-why was it necessary to create a wholly new travel category?
-especially given cases there are so much lower than here?
-Why wasn’t it announced with the other changes this week?
-if it’s about Beta why not place on the red list altogether?
-Crucially, this raises the prospect that even with double vaccination, the government may be preventing or disrupting travel for a long time to come. Is that sustainable?
Am also old enough to remember when the briefing from govt was that the traffic light system would end the stop/start uncertainty of last summer...
Looking wider than France for a moment there’s also the total disconnect between UK domestic policy and international travel. UK govt policy domestically is now v light touch- ie to abandon all restrictions because of high % of population vaccinated...
But its policy internationally, towards travel is extremely rigid and tough. To look at international travel policy you’d think we must have v tough restrictions internally- but we don’t. Hence we end up with the oddity of making travel difficult from countries with much lower...
... case rates than our own. That was starting to change with double vaccination travel policy but this change raises the prospect that government could change that for other countries in future too.
And for those who will say, it’s about variants stupid- sure...
...but our high case rates may well itself yield a new variant which evades vaccines.
It’s a puzzle.
Ie does it make sense to be so concerned about one but not the other?
Not least because the trade offs on easy int travel are as profound as the trade offs domestically: economic damage and significant limitations to individual freedom to travel to see family/for work/holiday.
This email from someone who has barely seen her family in France for the last 18 months reminds us of the human costs associated with frequent changes in border policy. The costs are now enormous, making it unaffordable for poorer families to see loved ones.
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Judging by this speech the danger for the government's levelling up agenda is that it simply becomes a catch all term for govt policy on almost anything. PM just cited spending on crime, on mental health, on community sport all part of levelling up.
"We are literally levelling up funding for primary and secondary education with a higher level of funding per pupil."
So in this case levelling up appears to be a synonym for increasing spending.
But Q is what's distinctive about that for this govt? Why couldn't any govt have described their spending in that way?
Lots of claim and counterclaim at PMQs about exactly what has been said by ministers about the taking of the knee
Therefore worth looking at exactly what ministers and leading politicians have said about it over the past year.
There's no doubt that some Conservative ministers have made clear their dislike of the act over many months.
In 10th June 2020 the PM's spokesperson was asked whether he would take the knee. Response: "All I would say is the PM’s focus is on improving the lives and..."
"...opportunities of BAME people as part of our levelling up agenda."
This was partly in response to Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner taking the knee on 9th June 2020.
New DUP Leader @J_Donaldson_MP tells the Commons: "I cannot believe the path to reconciliation is made easier when we sacrifice justice."
This is the nub of the argument for many in NI who will oppose this- that the process of reconciliation is abetted by the justice process.
.@StephenFarryMP (Alliance): "These shameful proposals are an insult to all victims and indeed to many veterans who served honourably. They don't draw a line but rather cross a line on justice and the rule of law."
.@Ianblackford_MP: “Can the prime minister tell us what sanctions he thinks would be appropriate for someone who publishes racist content...[such as] describing Africans as flag waving piccaninnies with watermelon smiles?”
PM: “I’ve commented many times about the words I’ve said in the past...I think the House understands that you can take things out of context.”
Blackford: “You know still no contrition, still no apology...the legacy of this prime minister’s dog whistling has followed him into 10 Downing St and is now at the heart of this Tory government.”
NEW: Labour Deputy Leader @AngelaRayner on the @NatalieElphicke text: “While the country was commiserating our great team, Tory MPs were sneering at an inspirational player who stepped up to feed hungry kids when they voted to leave them without food...the Nasty Party is back.”
“The question every Tory MP needs to answer is – did they call out these appalling comments? And after his failure to support our players in their stance against racism, Boris Johnson must publicly condemn these disgraceful messages.“
Conservative Chair of the NI Select Committee also weighing in against Elphicke
The atmosphere in Spain for this match is absolutely electric
Completely compensated for by the fact that whenever there’s a goal the Spanish commentator says “Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooal” for about 20 seconds