Member Info for adoubleuk

Cebo,

"Who really gives a toss about Berlusconi and is there some relevance or link to Hurricane that I am missing somewhere."

Mea culpa. See my post of 13:29.

Question: how big's the flare? I'd really like to know if the boat's running on the GT's by now.

JAdam,

Another excellent post. Keep it up! We need more 'contrarians'.

daltry,

A Glimmer of... what, exactly? Not hope (imho). Despair, more like. Horrible, Orwellian stuff.

'Test' everyone, even people who don't feel unwell? Confine 'em to barracks, just because they may be host to a virus that may kill a few old people?

Berlusconi will do anything to remain in power.

Albi1,

"Bartlebobton
Cut it with your comments to Aduk. "

Thanks. But please don't feel obliged to waste your own valuable typing time on my behalf! :-))

I've got that cretin 'filtered'. But have noticed that often, as soon as I've posted, a 'green box' appears, showing that someone I've filtered has replied.

I don't open that box.

JAdam,

Excellent post. And yes, maybe I expressed myself badly. There is a PERCEPTION (largely propogated by whatever political party is in 'opposition' at the time) that the NHS is underfunded, but it's generally not true. But the money is frequently spent to add bells and whistles on the bodywork, instead of putting some fuel in the tank. It's a reason why my brother-in-law (a GP in a small British town) took retirement asap, and is refusing to respond to calls for him to come out and 'help' for people checking into hospital with an aggravated 'flu, while people with urgent cancer surgery (for instance) awaiting are being turned away...

daltry,

"They may well cancel the CMD. "

I've emailed 'hurricoms' about this. But with an assurance to Ben that I won't disclose any reply he may send me to anyone else without his express permission. However, so far, no response.

There will have to be an RNS tomorrow with the financials. I suspect there may be additional stuff in that news, such as an 'update' about the CMD.

Genghis,

"And if we were all allowed to carry on as normal, the death toll would be near 500,000, just in the UK."

And Malcy reckoned Hurricane's SP should be around a quid. Another fortune-telling 'expert'.

I'm not 'advocating' anything. But I object to having my 'civil liberties' infringed.

Want me to become really callous? Because there's a perfectly reasonable (if a bit Macheavellian) philosophical argument to be made for allowing this disease to run unimpeded.

During the last couple of UK elections, and also during the Brexit referendum, a lot was made about the overstretched and under funded NHS.

Now with this Covid-19 thing, we know that those 'most at risk' are the elderly or already weak in health-terms. I don't have a statistic for it, but from news both from the UK and other countries, a lot of the fatalities so far were recently in hospital for their other ailments. And also drawing a pension. Both of which are paid for by taxes contributed by the working, able-bodied population.

Diminish the number of these 'drains' on the economy, and you might end up with a stronger population overall. And a stronger economy.

OK, it's not a nice argument, but it seems quite valid to me. Even if I'm not 'advocating' it.

Also, there are other nasty sides to this 'lockdown' approach.

I live about 300 yards from the biggest church in town. Usually the bells toll two or three times a day, for a funeral. Over the last 36 hours, not at all. Now then, with the restrictions, there will be less car accidents. But people die from other things, not Covid-19 related. And now they can't hold a funeral. How do you think their families and loved ones are feeling right now?

Are the morgues already getting full? I don't know.

Sure, if half a million died in short order in the UK, the crematoria might get a bit 'stretched'. But they'd sure burn up a lot of diesel.

Over to you...

Longwait,

"it's just under eight thousand, although undoubtedly it is by now more than 8,000"

OK, maybe I was out (underestimating) by about 80%, but that just proves my point.

Over about three months, 8000 or so people have died due to complications from a new flu virus. And I'm supposed to care? Over a quarter of a million people have died in road traffic accidents this year (according to the source you quoted). I don't care about that either, 'cos I don't happen to have known any of them.

What I do care about is that I can't go to a cafe for a beer, I can't drive to a friend's house in La Rochelle to play poker (he's not allowed to hold the game anyway), and the stockmarket's going to hell on a handcart. Not to mention the dishcloth-wearers shooting themselves in the foot by driving down the price of the product their nation relies upon, just because Mr Putin has said 'no' to them.

The world has truly gone mad.

Cap't Swag,

"If this virus was originated by bat soup or something similar - then maybe that is a wake up call for them."

A wake-up call to WHAT, exactly? If the Chinese statistics are to be believed, their famous 'built-in-a-week' hospital has already been closed down, and only a handful of new Covid-19 cases are being registered across the country per day.

Meanwhile, across Europe, the western economy is in tatters, and individual freedoms being infringed in a totalitarian manner.

So far to date, maybe ten to fifteen thousand people have died from this virus worldwide. Out of a global population exceeding seven billion.

And now, according to the French government, if a relative of yours dies as a result of complications resulting from this 'flu-like thing, you can't even gather for a funeral.

I reckon I might start looking out recipes for bat soup myself, now.

Mithril,

"Reports of panic buying fuel this evening with some garages restricting purchases & others running out. Supply and demand seriously skewed"

This happened over here in France over the last 48 hours. Maybe understandable for those who have to drive to work (and have a piece of paper to 'prove' it). But for people like myself, a stupid reaction. I have another house about 90 miles away, which I'd like to go to just to cut the grass, spend a night, and then come back home. But I'm very unsure if such travel is 'allowed'. I suspect it's not. That's the extent to which 'restrictions' have been applied here.

It'll certainly turn all supply / demand equations on their heads.

This suddenly strikes me as appropriate...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeKFfTdA9rw

These really are weird times. Unprecedented. Let's turn the clock back to 20th century times, maybe times before we were born. News via newspapers and maybe radio, then television, but slow media, compared with now.

I've got the TV on, to the French RMC 'Discovery' channel. Something I often have on in the background while playing online poker. 'Cos I'm on 'autopilot' when doing that, and need 'background' to stop me from getting bored.

And finally, today, the advertising breaks are changing. Because on that channel, 'Pokerstars' were often running an advert, based on the delights of possibly becoming a millionaire by going to Barcelona. But it's been cancelled, and the advert's not on tonight.

But how about the car adverts? Some are still running. But now the frontiers are closed, and so are the car showrooms. And how about the perfumes? The shops are now closed, you can order online, but you can't go out and meet each other, so why buy a new perfume?

The 'authorities' have done a very good job in 'stopping the train'.

There is now the question of whether they'll manage to get the thing running again.

DC,

"Its not had much of a mention but PBLJ is still stuck firmly in a Norwegian fjord."

I've been mentioning it on a sort of ten-daily basis here.

Sorry, that's not written in a way to take any wind out of your sails, believe me. But I do find it interesting and significant. Especially given new 'current events'.

All sorts of (admittedly speculative) thoughts have crossed my mind of late. A change in the OGA approach? But equally, maybe a change in HUR ops planning? Also, how are recent 'frontier restrictions' affecting maritime affairs?

I know a good bit about rig contracts in detail, including mobilisation delays and so on. And also 'force majeur', which becomes pertinent wrt this Covid-19 thing.

Also, I note that the 'Seawell' has changed destination from Aberdeen, and it's not for HUR.

Whatever form the CMD takes (if it actually does take place), some changes are happening.

At lest 'shipwatching' can be done from home! :-))

Longwait,

" I can't see any mention of the oil industry."

There is a mention, though.

I worked a couple of 'hiches' in KSA as rig Toolpusher in the 90's, and the Assistant Driller on one crew was a Saudi national. A good bloke, highly intelligent and articulate. And I learned that it was entirely his choice to be actually 'working'. Many Saudis don't have a 'job' at all, so many of them being related to someone supefyingly rich. As was this guy, but exceptionally he wanted to get his hands dirty and do a tough job, so he could learn exactly the 'workings' of the industry at the sharp end. But as I say, he was an exception.

"The delayed feed had to be turned off due to the large increase in trade data from America and will continue to be turned off for a period of time to help with the live data coming in to the website.”

I find it interesting that today's slow little improvement in the SP coincided with Wall Street opening.

I wonder if as an 'emergency measure', the FCA (or whoever) might be considering a temporary moratorium on shorting in order to shore up the exchange?

Probably just wishful thinking on my part...

DC,

"The price on LSE seems to be stuck at 8.01."

That happened yesterday as well, from 12:44 until after the bell. Very annoying: I was watching for my top-up to go through. Maybe LSE's computers have got the 'bug'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efFo-Clq844

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7TtfHkvxao

Cap't Swag,

"AWK - looks like some real draconian stuff coming to france if the rumours are true - you will only be allowed out once a day etc"

We'll find out in less than a hour. And I'll be listening very carefully, trying to find loopholes. Like if we're only 'allowed out' once a day, how long will it be for? Etc..

If such a thing transpires, I suspect there'll be significant knock-on effects. Like a rapid rise in mental disorders and nervous breakdowns, and possible civil unrest within a fortnight's time, fomented and organised via social media.