pension-tax-reform-for-too-long.html#IDComment1086499255 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2020/02/watch-dale-walks-out-of-gmtv-discussion.html#IDComment1086351032 In all the supposed conversation of "why labour lost" so far, I've yet to see anyone point out that the media having these lefty talkingheads on every day is a massive part of it. Sky and the Beeb think they are pushing a left wing agenda but in reality Grace, Ash, Bastini, Walker as well as the old guard from the guardian Toynbee, Williams and Shabi, every time they open their mouths there's another vote for boris. Fri, 7 Feb 2020 18:27:23 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2020/02/watch-dale-walks-out-of-gmtv-discussion.html#IDComment1086351032 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2020/02/climate-change-and-the-government-it-must-explain-how-it-aims-to-meet-the-2050-net-zero-target.html#IDComment1086267908 As a molecular biologist i don't really feel qualified to comment on say the corona virus. It's just not my field. It appears climate scientists who presumably study the climate appear to be experts in the field of home heating engineering, transportation, aerodynamics, economics, batteries must be one hell of an in depth course. Wed, 5 Feb 2020 15:59:14 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2020/02/climate-change-and-the-government-it-must-explain-how-it-aims-to-meet-the-2050-net-zero-target.html#IDComment1086267908 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2020/02/climate-change-and-the-government-it-must-explain-how-it-aims-to-meet-the-2050-net-zero-target.html#IDComment1086267613 Technology is the key, but as usual groups like stinky rebellion, refuse to accept that technologies like carbon capture are or can be viable. Primarily because it does not fit with their real agenda which is overthrowing our current economic system. They are watermelons, green on the outside and red in the middle. Wed, 5 Feb 2020 15:49:54 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2020/02/climate-change-and-the-government-it-must-explain-how-it-aims-to-meet-the-2050-net-zero-target.html#IDComment1086267613 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2020/02/climate-change-and-the-government-it-must-explain-how-it-aims-to-meet-the-2050-net-zero-target.html#IDComment1086267342 Predictably they have made up their own "misleading arguments", non of which i've actually ever heard made. Eg "The Earth’s climate is always changing and this is nothing to do with humans." No one makes that arguament, what is argued is how much man made climate change makes or is making to the total change in the climate. We often here claims like 95% of scientists accept that man made climate change exists. Very few argue against this. But what is up for debate is the amount of climate change man causes. We really need a mature debate on all of this. Something which just simply is not happening at this time. Wed, 5 Feb 2020 15:41:32 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2020/02/climate-change-and-the-government-it-must-explain-how-it-aims-to-meet-the-2050-net-zero-target.html#IDComment1086267342 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2020/02/climate-change-and-the-government-it-must-explain-how-it-aims-to-meet-the-2050-net-zero-target.html#IDComment1086267096 Much of this seems to come down to, well off people in the city with one of the best public transport systems in the world tell us we should not use cars. I live less than 20 mins outside of Newcastle (by car), if I wanted to get into the city for work at 9 i would need to get the last bus at 10 pm and sleep in the lab. Wed, 5 Feb 2020 15:33:49 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2020/02/climate-change-and-the-government-it-must-explain-how-it-aims-to-meet-the-2050-net-zero-target.html#IDComment1086267096 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2020/02/climate-change-and-the-government-it-must-explain-how-it-aims-to-meet-the-2050-net-zero-target.html#IDComment1086267008 He regularly also argues about the link between earth greening and increased CO2. The planet has natural mechanisms to use the extra CO2 and has been using them. My biggest concern is that we're effectively trying to control the planets natural cycles. So we manage to stop the planet warming, what do we do when it starts cooling again as we know it will due to suns activity changes? Any cold spell is going to be far worse than it would have been had we not acted. Wed, 5 Feb 2020 15:30:47 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2020/02/climate-change-and-the-government-it-must-explain-how-it-aims-to-meet-the-2050-net-zero-target.html#IDComment1086267008