Covid-19 Pandemic Thread

[The Real Ravenhurst]

Remarkably, the autocratic Home Sec has confirmed that you are allowed to buy general stuff, by slapping down the cops.

https://www.northwichguardian.co.uk/new ... secretary/.

I have to admit I didn't see that coming.

[Iris]

Now confirmed by whoever is playing the role of Dominic Cummings today.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/ ... fd549d41b0

"We set out a list of shops which could remain open and if the shops are on that list then they are free to sell whatever they have in stock. Obviously provided it’s legal to do so."

[JohnToo]

I agree!

But there are some very grumpy lawyers - supporters of the Tories - who are having a damn good go.

https://e1a359c7-7583-4e55-8088-a1c763d ... ehAd3k9haA

They may be lawyers, and they may be Conservatives, and they may be grumpy, but I agree with a lot of what they say. I think it is undesirable that Ministers are pushing a view that differs from what the law actually says, and presenting their view as if it were the law (that is part of the origin of the distinction between the "letter" and the "spirit" of the law that were talking about earlier). And I think it is very undesirable that the police are seeming to feel it their duty to enforce the will of government rather than the law (the point Lord Sumption was making a week or more ago). One notable previous time when police enforced government will rather than the law was the Miners' Strike, and I don't think any of us here would regard that as a high point of British democracy.

I think we are at a potentially dangerous point in our civic life. Because we all want to be responsible and play our part in getting through the biggest crisis of our generation, we are endorsing both Ministers and the police to take to themselves powers they don't normally have. Time will tell if they give up those powers when the crisis is over.

[LowlifeDes]

We have a government with a large majority in parliament. That is bad for democracy because ministers' have more power and their ideas are more readily translated into poorly worded and ill thought through law.

[Rutabaga]

Social distancing by bicycle.

[JohnToo]

The Box Hill zig-zags have been closed by the police this weekend following, apparently, large accumulations of people there last weekend. Presumably they can do that because it's a private road, owned by the National Trust, not a public highway. But apparently lots of cyclists have been cycling up it anyway.

My normal favourite one-hour-ish cycle is from home up Box Hill and back, but I'd already figured that Box Hill would be a honey pot and switched to the quieter other side of the A24 gap. But yesterday my wife and I cycled past the bottom of the zig-zags on a circular route, in the evening when there weren't many other people around. I tried to make friendly and supportive conversation with a copper we met a bit further along, but he was, understandably enough I guess, a bit grumpy and inclined to tar all cyclists with the same brush. Memo to self: just because you know you are following the rules doesn't mean other people can tell that, and, as ever, the public don't distinguish between responsible and less responsible cyclists.

[LowlifeDes]

Social distancing by bicycle.

Love the bike, and the quality of his work. Not quite so sure about the studied whacky persona though.

[JohnToo]

Social distancing by bicycle.

I seriously admire the engineering skill. But, forgive me my friends, horribly nerdy engineering question coming up: why does he not make the rear triangle an, err, triangle? He's putting a lot of stress on the welds at the top and bottom of the seat tube?

[LowlifeDes]

The steps and chain would probably be too close

[Joan]

[JohnToo]

So, Johnson is going to Chequers to recuperate. Does than not seem a slightly strange decision?

[Iris]

So, Johnson is going to Chequers to recuperate. Does than not seem a slightly strange decision?

He seems to have missed the "second home" memo.

I presume it's a combination of keeping him away from the pit of infection that is Westminster, away from the temptation to work that would be provided in Downing Street, and close to Stoke Mandeville hospital which is perfectly decent and less likely to get overloaded than St Thomas's.

[Joan]

[Mister Paul]

Love the bike, and the quality of his work. Not quite so sure about the studied whacky persona though.

I look forward to his clips. I've warmed to his excited puppy persona. Interesting to see a very brief shot of him throwing a drill in a fit of temper a couple of clips ago. Disappointed to see it, but we're all human.

[Mister Paul]

Rees Mogg's tweet of the year -