Panic buying, hoarding

[NUKe]

• 1 Increase size of British Army to 500,000 or more
  
  2 Recruit mercenary troops to fill vacancies
  
  3 Form non-combatant corps to deal with logistics, nursing etc
  
  4 Military could then be called out to solve everything

Isn’t that a military dictatorship.

[thirdcrank]

A poor attempt at humour on my part.

[Jdsk]

I got it.

But it made the point either way! : - )

Alanis

[Oldjohnw]

I assumed it was satire, because of everything else you write.

The trouble is, the reality is possibly not so different.

[661-Pete]

Significant, maybe, that in a recent opinion poll, as reported in the Grauniad, 52% of those who voted for Brex**it believe that Brex**it is partly to blame for the present situation. That's out of an overall figure of 68% of respondents.

My view is, the word 'partly' only appears because of the C-word. Otherwise it would be 'wholly'. Makes me wonder: how's this for a conspiracy theory? (deprecate or not, as you wish!) What if BoJo and his chums deliberately engineered the Covid crisis to have worse effect than it otherwise would have, so as to deflect attention from the woes of Brex**it?

[Oldjohnw]

The Transport Secretary said that HGV driver shortage was Europe wide but we are trying to recruit from …Europe.

Might he be being economical with the reality?

[Debs]

Grant Shapps was in Extreme Brexit-Tory charlatan form yesterday when he lied though his teeth:

Honestly, is there really anyone so totally dumb and gullible to believe this lying Brexit propagandist ?

"I've seen people point to Brexit as if it is the culprit here, in fact they are wrong," he told Sky News."Not only are there very large, and even larger shortages in other EU countries like Poland and Germany, which clearly can't be to do with Brexit, but actually because of Brexit I've been able to change the law to alter the way our driving tests operate in a way I could not have done if we were still part of the EU."

He added: "So Brexit actually has provided part of the solution of giving more slots available for HGV tests and a lot more, twice as many tests available now than before the pandemic and a large proportion of those we have only been able to do because we are not in the EU."

Shapps said the government would "move heaven and earth" to solve the issue, adding that he would not rule out drafting in soldiers to drive fuel tankers.

"If it can actually help, we will bring them in," he said.
"

[Hellhound]

All our local Petrol stations are empty.

[Psamathe]

The Transport Secretary said that HGV driver shortage was Europe wide but we are trying to recruit from …Europe.

Might he be being economical with the reality?

If you were an HGV driver in Poland with a steady job, somewhere to live, etc. would you quit your job, quit your accommodation, pay for flights/train/ferry, sort out and pay for private health insurance, find a job in the "hostile environment" of the UK all to be sent back in less than 10 weeks (by the time you've applied for and got your work visa, health insurance, NI number, given notice to current employer, given notice on accommodation, etc., etc.).

And when you get sent home (day before Christmas) you then have to be looking for accommodation and a new job between Christmas and New Year. And all for less than 10 weeks doing what you are currently/already being paid to do!

I'd be sticking with my current job/accommodation/etc/etc.

Ian

[Jdsk]

Significant, maybe, that in a recent opinion poll, as reported in the Grauniad, 52% of those who voted for Brex**it believe that Brex**it is partly to blame for the present situation.

That's a very interesting finding, both for the current problem and for the enormous importance of whether anyone changes their mind about anything as we discover the effects of Leaving the EU.

Jonathan

PS: I could only find that narrative report of the results: are any more details of the poll available, please?

[Psamathe]

Grant Shapps was in Extreme Brexit-Tory charlatan form yesterday when he lied though his teeth:

Honestly, is there really anyone so totally dumb and gullible to believe this lying Brexit propagandist ?

"I've seen people point to Brexit as if it is the culprit here, in fact they are wrong," he told Sky News."Not only are there very large, and even larger shortages in other EU countries like Poland and Germany, which clearly can't be to do with Brexit, but actually because of Brexit I've been able to change the law to alter the way our driving tests operate in a way I could not have done if we were still part of the EU."

He added: "So Brexit actually has provided part of the solution of giving more slots available for HGV tests and a lot more, twice as many tests available now than before the pandemic and a large proportion of those we have only been able to do because we are not in the EU."

Shapps said the government would "move heaven and earth" to solve the issue, adding that he would not rule out drafting in soldiers to drive fuel tankers.

"If it can actually help, we will bring them in," he said.
"

(My colour). Amazing. I was totally unaware that the EU had been restricting the number of HGV driver tests we could do in the UK. I look forward to a decent reporter asking him about that (except I doubt he'll be appearing on any TV/radio interviews where such questions would be asked.

Typical of our current politicians - spout any old lies, repeat them enough and avoid being questioned about them. Maybe we really are a complete load of fools as enough of us seem to believe them to elect them into power (though I still hope last election was an "anybody but Corbyn" vote.

Ian

[661-Pete]

PS: I could only find that narrative report of the results: are any more details of the poll available, please?

I don't think Opinium publish their results on their own website (if they do, they're hard to find!). Only through their sponsors like the Observer. But I did turn up this Twitter feed, if it's any help.

[Jdsk]

PS: I could only find that narrative report of the results: are any more details of the poll available, please?

I don't think Opinium publish their results on their own website (if they do, they're hard to find!). Only through their sponsors like the Observer. But I did turn up this Twitter feed, if it's any help.

Thankyou. It is.

Jonathan

[Stevek76]

PS: I could only find that narrative report of the results: are any more details of the poll available, please?

I don't think Opinium publish their results on their own website (if they do, they're hard to find!). Only through their sponsors like the Observer. But I did turn up this Twitter feed, if it's any help.

They will do somewhere, it's a requirement of being a BPC member that full data tables are made available if results from the poll are put into the public domain.

In theory this can be as/when requested but at least for political polling most tend to publish them anyway to save getting asked for each one

Opinium's are here https://www.opinium.com/resource-center/ though you may have to check tomorrow.

[PH]

Amazing. I was totally unaware that the EU had been restricting the number of HGV driver tests we could do in the UK.
Ian

I don't know if there's any truth in what he's said. I do know that a portion of the LGV test is being (has been?) removed from the usual examiner and is being done by a third party - This is the off road section, reversing into a bay, maybe some load requirements. I see nothing wrong with that, subject to the usual safeguards obviously. It will speed the process up, I don't know one way or the other if that could have been done as an EU member. If not and there was an EU standard we no longer meet, it'll only be a matter of time before the EU doesn't recognise such licenses for driving in the EU.