The Political Thread

[Gary James]

It was a global pandemic. If it had killed 50% of its victims, WWI would be a historical footnote.

Which is exactly why doing a direct comparison didn't provide the expected warm and fuzzies...

[Professor Bear]

Just to dispel any notion that China hasn't fucked the dog completely in how it's embraced the free market, citizens compulsorily put into quarantine to fight the spread of the Corona virus are being billed for it.

Meanwhile in the US, Nancy Pelosi, that most sainted of centrists, has pledged to introduce legislation to make sure that when a vaccine is developed, it will be... "affordable."

[shaolin_monkey]

Capitalism in action.

[Dandontdare]

Don't  underestimate some Americans willingness to fight and die to deny the possibility of someone curing them for free.

[JayzusB.Christ]

But it's NOT FREE! We'd pay through it through HIGHER TAXES! And if someone can't afford private healthcare, fuck 'em; they shouldn't have decided to be poor in the first place. 

[IndigoPrime]

The polling is terrifying. Americans are now by a small majority in favour of single-payer healthcare. So that barrier at least has now been passed. But the second money enters into the equation, support falls into the 40s. And that includes when they're told "your taxes will go up, but you'll be better off overall". It's utter fucking madness.

I was chatting with some people on Facebook about this, and someone – a Democrat, and quite lefty from a US standpoint – said they shouldn't move to a single-payer system, because many people love their insurance. I found that baffling, but they added US employers may have trouble with employee retention if insurance wasn't a part of the package. It's like Stockholm Syndrome or something. You shouldn't stick with an employer out of fear (hello, also, upcoming bullshit post-Brexit British visa systems for fruit pickers, etc.), but because you have a decent job you like.

She then added that this was even more necessary because most US companies also don't offer things like parental leave, and other benefits. ARGH! THEN. CHANGE. THINGS.

if someone can't afford private healthcare, fuck 'em; they shouldn't have decided to be poor in the first place.

This also is a lot of it. But it's also curious how this exists primarily around health. Americans don't generally have some kind of "fire insurance" system, where only the reasonably wealthy can stop their homes from burning down. (Although then you do see the odd horrifying story like this as well, so...)

[TordelBack]

As our first Covid-19 case is confirmed, I have to wonder about the mental picture 'the authorities' hold of the average person.

We can all work from home, we all have individual rooms in which we can isolate ourselves, we can all cope with schools being closed, we can all stockpile weeks' worth of food, we are all in good health so no need to worry.

It's as if those of us who have to go places to physically do things and rely on our ability to do them to survive week to week or are old, long-term unwell, really don't count as part of modern society. Ripe for the cull.

[Funt Solo]

[flippancy]
Well, every cloud ... Coronavirus: Nasa images show China pollution clear amid slowdown

[JayzusB.Christ]

Dublin City Council bravely fights to keep our city ugly. (The Thin Lizzy one was taken from a design by my late best friend Colin, and done in his memory.)

https://www.thejournal.ie/murals-removals-dublin-city-council-warning-5024646-Mar2020/

[JOE SOAP]

When the Shinners grab the reins of power we'll have murals on every gable end.

[JayzusB.Christ]

I bet Belfast City Council wouldn't have the balls to have any Falls Road murals painted over.

[TordelBack]

Yeah, the tourist board would kneecap them toot-sweet.

It's bloody stupid, almost all the ones cited brighten up a drab environment and are widely appreciated by the inhabitants.

[IndigoPrime]

Three cases in Iceland now, not being reported outside of Iceland for some reason. Reports already about company-wide lockdown/self-isolation. This is a country of a still tiny population, almost all of which is in or around Reykjavik, and where people have no option but to leave their homes for e.g. buying food. Fun times.

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

I bet Belfast City Council wouldn't have the balls to have any Falls Road murals painted over.

Well of course they wouldn't, they paid for them. To be fair, most of the murals of boys in balaclavas holding armalites have now been replaced with more positive images and messages. The only time anyone complained was when they replaced a mural of our most famous alcoholic wife-beater soccer superstar, George Best, with some hippy-dippy nonsense.

[TordelBack]

Not wanting to be Beeny to anyone's Logan, but here are some cheery numbers derived from that 72K-people epidemiological study. "80% get a mild dose not requiring treatment" sounds great until you dig into the other 20%..

If 10,000 people were infected simultaneously in RoI (an infection rate of just 0.2% of the pop, or  say about 1 in 8 people attending the All-Ireland Final) and outcomes followed the global average, we'd need about 500 additional critical care beds. And if infection rates climb to just 1%, that's 2500 beds, 10 patients for every one.

If there's no capacity to properly treat the relatively low percentage that become seriously ill, that 2% mortality rate looks very optimistic. This really emphasises that this thing needs to be delayed and spread out as long as possible, to give the Health Service any chance of coping, or its going to be absolutely brutal on the elderly and compromised.