I don't like living in England....

[Stevek76]

B1.1.7 wasn't formally identified until December but it was subsequently established to have been present since September.

It was also blindingly obvious to anyone browsing the government dashboard, especially the age heatmaps that something was up in Kent amongst school age (and then their parents) from October. South Wales was the other autumn hotspot.

What the government seemed to struggle with was the simple reality that the same total amount of lockdown time is required whether you choose a lower case rate as the trigger point or NHS will implode as the trigger point. The only thing they gained from procrastinating was many more deaths.

[francovendee]

Speaking to my daughter she tells me her friend, also British, has had nasty remarks made to her from her colleagues over the 'English' virus.
There is an impression among some French they had the original virus was under control but the new virus has swamped them and caused the latest restrictions.

I think the restrictions on travel between countries should be banned for the foreseeable future.
Even if a country gets everyone vaccinated, allowing a chance of a new variant to creep in, one that might be able pass through the population very quickly seems to be a distinct possibility.

The UK like most countries has some beautiful areas so you can have a great holiday without travelling abroad.
I've not seen my UK Daughter or grand kids for over a year and I really miss seeing them.

I've had both vaccinations so as soon as I'm allowed I could travel to see them but I'm not going to, at least not this year.

[Jdsk]

I've had both vaccinations so as soon as I'm allowed I could travel to see them but I'm not going to, at least not this year.

That's tough.

But it raises a very important point for the next phase of the outbreak: there'll be laws and there'll be guidance, but everyone who doesn't push up to or beyond those barriers will be reducing the chance of transmission even further.

Jonathan

[mjr]

But it raises a very important point for the next phase of the outbreak: there'll be laws and there'll be guidance, but everyone who doesn't push up to or beyond those barriers will be reducing the chance of transmission even further.

Surely that's only true if people are normally near ALL of the barriers? Otherwise, it seems likely that someone illegally overstepping one barrier while being nowhere near any of the others will actually be causing less chance of transmission than someone who is inside all of the barriers but close to them.

For example, currently we have the "rule of six" but I've seen nothing saying that you can't or even shouldn't take part in a different six every day, or even every hour. Yet if you have seven random people together one day and see no-one for the rest of the month, that's illegal. Once again, the law is an ass. An ass that I'm trying not to be bitten by, but still an ass.

But in support of the above comment in one way: foreign travel in itself is not a great sin. The next new variant could arise anywhere, although more likely in high-incidence areas. So I feel it's more about taking care with exactly where you go, how you get there and what you do along the way, before and after... but that seems completely absent from government guidance, probably because they don't want to upset the travel companies who seem to be portraying it all as a return to normality, whether or not that's going to be the case (and if they do try to return to normal too soon, heaven help us all as we see another round of people bringing covid home as a souvenir!).

[CJ]

When I ran a business back in the 1990s I discovered a really good Electrical Engineering software package whilst on holiday in Germany. I contacted the company and helped produce an English language version of it and modified the software to meet UK regs. We began to sell it in the UK successfully so I advertised it in the Institution of Electrical Engineers journal. Soon I had recruited new agents all over the world. USA, Oz, NZ, India, Malta, South Africa, Malaysia, Botswana were the main ones.
The Germans were staggered! My German pal Georg protested "but the British Empire no longer exists!" My response was "thats what you think!"

A nice example of the kind of enterprise that flourished here, was indeed our USP and accounted for a large proportion of our growing prosperity, during the decades when Britain was THE crossroads between the EU and the Anglophone 'empire'.

[Pebble]

Of course the Irish had a famous statue destruction.
Nelson's Pillar in O'Connell Street, Dublin was bombed in 1966.

In the grounds of Chillingham Castle, Northumberland is an equestrian statue of Viscount Gough, a British army officer. He was Irish-born and is thought to have been the officer who saw more service in more campaigns than any other 19thC officer.

The statue was erected in Phoenix Park, Dublin but it was repeatedly vandalised from the 1940s onward. It was removed after it was blown up in 1957. It was finally re-erected in Northumberland - and probably too remote to be on any BLM list.....

https://www.archiseek.com/2013/gough-st ... rk-dublin/

learn something every day - I have been cycling past this for years and had no idea of who it was or its history. I will include it on one of my routes next week.

here it is, all locked away behind a big fence

[markjohnobrien]

Nice picture.

And the inscription on the base of the statue states:

“In honour of Field Marshal Hugh Viscount Gough, K.P., G.C.B., G.C.S.I., an illustrious Irishman, whose achievements in the Peninsular War, in China, and in India, have added lustre to the military glory of his country, which he faithfully served for seventy five years. This statue [cast from cannon taken by troops under his command and granted by Parliament for the purpose] is erected by friends and comrades.[25]“

[Jdsk]

"Legally binding minimum levels of particulate air pollution should be lowered in the UK to be in line with World Health Organization limits, a coroner has said."
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... ssi-debrah

See also water quality.

Jonathan

[al_yrpal]

Originally planned as a new-build route across South London, construction of the first section of the South Circular near Eltham began in 1921 to a high-quality specification. The remainder of the road was supposed to be of a similar standard but it was repeatedly delayed, and the current route was allocated in the late 1930s to existing urban streets instead. Despite several proposals to either upgrade the road or replace it with a parallel motorway, there has been little change in the century since the route was first planned and most of the road is still urban streets. The South Circular has received sustained criticism for congestion and pollution and is one of the least popular roads in Britain.

What the hell does one do? Think about the Periphrique in Paris! Anyone been to Delhi I have Big Big problem..

Al

[mjr]

Anyone been to Deli I have Big Big problem..

I liked Louis's Deli on Upper St Giles in Norwich, not far above the Green pedalway. It seems to have become a wine bar recently. Bircham Stores and Deli continues, but I think the nearest cycle route is Peddar's Way, which is an MTB route. They are great places to buy a picnic for a little later in the ride. What's the big big problem? Is it why don't we have more delis in cycle-friendly locations in England?

[Ben@Forest]

The above is the illustration from an article in today's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung about people who get needlessly irritated about the actions of others. One of the examples is being upset about cyclists riding side by side. Just thought I'd put this up for the 'Germans really know how to treat cyclists' brigade.

Though as anyone who has lived in Germany knows even driving at 80mph in the outside lane overtaking obviously slower traffic won't stop someone behind you flashing their lights madly and even sounding their horn to get past. Someone I know rented a car on holiday in Germany a few years ago, when they got back their first comment was 'How did you stand that for five years?'

[al_yrpal]

Germany has too many rules. This helps them with things like Covid but would drive the average Brit barmy.

Al

[Cyril Haearn]

Too many rules? The greens may lead the next government, with a female lead candidate (+1!), they promise a maximum speed limit of 130 kmh on the Autobahn, should save many lives, +99!

Not enough rules, and not enough enforcement

[markjohnobrien]

Germany has too many rules. This helps them with things like Covid but would drive the average Brit barmy.

Al

I quite admire German rules and preciseness but, you are correct, the same rules would drive people crazy in Britain. Too many rules for Britain.

[Ride-sleep-repeat]

Too many rules? The greens may lead the next government, with a female lead candidate (+1!), they promise a maximum speed limit of 130 kmh on the Autobahn, should save many lives, +99!

130kph is 81mph and still 11mph faster than on UK Motorways.
If you run into the back of a stationary vehicle at 70mph(112kph) you're just as dead as you would be at 81mph(130kph).Any speed above 130kph is irrelevant.You'll still be just as dead so there's really little point in limiting top speeds on Motorways/Autobahns!
I totally agree with 20mph in school zones and 30mph in built up areas but 70mph,or in Germanys case 81mph on what are basically one-way,mainly straight roads is just ridiculous!