Member Info for Richard365054

The one factor holding the country back appears to be a severe lack of testing. Specifically NHS workers but also care workers. We do seem to be taking an inordinate time to raise the numbers that were promised each day and even 10,000 per day has yet to be approached.
When you think about it these numbers are tiny compared to the population and a much more rapid and accessible process needs to be in place. It's rumoured that a lot of people have had the virus and have now recovered but we don't know how factual this is. Until and unless we can test 100,000 a day we are going nowhere and the economy will just implode. Even at that level of testing it would still take nearly two years to test the population. Once people have been tested and have recovered they could wear a bar code arm band or similar to show to everyone that they are no longer a risk.
Additionally, effective face masks need to be made available in huge quantities in order that many professions that don't involve close and regular contact with others can return to work. We just can't keep the country locked down indefinitely.

Does the WHO make any comment about the disgusting hygiene standards in China and their appalling human rights and animal welfare or is it too scared to rock the boat.

It will be interesting to see how relationships stand after this epidemic. China continues to lie, distort and deflect the real facts and that should make companies around the world very uneasy. For some decades now, it's been a case of labour rates determining where materials and supply chains are sourced. The bottom line has always been growth and profit.
After this has settled down will each of us examine where items are made and be prepared to pay more by going elsewhere.
The Chinese have a disgraceful human rights record and have no regard for wildlife, protection and hygiene. Their masters regard the people purely as numbers to work and produce. Why do we deal with them unless they change. We do so because they are the largest market. We turn a blind eye to everything else. Very sad.

I'll go along with that. It seems to me that if you are frugal and save you get screwed. What is the point if anyone who spends gets bailed out and supported. If you deny yourself and put money aside then it appears you can support yourself regardless of economic turmoil. Let's see the Directors and Managers all take a 20% cut to match the people whose jobs are at risk. Let's also see all the share save schemes binned and no more paper printing of new shares.

I hope there will be a move to scrutinise more and more the products and components that we buy. I doubt if China will ever face any consequences for the Corona outbreak as it appears they have lied since day one and continue to lie today. It's estimated that the true mortality in China could be ten times higher and in a country of 1.4 Billion they can never know how many are infected.
But each time we look to purchase an item we can look and see where it was made and show our own disgust at the disregard they have shown for human life in their country and abroad. And complete disregard for animals and their care.

Agree with those words. My best wishes also for a full recovery.

Disgraceful. We were screwed over HBOS, screwed over PPI with significant false claims and now screwed over the pandemic which the BoE want the banks to carry the can for. We can't get a dividend payment for a year's trading that commenced thirteen months ago and yet millions have 80% of their earnings protected. Almost half of my year's income has just gone because of the BoE pressurising the Banks.

I'm open for a discussion!!

SUFCESSEX, I just keep my fingers crossed that some sense prevails.

I'll repeat again something I said earlier. There are a great many elderly people that have held bank stocks for years and rely upon the dividend to supplement their pension. These people have suffered under the ppi era when for years a dividend was not paid. To suddenly pull the final year dividend would have a sizeable impact and a more reasonable approach would be to communicate a reduction, at least allowing some of the dividend to be paid. The Banks are not responsible for what is happening and it's too easy to ignore those that are never heard. These same people do immeasurable voluntary work and every pound they have contributes to what they can give to their communities.

Theosus, we've tended to ignore human rights, animal abuse and environmental damage if there's a profit to be made and other countries have pretty well followed suit. There should be a day of reckoning over the origin of the virus once things get back to somewhere near normal. It will have impacted on every single one of us.

Reports indicate a growth in production in China suggesting their economy is starting to recover, but obviously out of kilter with the rest of the world.
But very big question marks over their reported Corona virus figures with some astonishing contradictions. Plus, nothing seems to have changed with the killing of wild animals for food from the same market where the virus seemingly originated. I wonder how many companies around the world will look at their own supply chains or will money remain king and nothing will change and everyone will fall over setting up their own supply lines from China.

I remember reading somewhere there were "millions" of small investors holding Lloyds with an average holding of 6,000 shares. That equates to around £135.00 being the average dividend if it was to be cancelled. For older people on predominantly state pensions that's quite a chunk.

A lot of the older generation bought shares in Banks, Oil companies and Insurance companies because they were being thrifty and had always saved when they could. The shares were not seen as risky and the dividend gave them a little boost when their pension income was less than adequate. Many of my elderly aunts and uncles had small holdings of shares amassed over the years and the collective dividend did make a difference. They wouldn't have been able to tell you what "risk" meant because in their minds these were safe large companies that provided them with something better than a Building Society.

It's an interesting thought to cut bonuses which must in total be worth approaching £500 Million. The final dividend cost is around £1.6 Billion, the cancelled buy back is worth around £600 Million and the money still to be paid out for ppi must be in the region of £1.3 to £1.5 Billion.

It's a point I've made myself, Asperger. A lot of elderly people have assorted holdings of shares they rely upon for the dividends to boost modest pension incomes. Yes, they can sell shares at deflated values that they'll never be able to replace, but people can also use overdraft facilities to provide a bridge during this period. Hopefully, a minority of people are finally realising how deadly this invisible killer really is and are using common sense as they go about their changed daily routines. The more we abide and follow common sense the sooner we'll see normality return.

Ignorant
Stupid
Gullible
Meat heads
Insulting
Rubbish
Idiot
Slushy minded
Mad
Moronic
Mindless
Madness
Ludicrous
Twaddle
Garbage

Now what's the question?

Government workers don't pay into the pot. It's all taxation that's been recycled.

It's worth considering that the term "underlying health problems" applies to most of us, covering high cholesterol levels, obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. Probably in excess of 75% of the UK population would fall into one or more of these categories.
I was staggered to read the reports coming out of the towns and villages in Italy affected by the virus and the mortality figures that have been compiled by some of the local mayors. One official for a town of 12,000 residents reported as many deaths in the month of March as had occured in the whole of last year. In some hospitals 30% of the attending health workers were infected. Unknown numbers of virus related deaths are also occurring at home or in care homes, this in addition to the counted figures occurring in hospitals.
Read the agony that the virus causes when infected people struggle, ultimately helplessly to breathe and one wouldn't argue about over reaction of governments around the world.

Snige, your ignorant comment isn't worth a response.