love* in the time of plague (and by love* i mean brexit* and other dreary matters of uk politics)

The measures are necessary because the alternative is a gigantic spike in unemployment and the collapse of some sectors, but the lack of rent measures is outrageous, particularly when mortgage holidays are already on the table.

Nothing about statutory sick pay either?

so landlords stop paying their mortgages but renters have to keep paying them rent?

"Sunak insisted that an employment support package was on its way, and that he needed to finalise the details first with business and the unions"

£330m doesn't feel like anywhere near enough.

someone is dying and dr sunak is trying to negotiate terms and conditions with them before he agrees to any emergency treatment

The measures are necessary because the alternative is a gigantic spike in unemployment and the collapse of some sectors

this is both true and a key reason why fuck this society at the same time

many more people than previously or than they ever expected are going to be exposed to how fucking evil and completely inadequate the benefits system has become

This is key

No it was a big clanking typo on the BBC website, although £330bn doesn't feel like enough either.

For the first time in any of our lives this is a moment where the government actively NEEDS GDP and economic activity to fall, because the alternative is the spread of the virus, the question is what you do to help it rebound.

More to the point what do you do if this carries on longer than the two or three months projected?

“well Matt that would be unsustainable”

the lack of rent measures is outrageous, particularly when mortgage holidays are already on the table.

Mortgage holidays don't really cost anybody anything aiui. All it means is that if you have a break for hardship, you extend the term of the loan. Start subsidising rent (which is a good idea) and you get to the question of why you aren't also paying towards mortgages.

Some form of UBI is probably the best option here. Stick everyone a couple of grand to use as they see fit.

more chance of them bringing back rationing imo

Republicans are proposing $1000 per person.

Will read this later

Giving this a bump from y'day, it still applies- the coronavirus crisis is no mere recession, not even an institutional failure like 2008-9, but a fundamental crisis of economic organisation that will necessitate a dramatic restructuring of the economy: https://t.co/Et8vAu73ot

— James Meadway (@meadwaj) March 17, 2020

No it was a big clanking typo on the BBC website, although £330bn doesn't feel like enough either.

For the first time in any of our lives this is a moment where the government actively NEEDS GDP and economic activity to fall, because the alternative is the spread of the virus, the question is what you do to help it rebound.

Also worth stressing that the £330bn seems to be for loans, which will start to accrue interest charges after six months.

I guess one of the challenges with stimulating economic activity at the moment is that there's not much you can spend money on, other than rent and grocery deliveries, if you're stuck at home. I guess it's possible that they're timing a stimulus for when we're allowed to leave the house.

do they not advise flu shots for everyone over there? Seems silly.

― silby, Tuesday, 17 March 2020 17:53 (forty-six minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

yes i was puzzled by that when i first read it silby -- they tell me to get a jab every year

but in fact on the gov.uk website theres a list which doesn't include me and they're making a difference between "advised" (e.g. me) and "instructed" (e.g. someone who recently had an actual real heart attack or routinely needs steroid injections for lung stuff)

I suppose the thing is that it isn't really a stimulus because you don't want to stimulate activity now, you want to make sure that when demand does return (and people are going to be fucking desperate to go out and do stuff) the places to spend that money still exist.

Also that can't happen if everyone's lost their job in the meantime.

Still got it:

The government has announced a mortgage holiday for homeowners but it must suspend rents too.

Millions of people rent in the UK.

Suspend rents. Ban evictions. Now.

— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) March 17, 2020

I enjoy looking at the first few replies to these tweets of his and sending them to my Corbyn- and landlord-hating friend to radicalise him.

Corbyn doesn't need a 2nd thought on attacking the fucking tories, Starmer on the other hand, at the moment is trying his best not to offend them.

NEW: Sunak says the Housing Secretary will be making a statement in the coming days "to protect renters in these difficult times"

— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) March 17, 2020

I'm sure jenrick has some real radical proposals and landlords will be shitting it.

This is the calm before the storm, before the surge. And when it comes, and it will come, never will so many ask so much of so few. We will do all that we can to support them.

In years to come, let them say of us when things were at their worst, we were at our best.

leo

"A day like today is not a day for soundbites, but"

xp DONT

The gravest of tones, the bluest of shirts

the actual fuck am i watching from maitlis here

grilling a WHO (pronounced 'who' btw ffs) official as if she was the uk govt

not that ive seen anyone grill the uk govt

setting up these ludicrous questions about the govt daring to take mobile phones off ppl and check their contacts, i mean is this a big worry over there?

wtf

in a stupid parallel universe Jess Phillips is the leader of the opposition now

Of course most landlords will do all they can to help tenants https://t.co/gIkAHjyMoE

— Jess Phillips MP (@jessphillips) March 17, 2020

I can't imagine how grim it would be if someone who was a weak tory lite piece of piss with dodgy funding and garbage politics was LOTO right now!

I hope Starmer is correct and we can platitude our way out of this crisis. https://t.co/UmOJcbL8jj

— Keir Milburn (@KeirMilburn) March 17, 2020

Sigh. Developed a slight dry but persistent cough yesterday and self isolated even though I felt fine. Then developed high fever at 4am today. There is a lot of COVID-19 in Westminster.

— neil_ferguson (@neil_ferguson) March 18, 2020

by my maths, if every mp gets infected, 11.9 of them will die

place your bets

It's not for the likes of us to question the ways of the Almighty

BG if corona drove you back to ilx I for one applaud our pangolin overlords

dropping in occasionally to wish death on powerful people is my vibe rn

shout out to the entire media class

thankful for living in an area of London that's so racist that the Turkish and Pakistani supermarkets are still well stocked. God bless Nigel Farage still

— hussein kesvani (@HKesvani) March 16, 2020

Above all else right now the absolute non-medical priority for the government should be ensuring reliable food supplies to the over-70s and other at-risk groups. Virtually nothing else matters more and I haven't seen any real announcements about it?

Anonymous briefings that Cummings was 'in talks' with Deliveroo and Uber a few days ago is the most I've seen.

Bring back rationing but really. People completely losing the run of themselves and exacerbating the issue for the most vulnerable. My family at home can’t believe this shit, people are still going out to shop but social distancing from others.

there is effectively some levels of *sensible* rationing going on online ordering, it won't let order more than two tinned/tubes of tomato puree.

that's more than I normally use in a week, but it could be worse.

They need to find a way of rationing the delivery slots, not everyone can or should go to the shops right now.

had an email from sainsbury's saying that they would be prioritising deliveries for the elderly and "the disabled". how you prove you're either of these in their online shop i have no idea

I'd a scan of a DWP PIP/pension letter would do, like old folks have scanners of course.

would

give people a few days to start faking those then

yep I don't there is a practicable way of doing it without potential of people feigning oldness/disability to get their orders tbh

Anyone caught doing this to be immediately disabled

a new thread? but literally nothing matters

Reference the six or nothing truly matters

Forensix Oppostion

^

Quite sobering to realise I was literally travelling home from work that day from our office and haven’t been back since.

ForenSix Opposition - Politics in the Soon To Be Former UK in Autumn 2020