Coronavirus Super Thread ( merged )

[pablo]

27 minutes ago, Mr Brightside said:

It’s not the extra 1% that will be the issue it’s the threshold for the 40% tax kicking in. The threshold is quite a bit lower in Scotland and means someone on £40-50k pays around £2k (figures not accurate would need to check) more tax than an English colleague.

 

 Worth remembering that this is yet another area of abject failure by the SNP.

 

Despite raising taxes at the higher end, they are actually collecting less income tax than before.

 

And despite receiving more block grant than ever before, have cut council budgets and removed the 3% council tax increase cap, so expect huge increases here. 

 

They have set aside money for fictional referendums and foreign spending. Which is obviously not their responsibility. 

 

Meanwhile they make demands on the Treasury for all sorts of additional funding, seeking first and foremost political gain.

[Lord Montpelier]

9 hours ago, Brighton Jambo said:

1.  They aren’t universally unpopular.  There are plenty of people, usually middle class, wealthy people who can comfortably work from home in their nice houses who quite welcome some of these restrictions.  No financial hardship or wintery commute for them.  There are also her supporters who like being able to position her as decisive and taking action even if a lot of todays changes make no sense.  

 

2.  From the beginning she has positioned herself as super cautious.  It’s her go to strategy, not least because it exposes Boris’ dithering, and she can’t be seen to change course now.  Wales announce sports grounds closures, within a day so do we.  She’s is trying to portray consistency of approach. That’s political.

 

3.  Not political and actually not intended as a criticism but I think she is broken from what happened in early 2020.  The deaths, the care homes etc and I think understandably she is now absolutely paranoid of a repeat.  That’s genuinely not a dig at her I think many of the leaders feel that way.  

Either way she has spent so much political capital through her approach that she’s done.  She may hang on for a year or two but she’s done and any notion she could lead Scotland to a successful independence vote is for the birds.  In my opinion she just never leaned to pivot her strategy.  Whereas cautious and hard measures were popular in late 2020, when her popularity was soaring, now they seem like someone with only one trick to play, they don’t seem based on the data and frankly, and to her credit it’s doesn’t often happen,  she has totally misjudged the mood of the majority of the country.  
 

And before anyone says it that clown Boris will be lucky to last a month or two.  If sturgeons done, he’s treble super cooked done. 

Good points

 

Your point 3 is interesting and extends into psychology of leadership. I think a lot of leaders from Q1 2020 carry a guilt complex for some of the decisions they did / did not take. 

 

In Scotland this manifests in Stugeons super cautious approach and need to control and be seen to control everything as a way for her to mentally make up for mistakes. Ultimately she's a politician and will have one eye on very damaging enquiries. You can see the line now "yes I put Covid patients into care homes but look at my big list of all the things I did after that to keep people safe". 

 

Personal view is all leaders from this period now carry significant mental baggage. They need to be replaced with untainted fresh leaders who will focus solely on economic and social recovery, hopefully working collaboratively across borders . Unfortunately in Scotland, as Sturgeon has deliberately surrounded herself with people who don't have any personality or independent opinion - bag carriers if you like - , the candidates are sparce.  

[indianajones]

1 hour ago, Lord BJ said:

Israel now to roll out 4th jab to over 60’s.

 

Probably a good chance that booster number 5 (when it arrives) will end up being a omicron specific vaccine I suspect.  

The levels of projection on this thread is mental, this combined with numerous posters believing they have psychic  ability to know what others think better than the others has made for some epic reading. 
 

@The Mighty Thor how was the panto? We were due to go Boxing Day as it’s a family tradition, well was pre COVID, but that ain’t happening. Can’t lie pretty disappointed as I love the damn thing. 

 

 

Do you not think that a 5th specifically for omicron will be a waste of time giving how quickly its spreading? 

 

Honestly suspect we'll be on virus Zeta by then. 

[theshed]

59 minutes ago, escobri said:

Boris has just eased slightly the isolation time down south, with cases hopefully levelling off and possibly getting ready to decline 🙏, if he holds off on new restrictions it could make nippy and that Welsh weirdo look they've jumped the gun. Possible master stroke by Boris? 

Fingers crossed 

[Dazo]

1 hour ago, The Mighty Thor said:

£37,500 in the rUK and £31,500 in Scotland. Again though the poster would have to be earning a very large salary to pay thousands extra as the HR tax band is only on earnings above the threshold. 

Isn’t as much as you think. £70k salary in Scotland you’ll take home nearly £2k less. 

[Ray Gin]

1 hour ago, Dazo said:

Not shocked by this mornings read. The mocking and judgement continues by the usual crowd despite not living in other peoples shoes. The restrictions no matter how little they appear to you may have major implications in other peoples lives. Is your wife waiting on cancer treatment or an operation  ? Do you have a child suffering from mental health ? Do you have elderly family that are struggling at this time of year ?  Are you trying to run a business during the pandemic ? Just some of the things that can make little changes have big implications. If restrictions have little impact on your life then that’s great, maybe not the same for everyone though. 
 

Carry on mocking though. 👍

 

Have these posts been deleted or did you just imagine them?

[theshed]

1 hour ago, Dazo said:

Not shocked by this mornings read. The mocking and judgement continues by the usual crowd despite not living in other peoples shoes. The restrictions no matter how little they appear to you may have major implications in other peoples lives. Is your wife waiting on cancer treatment or an operation  ? Do you have a child suffering from mental health ? Do you have elderly family that are struggling at this time of year ?  Are you trying to run a business during the pandemic ? Just some of the things that can make little changes have big implications. If restrictions have little impact on your life then that’s great, maybe not the same for everyone though. 
 

Carry on mocking though. 👍

Good post 

 

Been saying for ages the people who are happy with all this shit are the ones it doesn’t affect in the slightest 
 

 

[Ray Gin]

I've not met a single person who has been happy that covid-19 entered our lives.

 

[Ray Gin]

54 minutes ago, Dennis Denuto said:

What are the restrictions on outdoor events?

 

50% capacity, vaccine passport must be shown.

[Bongo 1874]

Just now, indianajones said:

 

Do you not think that a 5th specifically for omicron will be a waste of time giving how quickly its spreading? 

 

Honestly suspect we'll be on virus Zeta by then. 

Nasal vaccination will be the way to go, 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-59751702

 

 

[Guest]

"Would you say you're white Scottish sir?"

 

Eh what's the options?

 

"White English or White - Other British"

 

Why do you need to know that?

 

"Oh dont ask [chuckle]"

 

 

 

Id love to know the medical significance of these questions

 

 

Edited December 22, 2021 by Jonkel Hoon

[Captain Lithuania]

I’m going to get my booster at the Royal Highland Centre this evening. Has anyone else been this week in the evening (around 17:30)? I don’t do queues and I’d love to know ahead of time if I’m going to have to cope with that.  

[Taffin]

Good to see the positive decision making of reducing isolation from 10 days to 7 days if testing negative on days 6 and 7.

 

Should hugely help with the impact on the workforce.

 

[henryheart]

9 hours ago, Brighton Jambo said:

I don’t think the party is agitating for her removal.  I think that she will look at the independence polling both in terms of yes/no but more pertinently how many Scot’s actually believe it’s a priority, look at her own popularity ratings, both of which have fallen significantly in a year and think to herself I have done enough.  
 

She knows there no realistic route to a second indyref so rather than carry on and risk having the party faithful turn on her I think she will step down on her terms while her stock is still relatively high and take a lucrative job with the UN or some other similar global organisation.  

 

The party is not agitating for her removal because it is comfortable for her to be there with no real challenge from the opposition parties or from within. The latter may be down to the current crisis, because like it or not she will always be strongly associated with a horrible time in our lives that we will all wish to forget and for that one simple reason she is dead in the water once the we are back to normal. This may well be the case for all political leaders wherever they are, and whoever is the First Minister while this crisis goes on would face the same issue. At the same time the everlasting image of her standing up, arms folded, sneering and rolling her eyes as she condescendingly puts down anyone who questions her will not help.    

[Harry Potter]

38 minutes ago, Dazo said:

Isn’t as much as you think. £70k salary in Scotland you’ll take home nearly £2k less. 

Only smoked salmon once a week then, nightmare.🤕.

[Ray Gin]

Wales are set to fine people £60 for going into the office for work that could be done at home. Employers will be fined £1k if they ask their staff to travel to work, with £10k fines for repeat offenders.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/welsh-government-introduces-outrageous-60-201801900.html

 

 

[Taffin]

7 minutes ago, Harry Potter said:

Only smoked salmon once a week then, nightmare.🤕.

 

I know, right. I'd be delighted to pay whatever Scotland's taxation is, and more in exchange for a 70k salary.

[milky_26]

2 minutes ago, Ray Gin said:

Wales are set to fine people £60 for going into the office for work that could be done at home. Employers will be fined £1k if they ask their staff to travel to work, with £10k fines for repeat offenders.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/welsh-government-introduces-outrageous-60-201801900.html

 

 

How can they determine if it t is needlessly. What if someone for their mental health are better being in their office?

[Lord Montpelier]

6 minutes ago, Ray Gin said:

Wales are set to fine people £60 for going into the office for work that could be done at home. Employers will be fined £1k if they ask their staff to travel to work, with £10k fines for repeat offenders.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/welsh-government-introduces-outrageous-60-201801900.html

 

 

Almost two years in to this and leaders are resorting to this sort of horse shit?

 

What a time to be alive. 

[JudyJudyJudy]

1 hour ago, Dazo said:

Not shocked by this mornings read. The mocking and judgement continues by the usual crowd despite not living in other peoples shoes. The restrictions no matter how little they appear to you may have major implications in other peoples lives. Is your wife waiting on cancer treatment or an operation  ? Do you have a child suffering from mental health ? Do you have elderly family that are struggling at this time of year ?  Are you trying to run a business during the pandemic ? Just some of the things that can make little changes have big implications. If restrictions have little impact on your life then that’s great, maybe not the same for everyone though. 
 

Carry on mocking though. 👍

That’s what disgusts me . The uncaring mind myself attitude of some As Long as it doesn’t impact on them they don’t give a deck . 

55 minutes ago, theshed said:

Good post 

 

Been saying for ages the people who are happy with all this shit are the ones it doesn’t affect in the slightest 
 

 

Exactly . It is . 

51 minutes ago, Ray Gin said:

I've not met a single person who has been happy that covid-19 entered our lives.

 

We are talking about people on this not those passed the forth wall 😎

[Dazo]

17 minutes ago, Harry Potter said:

Only smoked salmon once a week then, nightmare.🤕.

Twice if you go to Aldi. 😂

 

I was only making the point you don’t need to earn the £250k quoted to pay thousands more in tax. Regardless and without getting into an earnings debate £70k isn’t that much to live in Edinburgh. 

[JudyJudyJudy]

[Taffin]

14 minutes ago, Lord Montpelier said:

Almost two years in to this and leaders are resorting to this sort of horse shit?

 

What a time to be alive. 

 

What sort of person goes into the office unless they need to?!? 

 

If you can work from home from a job, mental health, home office set up, why wouldn't you? Anyone going in during a pandemic will be because they either feel they need to, or because their employer is making them. Fining folk is daft.

 

Guessing the 'I forgot, I'm kicking myself' line won't cut it in Wales as an excuse.

[Ray Gin]

understanding why measures are necessary does not equal being happy about those measures being necessary

 

Some people seem to be struggling a bit with this concept but there is a very clear distinction between the two. I can't imagine that there is anyone on here who falls into the latter category. 

[Dazo]

5 minutes ago, Taffin said:

 

What sort of person goes into the office unless they need to?!? 

 

If you can work from home from a job, mental health, home office set up, why wouldn't you? Anyone going in during a pandemic will be because they either feel they need to, or because their employer is making them. Fining folk is daft.

 

Guessing the 'I forgot, I'm kicking myself' line won't cut it in Wales as an excuse.

To be fair if you are a single person or partner of someone who isn’t at home during the day it can be very lonely. I can understand that some people want to go into work. For some people work is the only interaction they get with other people. 

[Taffin]

Just now, Ray Gin said:

understanding why measures are necessary does not equal being happy about those measures being necessary

 

Some people seem to be struggling a bit with this concept but there is a very clear distinction between the two. I can't imagine that there is anyone on here who falls into the latter category. 

 

Surely if you think something is necessary; you would therefore be happy with it's introduction? Ergo you're happy about it.

 

You can be unhappy we're in a situation that requires certain measures but on the measures themselves if you see them a necessary to extricate ourselves from the situation you must surely be happy about those restrictions themselves?

 

I don't see the clear distinction if I'm honest Ray. Not looking for a bun fight though so happy to agree to disagree.

 

 

 

[Ray Gin]

Just now, Taffin said:

 

Surely if you think something is necessary; you would therefore be happy with it's introduction? Ergo you're happy about it.

 

You can be unhappy we're in a situation that requires certain measures but on the measures themselves if you see them a necessary to extricate ourselves from the situation you must surely be happy about those restrictions themselves?

 

I don't see the clear distinction if I'm honest Ray. Not looking for a bun fight though so happy to agree to disagree.

 

 

 

 

Understanding the necessity for something doesn't make you happy about the situation.

 

[Savage Vince]

22 minutes ago, JamesM48 said:

That’s what disgusts me . The uncaring mind myself attitude of some As Long as it doesn’t impact on them they don’t give a deck . 

 

😎

 

I just about choked on my cornflakes reading this. 

 

From you of all people. 

 

If you really are disgusted, and I doubt even you could disgust yourself, then ****ing diddums, you narcissistic shambles. 

Edited December 22, 2021 by Savage Vince

[Taffin]

2 minutes ago, Dazo said:

To be fair if you are a single person or partner of someone who isn’t at home during the day it can be very lonely. I can understand that some people want to go into work. For some people work is the only interaction they get with other people. 

 

Absolutely agree, in which case it's needed for their mental well-being, nd fining them is ridiculous.

 

I'm in the office today actually for largely that reason.

[Dazo]

1 minute ago, Taffin said:

 

Absolutely agree, in which case it's needed for their mental well-being, nd fining them is ridiculous.

 

I'm in the office today actually for largely that reason.

It’s cruelty and almost humane to stop some people going into work. I understand it’s hard to police and there will always be chancers but it really isn’t on. The vast majority would be sensible anyway so the reality of the rule is doing more damage than good. 

[Francis Albert]

9 minutes ago, Dazo said:

To be fair if you are a single person or partner of someone who isn’t at home during the day it can be very lonely. I can understand that some people want to go into work. For some people work is the only interaction they get with other people. 

Or in some cases if you are a partner of someone who is at home all day you might want to get out occasionally! Not speaking personally of course!

 

 

[manaliveits105]

2 hours ago, pablo said:

 

 Worth remembering that this is yet another area of abject failure by the SNP.

 

Despite raising taxes at the higher end, they are actually collecting less income tax than before.

 

And despite receiving more block grant than ever before, have cut council budgets and removed the 3% council tax increase cap, so expect huge increases here. 

 

They have set aside money for fictional referendums and foreign spending. Which is obviously not their responsibility. 

 

Meanwhile they make demands on the Treasury for all sorts of additional funding, seeking first and foremost political gain.

[Francis Albert]

22 minutes ago, Savage Vince said:

 

I just about choked on my cornflakes reading this. 

 

From you of all people. 

 

If you really are disgusted, and I doubt even you could disgust yourself, then ****ing diddums, you narcissistic shambles. 

You sound ... Disgusted?

[Savage Vince]

6 minutes ago, Francis Albert said:

You sound ... Disgusted?

 

I think I was for a bit. 

[Savage Vince]

24 minutes ago, Francis Albert said:

Or in some cases if you are a partner of someone who is at home all day you might want to get out occasionally! Not speaking personally of course!

 

 

 

Go for a walk then. Or to many of places that's open. 

[Dazo]

Just now, Savage Vince said:

 

I think I was for a bit. 

Try coco pops Vince. 

[Savage Vince]

Just now, Dazo said:

Try coco pops Vince. 

 

😁

[Harry Potter]

56 minutes ago, Dazo said:

Twice if you go to Aldi. 😂

 

I was only making the point you don’t need to earn the £250k quoted to pay thousands more in tax. Regardless and without getting into an earnings debate £70k isn’t that much to live in Edinburgh. 

70000 is a very high wage, regardless of living in Edinburgh, think of the poor sods on min wage, or as the politicians 

put it, a living wage, opps im sounding very labour here, lol.

 

[The Mighty Thor]

2 hours ago, Dazo said:

Isn’t as much as you think. £70k salary in Scotland you’ll take home nearly £2k less. 

to a point you're right.

 

70K in England you'd pay 15428 in IT and in Scotland it would be 17175 a difference of 1747

80k would be 19428 v 21275

90k would be 23428 v 25375

 

like I said if you're earning that much and the income tax burden i8s that much to make you move country then you should probably go self-assessment and speak to a Tax advisor

 

Edited December 22, 2021 by The Mighty Thor

[i8hibsh]

Another action-packed day ahead for the covid cheerleaders.  Fanatically, and in awe of the TV screen infront of them, desperately waiting for the next command and chain link to their shackles.

Meanwhile, healthy people up and down the country are having their livelihoods, freedoms and lives stolen from them.

 

I wonder how many decent people will make that horrendous and final decision today to end their life?  I wonder how many children will go another day of being deprived the type of childhood that came to those before.  I wonder how many more healthy people will occupy hospitals and doctors surgeries ahead of those in desperate need?

 

I also wonder how much more people’s state of mind will deteriorate today and how many more people will fall deeper and more reliant on substances and alcohol to get them through.

All I have now is just pure hatred for all those cheerleaders and the reptiles who are enforcing all this madness.  Shame on every last one of you.  I only hope that karma will strike – the blood and misery is not on the hands of covid, it is on the hands of you all!

 

Almost every reason these reptiles have chosen to put the shutters down on our lives is out-trumped 100 fold by the misery their actions are causing.

Edited December 22, 2021 by i8hibsh

[Byyy The Light]

49 minutes ago, Taffin said:

 

What sort of person goes into the office unless they need to?!? 

 

If you can work from home from a job, mental health, home office set up, why wouldn't you? Anyone going in during a pandemic will be because they either feel they need to, or because their employer is making them. Fining folk is daft.

 

Guessing the 'I forgot, I'm kicking myself' line won't cut it in Wales as an excuse.

 

I run a small business, I have staff who are holed up in 1 bedroom tenement flats, working from their kitchen table or a desk set up in their bedroom literally going out their minds.  They've been panicking for the last 2 weeks about being told to stay home and work.

 

I'm lucky that I have a house with a garden I could escape to, I hated working from home too.  I like to distinguish my work and home life and there is absolutely no substitute for being around people, working on something together and getting that buzz.  Productivity wise there's no comparison.  I'm not necessarily talking about self motivation, I'm talking about the 2 min conversations and things that happen on the fly that you just can't recreate over Zoom.

 

Everyone has their different outlook on it and experiences but for me, going in to the office wins every time.

 

 

[manaliveits105]

9 minutes ago, The Mighty Thor said:

to a point you're right.

 

70K in England you'd pay 15428 in IT and in Scotland it would be 17175 a difference of 1747

80k would be 19428 v 21275

90k would be 23428 v 25375

 

like I said if you're earning that much and the income tax burden i8s that much to make you move country then you should probably go self-assessment and speak to a Tax advisor

 

At least the Scottish Government sneaked through a couple of grand pay increase for themselves yesterday to help 

[Francis Albert]

19 minutes ago, Savage Vince said:

 

Go for a walk then. Or to many of places that's open. 

I thought the premise was that I had to work from home?

[Dazo]

6 minutes ago, The Mighty Thor said:

to a point you're right.

 

70K in England you'd pay 15428 in IT and in Scotland it would be 17175 a difference of 1747

80k would be 19428 v 21275

90k would be 23428 v 25375

 

like I said if you're earning that much and the income tax burden i8s that much to make you move country then you should probably go self-assessment and speak to a Tax advisor

 

 

The extra tax soon adds up if 2 people in the household are earning that sort of money. I think it’s fair to ask what we(Scotland) are actually getting for that extra. To me what someone earns isn’t the point. I wasn’t really getting involved in the whole moving country thing. 😂

Anyway WAY off topic. 👍

[Savage Vince]

1 minute ago, Francis Albert said:

I thought the premise was that I had to work from home?

 

Well stay at home and get on with your ****ing work then. 🙄

[i8hibsh]

4 minutes ago, manaliveits105 said:

At least the Scottish Government sneaked through a couple of grand pay increase for themselves yesterday to help 

 

 

I would trust sending money to a 'Nigerian King' that just randomly sent me a lovely email before giving 1p to those invertebrates at the Scottish government.

Edited December 22, 2021 by i8hibsh

[i8hibsh]

3 minutes ago, Dazo said:

 

The extra tax soon adds up if 2 people in the household are earning that sort of money. I think it’s fair to ask what we(Scotland) are actually getting for that extra. To me what someone earns isn’t the point. I wasn’t really getting involved in the whole moving country thing. 😂

Anyway WAY off topic. 👍

 

 

We pay more so the SG invertebrates can throw around the word 'free' to impressionable voters.

[Malinga the Swinga]

6 minutes ago, manaliveits105 said:

At least the Scottish Government sneaked through a couple of grand pay increase for themselves yesterday to help 

They deserve it. Can't be easy agreeing every suggestion that Peter Murrell comes up with.

I'm sure it's with a heavy heart though, and they were thinking big others whilst they voted it through.

[Francis Albert]

The fact that raising taxes does not necessarily increase  the amount of tax raised was very predictable and indeed widely predicted. California is a classic example. It has very high state taxes while neighbouring states have very low and in some cases no state income tax. Result is many businesses are moving out to states like Arizona and Texas. With lower tax income California  has to increase its tax rates further or cut spending or both. 

Edited December 22, 2021 by Francis Albert

[Malinga the Swinga]

1 hour ago, Lord Montpelier said:

Almost two years in to this and leaders are resorting to this sort of horse shit?

 

What a time to be alive. 

They'll be fining us for talking to our neighbours next. 

Get back in your house, open your windows and shout through to each other, but only for 1 minute a day.

Drakeford competing well with Sturgeon and has raised bar with this. I'm sure Sturgeon will think up something though, she won't like being upstaged.