ronmcd wrote:And now Boris is poised to announce a full "national lockdown" on Monday.

ronmcd wrote:And now Boris is poised to announce a full "national lockdown" on Monday.

Thommo wrote:

ronmcd wrote:And now Boris is poised to announce a full "national lockdown" on Monday.

Yep, by resisting a short lockdown to protect the economy at the cost of lives, he's stumbled us into a longer lockdown at a bigger cost to the economy and a bigger cost in lives. This was always the obvious danger of a false economy in letting the virus spread.

He was warned about this by his own scientific advice and now we're, all too predictably, here anyway. Idiocy.

Furlough is crucial for businesses. But @RishiSunak said he wouldn’t extend it in Wales when we asked. He also said no when we asked him to bring forward the Job Support Scheme to help businesses – we even said we’d pay the difference. It’s now clear he could have said yes.

Can someone explain why furlough has gone back up to 80%?

(I’m not making an argument about right or wrong, just curious on reasoning)

For surely the logic the Treasury used a month ago to reduce support to 67% - and to rebut Scotland Wales NI Manc - hasn’t changed?

Rachel Bronwyn wrote:It's just getting worse and worse here. Even Manitoba's numbers are ramping up now. Uhg.

ronmcd wrote:Sam Coates SKY:

Can someone explain why furlough has gone back up to 80%?

(I’m not making an argument about right or wrong, just curious on reasoning)

For surely the logic the Treasury used a month ago to reduce support to 67% - and to rebut Scotland Wales NI Manc - hasn’t changed?

Thommo wrote:

ronmcd wrote:Sam Coates SKY:

Can someone explain why furlough has gone back up to 80%?

(I’m not making an argument about right or wrong, just curious on reasoning)

For surely the logic the Treasury used a month ago to reduce support to 67% - and to rebut Scotland Wales NI Manc - hasn’t changed?

It clearly should have been set at the 80% level before. Another failure of government.

Writing up the latest developments this morning, I'm struck by fact Scotland and Wales were calling for talks about a second lockdown in early September but were left frustrated

The first ministers of Wales and Scotland have attacked Boris Johnson for failing to speak to them directly about the possibility of a new national lockdown in England.

Mark Drakeford, the Welsh first minister, said there was a “vacancy” at the heart of the UK government and argued his country’s porous border with England made it crucial for the prime minister to communicate directly with him regularly.

The Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, backed Drakeford, saying the UK was at “the most critical point of decision-making” since March, and calling for a Cobra meeting involving the heads of all four nations to be convened immediately.

I’ll be voting against these latest lockdown measures when they come to the House on Wednesday

There is no political voice opposing this new national lockdown in England. I think that may change very soon.

Following today's discussions, (Scottish govt) finance secretary Kate Forbes said: “UK Treasury continue to deny our request that full furlough at 80% be made available for businesses in Scotland at any point we need it, suggesting it is only available for the duration of a lockdown in England."

Thommo wrote:Never mind the outrageous offensiveness of that, it's yet another false economy. If you need to give businesses 80% furlough to keep them from going under and thus "protect the economy", then that does not change from the one scenario to the other.

So the government must get on and protect the economy by providing the level of support that's actually needed. Idiotic.