Paul

We must accept that the standards by which we judge discrimination have changed, for the better, over many years. They will almost certainly continue to do so. If you decide that it is prudent to rejudge history on the standards of today you will very quickly disappear up your own backside. If somebody acted within the accepted standard of their time, should they be considered racist? In years to come we too will be judged, should we be judged by the standards of today or those which might exist a century or two down the line? Yes, it might have been wise to relocate the Bristol statue sooner, it appears after all that it has been under discussion for quite some time. I'm sure there are other, similar statues around the world which too could be judged inappropriate by today's standards. They can be moved, or removed but you cannot rewrite history. You cannot alter the fact that Bristol was built on the wealth of the slave trade as were many other towns and cities, does that mean that they should be raised to the ground? You can remove them from the face of the earth but you cannot expunge history, only learn from it.

I've just found out how to use my ignore list, quite enlightening.

Well, as old Arkwright was known to say, "it's been a funny old day". It's been very close to something we used to call "normal". Jamie, the eldest went back to school full time today having done afternoons only last week so it was up with the lark. Alexa was very good and remembered the correct responses to "Alexa, good morning", reading my diary for today and tomorrow, not that there is anything in it right now, then the weather forecast, switched on Virgin radio and then the lights. Maybe that last bit was necessary in March but not now, so that will need to be changed. So stagger to the bathroom for the morning ablutions, start the bath running for bratticus prime, shout round his door and on with the business of getting him to school. After that the normal Monday chores. Shopping, B&Q, Farmfoods and Tesco. No queues to mention and everything we needed on the shelves. Home for lunch, sort the recycling, tidy the bombsite of a lounge, hoover, washing machine, dishwasher and time to do the school run again. Very normal ...

I'm sure there are many issues behind the scenes impacting when this and that will be deemed acceptable. I was not surprised to see Horse Racing become the first elite sport to resume, albeit behind closed doors. It's called lobbying and it's big business. I can imagine the scene at 10DS .... Switchboard: Hello, Number 10 Downing Street. Queen: Hello, One wishes to speak to One's Prime Minister. Switchboard: Who shall I say is calling? Queen: We are Her Majesty. PPS: Prime Minister, the palace on the telephone sir. Boris: Is it ... you know PPS: Her Majesty, yes Prime Minister Boris: Put it through, quickly man! Boris: Your Majesty. Queen: Hello Margaret, is that you? Boris: No Your Majesty, it's Mr Johnson, your Prime Minister, how may I serve Queen: I've had Khan on the telephone Boris: Sadiq? Queen: Who? Boris: Sadiq Khan m'am, the Mayor of London Queen: No, Aga, lives in the desert, lots of race horses. Reckons this lock down is costing him millions, wants to know when we can get back to it. His vet assures him that the horses can't catch COVID-19, so surely we can hold a few races, get down to Epsom and Ascot maybe. Boris: But m'am, we are in the grips of a global pandemic, we are only doing what we are to protect the public. I mean, what about the jockeys? Queen: That's no problem, One is assured that there are plenty of spares. Perhaps a few races at Royal Ascot? Boris: A few, how many? Queen: 36 should do it. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ BBC Newsreader: And now for the sport. The government has given the go ahead for 36 races to be held over five days at a rescheduled Royal Asoct meeting next week .......

I know our threads drift with the prevailing breeze, rather like those flappy saily things so beloved by many of us, but maybe this drift is a little too far. Time to "go about" perhaps?

amen, amen and amen again. Only by remembering these events can we learn the lessons of history, the very valuable lessons which it teaches us. Only by learning those lessons can we hope not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Was it General "Ike" Eisenhower, forgive me if I have that wrong, that insisted the allied entry into the concentration camps was filmed, so that it could not be denied or disputed or forgotten. A sagacious decision. Of course there are those who choose to deny it, there are those who still insist that the world is flat. You can educate people in the proven fact, but you cannot counter self-determined ignorance.

Surely the civil power remains the Government, who deploy forces as necessary to protect the public. I would advocate engaging armed forces as an alternative to further arming our police forces. I would rather see that than lines of Police Officers with their Heckler and Koch's at the ready (do they still use MP5s?). The reason for this is very much down to respect for the Police force which I feel is eroded by scenes of them on the evening news parading with weapons. I am a strong advocate of our (largely) unarmed police force. That's the pacifist bit in me emerging! Anyway, I've said my piece, I'll let this get back to the original topic!

The tactic of these people, not the true protesters but "rent a mob", for want of a better phrase, is to provoke a response from Police officers. It's like a game to them, feint, attack, counter attack. They will goad and badger and inflame the situation hoping to isolate officers, or small groups of officers and then it turns really nasty, and they will make sure that when an officer defends him or herself with a baton round somebodies head there is always someone with a mobile phone to record it, and within second it s all over social media, within minutes it's on the news, and the message coming from this protest is not what it should be, but it's about so called police brutality, it's about making them themselves the victims, and then they have won. I don't disagree with you Ray, a non violent response is always the best option when it can be achieved, but these people are out to make sure it cannot be in these circumstances. They are out to provoke a violent response and we must be prepared to do that in a way that doesn't endanger the officers involved. 8 officers injured in London yesterday is 8 too many in my book. I'm amazed at the restraint that officers show in these type of situations. I appreciate they are trained for it but still it takes great resolve to remain professionally detached as they do 99.9% of the time. Of course it's that 0.1% that these criminals are working towards. This is an organised paramilitary attack, we should treat it, and respond to it as such. That's why I believe that our professional armed forces should be more involved though I accept that is not an opinion everyone will share. This is not about using force to quell protests as we see, sadly in many parts of the world, it is about standing up to violence on our streets and sending a clear message that it, and it's perpetrators will not be tolerated.

No Ray, you have to be prepared to use these measures if you want to stop this rubbish. I'm not suggesting using it lightly, or as a matter of course, but it must be there, it must be seen. The fact that these yobs know that the worst they are going to face is perhaps a batten charge and some posturing by a few mounted units is what lets them get away with it, what's been letting them get away with it for years. I would rather see water cannon, which by the way can do anything from give these people a good cold soaking to driving them up the street on their backsides in use, than see an officer dragged from his horse and being kicked and stamped on the ground yards from any support, which so nearly happened in London this weekend. What would you do then, to protect that officer? You haven't got time to create a line and form an organised batten charge, the officers life is at risk. Your horses are scattered and need to regroup, Your in the control room, you have the radio in your hand, what do you do? I would rather be able to loose tear gas than be forced in to a position where deadly force becomes the only way to protect that officer.

I've been on a couple of protests, in my day, about things I have felt passionately enough to get up at 4am for the drive into Leicester, board the specially organised coach, stop at Newport Pagnell for coffee and a wee, get dumped off the coach, funnily enough usually around Speaker's Corner or just across Hyde Park somewhere. Get your banner out of the coach, march your march, chant your quirky slogans if you wish - I was never really the vocal type. Down Park Lane, they were always a bit touchy about you going up Constitution Hill, didn't want you in front of Buck House so it was round the back, Grosvenor Place and down towards Vauxhall Bridge then along the embankment to the Palace of Westminster. There was never a need for mounted Police, usually there was a good rapport with the "lemon jackets" as we called them, a banter and a bit of a laugh. Usually you were allowed along Abingdon St in front of Westminster, of course there were none of the big black anti terrorist barriers then, and a friendly Member of the house would normally come and thank you. I met Betty Boothroyd once when she was speaker in such a manner, she accompanied our Local MP to receive a petition. Then you found the nearest litter bin for your banner, off to Victoria Tower gardens or some other suitable place for a picnic, then out to the west end for a bit of shopping and back on the bus at 6:00pm. The Police were never aggressive towards us, and I don't believe they are to anyone else who does not themselves display aggression. All this need to hurl bricks and other missiles (and take a walk around London, you don't find bricks lying in the street waiting for somebody to lob them at the nearest copper, they have been carried in deliberately), that's not protesting, that is organised militant aggression, to me one step short of terrorism and it must be repelled, it must be struck down, and we must use whatever means necessary to do so. The sad thing of course is that many innocent, if perhaps somewhat gullible people get caught up in all of this. I don't give a monkey's about those lefties who want to start crying Police State and such things. The way to deal with these people is water cannon, tear gas if needs be. It's snatch squads, be they police or military units taking out the real villains. A few Army land rovers and Squaddies with SA80's hanging around might make people think twice before deciding to play the hero. CCTV inevitably identifies the ring leaders, normally before anything even kicks off. They are usually well known to the forces of law and order and are often found standing at the back as all cowards do, inciting others to violence. Identify them, snatch them out, put them in court and send them down. Take them off our streets and give those streets back to the law biding majority. Sorry it turned into a rant, but I see it this way. These thugs and their organised gangs intent on causing civil unrest and anti establishment violence threaten the free right of us all to protest in a peaceful and proper manner. It is you and I they threaten, not the establishment.

Very true, professional demonstrators who will use any bandwagon to promote civil unrest. A nuisance at any time but right now potentially very dangerous. Send in the water cannon and disperse these morons.

We ought to have a clapping hands response for that post marshman.

I don't like to say I was right ... but bbc.pdf

You have to remember that people were, many still are frightened. Fear is an aggressive driver and the antithesis of rational thought. We resisted panic buying, probably more down to my laid back, can't be ar**d attitude than any halo shining above my head. We did at one point have an extra packet of toilet rolls in stock, but that's about it. There were times we couldn't get some of the things we usually have. A week without biscuits never hurt anyone and with just about everything else the stock levels we normally keep in the pantry saw us through for most things. I'm trying not to be too quick to criticize people for what they have and haven't done, it's easy to be clever with the benefit of hindsight, but preventing panic buying was I think one thing where action was taken much too slowly, and I said the same as soon as lock down was announced. It was obvious to me and I'm sure many others here that such an instruction would lead to panic. According to the Guardian this morning exactly 384,679 have died so far from the effects of Corona virus. If that number is anywhere near accurate I'll show my bare backside in Woolie's window. There are still nations who don't record the majority of deaths, let alone the cause so how anybody can believe any of these figures beats me, but as a society we crave for numbers. We see it in sport now, which golfer hits the most fairways or "greens in regulation", which footballer runs furthest or makes the most tackles, which tennis player hit the most winners or unforced errors. All these stats are pointless, all the matters is who won and lost. So on that thought, I send best thoughts to you all, and hope for a win!

One needs to be very careful when quoting statistics, as alone they tell us nothing, or worse, they tell us whatever we want them to. I spent over a decade working as a statistical analyst for a major travel company and trust me, there are no figures that cannot be manipulated to suit your argument. Take the death toll in England and Wales for example, up until the week ending 27 March 2020 it was running well behind the average of the past five years, after which it began to spike dramatically. Lock down was introduced on March 23rd so according to those figures lock down must have been responsible?

I'm one step behind you, I live in the cart shed

Until there is any physical evidence that exposure to the virus creates any degree of immunity which at present there is not then antibody tests are pointless, other than assisting government in better understanding the spread and impact of the virus.

not much in the way of social distancing in that top photo, do they all live in the same household?

One of the governing factors in getting the Premier League going again is the massive refund clubs will have to pay to the broadcasters if it doesn't. It's been no secret that the bottom six clubs have been pushing for the season to be annulled, hopefully they can do better given another chance next season, the top four, secure of champions league football want it ended and considered a result, the clubs in 5th to 8th want it finished so they maybe have a chance of getting into the European places and the rest in between don't really give a nuts as they are not going down and not going to qualify for Europe. Suddenly tell those clubs in the bottom six that of they don't play the outstanding games they're going to have a £20m bill to pay and they get a bit more energetic. So yes, sadly, money probably is the governing factor in getting the premier league going again. As far as my club Liverpool is concerned, I'm not too worried about the risks, not many can get within two yards of us anyway.

really? The news I read this morning is that BBC will carry four live games free to air, Sky will show 64 IIRC of which they will make 25 available free to air, you can bet that will be the boring unimportant ones like Norwich City ... Nothing from BT sport as to if they intend to make and available free to air, though in respect to them they have been very good with Champions league finals in recent years. Watching football behind closed doors is sad in some ways, the lack of atmosphere is very strange but we must do what we can. The August 1st ban on domestic cricket was imposed by the ECB, it is not a government decision. Actually it's 300 million though they are hoping to reduce that figure by playing against the West Indies behind closed doors in July and at least generating some TV revenue. I follow both football and cricket, and also Rugby Union. Right now I am more worried about what is happening to the latter. Yesterday World Rugby issued a list of guidelines and law changes it plans to introduce to make Rugby safer during this pandemic. They look like a very thinly veiled repeat of changes that WR has tried to introduce in the past to increase the pace of the game and which have been rejected by it's stake holders who have to approve such changes. Predominantly this includes things to reduce the impact of the scrum and maul in the game which to Rugby Union fans are the vital difference between Union and League, rules such as removing the scrum option for penalties and free kicks, no resetting the scrum, limiting the time the ball can be held in a scrum or maul, regardless of whether the ball is moving forward. It just smacks of imposing it's opinion of the laws on to the game through the back door.

Grendel, does that constitute a witticism?

As for becoming political Dominic Cummings is not a politician but an advisor, a public figure in the same way as leading business men and women, sports people . Whether he has broken the letter of the lock down restrictions or simply the spirit of them I think it is quite reasonable that those of us who have stuck to them rigorously should be allowed to voice our disapproval.

No Grendel, just the politicians.

No idea I'm afraid, I was being alert I promise but it crept up on me nonetheless, and despite following the government guidelines to the letter. One of the things I was reading from the WHO suggested that lock down has a limited effect on the transmission of the virus, some effect yes, but it doesn't stop it. Lot's of graphics have appeared on social media suggesting if you stay home you will not catch the virus, and that is simply not true. The virus can enter your home on post or parcels where it can live for three days, so one unguarded cough in a sorting office, dispatch department etc and here it is. Then there are supermarkets as you suggest, I am the one who does the shopping during lock down, when I'm not isolating of course, though neighbours have been very good in keeping us stocked. Even if you never go out, you have your shopping delivered the virus can still enter your home on your shopping. In fairness there has been one thing I have struggled with, and that is to stop touching my face, it's like a nervous tick with me and Elaine has yelled at me many times when I've been scratching my chin or pushing my hair back, and I don't notice I'm doing it so perhaps it is no great surprise. The official guidelines for my case were to self isolate me for 7 days after which I would be allowed out again, assuming my temperature was back to normal, and everyone else in the house had to isolate for 14 days. Breydon, our youngest we think copped a dose, he had a couple of days of cough and high temperature but soon got back to normal and neither Jamie nor Elaine have shown any symptoms. Despite the cough I am officially good to go out again now but do feel very self conscious doing so, so I'm still staying in for the time being. In truth I'm probably glad to have had the virus and to be recovering. Increasingly scientific thought is moving towards it being unlikely that you will contract the virus twice and if that is the case then to be a recovered covid sufferer is a comfortable place to be.

Hopefully. I think getting sports up and running if it is sensible to do so is the right thing to do, as it will bring some relief from the monotony of lock down for many people, though I appreciate not everyone is interested. Government seems to be instigating a monthly relaxation with some small changes made at the beginning of May and more promised for June and July IF the qualifying figures allow. Hopefully they will and by July we might just be able to get away in the caravan for a few days, although we are booked to go to Wales which worries me somewhat with the tighter lock down. If they do maintain that stance then of course we will respect that. I am in recovery from COVID-19 having contracted the virus at the end of April, despite following lock down and social distancing rules. I didn't suffer as badly as many but it was still pretty horrid for a couple of days and very uncomfortable for several days after. Even now I still have a dreadful cough which though getting no less persistent seems to be getting less violent at least and the coughing isn;t so bad now that it's giving me head aches. I tested negative for corona Virus on Saturday but have been told the cough may continue for many weeks, even three months as the lungs try to rid themselves of dead cells and scar tissue caused by the infection. I think the word sensible is key now.