en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/21051668 Comments by BobSymons https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2021/02/garvan-walshe-we-can-be-sure-that-those-who-have-been-vaccinated-wont-die-of-covid-so-the-case-for-lockdowns-is-vanishing-fast.html#IDComment1097658966 Very sensible. We're all fed up with it, but the "let it rip" people are not being honest about the consequences. Thu, 18 Feb 2021 14:33:57 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2021/02/garvan-walshe-we-can-be-sure-that-those-who-have-been-vaccinated-wont-die-of-covid-so-the-case-for-lockdowns-is-vanishing-fast.html#IDComment1097658966 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2021/02/garvan-walshe-we-can-be-sure-that-those-who-have-been-vaccinated-wont-die-of-covid-so-the-case-for-lockdowns-is-vanishing-fast.html#IDComment1097658922 Exactly. An expat that I know in Nigeria went for a test and whilst he was there he thought "why not. Whilst I'm at it I'll get my driver and housekeeper done". He found out they were both positive. As well as the general youth of the population lots of people just die over there and the covid death rates are hidden amongst that general noise. Anyone who's spent time in Lagos can see that it's going to spread like crazy. All of that's going to be taking place outside our borders. Thu, 18 Feb 2021 14:29:52 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2021/02/garvan-walshe-we-can-be-sure-that-those-who-have-been-vaccinated-wont-die-of-covid-so-the-case-for-lockdowns-is-vanishing-fast.html#IDComment1097658922 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2021/02/frosts-appointment-chills-the-temperature-for-the-eu.html#IDComment1097658661 I suppose there's some poetic justice in this. Frost, the author of the disastrous withdrawal bill and TCA gets to own the consequences. Made me smile. Thu, 18 Feb 2021 14:19:07 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2021/02/frosts-appointment-chills-the-temperature-for-the-eu.html#IDComment1097658661 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2021/02/frosts-appointment-chills-the-temperature-for-the-eu.html#IDComment1097658595 Exactly and these were ported directly into EU law. We have in the TCA committed to following those same international standards. So the rules that people spent years moaning about are still going to apply. All that's happened is that non tariff barriers have been created because the governance mechanisms have been separated. Thu, 18 Feb 2021 14:16:44 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2021/02/frosts-appointment-chills-the-temperature-for-the-eu.html#IDComment1097658595 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2021/02/frosts-appointment-chills-the-temperature-for-the-eu.html#IDComment1097658531 That's nothing to do with brexit. All of the steps taken were taken whilst we were still operating under EU law. Thu, 18 Feb 2021 14:12:03 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2021/02/frosts-appointment-chills-the-temperature-for-the-eu.html#IDComment1097658531 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2021/02/garvan-walshe-we-can-be-sure-that-those-who-have-been-vaccinated-wont-die-of-covid-so-the-case-for-lockdowns-is-vanishing-fast.html#IDComment1097648757 The picture isn't fully clear yet but as it clarifies the policy choices will become clearer. As I understand it the amount of virus people carry is linked to the severity of their symptoms and so the vaccine will reduce the quantity of virus out there and thus the mutation rate. So looking hopeful. However this only applies within our shores. There are likely to be huge reservoirs of it in other countries. Sub Saharan Africa for instance has supposedly escaped but I see that with their generally higher mortality rates, their younger population it is still prevalent and untreated but not felt in the same way as it is here. So I suspect that travel restrictions will be in place for some time and for people like me who wrre regularly traveling in Asia and Africa with their work it will be some time before things get back to normal. Thu, 18 Feb 2021 06:50:30 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2021/02/garvan-walshe-we-can-be-sure-that-those-who-have-been-vaccinated-wont-die-of-covid-so-the-case-for-lockdowns-is-vanishing-fast.html#IDComment1097648757 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2021/02/watch-drakeford-attacks-the-government-over-the-laxity-of-the-border-quarantine-programme.html#IDComment1097604351 You're right. He's not ahead of the curve - just a couple of weeks ahead of the govt who (vaccine procurement excepted) have been unfathomably off the pace on for example quarantining new arrivals. But as you say it doesn't seem to be doing him much good currently. And with the cynicism on brexit he's given away his best club for beating the govt going forward. Bizarrely bad. Tue, 16 Feb 2021 12:06:43 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2021/02/watch-drakeford-attacks-the-government-over-the-laxity-of-the-border-quarantine-programme.html#IDComment1097604351 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2021/02/philip-mitchell-and-chris-goddard-2020-was-a-reality-check-on-china-trade-offers-opportunities-for-the-uk-to-assert-its-values.html#IDComment1097583456 China is clearly not a friendly country anymore - if it ever was. We need to follow a conscious policy of decoupling our economy from China and bringing back strategic capabilities not just to ourselves but to the west generally and to other friendly countries. Mon, 15 Feb 2021 18:17:51 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2021/02/philip-mitchell-and-chris-goddard-2020-was-a-reality-check-on-china-trade-offers-opportunities-for-the-uk-to-assert-its-values.html#IDComment1097583456 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2021/02/watch-who-wont-rule-out-lab-escape-origin-for-covid-19.html#IDComment1097580630 That's great! Stopped clocks and all that.... :-) Mon, 15 Feb 2021 15:44:08 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2021/02/watch-who-wont-rule-out-lab-escape-origin-for-covid-19.html#IDComment1097580630 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2021/02/watch-drakeford-attacks-the-government-over-the-laxity-of-the-border-quarantine-programme.html#IDComment1097580419 I agree that Starmer is disappointing. Brexit is turning into an economic and political crisis. The effects are hidden behind covid for now but they will come to the fore fairly soon. Starmer should have been clearer that the combined withdrawal agreement and TCA is disastrous. Instead he got his people to vote for it - unbelievable. On attacking the govt over covid, this is his job and he's been ahead of the curve most of the way through the pandemic but it's not done him any good. Mon, 15 Feb 2021 15:27:47 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2021/02/watch-drakeford-attacks-the-government-over-the-laxity-of-the-border-quarantine-programme.html#IDComment1097580419 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2021/02/watch-drakeford-attacks-the-government-over-the-laxity-of-the-border-quarantine-programme.html#IDComment1097560758 If people die of the South African variant of Brazilian variant it is because the govt has been falling in it's principle duty to protect the population. Goodness knows why it's taken a year to quarantine me arrivals. Sun, 14 Feb 2021 18:31:11 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2021/02/watch-drakeford-attacks-the-government-over-the-laxity-of-the-border-quarantine-programme.html#IDComment1097560758 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2021/02/chris-skidmore-global-britain-must-lift-its-gaze-beyond-the-sunlit-uplands-to-the-stars-and-beyond.html#IDComment1097558457 Who cares what fishermen in Hastings were saying in the early 1990s? It's what they are saying in 2021 that is more relevant. The difficulties are due to brexit and I blame the current British govt for them. Sun, 14 Feb 2021 14:46:03 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2021/02/chris-skidmore-global-britain-must-lift-its-gaze-beyond-the-sunlit-uplands-to-the-stars-and-beyond.html#IDComment1097558457 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2021/02/watch-who-wont-rule-out-lab-escape-origin-for-covid-19.html#IDComment1097558364 Nice comment. Sun, 14 Feb 2021 14:33:25 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2021/02/watch-who-wont-rule-out-lab-escape-origin-for-covid-19.html#IDComment1097558364 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2021/02/watch-drakeford-attacks-the-government-over-the-laxity-of-the-border-quarantine-programme.html#IDComment1097556828 It's true that the virus is evolving here too, but the rate of mutation is governed by the total mass of virus out there. If we can control at the border we will only have our own mutations to deal with which will reduce the difficulty of the challenge. Sun, 14 Feb 2021 11:47:51 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2021/02/watch-drakeford-attacks-the-government-over-the-laxity-of-the-border-quarantine-programme.html#IDComment1097556828 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2021/02/watch-drakeford-attacks-the-government-over-the-laxity-of-the-border-quarantine-programme.html#IDComment1097556096 Drakeford is clearly correct on this. Anyone who dies of the Brazilian or South African variants has died as a result of govt laxity in this area. Same applies to illness. Sun, 14 Feb 2021 10:35:07 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2021/02/watch-drakeford-attacks-the-government-over-the-laxity-of-the-border-quarantine-programme.html#IDComment1097556096 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2021/02/watch-who-wont-rule-out-lab-escape-origin-for-covid-19.html#IDComment1097555950 We have to make sure the Chinese don't wiggle (bully their way) off the hook on this. If it's not from a lab it's from the unhygienic markets that they have and that were supposed to have been sorted out after SARS. Either way it's the Chinese virus - I don't hear anyone objecting to the naming of the UK variant, the South African variant - so we're all suffering from the Chinese virus. Rather than their current insufferable high handedness the Chinese should be grovelling and begging our forgiveness for visiting this on the world. Moreover, the subject of reparations should be a live one! Sun, 14 Feb 2021 10:23:54 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2021/02/watch-who-wont-rule-out-lab-escape-origin-for-covid-19.html#IDComment1097555950 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2021/02/chris-skidmore-global-britain-must-lift-its-gaze-beyond-the-sunlit-uplands-to-the-stars-and-beyond.html#IDComment1097555562 Another fatuous article trying to link successful initiatives to brexit. COP26 and G7 would have been hosted by the UK even if we were still in the EU. It would be nice to hear of a single example of a sunlit upland that is occurring as a result of brexit - the reality of it is almost entirely negative. Sun, 14 Feb 2021 09:41:20 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2021/02/chris-skidmore-global-britain-must-lift-its-gaze-beyond-the-sunlit-uplands-to-the-stars-and-beyond.html#IDComment1097555562 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2021/02/david-gauke-ten-years-for-lying-on-a-form-misguided-disproportionate-and-characteristic-of-our-cavalier-approach-to-sentencing.html#IDComment1097543921 No not yet but if con home launch a range of merch I'll be first in the queue ;-) Sat, 13 Feb 2021 21:57:46 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2021/02/david-gauke-ten-years-for-lying-on-a-form-misguided-disproportionate-and-characteristic-of-our-cavalier-approach-to-sentencing.html#IDComment1097543921 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2021/02/conservative-mps-on-when-lockdown-should-end-we-should-start-on-march-8.html#IDComment1097536214 This is true but you usually find areas of reasonably settled "fact" and other areas where there is still a range of views. The more important reason why it should be the politicians is that these things are rarely narrow technical questions and in most cases have broader societal implications. Sat, 13 Feb 2021 14:22:26 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2021/02/conservative-mps-on-when-lockdown-should-end-we-should-start-on-march-8.html#IDComment1097536214 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2021/02/conservative-mps-on-when-lockdown-should-end-we-should-start-on-march-8.html#IDComment1097530429 The costs of the pandemic response have been horrendous and we all want them minimised but the inability of the CRG and their fellow travelers to understand simple mechanisms of transmission is really rather surprising. I think we have to be patient a little longer and ignore the pressure to open up from such people. Sat, 13 Feb 2021 08:23:52 +0000 https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2021/02/conservative-mps-on-when-lockdown-should-end-we-should-start-on-march-8.html#IDComment1097530429