:covid_19: đŸ˜· đŸ„ Corona Virus the thread for all your fears ❓

Reasonably serious discussion
8391

So Vdl lost her attempt to get all the countries on side with her export ban dispite Macron giving it the large one.

But the French look like they are doubling down

*Speaking after President Macron’s failed gambit to block exports of the vaccine, Jean-Yves Le Drian said Europe would not “pay the price” for the UK’s decision to prioritise the number of people getting a first dose “knowing there will be problems with the second one”. *

"The UK is proud to have vaccinated many people with the first dose, but they will have a problem with the second dose,” he told Franceinfo. “We are fully vaccinated with two doses, not one. Today we have the same number of fully vaccinated people in France and the United Kingdom.”

He added: “A cooperative relationship must be found with the UK so that AstraZeneca fulfils its signed commitments with the EU, but we can’t accept any sort of blackmail. The UK is pushing for the first jab, knowing there will be problems with the second one. Europe does not have to pay the price for this policy.”

So the crux of this is - the French are willing to fuck up the second doses (I assume of Pfizer) of the UK - nice. Our “friends and allies” can go fuck themselves crossways.

1 Like
8392

Jean Claude Juncker was having a pop at the current commission last night. They’re a Brexiter’s wet dream. After all the talk of us being completely fucked, particularly on the supply of medicines, the EU itself destroys the Remainer claims better than any Leaver ever could.

8393

Its something when Juncker is making more sense that the incumbants

1 Like
8394

J-Y Le Drian is a man who does not understand immunology. One dose of vaccine is highly protective against severe infection & hospitalisation.

1 Like
8395

Not really a surprise though, is it?

Eyebrows were raised at the appointment of Ursula von der Leyen. It’s not like we were getting the Franz Beckenbauer of German politics.

8396

You mean she doesn’t take bribes? :wink:

5 Likes
8397

I thought this fella was quite sensible, then this. He’s as out of touch as his colleagues

I have genuinely not heard anyone in my circle of friends, colleagues and industry acquaintances say anything resembling that.

In fact I was talking to a recruiter today who said candidates are actively looking to not be office based.

Something smells fishy with your story Rishi


2 Likes
8398

Just think of the landlords of those large buildings. A lot of central London is owned by incredibly rich people and they have standards to maintain (I actually have met one of the people who benefits from this - lives in Dorset and never has to work as their land produces money).

4 Likes
8399

There were/ are some brand new mega office developments in The City that were completed/ almost completed at the point of the first lockdown- the investors in those are probably lobbying hard for this sort of message / tax relief on their massive investment debts. I’m finding it hard to feel sorry for them - though I’m pretty sure a lot of investment is from pension funds, so impacts on most of us.

1 Like
8400

The local council has agreed plans for a lot of large (18 story) blocks of flats near us. Many people are suggesting that there isn’t the need for them now as less people commuting from outskirts into London. Newish flats just down the road haven’t sold after being available 18 months so you do wonder if there is the need.

1 Like
8401

My cousin works for Deutschebank in Canary Wharf. They rent 7 floors of a building at £1m per floor per year. He doesn’t miss the commute and I doubt they will miss the overheads.

3 Likes
8402

And don’t forget all the “executive” housing developments around Battersea and the ‘murican embassy on and around the old Covent Garden flower market. Can’t see them raking in a profit for quite a few years. There was a lot of overseas investment there as I recall - a lot of Chinese money I think.

8403

Pandemic has come at the right time for my employers, they’ve manged to sack off 3 buildings and are refurbing my current office block, mind you they have moved the HSS students that were sharing my office block into a brand spanking new, state of the art building
with it’s own MRI suite.

8404

I imagine the leases won’t be renewed when they come to an end at that rate.

My company lucked out on leasing 2 floors in a brand new development in The City at loss leading rates as the developer was desperate to get tenants in to start interest. :+1:

8405

I think there will be lots of companies bargaining hard for good rent/lease deals. Landlords are going to get the shitty end for a while and what a fucking terrible shame that is.

5 Likes
8406

Breaking news. European inpatients tire of waiting for vaccines and start self-medicating.

4 Likes
8407

Bazza?!

1 Like
8408

Bit of a long read but interesting. Not really that far from here - which explains the huge rise we had locally.

3 Likes
8409

We could actually get something more lasting than that. We could see all property prices in the capital fall as this wave of effective decentralisation hits. We could even see the end of London wages. Lockdown has destroyed the culture of presenteeism.

Employers have discovered that most of their stars still shine and most of their shit still stinks. No change except the office space requirement.

1 Like
8410

There are going to be a few really disappointed people who find their wage packages drop £10k because employers have realised that they don’t have to pay so much.

I don’t have a lot of sympathy for the complaints of people who chose to commute two hours in each direction before the pandemic.