"Stay alert" - new govenment messaging

[Bozza]

Happy to tap in the open goals that your scattergun approach here is providing...

And like I said, we have a slogan. It works for me.

Let's stay where we are then...

However the great mob over the council estate who were having a piss up and barbie, still, at midnight yesterday will doubtless have their own take on what 'stay alert' means.

Oh.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Happy to tap in the open goals that your scattergun approach here is providing...



Let's stay where we are then...



Oh.

If you think changing the slogan to a weaker one will help, and think that pointing that out scores you a goal, and making comments about my 'approach' makes you right, I raise one eyebrow.

 

[atomised]

If you really can’t interpret what “Stay Alert” means you’re a moron.

Problem is that there are an awful lot of morons out there who either wont understand or more likely will understand but decide it suits them better to interpret it differently

 

[Bozza]

If you think changing the slogan to a weaker one will help, and think that pointing that out scores you a goal, and making comments about my 'approach' makes you right, I raise one eyebrow.

Come on fella, in one breath you say the slogan works and in the next you highlight where it's not.

In all likelihood the people you are talking about will do what the hell they like regardless, but it seems to be a commonly-held perception right now that people have "relaxed" a bit, and if there's any chance that people can be prompted to properly consider their actions more carefully, then all the better.

You, me and a large number of the population know what we need to do - "Stay the **** from everyone else" - and will continue to do so.

 

[Mellotron]

I understand your points, and I am also very concerned about these wider issues if this carries on. I made a point in another post that if we increased restristriction and beat the number of new cases down, like the disciplined Germans have managed, we could then move to a strong focused tracking and isolating strategy (too many cases currently for that to work) that would allow the rest of us to do more, importanty work and earn an income. The danger of nuance and loosening of rules now is that cases may start going up again. There is a hint this may have begun in Germany where restrictions were loosened a week ago. I am concerned the government has jumped the gun. We will find out in 2-3 weeks....all the best

Fair points all. I think tonight will represent an easing in almost name only, and I agree with you that that is all it should be. Drive down the numbers for another 3 weeks, get on top of testing and get the app going. Then we can start to move forward a little more.

 

[Mellotron]

Also to those saying we don’t need a slogan at all - “take back control” and “get Brexit done” have shown that - whether we like it or not - slogans can be very effective.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

I understand your points, and I am also very concerned about these wider issues if this carries on. I made a point in another post that if we increased restristriction and beat the number of new cases down, like the disciplined Germans have managed, we could then move to a strong focused tracking and isolating strategy (too many cases currently for that to work) that would allow the rest of us to do more, importanty work and earn an income. The danger of nuance and loosening of rules now is that cases may start going up again. There is a hint this may have begun in Germany where restrictions were loosened a week ago. I am concerned the government has jumped the gun. We will find out in 2-3 weeks....all the best

An increase in civil unrest out there, so perhaps not so disciplined as is thought. We haven’t seen such protests yet!

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Come on fella, in one breath you say the slogan works and in the next you highlight where it's not.

In all likelihood the people you are talking about will do what the hell they like regardless, but it seems to be a commonly-held perception right now that people have "relaxed" a bit, and if there's any chance that people can be prompted to properly consider their actions more carefully, then all the better.

You, me and a large number of the population know what we need to do - "Stay the **** from everyone else" - and will continue to do so.

We shall have to disagree about the need to improve the old slogan with a new weaker one. I said the old slogan was fine and the new one isn't. There is nothing contradictory about that. You then made comments about people politicizing their reaction to the slogan change, which is a lazy way of criticising everyone who thinks Boris has done badly on this occasion. Then you start making light of it and mocking my comments. As for your 'commonly-held perception', I haven't noticed much change in behaviour around these parts. If it is different in Sussex, fine. But do note that Boris signalled a week ago he would be loosening restrictions with an announcement today, so if things have relaxed a bit in your neck of the woods that may be the reason. None of this is justifiable or good in my view.

 

[Wozza]

Coldwar Steve has leaked an image from tonight's broadcast...

 

[darkwolf666]

Radio 5 reports again what a gov spokesman says 'stay alert' means. Apparently it is 'nuanced' and means 'stay at home as much as possible, wash your hands, respect social distancing, etc'.

I'm sorry. I have decided that it is no longer possible for me to stay at home as I had beens staying at home according to the previous guidance. I have a need to go out a lot, and visit people. I am delighted that the new slogan means I can do that.

Well not me, obviously. I'm still frightened and I don't want to die at my age (61).

However the great mob over the council estate who were having a piss up and barbie, still, at midnight yesterday will doubtless have their own take on what 'stay alert' means. I doubt they will go on gov.uk to check on all the nuance.

No, the government is now strategising playing prussian roulette with my life (that's where we pretend we are like the Germans while turning a blind eye to the usual slackadaisical English risk taking behaviours that have given us, among other things, a teenage pregnancy rate that is the envy of nobody in the rest of Northern Europe).

I have cut Boris a lot of slack as can be noted in my various posts on all this. Up to now. I am now deeply concerned by the new 'nuance', and question his overall strategising. His spokesman said 'we can't stay in lockdown forever, so....'. Fine. But so 'what'? This to me is like saying an alcoholic can't go without a drink forever, so.....

I can behave. I can stay at home. Someone has to shop for me, though. Mrs T has to face the same clowns who can't social distance that I have faced. And that was with the old guidance. Now what? I have the words of the 'English Colonel' in my head again ('what's a few men?').

I can understand an 'acceptable level of casualties' in times of war, when the need is to win and the costs high however we play it. But this is a ****ing disease, though. 'Winning' is 'getting back to normal' (playing football and going down the pub) not defeating a nation that may want to exterminate or enslave us.

We have to face facts. We should be increasing, not loosening restrictions. We should be policing it. We may then stand some sort of chance of isolating those who are infectious and managing the disease long term. To do that we have to get the numbers down. Germany has done well, but if their increase in numbers is real and not a blip they will soon be back to maximum restrictions again. We are nowehere near the Germans' low numbers and I cannot emphasize strongly enough how irresponsible and political this new 'nuance' looks to me. I find it shocking. You can dismiss me as 'making a political point' if you like. I'm beyond annoyed about this.

Why is it I read that and can't help but think of this - ‘Haig is about to make yet another gargantuan effort to move his drinks cabinet six inches closer to Berlin’ from Blackadder Goes Forth...

 

[RossyG]

Coldwar Steve has leaked an image from tonight's broadcast...

View attachment 123415

Nope. Someone's going to have to explain that one. Is it Blind Date? Is that Phil Mitchell at the front? I don't understand it at all.

 

[Weststander]

We shall have to disagree about the need to improve the old slogan with a new weaker one. I said the old slogan was fine and the new one isn't. There is nothing contradictory about that. You then made comments about people politicizing their reaction to the slogan change, which is a lazy way of criticising everyone who thinks Boris has done badly on this occasion. Then you start making light of it and mocking my comments. As for your 'commonly-held perception', I haven't noticed much change in behaviour around these parts. If it is different in Sussex, fine. But do note that Boris signalled a week ago he would be loosening restrictions with an announcement today, so if things have relaxed a bit in your neck of the woods that may be the reason. None of this is justifiable or good in my view.

To butt in, I think things have relaxed for a sizeable undercurrent because they have lockdown fatigue, as well as the inevitable f*ck rules brigade having grown in confidence.

Genuinely meant non-politically, I think those groupings would’ve started to ignore lockdown laws, no matter the government messaging or non-messaging. It’d be a miracle if almost every Brit paid attention to ministers and scientists, some people are just thick and/or arrogant and/or belligerent.

In hindsight, I wish our country had gone down the route of a stricter lockdown, properly enforced. Some of the countries that did that have impressively reduced their covid numbers, so much so that they’re easing lockdown and for example have opened discussions with other nations about mutual tourism resuming in July.

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Also to those saying we don’t need a slogan at all - “take back control” and “get Brexit done” have shown that - whether we like it or not - slogans can be very effective.

"Four legs good, two legs bad."

 

[Mellotron]

"Four legs good, two legs bad."

Exactly.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Also to those saying we don’t need a slogan at all - “take back control” and “get Brexit done” have shown that - whether we like it or not - slogans can be very effective.

Has anyone actually said we need no slogan at all? The problem is that by changing the slogan the government is signalling to the nation. The question is what is it signalling......green for go, and 'nuance'?

I liked the old slogan. Making a change to it is meant to be a powerful signal to the nation, surely? Why else do it?

So, may I ask, what does 'Stay alert' actually mean to you?

 

[Eeyore]

Stay alert

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

To butt in, I think things have relaxed for a sizeable undercurrent because they have lockdown fatigue, as well as the inevitable f*ck rules brigade having grown in confidence.

Genuinely meant non-politically, I think those groupings would’ve started to ignore lockdown laws, no matter the government messaging or non-messaging. It’d be a miracle if almost every Brit paid attention to ministers and scientists, some people are just thick and/or arrogant and/or belligerent.

In hindsight, I wish our country had gone down the route of a stricter lockdown, properly enforced. Some of the countries that did that have impressively reduced their covid numbers, so much so that they’re easing lockdown and for example have opened discussions with other nations about mutual tourism resuming in July.

Indeed.

But I remain bemused how 'Stay Alert' will now make things better.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

"Four legs good, two legs bad."

Which was changed to 'Four legs good, two legs also good' after the revolution - no longer a slogan of war but the propaganda of betrayal

 

[Wrong-Direction]

Half the amount of deaths as USA but that means nothing as they're about 50 times the size of us. So basically the worst country in the world that has dealt with this.
Gov
"F*** um, get them back to work and give them a new slogan."

Sent from my SM-A600FN using Tapatalk

 

[Weststander]

Indeed.

But I remain bemused how 'Stay Alert' will now make things better.

I suppose it won’t. Getting away from pinning everything on politicians/scientists, to the real world of personal responsibility, the UK landscape I picture in two or three weeks time is:

3/4 of folk complying with the new rules.
1/4 doing whatever the feck they want.

I hope that the latter don’t screw things for everyone else. That would mean a marked second covid wave, and prolonging restrictions on living for everyone whilst many other nations reap the many benefits of doing it properly.