Again we must disagree - the good businesses will see this through in the main due to the furlough scheme. The businesses that have been teetering on the edge for years will go by the way side. It is no surprise that the likes of Café Rouge, Carluccios, Jamie Oliver and shops like Debenhams, Links, Bon Marche have gone - these aren't good businesses that just got unlucky these were poor businesses that should have long ago. I don't hear M&S, Next, Harvey Nichols, River Island crying - the landscape will change it would have changed anyway. There will be less bars & restaurants but what will be left will be well run businesses.

I think there are plenty of manufacturing businesses that are sound and whilst revenues are down they are doing OK, plenty of media businesses too, finance companies etc. This economy is far from dead.

I didn't say the ecconomy was dead, just the high street.
As for the fashion outlets that you mention, certainly Next are "crying", their on line sales are 30% down ?? and M & S are bleeding cash.
No idea about Harvey Nicholls but, they wouldn't put anything negative into the public domain.

Do you think the either Next or M&S will not be here at the end of this? My guess is their business model will adapt to the new environment.

The high street as we know will not exist - Covid 19 has just accelerated that transition. The high street in every in every town was a clone of each other as is every shopping centre - that is not sustainable - something had to give.

M&S profits peaked in about 1997. How they're still going I don't know. If it wasn't for their food stores I think they would have gone a decade ago. Their clothes and homeware stores are just a depressing jumble of tat.

Changing the subject, away from the recession, it seems that our ruling party have finally been called out on their endless lies and misleading the public over their testing targets:

It’s more than a week since statistical regulator the UK Statistics Authority wrote to Health Secretary Matt Hancock to ask for clarification of whether that target is for testing capacity, the number of tests administered, the number of tests completed or the number of people tested.

Mr Hancock is still awaiting the party spin doctor to tell him how to answer this one.
There certainly havent been anywhere near 100,000 tests per day at or since the end of April.
Yes, the numbers are massively increased but, actual tests carried out, not to mention completed tests and their results are a long, long way from 100,000 per day.
Worht noting that the PM doubled this target for the end of May, only 11 days away.

Maybe they will be counting envelopes that are ready to put the test in, before posting them out



It's not like the Johnson government to mis lead anyone so we should probably forgive him this one. After all, he's not been well

I completely agree with you

From todays briefing, it seems that the cloak and mirrors will continue with the track and trace system that has been promised.
Apparently we are training staff but, the app is some way from being ready but, apparently, we will be "ready" at the beginning of June ??

Why cant they just be honest

Because the GE proved beyond a shadow of doubt that they don’t have to be.

Because that is not how politics works - sadly. If they had said we risk assessed the potential of a virus and deemed the money was better spent on other clinical needs rather than stockpiling PPE, if they said yes we do have limited testing capability but it was perfectly adequate pre-covid, they had admitted the care sector was a complete mess then perhaps there would be an element of trust.

Also there doesn't seem to an ability in the government push any positive news stories - death's in care homes has been significant but far less than many countries in Europe. Over 60% of care homes have been virus free. Why not report everyday how many trusts are virus/death free etc.

I am a big Tory supporter but this is shambles the only light at the end of the tunnel is Boris' determination to exit the EU by the end of year - this is a must or this government is finished.

Massive political no-win for Johnson there, imo. We have already exited the the EU though, btw.

There isn’t even the outline of a new deal/relationship, so to continue and gamble on getting one by the end of the year... that’ll mean eating poop or a disorderly end to the transition.

Give up now and start preparing for no deal, with a huge recession looming - that’ll annoy those who wouldn’t vote for him anyway... and whatever is left of the pragmatic, moderate middle.

Agree an extension, annoying his redline/no new deal base.

His only hope, imo, is that his base is still so bought in to him as a personality that they’ll believe in/forgive whatever he does as necessary and for the best. Explaining away a delay as being okay given the exceptional circumstances (fair enough), or ignoring/spinning his compromises, as they did for the exit agreement. 5 or 6 weeks to decide - that’s ample time, I’m sure.

What has changed since we have left btw? We are still paying in and will do until the end of Dec. We are still subject to the rulings of the ECJ, EU boats are still shipping in our waters etc.

I disagree - we need to prepare for leaving with no deal anything above that is a bonus. The EU have shown their hand - we must follow their rules on state aid, participation of the ECJ, no changes to fishing etc. What possible benefit is having a delay going to give? IMO it would be the opposite you would showing the EU your concerns about going it alone and then you really would be on the end of a really poor deal. It is not in anyone's interest for us to leave on WTO terms but the economy wont collapse further than it already is going to - the impact of no deal will be very modest compared to impact Covid will have. The impact calcs. were based on the economy as it was not as it will be!!

I appreciate that any delay for the remain camp is a good idea because deep down the genuinely believe the result of the referendum can be null and voided if we never get to a deal, I suspect the EU are hoping for the same.

Isn't that like saying, "the window is already smashed. Just chuck another brick through it"?

The only upside of no deal will be that the world will be in such a state by then, we'll hardly notice.