The big Coronavirus thread

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Comments

  • Stevo_666
    Stevo_666 Posts: 62,011
    edited April 2020
    surrey_commuter said:

    kingstongraham said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    rjsterry said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    kingstongraham said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    kingstongraham said:

    https://www.ftadviser.com/companies/2020/04/16/furlough-scheme-faces-delays/

    Furlough scheme website not expected to be available until end of the month.

    I'm having a call with our HMRC relationship manager this afternoon on the JRS so will ask the question and let you know the feedback.
    Didn't know of any delay (or wouldn't say). HMRC is a big organisation and she probably isn't close to it, so not conclusive either way. We'll know soon enough given the portal is due to go live next Monday and payments starting end of the month.
    If they can get it live (and working) by the end of the month, that will still be an incredible achievement. Most projects wouldn't have established requirements (functional and non-functional) by then.
    The fact that they were ask in us to confirm by phone the last few digits of the relevant bank accounts to which the JRS payments would be made (secirity precaution) and a couple of other details in advance, plus the request that we have the call by the weekend, suggests strongly that this happening soon.
    If they will be phoning each company individually they are going to be extremely busy over the next 10 days to make sure employees get paid on time.
    That is a very valid point and I heard criticism that it is the SMEs (who need it most) who will not get it on time.

    SteveO any idea what size company you need to be to get a relationship manager?
    See my point above to RJS and KG re: timing and prioritising help to SMEs. All the indications are the payments will happen soon so fair play to them. However let's see.

    The HMRC definition of a large business that gets a relationship manager cover approx. the largest 2,000 corporate tax payers - the last threshold I saw was annual turnover in excess of £200m, or gross balance sheet assets over £2 billion.
    I guess this is the problem, they are backing new processes into existing structures. The top 2,000 companies by revenue will pay a disproportionate share of tax so have relationship managers. There is no logic that they will be the most needy recipients of these schemes.

    I absolutely do not see that as a problem, it is the only way to get this done quickly. Starting from scratch would not get you anywhere near having a system of this scale ready to roll in a month.
    I am not saying it is not the best solution. The problem I am anticipating is that the system is geared up to look after the 2,000 companies that probably pay more tax than the others put together. By reversing the process the support will not be there for the multitude of small companies that don’t have whole depts dedicated to navigating their way through the process.
    It's geared up to help all businesses with no visible bias that I can see - they all submit their claims through the portal with their bank details etc and HMRC will pay. The only link to existing processes that I see is that they ask you give the bank details for the account used to make PAYE payments to HMRC.

    Why do you think it is giving any preference to large companies?

    Fyi this may disappoint you, but it looks like they will go live on time. An email from HMRC that dropped into my inbox this evening said this:-
    "Dear colleague,
    We want to help you get ready to make your claim under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme when it goes live from Monday 20 April.
    There’s now updated guidance on how to calculate your claim and a simple step-by-step guide.
    There will also be a calculator available when the system goes live on Monday for you to check your calculations online before you make your claim.
    Please have all your information and calculations ready before you begin your application. If you have a payroll provider, they will be able to help you with this. You should retain all records and calculations in case we need to contact you about them.
    Please only call us if you can’t find what you need on GOV.UK – this will leave our lines open for those who need our help most.
    We wish you all the best at this challenging time.
    Yours sincerely

    Jim Harra
    First Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive – HMRC"
    "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,477
    Holy sh1t


    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • morstar
    morstar Posts: 6,190
    tailwindhome said:

    Holy censored


    That’s be some legacy. Civil unrest incited by the president.
  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 8,193
    tailwindhome said:

    Holy censored


    The White House conference might be worth a listen.
  • kingstonian
    kingstonian Posts: 2,847
    Trump being Trump. He’s so dangerous.
  • pangolin
    pangolin Posts: 6,669


    He's having a good night.
    - Genesis Croix de Fer
    - Dolan Tuono
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 29,922
    Stevo_666 said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    kingstongraham said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    rjsterry said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    kingstongraham said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    kingstongraham said:

    https://www.ftadviser.com/companies/2020/04/16/furlough-scheme-faces-delays/

    Furlough scheme website not expected to be available until end of the month.

    I'm having a call with our HMRC relationship manager this afternoon on the JRS so will ask the question and let you know the feedback.
    Didn't know of any delay (or wouldn't say). HMRC is a big organisation and she probably isn't close to it, so not conclusive either way. We'll know soon enough given the portal is due to go live next Monday and payments starting end of the month.
    If they can get it live (and working) by the end of the month, that will still be an incredible achievement. Most projects wouldn't have established requirements (functional and non-functional) by then.
    The fact that they were ask in us to confirm by phone the last few digits of the relevant bank accounts to which the JRS payments would be made (secirity precaution) and a couple of other details in advance, plus the request that we have the call by the weekend, suggests strongly that this happening soon.
    If they will be phoning each company individually they are going to be extremely busy over the next 10 days to make sure employees get paid on time.
    That is a very valid point and I heard criticism that it is the SMEs (who need it most) who will not get it on time.

    SteveO any idea what size company you need to be to get a relationship manager?
    See my point above to RJS and KG re: timing and prioritising help to SMEs. All the indications are the payments will happen soon so fair play to them. However let's see.

    The HMRC definition of a large business that gets a relationship manager cover approx. the largest 2,000 corporate tax payers - the last threshold I saw was annual turnover in excess of £200m, or gross balance sheet assets over £2 billion.
    I guess this is the problem, they are backing new processes into existing structures. The top 2,000 companies by revenue will pay a disproportionate share of tax so have relationship managers. There is no logic that they will be the most needy recipients of these schemes.

    I absolutely do not see that as a problem, it is the only way to get this done quickly. Starting from scratch would not get you anywhere near having a system of this scale ready to roll in a month.
    I am not saying it is not the best solution. The problem I am anticipating is that the system is geared up to look after the 2,000 companies that probably pay more tax than the others put together. By reversing the process the support will not be there for the multitude of small companies that don’t have whole depts dedicated to navigating their way through the process.
    It's geared up to help all businesses with no visible bias that I can see - they all submit their claims through the portal with their bank details etc and HMRC will pay. The only link to existing processes that I see is that they ask you give the bank details for the account used to make PAYE payments to HMRC.

    Why do you think it is giving any preference to large companies?

    Fyi this may disappoint you, but it looks like they will go live on time. An email from HMRC that dropped into my inbox this evening said this:-
    "Dear colleague,
    We want to help you get ready to make your claim under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme when it goes live from Monday 20 April.
    There’s now updated guidance on how to calculate your claim and a simple step-by-step guide.
    There will also be a calculator available when the system goes live on Monday for you to check your calculations online before you make your claim.
    Please have all your information and calculations ready before you begin your application. If you have a payroll provider, they will be able to help you with this. You should retain all records and calculations in case we need to contact you about them.
    Please only call us if you can’t find what you need on GOV.UK – this will leave our lines open for those who need our help most.
    We wish you all the best at this challenging time.
    Yours sincerely

    Jim Harra
    First Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive – HMRC"
    Sounds hopeful.
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 29,922
    surrey_commuter said:

    kingstongraham said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    rjsterry said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    kingstongraham said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    kingstongraham said:

    https://www.ftadviser.com/companies/2020/04/16/furlough-scheme-faces-delays/

    Furlough scheme website not expected to be available until end of the month.

    I'm having a call with our HMRC relationship manager this afternoon on the JRS so will ask the question and let you know the feedback.
    Didn't know of any delay (or wouldn't say). HMRC is a big organisation and she probably isn't close to it, so not conclusive either way. We'll know soon enough given the portal is due to go live next Monday and payments starting end of the month.
    If they can get it live (and working) by the end of the month, that will still be an incredible achievement. Most projects wouldn't have established requirements (functional and non-functional) by then.
    The fact that they were ask in us to confirm by phone the last few digits of the relevant bank accounts to which the JRS payments would be made (secirity precaution) and a couple of other details in advance, plus the request that we have the call by the weekend, suggests strongly that this happening soon.
    If they will be phoning each company individually they are going to be extremely busy over the next 10 days to make sure employees get paid on time.
    That is a very valid point and I heard criticism that it is the SMEs (who need it most) who will not get it on time.

    SteveO any idea what size company you need to be to get a relationship manager?
    See my point above to RJS and KG re: timing and prioritising help to SMEs. All the indications are the payments will happen soon so fair play to them. However let's see.

    The HMRC definition of a large business that gets a relationship manager cover approx. the largest 2,000 corporate tax payers - the last threshold I saw was annual turnover in excess of £200m, or gross balance sheet assets over £2 billion.
    I guess this is the problem, they are backing new processes into existing structures. The top 2,000 companies by revenue will pay a disproportionate share of tax so have relationship managers. There is no logic that they will be the most needy recipients of these schemes.

    I absolutely do not see that as a problem, it is the only way to get this done quickly. Starting from scratch would not get you anywhere near having a system of this scale ready to roll in a month.
    I am not saying it is not the best solution. The problem I am anticipating is that the system is geared up to look after the 2,000 companies that probably pay more tax than the others put together. By reversing the process the support will not be there for the multitude of small companies that don’t have whole depts dedicated to navigating their way through the process.
    I think a number of your assumptions are off there.
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • Stevo_666
    Stevo_666 Posts: 62,011
    rjsterry said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    kingstongraham said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    rjsterry said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    kingstongraham said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    kingstongraham said:

    https://www.ftadviser.com/companies/2020/04/16/furlough-scheme-faces-delays/

    Furlough scheme website not expected to be available until end of the month.

    I'm having a call with our HMRC relationship manager this afternoon on the JRS so will ask the question and let you know the feedback.
    Didn't know of any delay (or wouldn't say). HMRC is a big organisation and she probably isn't close to it, so not conclusive either way. We'll know soon enough given the portal is due to go live next Monday and payments starting end of the month.
    If they can get it live (and working) by the end of the month, that will still be an incredible achievement. Most projects wouldn't have established requirements (functional and non-functional) by then.
    The fact that they were ask in us to confirm by phone the last few digits of the relevant bank accounts to which the JRS payments would be made (secirity precaution) and a couple of other details in advance, plus the request that we have the call by the weekend, suggests strongly that this happening soon.
    If they will be phoning each company individually they are going to be extremely busy over the next 10 days to make sure employees get paid on time.
    That is a very valid point and I heard criticism that it is the SMEs (who need it most) who will not get it on time.

    SteveO any idea what size company you need to be to get a relationship manager?
    See my point above to RJS and KG re: timing and prioritising help to SMEs. All the indications are the payments will happen soon so fair play to them. However let's see.

    The HMRC definition of a large business that gets a relationship manager cover approx. the largest 2,000 corporate tax payers - the last threshold I saw was annual turnover in excess of £200m, or gross balance sheet assets over £2 billion.
    I guess this is the problem, they are backing new processes into existing structures. The top 2,000 companies by revenue will pay a disproportionate share of tax so have relationship managers. There is no logic that they will be the most needy recipients of these schemes.

    I absolutely do not see that as a problem, it is the only way to get this done quickly. Starting from scratch would not get you anywhere near having a system of this scale ready to roll in a month.
    I am not saying it is not the best solution. The problem I am anticipating is that the system is geared up to look after the 2,000 companies that probably pay more tax than the others put together. By reversing the process the support will not be there for the multitude of small companies that don’t have whole depts dedicated to navigating their way through the process.
    I think a number of your assumptions are off there.
    I've dished out a few facts above to deal with that :smile: It probably won't change his view as I think he wants it to be a disaster for some reason...
    "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]
  • kingstonian
    kingstonian Posts: 2,847
    Stevo_666 said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    kingstongraham said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    rjsterry said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    kingstongraham said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    kingstongraham said:

    https://www.ftadviser.com/companies/2020/04/16/furlough-scheme-faces-delays/

    Furlough scheme website not expected to be available until end of the month.

    I'm having a call with our HMRC relationship manager this afternoon on the JRS so will ask the question and let you know the feedback.
    Didn't know of any delay (or wouldn't say). HMRC is a big organisation and she probably isn't close to it, so not conclusive either way. We'll know soon enough given the portal is due to go live next Monday and payments starting end of the month.
    If they can get it live (and working) by the end of the month, that will still be an incredible achievement. Most projects wouldn't have established requirements (functional and non-functional) by then.
    The fact that they were ask in us to confirm by phone the last few digits of the relevant bank accounts to which the JRS payments would be made (secirity precaution) and a couple of other details in advance, plus the request that we have the call by the weekend, suggests strongly that this happening soon.
    If they will be phoning each company individually they are going to be extremely busy over the next 10 days to make sure employees get paid on time.
    That is a very valid point and I heard criticism that it is the SMEs (who need it most) who will not get it on time.

    SteveO any idea what size company you need to be to get a relationship manager?
    See my point above to RJS and KG re: timing and prioritising help to SMEs. All the indications are the payments will happen soon so fair play to them. However let's see.

    The HMRC definition of a large business that gets a relationship manager cover approx. the largest 2,000 corporate tax payers - the last threshold I saw was annual turnover in excess of £200m, or gross balance sheet assets over £2 billion.
    I guess this is the problem, they are backing new processes into existing structures. The top 2,000 companies by revenue will pay a disproportionate share of tax so have relationship managers. There is no logic that they will be the most needy recipients of these schemes.

    I absolutely do not see that as a problem, it is the only way to get this done quickly. Starting from scratch would not get you anywhere near having a system of this scale ready to roll in a month.
    I am not saying it is not the best solution. The problem I am anticipating is that the system is geared up to look after the 2,000 companies that probably pay more tax than the others put together. By reversing the process the support will not be there for the multitude of small companies that don’t have whole depts dedicated to navigating their way through the process.
    It's geared up to help all businesses with no visible bias that I can see - they all submit their claims through the portal with their bank details etc and HMRC will pay. The only link to existing processes that I see is that they ask you give the bank details for the account used to make PAYE payments to HMRC.

    Why do you think it is giving any preference to large companies?

    Fyi this may disappoint you, but it looks like they will go live on time. An email from HMRC that dropped into my inbox this evening said this:-
    "Dear colleague,
    We want to help you get ready to make your claim under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme when it goes live from Monday 20 April.
    There’s now updated guidance on how to calculate your claim and a simple step-by-step guide.
    There will also be a calculator available when the system goes live on Monday for you to check your calculations online before you make your claim.
    Please have all your information and calculations ready before you begin your application. If you have a payroll provider, they will be able to help you with this. You should retain all records and calculations in case we need to contact you about them.
    Please only call us if you can’t find what you need on GOV.UK – this will leave our lines open for those who need our help most.
    We wish you all the best at this challenging time.
    Yours sincerely

    Jim Harra
    First Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive – HMRC"


    Thanks for sharing, good to see
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    edited April 2020
    So after promising that no one will have conduct testing without PPE, people are now having to do just that because of PPE shortages.

    Why the f@ck did they opt out of that EU bulk order. Moronic.

    (Not saying that is some panacea but plainly any extra helps if this is where they are at)
    _
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    Bailey lobbying Sunak to raise CBILs to 100% as it would unclog the process.

    Bizarre, but hopefully would do the trick.
    _
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    Serious moral hazard there
    _
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 29,922
    edited April 2020
    rick_chasey said:

    So after promising that no one will have conduct testing without PPE, people are now having to do just that because of PPE shortages.

    Why the f@ck did they opt out of that EU bulk order. Moronic.

    (Not saying that is some panacea but plainly any extra helps if this is where they are at)

    Scotland and Wales apparently have enough so this appears to be PHE's screw up. PHE have downgraded their guidance to allow a lower standard of PPE if stocks run out. I think we are very close to staff having to stop work in high risk areas.
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,302
    rjsterry said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    kingstongraham said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    rjsterry said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    kingstongraham said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    kingstongraham said:

    https://www.ftadviser.com/companies/2020/04/16/furlough-scheme-faces-delays/

    Furlough scheme website not expected to be available until end of the month.

    I'm having a call with our HMRC relationship manager this afternoon on the JRS so will ask the question and let you know the feedback.
    Didn't know of any delay (or wouldn't say). HMRC is a big organisation and she probably isn't close to it, so not conclusive either way. We'll know soon enough given the portal is due to go live next Monday and payments starting end of the month.
    If they can get it live (and working) by the end of the month, that will still be an incredible achievement. Most projects wouldn't have established requirements (functional and non-functional) by then.
    The fact that they were ask in us to confirm by phone the last few digits of the relevant bank accounts to which the JRS payments would be made (secirity precaution) and a couple of other details in advance, plus the request that we have the call by the weekend, suggests strongly that this happening soon.
    If they will be phoning each company individually they are going to be extremely busy over the next 10 days to make sure employees get paid on time.
    That is a very valid point and I heard criticism that it is the SMEs (who need it most) who will not get it on time.

    SteveO any idea what size company you need to be to get a relationship manager?
    See my point above to RJS and KG re: timing and prioritising help to SMEs. All the indications are the payments will happen soon so fair play to them. However let's see.

    The HMRC definition of a large business that gets a relationship manager cover approx. the largest 2,000 corporate tax payers - the last threshold I saw was annual turnover in excess of £200m, or gross balance sheet assets over £2 billion.
    I guess this is the problem, they are backing new processes into existing structures. The top 2,000 companies by revenue will pay a disproportionate share of tax so have relationship managers. There is no logic that they will be the most needy recipients of these schemes.

    I absolutely do not see that as a problem, it is the only way to get this done quickly. Starting from scratch would not get you anywhere near having a system of this scale ready to roll in a month.
    I am not saying it is not the best solution. The problem I am anticipating is that the system is geared up to look after the 2,000 companies that probably pay more tax than the others put together. By reversing the process the support will not be there for the multitude of small companies that don’t have whole depts dedicated to navigating their way through the process.
    I think a number of your assumptions are off there.
    Think the system is set up to collect tax from all the companies.
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 29,922
    kingstongraham said:

    rjsterry said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    kingstongraham said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    rjsterry said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    kingstongraham said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    kingstongraham said:

    https://www.ftadviser.com/companies/2020/04/16/furlough-scheme-faces-delays/

    Furlough scheme website not expected to be available until end of the month.

    I'm having a call with our HMRC relationship manager this afternoon on the JRS so will ask the question and let you know the feedback.
    Didn't know of any delay (or wouldn't say). HMRC is a big organisation and she probably isn't close to it, so not conclusive either way. We'll know soon enough given the portal is due to go live next Monday and payments starting end of the month.
    If they can get it live (and working) by the end of the month, that will still be an incredible achievement. Most projects wouldn't have established requirements (functional and non-functional) by then.
    The fact that they were ask in us to confirm by phone the last few digits of the relevant bank accounts to which the JRS payments would be made (secirity precaution) and a couple of other details in advance, plus the request that we have the call by the weekend, suggests strongly that this happening soon.
    If they will be phoning each company individually they are going to be extremely busy over the next 10 days to make sure employees get paid on time.
    That is a very valid point and I heard criticism that it is the SMEs (who need it most) who will not get it on time.

    SteveO any idea what size company you need to be to get a relationship manager?
    See my point above to RJS and KG re: timing and prioritising help to SMEs. All the indications are the payments will happen soon so fair play to them. However let's see.

    The HMRC definition of a large business that gets a relationship manager cover approx. the largest 2,000 corporate tax payers - the last threshold I saw was annual turnover in excess of £200m, or gross balance sheet assets over £2 billion.
    I guess this is the problem, they are backing new processes into existing structures. The top 2,000 companies by revenue will pay a disproportionate share of tax so have relationship managers. There is no logic that they will be the most needy recipients of these schemes.

    I absolutely do not see that as a problem, it is the only way to get this done quickly. Starting from scratch would not get you anywhere near having a system of this scale ready to roll in a month.
    I am not saying it is not the best solution. The problem I am anticipating is that the system is geared up to look after the 2,000 companies that probably pay more tax than the others put together. By reversing the process the support will not be there for the multitude of small companies that don’t have whole depts dedicated to navigating their way through the process.
    I think a number of your assumptions are off there.
    Think the system is set up to collect tax from all the companies.
    Well quite.
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,090
    BBC correction

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52333540
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660


    _
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,302
    rjsterry said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    rjsterry said:

    pblakeney said:

    I see that we have a war chest of 12 billion to fight the financial aspects of the virus.
    Divide that by 66 million and it doesn’t go far.

    Expect that to increase.
    The censored had already embarked on the largest ever fiscal expansion, so what are his options switch money from his bridge fund or borrow more?
    I think this might just take priority over HS2. The nearest equivalent this country has seen was the outbreak of WW2. I would expect similar borrowing, expenditure and repayment over decades to get through it.
    Even now, a month after this, HS2 is somehow far from being cancelled, it is being prioritised.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52293055

    Incredible.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    kingstongraham said:

    rjsterry said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    rjsterry said:

    pblakeney said:

    I see that we have a war chest of 12 billion to fight the financial aspects of the virus.
    Divide that by 66 million and it doesn’t go far.

    Expect that to increase.
    The censored had already embarked on the largest ever fiscal expansion, so what are his options switch money from his bridge fund or borrow more?
    I think this might just take priority over HS2. The nearest equivalent this country has seen was the outbreak of WW2. I would expect similar borrowing, expenditure and repayment over decades to get through it.
    Even now, a month after this, HS2 is somehow far from being cancelled, it is being prioritised.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52293055

    Incredible.
    Why is it incredible?

    Counter cyclical spending on things like infrastructure is textbook stuff.
    _
  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 8,193
    kingstongraham said:

    rjsterry said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    rjsterry said:

    pblakeney said:

    I see that we have a war chest of 12 billion to fight the financial aspects of the virus.
    Divide that by 66 million and it doesn’t go far.

    Expect that to increase.
    The censored had already embarked on the largest ever fiscal expansion, so what are his options switch money from his bridge fund or borrow more?
    I think this might just take priority over HS2. The nearest equivalent this country has seen was the outbreak of WW2. I would expect similar borrowing, expenditure and repayment over decades to get through it.
    Even now, a month after this, HS2 is somehow far from being cancelled, it is being prioritised.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52293055

    Incredible.
    I want to see a question asked about this at each press conference. It's blood ridiculous, when the countries economy is being repeatedly kicked in the nuts!
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    focuszing723 said:

    kingstongraham said:

    rjsterry said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    rjsterry said:

    pblakeney said:

    I see that we have a war chest of 12 billion to fight the financial aspects of the virus.
    Divide that by 66 million and it doesn’t go far.

    Expect that to increase.
    The censored had already embarked on the largest ever fiscal expansion, so what are his options switch money from his bridge fund or borrow more?
    I think this might just take priority over HS2. The nearest equivalent this country has seen was the outbreak of WW2. I would expect similar borrowing, expenditure and repayment over decades to get through it.
    Even now, a month after this, HS2 is somehow far from being cancelled, it is being prioritised.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52293055

    Incredible.
    I want to see a question asked about this at each press conference. It's blood ridiculous, when the countries economy is being repeatedly kicked in the nuts!
    But it is being done to help the economy?

    As per above it is textbook.
    _
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    A bigger worry is the telegraph reporting some hospitals rationing oxygen....
    _
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,302
    rick_chasey said:

    kingstongraham said:

    rjsterry said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    rjsterry said:

    pblakeney said:

    I see that we have a war chest of 12 billion to fight the financial aspects of the virus.
    Divide that by 66 million and it doesn’t go far.

    Expect that to increase.
    The censored had already embarked on the largest ever fiscal expansion, so what are his options switch money from his bridge fund or borrow more?
    I think this might just take priority over HS2. The nearest equivalent this country has seen was the outbreak of WW2. I would expect similar borrowing, expenditure and repayment over decades to get through it.
    Even now, a month after this, HS2 is somehow far from being cancelled, it is being prioritised.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52293055

    Incredible.
    Why is it incredible?

    Counter cyclical spending on things like infrastructure is textbook stuff.
    Because it was already bad value, doesn't give great benefits, isn't ever going to go past Birmingham, and will mean that they will spend less on actually useful infrastructure projects. And now even the official projection has its value for money as "Poor".
  • surrey_commuter
    surrey_commuter Posts: 18,867
    CEO of Care estimates 7,500
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,302
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/17/political-imagination-end-lockdown-mass-testing-contact-tracing

    We need shit loads of tests.
  • pangolin
    pangolin Posts: 6,669
    rick_chasey said:

    A bigger worry is the telegraph reporting some hospitals rationing oxygen....


    That stuff doesn't just grow on trees.
    - Genesis Croix de Fer
    - Dolan Tuono
  • coopster_the_1st
    coopster_the_1st Posts: 5,158
    TheBigBean said:

    BBC correction

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52333540

    This seems to be being ignored by the gullible plebs who fell for the fake news. The BBC is really heading to new lows in its conduct of being a responsible news organisation. This is something I would expect from Channel 4!
  • pangolin
    pangolin Posts: 6,669
    TheBigBean said:

    BBC correction

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52333540

    Well well well. Almost as if some people were right to be a tad cynical of taking that story at face value.
    - Genesis Croix de Fer
    - Dolan Tuono
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 17,497
    kingstongraham said:

    rick_chasey said:

    kingstongraham said:

    rjsterry said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    rjsterry said:

    pblakeney said:

    I see that we have a war chest of 12 billion to fight the financial aspects of the virus.
    Divide that by 66 million and it doesn’t go far.

    Expect that to increase.
    The censored had already embarked on the largest ever fiscal expansion, so what are his options switch money from his bridge fund or borrow more?
    I think this might just take priority over HS2. The nearest equivalent this country has seen was the outbreak of WW2. I would expect similar borrowing, expenditure and repayment over decades to get through it.
    Even now, a month after this, HS2 is somehow far from being cancelled, it is being prioritised.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52293055

    Incredible.
    Why is it incredible?

    Counter cyclical spending on things like infrastructure is textbook stuff.
    Because it was already bad value, doesn't give great benefits, isn't ever going to go past Birmingham, and will mean that they will spend less on actually useful infrastructure projects. And now even the official projection has its value for money as "Poor".
    It is a solution for the year 2000 a small part of which is being delivered in 2030.

    I wonder whether the current crisis might suggest that investing in widespread IT infrastructure might be a better bet.

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