As I write this, some English people will have been in the pub for more than 10 hours. I wonder how many of them have caught Covid-19 by now?
Here's to all the Super (spreader) Saturdie morons who trust @BorisJohnson and @RishiSunak, and will be putting themselves and everybody else in mortal danger by going to the pub.
Cheers lads! š» pic.twitter.com/YUyAGzztRU
— The Agitator (@UKDemockery) July 3, 2020
Boris Johnson said pubs could open from 6am, dubbing the day “Super Saturday” in an attempt to get people in – and it seems to have worked.
NEW: Pubs can open from 6am tomorrow, No10 says.
— Ben Kentish (@BenKentish) July 3, 2020
Now why would Boris Johnson think itās perfectly normal for people to be boozing it up at 6 in the morning…
— Evolve Politics (@evolvepolitics) July 3, 2020
People have camped outside and queued up to get into their local drinking establishments – forgetting the 2m social distancing rule in the process, This Writer notices.
Black garter pub 6am this morning.. I'm saying no more.. pic.twitter.com/9F8bJhmTOG
— Michael.. (@michael45982804) July 4, 2020
There seems to have been a widespread amnesia about face masks, also:
One household?!? pic.twitter.com/aCIwxnZuAb
— Al Murray – DKMS.ORG.UK (@almurray) July 4, 2020
Admittedly, Johnson has taken precautions. He told everybody to use their “common sense”:
Boris Johnson telling everyone to use their common sense (from 6am) tomorrow while clearly forgetting the same people he is addressing had fist fights for the last 12 pack of Andrex and cleared the supermarket shelves of every single beer and lager, apart from Corona š¤¦š¼āāļø
— Rachael Swindon (@Rachael_Swindon) July 3, 2020
To people explaining 'the rules' to me, let me explain 'the rules' the virus uses:
'If you're close to another person and you're not covered, I can jump.'
That's 'the rule'.
— simon maginn (@simonmaginn) July 4, 2020
The logic seems to be this. 'The infection rate is falling because we're doing certain things. So it's safe now to stop doing the things that are making the infection rate fall.'
Am I missing something?
— simon maginn (@simonmaginn) July 3, 2020
So it seems likely that England is cruising towards another peak of infections, on a wave of alcohol – and lies.
Johnson claimed he would not ease lockdown if the ‘R’ rate – the rate at which Covid-19 infections multiply, edged above 1 – that is, one person being infected for every person who already has the disease. But the ‘R’ rate is above 1 now in many parts of England and he hasn’t said a word.
Boris Johnson, May 2020:
āIf the R goes up again, we will not hesitate to put on the brakesāJuly 2020
*R goes up again*
āGo out there and get trashed! Let the boozing commence!ā https://t.co/2zeHgbGoYr
— David Schneider (@davidschneider) July 4, 2020
I'm old enough to remember when MPs lost their job for a bit of outdoor nooky, or someone finding out they did a line or two of coke at uni.
Surreal isn't really the word for living through the normalisation of everyday political manslaughter. https://t.co/SEE625y5ku— Sue Marsh (@suey2y) July 4, 2020
What’s going on? Some covert deal with Wetherspoons?
āHell is other peopleā – Sartre https://t.co/qMLhbOYu4s
— Tom London (@TomLondon6) July 4, 2020
(It would make sense – Johnson might be expected to at least try to get back the Ā£48 million he has given to the pub chain.)
Wetherspoons have been given £48.3 million. The ENTIRE music industry is asking for £50 million. One drains the NHS, treats employees like shit and does nothing to boost mental health. The other unites people in the worst of times and boosts mental health. Priorities.
— The Rock Fairy š¤š»š§š»āāļø (@TheRockFairyHQ) July 3, 2020
The decision to allow pubs to open is like spitting in the face of everybody at the NHS who has worked hard to keep the number of deaths down, despite the Tory government’s continued failure to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) or carry out tests to any recognisable standard (because Johnson was determined to outsource provision of these to private firms that failed us all). NHS staff have protested…
"It's not the time to be opening pubs at 6am"
NHS staff have marched to Downing St in protest of the government's handling of the #COVID19 pandemic.
Get the latest on #coronavirus: https://t.co/RZOI6ARbfs pic.twitter.com/3Z2GLMYDFA
— SkyNews (@SkyNews) July 3, 2020
… but it is impossible to reason with blank stupidity. That’s why this is likely to be accurate:
EXCLUSIVE: List of confirmed opening times for Super Saturday.
11:00 – Red Lion
12:00 – King's Head
13:00 – Royal Oak
14:00 – Rose and Crown
21:00 – NHS Nightingale— Have I Got News For You (@haveigotnews) July 4, 2020
Of course, some of us might hope that certain people catch the virus, considering the way they have flouted all the other rules of lockdown…
Typhoid Nigel strikes again. Less than 2 weeks after returning from US. Not yet out of quarantine. Illegally infecting a pub near you https://t.co/crJrotlHCm
— Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla) July 4, 2020
The first claim is demonstrably a lie, as Farage was in Tulsa two weeks ago today. The second claim implicitly misstates the quarantine law in England: there's no "negative test" exception from the obligation to self-isolate for two weeks – https://t.co/I2HF7BOuQg https://t.co/MQPNhYGpig
— Steve Peers (@StevePeers) July 4, 2020
And what about this idiot?
If we get a spike in two weeks itāll be important to highlight that not even the leader of the opposition is wearing a mask. https://t.co/P4Lh05WxUZ
— Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) July 4, 2020
Covid cases are rapidly rising across the country
Johnson has failed from day 1. Youāve seen the death toll – itās still going up.
Now theyāre sending you off to the pub.
Read the first sentence again.
Starmer should be demanding his removal, not patting him on the back.
— Rachael Swindon (@Rachael_Swindon) July 3, 2020
But we should all remember that if anybody gets it at all, they will not be to blame. They are, after all, only obeying the instructions of their government.
It might make you feel superior to blame people but the government has said it is safe to go to the pub. If you have a problem with that, you have a problem with government policy.
— Rachel Wearmouth (@REWearmouth) July 4, 2020
And any deaths will be entirely the fault of Boris Johnson.
āTo the highest excess death rate in the world and a second wave!ā pic.twitter.com/VegLFANwE6
— David Schneider (@davidschneider) July 4, 2020
In a few hours times there will be images of people queued outside of pubs shared widely on here. These people will be accused of being idiots. But all they are doing is following the government line. When the second wave comes itās the government that must be held accountable.
— Liam Young (@liamyoung) July 3, 2020
The government is to blame if there is a second wave, the government is to blame if there is a second wave, the government is to blame if there is a second wave, the government is to blame if there is a second wave, the government is to blame if there is a second wave.
— Laura Pidcock (@LauraPidcock) July 4, 2020
Alternatively…
I just got dressed for the pubs reopening today.
Please drink responsibly, which means not in a pub.#SuperSpreaderSaturday #WelcomeBackPubs pic.twitter.com/2zy8jl4q4m
— Dr Keir Philip (@keirphilip) July 4, 2020
Remember the words of Samuel Pepys during the Black Plague of 1665:
Indeed. #StaySafe pic.twitter.com/RBPFm76R1p
— Helen STAY SAFE Holland (@helenhbristol) July 4, 2020
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