Moron's gonna moron, and a rabid press are going to report only the most extreme cases to make it look even worse.

I went into Sainsburys the other morning to get some milk for work, and had a look down some of the aisles. I've got to ask questions about all this panic buying... Where are all the industrious, even mildly intelligent folk these days?

Every pack of toilet roll was gone, but the moist toilet tissue wipes were untouched. Then if you went round to the next aisle, there was a fully stocked aisle of tissues and kitchen roll, which would do the job of toilet roll equally as well.

The pasta/rice aisle was a similar story. Pasta and rice was decimated, but things like sauce, passata and stock, to cook it with, was fully stocked.

Anyway, if food starts running out, I've still got a decent stock of winter veg in the garden. You know, being a commie, and all that.

You do realise that when things get really bad, the state militia will be coming round to your place with forks and a wheelbarrow, that is if they dont take them as well.

I have a feeling we're soon going to start hearing about the next phase of the crisis. The "blocked toilet epidemic" with a shortage of plumbers.

Yeah, the Daily Mail is a bugger to flush.

You cant actually use the Daily Mail instead of toilet roll as it's already full of cr@p, wouldn't want to touch it through fear of contamination



I notice that their main headline is "lets pull together", from a paper that is usually so quick of the mark to castigate any minority groups, immigrants, jobless, disabled, teenagers etc, etc

Let's pull together for our elderly, Britain! They know who their customer base is.

"So long as they're not black, brown, European, claiming benefits, homeless or disabled."

You can tell things are going to be bad - the BBC and ITN are running good news stories about human decency, and looking out for each other.

Update from schools is that the majority of support staff have been advised to work from home. Only teaching staff are asked to attend, and they are to treat the day as a normal teaching day. Each school will be monitored daily. Regarding closures, it's not a matter of if, but when.

I knew this summer rugby move (1996) would not last. LOL

You're ahead of me, I don't pay any attention to the Mail. But ignoring the fact it's the Mail, they have a point - isolation for a number of weeks/months will be bad enough for all of us, but for the elderly who may already suffer from loneliness and other issues, it's going to be terrible.

From my conversation with my 75 year-old mum yesterday, stubbornness will be the death of most of them. She's quite active but suffers from loneliness since my dad passed away and she has severe heart and other conditions. Getting her to accept the inevitable has been a nightmare, even with all the support we can muster from afar. I've subsequently seen and heard many similar comments - the OAPs contacting the Jeremy Vine show this morning just as pig-headed.

"It's discrimination against the elderly" "I have a right to leave my home" "Age has nothing to do with this" "They want to kill us all off" Of course you have a right to leave your home. But you could spread it, you could take up a bed that otherwise might have been available for others, and you could well die.

Another comment I heard yesterday from a female friend..."I have a sore throat and a bit of a cough but no symptoms of the virus", while her husband in the same house has a raging fever, sore throat and cough.

She sent her kids into school and went round the local shops today with the supermarkets being empty. They're all now under quarantine for 14 days.

Full lockdown within a week? I reckon.

My wife has been self isolating since Friday. Now the new guidelines have been issued, my little girl will be staying at home and I'll be working from home, so we're all in isolation. I spoke to my mum and dad earlier (mum nearly 70, dad 75) and explained the situation. My mum's reply? "You'll all have to come round one day if you're off work, I'll cook a dinner". Honestly!!!

aaawww bless don't you just love em

, hope you all stay well

They are promising money for business but in loan form which will have to be paid back. I note that Johnson did not answer the questions on loan repayments.

Good luck to them hope they get through this disaster.

To be honest I think the wall of debt will be too much. Talking to someone at the weekend, a relatively sound company turnover 90 thousand per month. Now dropped to 5 thousand a month. I asked him how long he could sustain that drop in turnover. Not ******* long was the reply.

what has he been doing with the 85K a month?

People seem to forget that "The Government" is you and me when it comes to money, IF he has been making even 20% profit and not saving or investing, why do I bail him out?

I am not suggesting the government should bail him out. Should imagine his profit margin is based on 90 thousand per month. I know he runs several vans so his overheads Will be virtually the same. So huge drop in turnover whilst fixed overheads are the same is obviously a recipe for disaster.

With regards the Business loans is the government not just falling in line with the French announcement or are the French giving the money away. I am more concerned that that these loans will attract interest. It will also be interesting to know if the banks that are offering mortgage holidays will they also expect interest on those months I would hope not. I am sure that the grants announced will be warmly welcomed, however, it seems still nothing for the self employed ??

Do you understand anything about basic economics ?
A 90k/month TURNOVER business, suddenly dropping to 5k, without any change to their cost structure isn't going to last very long, especially if this happens overnight.
Unless the business is cash rich and has huge reserves in the bank, which would be very unusual, they are instantly on the brink.
Also, having seen a 90% drop in turnover in one month, what do you think happens next month ?

You actually scare me with your absolute lack of knowledge.

Stick to the ill informed quips and try not to embarrass yourself any further

laughable, even for a complete hard of thinking individual like you. I understand TURNOVER, and 90K TURNOVER should yield a PROFIT. Stick to your sanatogen and werthers diet, you petrify me with your closed mind idealist view, ignoring how the world [ireally[/i works. I hope envy and hate of all things progressive and profitable keeps you warm at night.

Are you stupid or what - so they have business that makes 10% net profit which is pretty good - let's say material costs are 30% that still leaves costs of 54k so in 4 weeks you have costs >£200k which will need to be paid - the equivalent of 24 weeks profits. Its not a difficult calculation to understand

If ive got this right and following the announcement by the Foreign Office today via Mr Raab, that advises that we don't travel abroad unless absolutely necessary.

Therefore, If we don't go on a previously booked trip on government advice, we cannot claim on our travel insurance because the government hasn't told us we can't go just advised not to.
We cannot claim on the booking agent if they are still willing to take us.
So if we do go so as not to lose our money, the government can wipe their hands of us if that country brings in restrictions because they advised us not to go in the first place.
Or am I just being cynical

where are these costs coming from if they are not trading?

Rent, rates, staff, insurance, utilities, security R&M etc. all the usual business overheads