Forum Topic

Boris In Hospital

He has been admitted for tests.  Downing St say it is a precautionary measure taken on the advice his doctor.  I do hope he will be ok.🙁

Sue Hammond ● 2410d25 Comments

Not good news. Let's hope he's ok. He didn't look too well when he came out for Thursday evening's NHS clap. It would be better if he let Raab take over and concentrated on his health.

Michael Ixer ● 2410d

I hope so too. Worrying.

David Ainsworth ● 2410d

He looked absolutely dreadful on Thursday.

Sue Hammond ● 2410d

Very worrying indeed.   I thought the Queen was brilliant tonight. 

Ivonne Holliday ● 2410d

I agree Michael, he did not look well at all. But I must admit, and sorry I am being awful, is why did he clap at the door and not from a window?  Just because he must have walked through corridors and stairs that are used by people working there.  The thought that came to my mind, unfortunately, is do as I say and not as I do? I do wish him well thoug.

Ivonne Holliday ● 2410d

Yes, Ivonne, I'm not a great fan of monarchies but at times like these it's useful not having a politician as Head of State. I think she got the tone right but she has had lots of practice. There's the usual spoof news on Facebook about many in the US wanting to rejoin the British Empire, bet they wished Trump would call for unity ...

Michael Ixer ● 2410d

"I'm not a great fan of monarchies.."I'm trying to square it with this report: "Coronavirus: Prince Charles out of self-isolation after fleeing to Scotland"https://www.thenational.scot/news/18344577.coronavirus-prince-charles-self-isolation-fleeing-scotland/

Ed Robinson ● 2410d

I agree Michael, she is truly great.  I am, unlike you, a fan of the monarchy just because they are  above politics and, what is more, a constant force in spite of  all political waves,  I also lived under a republic and, golly, having somebody like Trump as Head of State, no thank you! The Queen has had a lot of practice in many more fields than just giving public announcements.  She is absolutely great.  She does what she is supposed to and does it magnificently. I wish more people recognized her amazing input after all these years.  

Ivonne Holliday ● 2410d

Yes - I think we should send Prince Andrew for the negotiations :)

Ed Robinson ● 2410d

I think Ed, that is below the belt.

Ivonne Holliday ● 2410d

Apologies Ivonne - I was just highlighting the big difference between the monarchy and our monarch (The Queen) - which often get confused.

Ed Robinson ● 2410d

Ah, Ed, I think I see whàt you're getting at, but surely monarchs are an integral part of monarchies? Princes Charles and Andrew are offspring of our current monarch and because of that were supposed to pay them respect not because of what they've achieved but because of an accident of birth. In the case of the Queen she rose to the challenge of gaining respect for her attitude to the position, Charles has tried but Andrew - I'd better not comment on ...

Michael Ixer ● 2410d

We are more likely to become the 51st state.

Jonathan Callaway ● 2410d

Jonathan. What a scary thought for the day! Probably more likely for the UK than Puerto Rico ...

Michael Ixer ● 2410d

The trade negotiations with the US are in the capable hands of Liz-not-to-be-confused-with-Lynne Truss. We’ll be OK. We’ve got the upper hand already just as we have with the EU.

Jonathan Callaway ● 2410d

To be fair, and unlike in the Brexit negotiations, I don't think anyone has yet tried to claim that "We hold all the cards" (my autocorrect tried to change this to "cads", which is quite obviously untrue.

Richard Carter ● 2410d

It’s gone very quiet in the last month or so ever since Coronavirus took off across Europe. So yes you’re probably right in terms of recent explicit statements but the bullish approach taken by the government since the election suggests this sort of delusional thinking is still driving their negotiation strategies.  I hope very much a more sober appraisal of the realities will emerge.

Jonathan Callaway ● 2410d

Apart from any logistical issues with holding trade talks at present, leaders in the UK, EU, US and elsewhere should be focusing on containing the COVID-19 virus and proping up economies. Working on exit strategies, possible treatments, vaccines should be occupying them nearly full time. My estimate is that to return to any sort of normality, whatever "nornal" will be after this, is likely to be a 12-18 month timescale. I'd like to think that was pessimistic and I'm prepared to discuss that. When we do emerge into the "normal" there could be a completely different economic and political scene: which companies and industries will survive - what will recovery or replacement times for, say the aircraft industry, be? - will those companies and industries surviving reassess their supply chains to remove future vulnerabilities; what will be the political scene: will Trump be evicted from the White House, will a racist Hungary get suspended or expelled from the EU? Will China become the world political and economic leader because of its very positive, authoritarian action while Trump dithered and suggested it a hoax? If anyone thinks useful, valid, trade negations can go on against that background please let me know the source of your drug deliveries, think I need some of it!

Michael Ixer ● 2410d

Second guessing what the world will look like once it has emerged from the Coronavirus pandemic is beginning to occupy minds in some of the brainier think tanks.  My feeling is that Europe and the US have suffered and are suffering such grievous economic damage that the shift of power and control to China and other Far Eastern economies will accelerate.  And I agree that full emergence from the pandemic could be 12-18 months off. Full emergence from the economic depression that now looks inevitable will take even longer I fear. China does not view the West in any sort of benign way. They need us as a market for their manufactured goods but they will seek to exploit their economic power ever more openly.  And probably with impunity notwithstanding Trump’s aggressive attempts at pushback. How Russia emerges from this is another unknown. They have been hit by the virus, are doing their best to both conceal the extent of it and control it, with mixed success. The Russian economy will also be further damaged by the collapse in the oil price and they are very dependent on hydrocarbon export revenues. They could well emerge economically much weaker but with Putin looking ever harder for foreign scapegoats. Further military adventures to divert domestic attention may become more likely. I can’t think of a worse time to be severing ties with close neighbours!

Jonathan Callaway ● 2410d

Yes, from an economic viewpoint, the current disarray in the US and the better control in China suggests that a completely free market solution rather than regulated and managed competitiveness isn't the answer (the collapse of the Soviet Union shows the other extreme of a fully managed economy has it's pitfalls in reality). Europe is somewhere in between; I suspect its better coordinated health services may leave it in a strongfer position than the US, but I'm guessing; I suspect the think tanks are as well but hopefully they have significant more experience and knowledge of this than I have as an armchair observer! Yes, Russia is the dark horse, they're obviously hiding a serious, or at least a potentially serious, position with COVID-19, and their economy must have been suffering from sanctions before the oil price fall (although that's also hitting US frackers who I believe have higher fixed costs) although there are still gas sales to Europe, but Russia has also been playing the PR card with aid flights to Italy, Spain and the US - although I think they've said they expect that to be reciprocated when circumstances change? However, someone is still circulating disinformation from the Russian federation: I saw a post from a US source that a Russian report suggested Johnson was on a ventilator. (I don't believe that but I'd already seen speculation in the UK that if he's just having tests could they have waited until Monday morning and avoided him knocking the Queen off the top news spot?) It will be a turbulent and "interesting" decade in the '20s ...

Michael Ixer ● 2410d

Just as well we are ship shape for the coming storm.The UK has got personal debt down and is nolonger reliant on an economy built on a housing price bubble.What we didn't? Oh sh!£!

Ed Robinson ● 2410d

Back to the original topic. Interesting that in today's briefing Raab stated Johnson was still in charge but when pressed confirmed they hadn't spoken since Saturday. (Raab glossed over that until a journalist, I think from the Telegraph, asked specifically if Raab had spoken to Johnson today.) I know Johnson has a reputation for letting others attendend to detail but isn't that a bit "hands-off" at a time like this? 

Michael Ixer ● 2409d

I read somewhere yesterday that the thousands (millions) of face masks ordered from China are not good for purpose.We don't and shouldn't need their rubbish goods.  On the other hand I've also read that Chinese goods are improving.  But never deny that China is taking over an awful lot.  I go to Lanzarote regularly for holidays and all the restaurants are now run by Chinese.  They are not front of house, but have a look at the back …. all Chinese (and I'm not being racist because I really like all the Chinese people I know).  But they have been Westernised for a long time.

Bunny Payne ● 2409d

Reports that Dominic Raab hasn't spoken to Boris since Saturday.This is very bad!Who is at the helm? If no one we are going to be adrift for longer.Boris needs to recover but we need a fully functioning PM until then!

Ed Robinson ● 2409d

Just been announced that Boris has been taken into intensive care.😟

Sue Hammond ● 2409d