Andy Burnham

Because it benefits the billion-pound private rental market, the Tories' natural allies. Not to mention Universities themselves are stuffing them in halls to cream the rental, although more than half of these are now privately owned too.

We could all see it coming and it's no coincidence this peak has coincided with universities and colleges returning and is worst is university towns with densely populated housing. Seven teenagers in a terraced house, bored cos they have no lectures in the building. Nice September weather. Frustration of having done sack all most of the summer... was always going to happen and it's negligent of the government not to have addressed it before September

 

I wonder if you saw the students on Hyde Park a few weeks ago Peachy? Looked like Glastonbury.

A friend of mine works at one College in the City with a few thousand students. They have about 500 either self isolating or positive but are still expecting all students to be in the building unless they've been told to isolate. No online learning built in at all.

 

I train with a PCSO who said thats what his last few briefings encompassed.

A lot of weight on student areas.

Which is pointless given

A. It was confined to one block
B. The students in that locality were all tested and isolated weeks ago
C. The numbers of infected will start deceasing over the next week

Id leave her til Boris speaks as its only planned for next week. They havent had the order to enact anything yet.

 

Yes of course the support for Andy Burnham has been huge, that’s my whole point. He’s coming up mayoral election and has had to deal with several tricky local situations and this is a perfect opportunity to win back local support.

My point is that it’s hypocritical to severely oppose a local lockdown and then throw your weight behind a national lockdown. If your concern is the economy, why support emptying the public purse on nationwide restrictions that will hit GM residents in the long run.

 

It's not hypocritical he can see what everyone else can see these restrictions offer no support for some and only prolong the misery that could be reset and better tracked with a shorter lockdown and the right decisions on test and trace.

People of Bolton and Leicester have been under restrictions for months now that haven't worked so why are this lot persevering with it on a larger scale?

They need to support those that actually spend the money they get instead of ploughing it into private companies that will no doubt hide it and not reinvest in our high streets and get the economy ticking over again.

High street traders will be hoping there is a bit more going on in the lead up to Christmas but people need the money to spend if they are to stimulate our failing economy so yes it comes out of the public purse but the average man or woman on the street will spend it they can't afford to save.

It's time to stop thinking about making a few people rich and back the British people to get the economy moving but we need support to be able to do so.

It's been a bad year and if we don't change course it will be a miserable Autumn/ Winter but its avoidable if they act now in terms of suppressing the virus and supporting the people who will keep the economy going.

 

I don't disagree with much of what you say, but I'm not sure its correct to say that the Leicester lockdown hasn't worked..(without having up to date figures) they seem to have gone from the worst in the country to middle range.

 

But they haven't exited restrictions have they? How long can they sustain that? Lockdown is supposed to stop the spread it's not done that so I can only conclude it hasn't worked.

 

It isn’t hypocritical in the slightest. He said he doesn’t agree with a national lockdown necessarily but would support it - on the condition that jobs and businesses are properly protected with an 80% furlough and with other prescribed financial support.

His duty is to the people and businesses of greater manchester, he fears for them with a localised restriction and has said (I very much agree) that it is a waste of time and won’t work. A national lockdown (I’m not advocating we do it on here, just making the point) has more chance of being successful.

He’s not against taking action, just not action which won’t work and will cause damage to his city region. It isn’t hypocritical, to me it’s strong leadership with clarity.

 

Probably got more power as the Mayor of one of the largest Conurbations in Europe then he would have had sat in opposition as an MP. He's not that old, reckon he'll be back when the time is right.

 

If they have gone from the worst in the country to the middle of the pack....surely those restrictions have worked?

 

I agree with alot of what he says but going forward in the long term he cant seriously think a "circuit breaker" 2 week lockdown in the way forward. We will be back to square one again in january/February. The rest of Europe are suffering a 2nd wave, france and Spain etc arent going into a 2nd country wide lockdown.