I suppose partly against a 300 year credit history of repaying its debts ( eventually)
A newly indyscotland would presumably find it more difficult in world markets without a credit history?
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Do we need a coronavirus thread?
(5710 posts)-
Posted 4 years ago #
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@jss The UKs reputation is/was partly founded on the trust of Scottish financial figures. Scotland has not damaged England's prospects too badly I reckon (!)
Baillie Gifford, Standard Aberdeen etc still do 'a bit' of business despite the exporting of financial jobs to EU.
Having self governance shouldn't preclude doing joint projects. It's not about being mean to England - they'll muddle through. (As will Wales, NI & Gibralter)
Too much of the current regime seems to enjoy threatening Scotland and saying what it can and can't do. I don't know why they bother - if we really are a liability we are better to take care of our half of the island. Would have thought they would be glad we can take responsibility for more 'up here' when they have their plate so full 'down there'.
Establishing the UK Government in Scotland Offices in New Street is maybe just too much government?Posted 4 years ago # -
AFAIK the new Scotland Office HQ mostly just centralised an agglomeration of existing civil servants working for UKGov agencies/departments who were dotted about various other office in Edinburgh. Some controversy surrounds the appointment of a large new contingent of spin doctors, PR merchants and advisers who allegedly have the task of sabotaging attempts at Scottish self-determination. Apparently there is also a secure "situation room" in the new building, presumably for when Scots decide they canna take it any more.
Posted 4 years ago # -
@crowriver - a good clarification. Rumour was that they wanted the cabinet to have at least one meeting in each of the constituent parts of the UK.
Meanwhile with the Rona. Turns out that millionaires aren't actually members of the public.
A MULTI-MILLIONAIRE Tory donor travelled around 580 miles from his London home to his Aberdeenshire estate while the UK was under a strict coronavirus lockdown, The National can reveal.
Christopher Moran, who owns the 48,000-acre Cabrach and Glenfiddich Estate, made the trip around December 27, after the whole of mainland Scotland had been placed onto the highest level 4 Covid restrictions.
London, where Moran lives in Crosby Hall, a 15th-century Tudor manor on the banks of the Thames, went into tier 4 “stay at home” lockdown six days before Christmas.
It is understood that while on his Scottish estate Moran then broke guidance further by mixing with more than one household. However, police attended and decided no action was required.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Roughly one in 30 people in Stranraer currently has Covid: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-55576308
Posted 4 years ago # -
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“Imagine one person to stand up and say they have heard the call, they will donate $5bn,” he told the Guardian. “We are trying to unlock the private sector. There are more billionaires in the US than we have ever had before, and many billionaires are successful because of Covid.”“
Posted 4 years ago # -
@frenchy: one in 15 in some boroughs of London. Six hospitals full, Mayor Khan has just declared a major incident.
The next month or two are going to be horrendous. Can only hope that the vaccine rollout speeds up dramatically.
Posted 4 years ago # -
is it still ok to not feel ok ?
the narrative seems to have moved on
vaccine optimism etc
Posted 4 years ago # -
I haven't heard or seen any mention of the Nightingale hospitals about which much noise was made when they were put in place during lockdown #1. Are they just being treated as part of the existing capacity (that's close to being exceeded) in lockdown #2 or are they no longer available for some reason?
Posted 4 years ago # -
I don't think they were ever much more than PR - the NHS runs with a deficit of staff so, although the infrastructure could be provided there was a real questionmark over whether they could be actually be put into use.
Recent news reports about being repurposed into vaccination centres suggested that the ITU equipment had been redeployed. I don't think the kit was wasted, just unpacked early prior to going to a real hospital to be used! (Latter is my interpretation...)
Robert
Posted 4 years ago # -
Covid: Women on exercise trip 'surrounded by police'
Two women have described how they were surrounded by police, read their rights and fined £200 each after driving five miles to take a walk.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-55560814
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Perfectly legal up here of course...
Posted 4 years ago # -
And not actually illegal "down there" either.
Guidance issued by the Cabinet Office states that people can leave their homes for exercise but should not travel outside their "local area".
However, the actual legislation does not specify a maximum distance that people are allowed to travel for exercise.
...
The BBC contacted the Cabinet Office, Home Office, College of Policing and National Police Chiefs' Council to ask for clarification over what they define as "local area" in relation to exercise. None could clarify this.
Yet again, sloppy thinking and slipshod communication creates confusion and antagonism.
Funny how it's once again Derbyshire police who seem to be at the forefront of this [over?] zealous approach.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Not "illegal" but not explicitly "legal" either. As the article says, police will use their own discretion.
Is driving five miles still "local" exercise? Probably not, especially given the "stay at home" message. Scottish government made an explicit exemption of (driving) five miles outside local council area for exercise but only when moving to "Levels" rather than spring "lockdown". Given the spread of "new variant" Covid, is the five miles outside local council area exemption still sensible or proportionate?
Posted 4 years ago # -
What never really gets mentioned is that the coronavirus restrictions represent a fundamental change in legislative practice in the UK. The usual assumption in the UK is that you can do anything, unless restricted by statute. The coronavirus regulations turn that on its head. They make it an offence to leave your home and then list a number of reasonable excuses that can be used as a defence against prosecution for that offence.
These "excuses" have to be broad enough to apply across Scotland's geography and account for most people's circumstances, while still being legally robust. They also had to be drafted at unheard of speed, by people working at home and then subject to almost weekly review - all while the same people were trying to patch up the hole in the statute book caused by Brexit.
It's amazing that they exist at all and I would cut the drafters, politicians and authorities some serious slack in how they were created and implemented.
Posted 4 years ago # -
@crowriver: we can legally go for a walk or cycle with our 11-year old, but cannot bring the 15-year old unless one of the parents stays behind
Sorry to bring this up again after thinking it had been put to bed a couple of days ago, but on reading https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/ I actually think you can exercise as a complete family. Under "Meeting others outdoors and in indoor public places" it clearly states:
The members of an individual or extended household can meet outdoors for sport, exercise or social interaction.
I hereby unreservedly withdraw my half-formed suspicions about the groups of more then two adults we encountered during our walk the other day.
Posted 4 years ago # -
@ejstubbs, would seem to contradict this:
"local outdoor informal exercise such as walking, cycling, golf, or running (in groups of up to 2 people, plus any children under 12, from no more than 2 households) "
My kids don't seem keen to go out much anyway just now, so the exercising in a group of four thing is largely theoretical for our family at this point.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Sometimes being an antisocial introvert has its advantages. I ride my bike to get away from people :)
Posted 4 years ago # -
File this under "No sh1t Sherlock"...
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The Scottish government has said it is concerned that too many people have not been following the "stay at home" rules that are in place across the whole of the mainland and some islands. It believes that more people are using the country's road and public transport networks than during the lockdown last spring. And it has warned that tougher restrictions could be needed to increase compliance with the travel restrictions.
Ms Sturgeon told her daily briefing that the areas being looked at included non-essential click and collect shopping, further restrictions on takeaway food, non-essential construction and whether more people should be working from home.
Posted 4 years ago # -
I'm wondering if semi-rural outlying parts of Edina had heavy snowfall last night? We had a very light sprinkling which quickly disappeared, but today I spotted a couple of parked cars with large amounts of snow on their roofs/bonnets, some of which fell off onto the street.
Doubtless key workers who work nights somewhere where there has been lots of snow...
Posted 4 years ago # -
We had about 2" of fluffy snow overnight in Fairmilehead last night. Didn't take much effort to clear the pavement or our driveways & steps, and definitely not sufficiently cohesive for a decent snowman. Seemed to be keeping the wains with their sledges happy in Fairmilehead Park, though, when I dondered through that way to pick up my prescription at Buckstone shops (he said, suddenly realising what an old crock that makes him sound).
I would note that the snow on the car was frozen quite firmly in place and took a bit of shifting - more than just the soft yard brush. Suspect that glass & metal chill below freezing quicker than grass/tarmac/monobloc.
Posted 4 years ago # -
@crowriver, the snow fell but then it also froze. So branches and the like retained the snow. It was. Goddam Narnia winter wonderland
Posted 4 years ago # -
@crowriver: I'm not sure it is contradictory, though it could have been worded better. What it says is:
Up to 2 people from 2 separate households can meet outdoors for sport, exercise or social interaction.
Children under 12 do not count towards households or numbers when meeting outside.
Children under 12 do not need to maintain physical distance from others indoors or outdoors.
The members of an individual or extended household can meet outdoors for sport, exercise or social interaction.
As I read it, the final paragraph says that the preceding rules don't apply if everyone is from the same household. Otherwise there's no point in it being there (other than, potentially, to cause confusion.)
IMO it's still miles better than the waffly mess in England where, for example, no-one knows what "local area" means and a certain police force seems to have taken it upon themselves to choose and then try to enforce their own interpretation as law.
Posted 4 years ago # -
“
Children's mental health referrals hit record high as lockdowns and school closures bite
Royal College of Psychiatrists says situation threatens crisis that could plague children’s mental health for years to come
“
Posted 4 years ago # -
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Primary schools in England still 'rammed' with pupils, say heads
Warnings that schools may have to stay closed for longer, as more parents claim key worker status
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Headteachers have complained about their schools “rammed” with pupils and of parents making implausible claims of being eligible “critical workers”. One headteacher reported that a parent whose job was a dog-walker claimed to qualify as a key worker because many of the dogs’ owners were NHS staff.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Covid-19: UK sees highest daily toll of 1,325 deaths
A further 1,325 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test - the biggest figure reported in a single day since the pandemic began. It means there have been just short of 80,000 deaths by that measure - as another 68,053 new cases were recorded. Public Health England (PHE) said the number of deaths would "continue to rise until we stop the spread".
Posted 4 years ago # -
@crowriver: Covid: Women on exercise trip 'surrounded by police'
Derbyshire police are now basically admitting that they got it wrong:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-55594244
https://www.derbyshire.police.uk/news/derbyshire/news/news/forcewide/2021/january/force-welcomes-new-guidance-from-npcc-around-about-travelling-during-lockdown/ The "4Es" guidance has been around since at least June last year, though. Do Derbyshire Police have a particularly full inbox?As to what the women in the BBC article did being perfectly legal in Scotland: Google Maps says that the car park that the women drove to is 5.2 miles by road from the border between North West Leicestershire and South Derbyshire so (depending on whether the Scottish 5 mile rule is meant to be interpreted as by road or as-the-crow-flies) they could actually have been in direct breach of the law (by 0.2 of a mile) if the same regulation applied in England.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Grim news roundup:
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Covid in Scotland: Tesco staff 'devastated' at deaths of two colleagues
Staff at a Tesco superstore are mourning two colleagues who died after contracting Covid-19. The supermarket chain confirmed the deaths of two employees at its Greenock branch in Inverclyde. A spokesperson said: "Our thoughts are with their families and we are supporting our store colleagues at this difficult time."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/55602866
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Covid: Surgery suspended as Dumfries and Galloway cases surge
A "massive surge" of Covid cases in Dumfries and Galloway has prompted the suspension of some surgery at the region's hospitals. Health officials said they had made the "very difficult decision" to halt some elective operations.
The number of Covid cases has risen sharply in the region with many of them the new, more transmissible strain. NHS Dumfries and Galloway said it was facing a challenge "unlike anything we have confronted to date". The health board said the number of cases had multiplied more than six times in a single week with nearly 90% of them a new, more highly transmissible strain - compared with a national average of about 54%.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-55591910
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Covid in Scotland: Police warn against lockdown protest
People are being urged to stay away from a Covid lockdown demonstration in Edinburgh. Police Scotland said the event planned for Monday was not permitted under the current level four restrictions. The Scotland Against Lockdown group plans to march from Holyrood to the first minister's Bute House residence to protest against restrictions.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-55601318
Posted 4 years ago # -
@ejstubbs, while I'm sure the two women in question feel rather aggrieved at the steep fines levied, reckon the police were correct to surmise they were "at it", i.e. not respecting the spirit of "stay at home". Two people each separately drive a 10.4 mile round trip just to take a walk, for goodness' sake. I do wonder whether the widespread publicity given to this case will encourage all manner of "enthusiastic exercisers" to chance their arms on driving distances to go for a walk.
EDIT: - according to Gogol Maps, it's 7.4 miles from Ashby-de-la-Zouch to Foremark Reservoir by road. So that's a 15 mile round trip then. Each in single occupancy motor vehicles. I hereby pronounce these two friends to be "at it". Case closed.
Posted 4 years ago # -
@crowriver: Scottish government made an explicit exemption of (driving) five miles outside local council area for exercise but only when moving to "Levels" rather than spring "lockdown".
It's still present in the latest version of the regulations, specifically in amendment 10 dated 5th Jan: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2021/1/regulation/4/made - see section 18(2)(t)(ii)(bb) [note that this section is not changed by the later amendment 11 dated 8th Jan]
Note also section 18(2)(t)(iii)(bb) which allows outdoor exercise or recreation to be undertaken "with members of that person’s household".
Posted 4 years ago # -
@ejstubbs, I'm aware of that. Whilst it's doubtless handy for us "keen cyclists", I do wonder if it's somewhat too lenient an exception in the current circumstances? Maybe otherwise law abiding Scottish drivers can be relied upon to do the right thing and follow the rules, rather than bending or breaking them. You know, like they always do...
Posted 4 years ago #
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