Cycling UK Forum

Horray for Si
There is an arguement that puts forward the idea that the "greenest" thing done recently by any country was China's one child per family policy, however, that has nothing to do with the focus of the OP's original and loaded question, which is pointless to answer. Perhaps more useful for us would be to consider carefully which party we will vote for next time, once we have the full facts about the way in which the party in government has dealt with the arrival of the wee little unwanted guest on our shores...

Bonefishblues wrote:I'm still waiting for my Spanish compo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu

Them pigs have a lot to answer for as well!

From what I've read, the case for suing China is that they broke a treaty which obliged them to provide more information than they did. Though the treaty makes no provision for such compensation. I can't see such a case getting very far, would we go back and sue over every broken treaty? How far back? What court is going to decide?
It's the US of course that's high on the list of claimants, it's a dangerous road, the US were very slow to act on the information they did have. If the US government has a case against China, then surely the relatives of those who needlessly died have a case against the US government.

Would be interesting to know what b the party of opposition would have done differently. If you're arguing that this pandemic is a good thing to judge the current government on next ge then you have to consider what the leading opposition would have done.

Easy to criticise around the edges but pretty much most of labour party lines is the they'd do the same as Tories but do it better. Believe that if you're politically inclined then forget about it all next election time 4+ years to go afterall.

Back to relevance. China isn't completely to blame. Globalisation, liberal politics and inaction globally to a known risk

Tangled Metal wrote:If you're arguing that this pandemic is a good thing to judge the current government on

I was suggesting that recalling the performance our government ('specially as it's 4 years-and-counting 'till the next GE and our memories are short...) and acting accordingly, will be more effective than attempting to play the blame game with the Chinese.

No.

Tangled Metal wrote:Would be interesting to know what b the party of opposition would have done differently. If you're arguing that this pandemic is a good thing to judge the current government on next ge then you have to consider what the leading opposition would have done.

Easy to criticise around the edges but pretty much most of labour party lines is the they'd do the same as Tories but do it better. Believe that if you're politically inclined then forget about it all next election time 4+ years to go afterall.

We'll never know the answer as to whether a Labour government would've done better but do you think they could've been anymore incompetent than this shower?

Back to relevance. China isn't completely to blame. Globalisation, liberal politics and inaction globally to a known risk

Don't you mean neoliberal capitalist politricks?

Bonefishblues wrote:I'm still waiting for my Spanish compo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu

Except if you read teh article linked to it didn't start in Spain.

Tangled Metal wrote:Would be interesting to know what b the party of opposition would have done differently. If you're arguing that this pandemic is a good thing to judge the current government on next ge then you have to consider what the leading opposition would have done.

Who is arguing that?
What the opposition, or any previous government of any persuasion, would have done is make collective decisions via cabinet. Who knows what they'd have done, we don't have time machines. Well, we know some stuff, many of the things that have been done were proposed by the opposition weeks before they happened, we know the restrictions on evictions was campaigned for by the Labour front bench, we know the self employed were left out of the original compensation package and there was an outcry from the LP, we know the LP called for relaxing the sick pay rules, we know the emergency powers legislation was amended to include a six monthly review rather than be in place for two years... is that enough for now? Of course we also know that it wasn't until Starmer became Labour leader that Boris started talking to the LP. I'd have hoped any previous government, of any persuasion, would have had cross party co-operation right from the moment it was clear the pandemic would be a national disaster. It would hopefully have avoided all that nonsense about herd immunity and it would have been taken seriously earlier.

Has the UK paid compensation to all states affected by slavery yet? This is a road we probably won't like if we start travelling down it.

mjr wrote:Has the UK paid compensation to all states affected by slavery yet?

I believe that the European invaders brought diseases to the Americas that destroyed several indigenous civilisations, which was handy. There were even episodes of deliberately spreading diseases to which the natives had no resistance.

pete75 wrote:

Bonefishblues wrote:I'm still waiting for my Spanish compo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu

Except if you read teh article linked to it didn't start in Spain.

Imagine the Compo for all that tea the YAnks in Boston chucked overboard of course with interest

Where did the poll go ?

ossie wrote:Where did the poll go ?

it was edited out by ........... not me

I had just been reading an article from the Spectator about the likely aftermath of this with the totalitarian states like China trumpeting how more successful they have been than so called democracys at dealing with the crisis, winning the argument that totalitiarnism is the best model to follow. This cant be allowed to happen. The Chinese need to be reminded they caused this pandemic which has cost the world do dearly?

As for Spanish flu it originated or atleast found purchase after WW1 in the hospitals dealling with the wounded and not to be compared to some thing 100 years later which should never have happened in the modern world? China has nothing to congratulate itself about. A totalitarian state is far more responsible for what it's citizens do than a democracy where personal responsibility is the standard?