I suspect it's something to do with Taskmaster which she's in starting tonight.

[Whilst vaccine escape os a worry, it probably doesn't make much difference what we do in the long run, as there are many other places in the World this could happen.]

We haven't seen one emerge yet, so that would be lower on a list of concerns. They're definitely punting, though.

You'd think they'd be trying to get needles into as many arms as possible, given the vaccine is what they're depending on seeing us through.

Whilst vaccine escape os a worry, it probably doesn't make much difference what we do in the long run, as there are many other places in the World this could happen.

I think there is clearly some degree of punting involved.  There is just a masisve difference in outcomes with small changes in assumptions.  Javed said they hadn't even calculated the expected hospital admissions on radio 4, but suspect this is more to do with him not following the detail rather than the reality of teh situation.  I think it is relatively easy to get from cases to expected admissions, so there doesn't seem any reason to not calculate it.  I think deaths are harder to estimate and estimating long term side affects on our kids from this herd immunity strategy are harder to estimate still.

Other places in the world don't have a 65% vaccinated population for the vaccine to try and adapt to. And that 65% is only adults - children can get it too.

Whilst there may emerge a variant elsewhere in the world which happens to evade the vaccines by chance, it's in this country that it will actively try to do so.

We might get lucky. But with cases as high as they are it's definitely a gamble.

They're just rolling the dice and hoping to get lucky at this point aren't they?

They're creating the perfect scenario for a vaccine evading variant to emerge.

Not to conflate issues but can you imagine the furore if the EU was vaccinating and we werent. The ERG and Farage should be lauded as life savers imo.

Not sure if you are joking in the post, but each EU country can vaccinate as quickly or slowly as they want, they are all doing different approaches as would the UK if it was still in the EU.

Minor tongue in cheek and plenty of ways for the uk to balls this up from here. Your point has some truth but there is a level of EU beaurocracy, setting aside the actual decision making, that ensures they are slower than us. And, i am confident that if it was the other way round it would get tremendous attention from Europhiles that would never knowingly miss an opportuntiy to exclaim how ashamed they are of the UK

But we started our vaccination programme whilst to all intents and purposes still being in the EU.

Not to take away from the fact that on the face of it we have made a great start in allowing vaccine rollout but I don't see what our membership of the EU has to do with it.

Biden now at 1.35 on BF. It was 3.01 at 8am!

It was 4.5 at 3am or so.

Was watching Brillo and tried a bit of CNN.

CNN has great detail reviewing county by county at times with total votes counted, split so far and an insight into the kind of demographic of the county

That guy is an absolute machine. He doesn't stop.

Can get 4.5 for Biden on BF at the mo.

Weird stuff this week anyway. 

Chancellor hands out another £12 billion ...

... while PM loses baton to Burnham for a paltry £5m

and doubles down against popular soccer player on child poverty issue for the sake of £20m

Can't be seen to have lost to a Labour mayor.

Can't be seen to be supporting a Labour motion. Not that Labour should have had an opportunity to raise it as an opposition day motion in the first place.

One good thing to come from it though is my mother was a red wall voting Tory. Said she'll never vote for them again after this.

After areas in the North have spent weeks/months in Tier 2 equivalent restrictions we finally get some mention of support now the rest of the country is catching up: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54639713

It's not just not being able to afford a fine that's the problem.

It's being able to afford it.

With a fixed fine it'll be either:
- Unaffordable, potentially hugely damaging
- Affordable, but still damaging would rather not have it
- Affordable, pay up if caught never mind

It should always be the second really.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-54631524

I wonder what actually transpires in cases like this - payment or jail, payment scheme, family forced to pay, other ? Made me wonder if students should have the right to add this to their student loan

Flat fines are stupid. Should really be somehow means tested.

Before long the entire North will be in tier 3.

Nice North/South divide once more.

Greater Manchester will be placed under stricter coronavirus controls after talks between the Government and civic leaders concluded without an agreement

Does the absence of an agreement (all over +/-£5m apparently on a £60m payment) make any difference to compliance with the measures or not?

Seems to me that both the Government and Burnham are playing political games whilst intensive care units start to get filled. This could have been sorted a week ago.

Not a surprise that the bigger the ego’s the more they both dig their heels in.

No one comes out of this with any credit.

And if Manchester now get less than £60m Burnham will look a bit of a pillock.

See I don't get this point of view. This isn't a game that the govt/Burnham have won or lost. It's about supporting people. Give them the fucking money.

If businesses are forced to close, or people can't afford to put food on the table, etc, etc, then I hardly think the govt can respond "well we'd have given you the money but Burnham wanted more so we decided to give you less instead. Blame him."

Actually no. That's exactly what is going to happen isn't it?

BREAKING: Keir Starmer is calling for a two week circuit break lockdown

eventually some clear ground with the government, right or wrong

Well that's never going to happen now is it? Not a chance this lot to be seen following Labours lead.

His response to the new tier system in parliament was setting up for this. Far more critical and much less we support the measures.

The students have been hard done by yes?

Hardly surprising that you put 2,000+ 18 year olds in a hall of residence and its a petri dish of transmission

Now being isolated for weeks on end is not the end of the world, but paying fees and rent, in some cases to do so is a bit rough let alone the idea that they'll not be able to go home for xmas

why weren't they all told to stay at home and do online learning for term 1? Because arrangements happened to coincide with August's? "go back to work, eat out to help out, schools are back" mini phase that we had? 

This whole thing is awful for students. And the reason is probably for exactly as you say.