DC2

Somehow I don’t think E I Addio has them in mind.

OK, can you give examples of people behaving as if they have a death wish?

“Death wish”? You are perpetuating a myth While people sunbathing in public parks may quite rightly be criticised for not following government guidelines, they are almost certainly not passing on the virus to each other, let alone being guilty of having a “death wish”. Contact is much closer in a supermarket and yet that is not a “death wish”.

Not as arbitrary as keeping the whole population isolated and the economy stalled without a compelling reason.

Of course we could protect the elderly and those with vulnerable medical conditions. The government told 1.5 million vulnerable people they would have to isolate for 12 weeks. That was a month too late and 15 million people too few. Every person over 65 or ill should be under special measures. Regularly tested. No contact with others who have not been tested. Support workers and their families to be restricted in their movements (and not allowed to shop). No deliveries that have not been disinfected. But encouraged to take in exercise, fresh air and sun in their gardens, not locked indoors. The rest of us could then have enjoyed a lighter touch with sensible measures and continued to work.

There is no evidence that it would have killed 250,000. And could we not have protected the vulnerable and elderly sooner and with better measures? We could see from Italy that they were especially at risk. We might have had only 20,000 deaths then.

Yes, 19% is feasible in certain areas, as is more than 50% in care homes, but 95% isn’t anything like possible in the general population.

Months away? I doubt it.

When flu killed 28,500 people in the UK in 2014/15, was there a case for some sort of lockdown the following winter?

Well, that’s quite simple. It’s been admitted that some figures have included deaths where Covid has been suspected rather than confirmed by testing. And it’s clear that where Covid is included as one of two or three “causes” on a death certificate it may not have caused the death. From the BBC: ”Is coronavirus causing the deaths? The death figures being reported daily are hospital cases where a person dies with the coronavirus infection in their body - because it is a notifiable disease cases have to be reported. But what the figures do not tell us is to what extent the virus is causing the death. It could be the major cause, a contributory factor or simply present when they are dying of something else.”

I can accept all of that except “95% of the population could have it”, because 75% of our tests have been negative. Less than 1% infected in Austria: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/10/less-than-1-of-austria-infected-with-coronavirus-new-study-shows

Normally I’m no fan of BWitcher’s heavy handed debating technique but I’m amazed that he is being as patient with you lot as he is. The comparison with flu is perfectly valid. They’re both contagious viral infections that kill thousands across the world. Flu kills 290,000 to 650,000, while Covid has so far killed 100,000. And that’s despite a vaccine existing for flu! If as with Covid there were no vaccine would flu kill 6.5 million or 66 million? Next, spl77, the death rate. You don’t get it by comparing deaths with closed cases, or even with all confirmed cases; you have to compare it with the total number of infected people (which most experts think is at least 10 times the number of confirmed cases). That’s why the experts think the Covid death rate is no more than 1%, despite it currently appearing to be 5% to 10% when calculated against confirmed cases in some countries.

Oh, Steve, I feel wounded! But I’ll leave this thread statistic free!

A much shorter season would be far better here, at the very least avoiding the rain offs of April and October.

If they opened a shop in the centre green could not the riders be going shopping?

Yes, but young fans are needed to perpetuate the sport. In the seventies as a 13 year old I was more interested in Pele, football, girls, flairs and cowboy boots, but I loved speedway as soon as I went and the interest has remained with me for 45 years.

The one thing Leigh achieved which Darcy didn’t was unbelievable consistency everywhere he rode over a very long period and not picking and choosing his degree of commitment.

Good points, but even MMA is promoted as family friendly at grass roots level. I’m surprised no one has manufactured “speedway bikes” for kids, normal bikes that resemble speedway bikes and developed little leagues for bike riding.

Darcy Ward was the rider who could do everything, including things I’d never seen before.

But Lambert is a great bike handler for his age (much better than Doyle at that age) and Sidney can see that and I agree. With a bit more physical and mental application and money for equipment Lambert could be a world champion at some point. At the moment he’s a bit like Tai Woffinden in his first GP year. I’m guessing that he has less financial backing than Drabik and Smektala?

That’s your one bit of exercise a day, pulling the fish out of the river!

Edgar Stangeland?

Finally, sex on your own is the in thing to do.

Look, I know what you’re all on about. Is it some sort of secret society? “Crumpets” are obviously quilted toilet paper. Cat out of the bag. (Fluffy white cat).

Sounds a bit pervy, Steve!