For help, advice and discussion about stuff not related to aviation. Play nice: no religion, no politics and no axe grinding please.
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By MikeE
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1846702
I'm surprised there is a little criticism already when the public inquiry's composition and terms of reference are yet to be decided. I have been involved in a number of government (health) inquiries (including Shipman) and I considered them to be highly effective as well as highly independent. And highly expensive!

The real problem with inquiries of all shapes and sizes is implementation of the recommendations even when accepted by the Government. It is failure to implement the recommendations effectively that leads to history repeating itself - and those who fail to learn the lessons of history are forced to relive them.

Personally I am not in favour of public inquiries - at least where all the evidence is given in public. The problem is that people who fear criticism, justified or otherwise, will be attending with their lawyers. If part of the hearing is in private, where people can give evidence without fear of being misinterpreted or their evidence being taken out of context, then much more can be learned. But the problem is that for many people the purpose of an inquiry is not to learn the lessons so we do much better next time, but rather to point the finger of blame which benefits no-one, with serried ranks of lawyers/claims handlers ready to pick up on anything they can use to make a claim.

I like the 'Yes Minister' quote, @paultheparaglider. I hadn't seen that before, although it is a basic rule of cross-examination that you do not ask a question to which you do not know the answer.

Best wishes

Mike
kanga, johnm, eltonioni and 1 others liked this
By johnm
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1846769
Learning lessons is certainly the key and the specific structure of the enquiry is not yet determined. At the moment dealing with emerging variants is exercising minds notably the Indian one.
#1846824
Throw away your masks you vaccinated hordes.
The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Thursday said fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks in most indoor settings, heralding a major step back to normalcy in America.

Dr Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, said data now showed the "real world effectiveness of the vaccines."

Dr Walensky said: "Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing.

"This is an exciting and powerful moment. Covid vaccines work."

She said "If you are fully vaccinated you can start doing the things you stopped doing because of the pandemic.

"We have all longed for this moment when we can get back to some sense of normalcy. That moment has come for those who are fully vaccinated."

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/0 ... ing-masks/
Flyin'Dutch' liked this
By johnm
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1846881
Normality is English, Normalcy is sometimes used in the US and "Return to normalcy" was United States presidential candidate Warren G. Harding's campaign slogan for the election of 1920. It evoked a return to the way of life before World War I, the First Red Scare, and the Spanish flu pandemic
kanga liked this
#1846888
JAFO wrote:I find myself unable to follow any advice which contains the word "normalcy".

I know how you feel, I have the same trouble when I see advice containing the words "Imperial College" or "LSE". :D
#1846913
eltonioni wrote:
JAFO wrote:I find myself unable to follow any advice which contains the word "normalcy".

I know how you feel, I have the same trouble when I see advice containing the words "Imperial College" or "LSE". :D


ah, in the "we've had enough of experts" tradition ? :wink:
#1846914
14 May BBC Europe summary:

"Greece has formally begun its tourist season, with one in five workers dependent on the sector. The first tourist flights will arrive at Greece’s 14 regional airports today. Travel between Greek regions is resuming as the government says “we are putting lockdown behind us”. Greeks no longer have to send text messages before they travel or shop, but plenty of restrictions remain and an average of 2,000 cases a day are being reported. Any Greek wishing to travel has to use a Green pass. Greece isn’t yet on the UK’s list of countries that travellers can visit from 17 May, although officials hope that will soon change, especially for key islands such as Rhodes, Kos, Corfu and Crete.

Tourists hoping to travel to Majorca and the other Balearic Islands this summer will have to content themselves without nightclubs. The head of government Francina Armengol, has told German media the priority now is for families, sport, culture and food tourists. “Nightlife will follow later," she says.

Portugal has extended its state of calamity until 30 May but hasn’t yet decided whether to let in British tourists from Monday. Twelve thousand fans are being allowed in for the Champions League final on 29 May with tight restrictions.

Spanish tourist bosses are hoping for their own nationals to help kickstart the local industry before foreign tourism resumes. Ramón Estalella, head of the confederation of hotels and accommodation, says Spaniards are “more eager to travel than we could possibly imagine”.

More than half of Germany’s 16 states are now reporting seven-day incidence rates below 100 per 100,000 people. Bavaria is the latest state to see a decline, and nationally the incidence rate has gone below 100 for the first time since 20 March. Case numbers in the past 24 hours were still over 11,000.

A survey suggests as many as 38% of French-speaking Belgians are refusing vaccinations, compared with 20% of Flemish Belgians. Covid hospital admissions in Belgium are falling and the number being treated is below 2,000."
#1846931
kanga wrote:
eltonioni wrote:
JAFO wrote:I find myself unable to follow any advice which contains the word "normalcy".

I know how you feel, I have the same trouble when I see advice containing the words "Imperial College" or "LSE". :D


ah, in the "we've had enough of experts" tradition ? :wink:


No. (anxiously pulls retropectoscope out of pocket... checks readout...) That's a confirmed "no".:thumright:
#1846932
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-57102422

"Coronavirus vaccines have saved 11,700 lives and stopped 33,000 people becoming seriously ill with Covid-19 in England, research suggests.

The Public Health England analysis, up to the end of April, found people in their 70s and 80s had seen the biggest fall in deaths and hospital admissions."
eltonioni, MikeB liked this
By johnm
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1846933
and as we know hospital admissions is what matters most of all, keeping that under control is critical to the next phase of a return to a level of normality, though it will be at least another year before true normality returns
#1846958
johnm wrote:and as we know hospital admissions is what matters most of all, keeping that under control is critical to the next phase of a return to a level of normality, though it will be at least another year before true normality returns

No it's not, but even if it were you will be delighted to know that there were about a hundred C19 admissions yesterday. We have about 300 ICUs in the UK. Very soon C19 deaths will be on a par with trouser related deaths.

We're long past when we should have returned to normal, but as y'know it's all about dates, not data.
flybymike liked this
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