Is this conversation a waste of time?
There have been a lot of good and practical suggestions put forward as part of this grown up discussion we are having with the Scottish Government. It sounded like this was going to be a very good consultation.
Now, I have just heard Nicola Sturgeon on television saying there will be no changes in the lockdown any time soon (In spite of Boris Johnson saying some measures are going to be eased in England this week)
This is going to anger a lot of Scots.
Lets be clear, we are not asking for the important things to be lifted, neither is Boris. All we would like to see as a first step is some easing of what we can do in our spare time in the form of activities that do not pose a risk of spreading the virus.
But Nicola says no. But crucially she has said no before even waiting for this consultation process to finish, and she made no mention that this consultation is going to influence the decisions.
So it sounds like the decision is made and this conversation is now a wast of time and is not going to influence the decisions that have already been made. That is very disappointing if true.
Now, I have just heard Nicola Sturgeon on television saying there will be no changes in the lockdown any time soon (In spite of Boris Johnson saying some measures are going to be eased in England this week)
This is going to anger a lot of Scots.
Lets be clear, we are not asking for the important things to be lifted, neither is Boris. All we would like to see as a first step is some easing of what we can do in our spare time in the form of activities that do not pose a risk of spreading the virus.
But Nicola says no. But crucially she has said no before even waiting for this consultation process to finish, and she made no mention that this consultation is going to influence the decisions.
So it sounds like the decision is made and this conversation is now a wast of time and is not going to influence the decisions that have already been made. That is very disappointing if true.
Why the contribution is important
The Scottish people need to see things are moving forwards, first in small steps, allowing more freedom to do things that have no risk of spreading the virus.
This is needed for the mental health of those trying to live withing the restrictions and to make it more bearable.
If nothing changes then it will send the message that this conversation was a waste of time, is not being listened to and the Scottish Government have no regard for the feelings of the people.
If the people feel they are being ignored they will lose respect for the Scottish Government and the restrictions that are in place.
This is needed for the mental health of those trying to live withing the restrictions and to make it more bearable.
If nothing changes then it will send the message that this conversation was a waste of time, is not being listened to and the Scottish Government have no regard for the feelings of the people.
If the people feel they are being ignored they will lose respect for the Scottish Government and the restrictions that are in place.
by Dave_H on May 10, 2020 at 07:46PM
Posted by Magic May 10, 2020 at 19:57
We need to do this together as we have done so far. The minor measures suggested by Boris are harmless. It has been suggested by scientists that the virus does not transmit outdoors. We have a lot of open spaces in this country so being allowed to play some sport and sunbathe makes more sense.
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Posted by MF123 May 10, 2020 at 20:04
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Posted by Opportunity May 10, 2020 at 20:08
Finally, they will make up their mind, what the science says, how unruly some people may become (although they are simply asked to stay put which is not really difficult with all the support everybody can get if needed) and they will (hopefully) also watch what is happening elsewhere before they rush into something.
Only to mention the most prominent examples who are experiencing a rise in cases since they eased their restrictions: Germany and South Korea. We have lessons to learn from them.
And we should keep in mind that definitely Germany's health care system cannot be compared with the NHS. It is better equipped, including financially and with enough staff, but we are vulnerable. The NHS could only 'cope' because it had the additional weight of normal scheduled treatments taken off it... and because many elderly were not even admitted to hospitals but died in their care homes. Certainly nothing to be proud of.
No, this consultation is not a waste of time. Some posts may be but they will probably end up on the 'unsubstantiated' pile anyway.
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Posted by jennyw May 10, 2020 at 20:10
Just for the record, I am not an SNP supporter.
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Posted by petermuir79 May 10, 2020 at 20:15
I get the feeling that the Scottish Government just wants to say the opposite to Boris as....its Boris.
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Posted by OldDeuteronomy May 10, 2020 at 20:16
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Posted by Lorraine10 May 10, 2020 at 20:19
Let’s face it with garden centres opening up, burger kings, McDonalds, take aways and coffee shops all reopening , its not exactly lock down is it?
We are supposed to all be in this to support the NHS. If the R number increases as it has done in other countries who have reduced lockdown restrictions then we will be at a value which will inundate our NHS capacity to cope.
Therefore a few more weeks of lockdown I am sure people will agree, people can cope with especially now as exercise has been permitted to increase , will help the elderly, help the immune compromised, help ALL of The front line workers and help the country fight the virus until such time as we can all get a vaccine. We are all impatient to get back to some sort of normality but patience and control of our feelings and emotions is what we must do. Look at all the poor families who have lost loved ones, they can’t have them back...
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Posted by MikeJohnston May 10, 2020 at 20:21
Publicly, Scot, W and NI have stuck with what is (to some extent, excl TTIS) working and while I'm not the FM's greatest fan, I commend her for this.
However, as said above, this 'Grown-up Conversation' may easily become yet another sham.
I suggest we all use Tuesday 12th to email every MSP demanding a full and frank assessment of the 'conversation'. The clue is in the name. Are we the naughty children or grown ups?
(We don't have anything else useful to do on the 12th do we?)
The ScottishGovernment nickname has seeded some 'ideas' which are at the top of the 'most commented' list. How about their coming out publicly on this conversation with some replies? Otherwise it's just another one-way conversation - evidenced by a complete refusal of all scot.gov and MSP email addresses to reply to my emails.
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Posted by Kylesku May 10, 2020 at 20:27
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Posted by KJF May 10, 2020 at 20:32
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Posted by Ro2 May 10, 2020 at 20:32
This system appears to be based on an on-line system for gauging public opinion that was pioneered by the Taiwanese government last year. I remember reading about it at the time and having a good look at it.
The great advantage is that it can give a government an almost instant idea of what goes on in the minds of its people on a particular topic.
The pitfalls I think are to with how the information is graded: Ideas that generate the best votes and the most responses float to the top and are mentioned in the summing-up. These are almost always the simplest, snappiest, and more outspoken ideas. I suspect there is a kind of filter-bubble effect going on, similar to what happens in social media. No surprise, because this is modelled on social media.
The longer, more complex and nuanced reflections on a topic, including mine, tend to sink to the bottom of the heap into oblivion once the window of attention of a few hours has passed.
What I am typing now will undoubtedly go the same way. Cheers!
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Posted by Cheryl May 10, 2020 at 20:38
These discussions will give scotgov an idea of what contributors are thinking and look at the arguments for and against each suggestion.
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Posted by mummywebb May 10, 2020 at 20:39
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Posted by BT May 10, 2020 at 20:44
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Posted by JaneySue May 10, 2020 at 21:13
She asked us what we needed, we’ve told her some low risk changed that would reap huge benefits and we are told no by am angry Nicola.
So please listen to the population Nicola and let us see people outside and get back to work safely.
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Posted by Tom9nn May 10, 2020 at 21:26
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Posted by ArchieM May 10, 2020 at 21:38
Still do not understand why we are told the R number had to come down, when we don’t even know what it is, how high it has been and exactly what the target is.
We were told there would e a road map, where is this road map, meanwhile our economy will continue to fall behind and more damage will be done including damage to mental health.
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Posted by Ccd May 10, 2020 at 21:41
Why the contribution is important
To gain public support and belief that their opinion counts
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Posted by dodo1956 May 11, 2020 at 00:06
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Posted by Abigail May 11, 2020 at 00:23
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Posted by Scotland_is_flatlining May 11, 2020 at 18:28
Having seen the FM put out the framework for decision making on 23 April nothing has changed in the following 3 weeks.
Scottish Government is ineffiient, not fit for purpose and should give way to Westminster.
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