Using Covid as an excuse to further an agenda or simply profiteer

Fred Cryton

I've been struck recently by a number of instances where "Covid" has been used either as an excuse to up the price, add a charge, remove a service or further an agenda, when there is absolutely no real link to people's health. It's a convenient excuse.



Good example is the news that one lane of the coast road between Blackrock and Dun laoghaire is being removed to make way for a cycle lane. Apparently it is begin carried out as part of "Covid-19 mobility measures" and therefore will not need to go through the planning process. What has taking space for cycle lanes got to do with Covid 19? Well nothing, but it's convenient for furthering the bonkers Green agenda.



Another one is my bank reducing the hours of their call centre from 8am to 8pm pre-Covid to 9am to 5pm now. I asked why was this and i got one word back: "Covid". What a crock. Surely of all jobs, taking customer calls can most easily be done from home. No excuse for reducing service levels.



There are dozens of other examples like this. I guess they think their customers or voters are mugs and will fall for it.

Sonic the Shaghog

This happened during swine flu

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jan/11/swine-flu-h1n1-vaccine-europe

So when it comes to profit, even if covid mutated to a harmless strain I'd expect similar to happen again

GooglePlus

Fred Cryton wrote: »

I've been struck recently by a number of instances where "Covid" has been used either as an excuse to up the price, add a charge, remove a service or further an agenda, when there is absolutely no real link to people's health. It's a convenient excuse.



Good example is the news that one lane of the coast road between Blackrock and Dun laoghaire is being removed to make way for a cycle lane. Apparently it is begin carried out as part of "Covid-19 mobility measures" and therefore will not need to go through the planning process. What has taking space for cycle lanes got to do with Covid 19? Well nothing, but it's convenient for furthering the bonkers Green agenda.



Another one is my bank reducing the hours of their call centre from 8am to 8pm pre-Covid to 9am to 5pm now. I asked why was this and i got one word back: "Covid". What a crock. Surely of all jobs, taking customer calls can most easily be done from home. No excuse for reducing service levels.



There are dozens of other examples like this. I guess they think their customers or voters are mugs and will fall for it.

When will this madness end?

Timberrrrrrrr

Fred Cryton wrote: »

I've been struck recently by a number of instances where "Covid" has been used either as an excuse to up the price, add a charge, remove a service or further an agenda, when there is absolutely no real link to people's health. It's a convenient excuse.



Good example is the news that one lane of the coast road between Blackrock and Dun laoghaire is being removed to make way for a cycle lane. Apparently it is begin carried out as part of "Covid-19 mobility measures" and therefore will not need to go through the planning process. What has taking space for cycle lanes got to do with Covid 19? Well nothing, but it's convenient for furthering the bonkers Green agenda.



Another one is my bank reducing the hours of their call centre from 8am to 8pm pre-Covid to 9am to 5pm now. I asked why was this and i got one word back: "Covid". What a crock. Surely of all jobs, taking customer calls can most easily be done from home. No excuse for reducing service levels.



There are dozens of other examples like this. I guess they think their customers or voters are mugs and will fall for it.

Ladies and gents, I give you first world problems the 2020 version.

Cuddlesworth

Call centres can't just easily move to home, there are tons of variables involved. Knowing Irish banks, I'd assume its next to impossible for them in the short term.

Changing roads for cycle paths during a period of massively reduced traffic is great news. And a cycle path from Dun Laoghaire to Town is a brilliant idea. They should be doing this on other main routes into the city.

I can see other businesses charging more to try offset the cost of being closed for weeks.

Augme

Fred Cryton wrote: »

.
What has taking space for cycle lanes got to do with Covid 19? Well nothing, but it's convenient for furthering the bonkers Green agenda.

Having people cycling instead of packing themselves onto public transport would clearly have a positive impact on reducing Covid19. Would have thought that was fairly obvious.

The Unbearables

I hear they are increasing the prices on tinfoil hats OP.

Unlucky.

mariaalice

Its solving long-standing issues very quickly, all the extra teachers hired will not be let go when this is over, all the extra nurses won't be let go. The new relationship with the private hospitals will stay ( not the taking over of the private hospitals ).https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shock_Doctrine

antimatterx

Theres a pub in Dublin city who are saying the minimum price for food in their place is €23. I don't think I spent that before covid.

correct horse battery staple

It is definitely being used by likes of UK to sweep under the rug damage being done by Brexit, tho their Covid response has been absolutely terrible too

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/aug/09/uk-to-fall-into-deepest-slump-on-record-with-worst-fall-in-gdp-among-g7

protonmike

Just as an example, I'm incredibly apprehensive of using public transport any time soon. So I'm cycling and I'm guessing many others are too. So it's logical to adjust for increased numbers cycling.

krissovo

antimatterx wrote: »

Theres a pub in Dublin city who are saying the minimum price for food in their place is €23. I don't think I spent that before covid.

Probably due to chancers buying a bag of chips and hugging a pint for for the time period. They need cashflow!

A gastro pub is hardly profiteering in this environment, chances are at best they are looking to break even and just survive until next year. If their calculations are 23 euro a sitting to do that then its their business case and people can go elsewhere.

Padre_Pio

mariaalice wrote: »

Its solving long-standing issues very quickly, all the extra teachers hired will not be let go when this is over, all the extra nurses won't be let go. The new relationship with the private hospitals will stay ( not the taking over of the private hospitals ).https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shock_Doctrine

This is a huge benefit.
I wonder will the A&E situation stay the same.

People with small and nonsense injuries are staying home. Less alcohol related injuries too.

JPCN1

Fred Cryton wrote: »

I've been struck recently by a number of instances where "Covid" has been used either as an excuse to up the price, add a charge, remove a service or further an agenda, when there is absolutely no real link to people's health. It's a convenient excuse.



Good example is the news that one lane of the coast road between Blackrock and Dun laoghaire is being removed to make way for a cycle lane. Apparently it is begin carried out as part of "Covid-19 mobility measures" and therefore will not need to go through the planning process. What has taking space for cycle lanes got to do with Covid 19? Well nothing, but it's convenient for furthering the bonkers Green agenda.



Another one is my bank reducing the hours of their call centre from 8am to 8pm pre-Covid to 9am to 5pm now. I asked why was this and i got one word back: "Covid". What a crock. Surely of all jobs, taking customer calls can most easily be done from home. No excuse for reducing service levels.



There are dozens of other examples like this. I guess they think their customers or voters are mugs and will fall for it.

Agree re the green agenda. There should be a coastal boardwalk with cycle lanes from Greystones to Howth and beyond. Should not cost too much and would be a great amenity.

Cyrus

protonmike wrote: »

Just as an example, I'm incredibly apprehensive of using public transport any time soon. So I'm cycling and I'm guessing many others are too. So it's logical to adjust for increased numbers cycling.

well the dart is empty so i wouldnt stress about it too much. an empty dart is a helluva lot safer than cycling

assuming one is on a dart line of course

Cyrus

JPCN1 wrote: »

Agree re the green agenda. There should be a coastal boardwalk with cycle lanes from Greystones to Howth and beyond. Should not cost too much and would be a great amenity.

to clarify would this be a new structure built? if so all in favour of it

what im not that keen on is the changes to dun laoghaire and the cost road.

Partially Pedestrianise blackrock and dalkey fine but whats happened in dun laoghaire is a bit of a shambles.

jmayo

Big one is going to be move to try fast track removal of Direct Provision centres.

Yesterday morning afternoon on radio had discussion with including Fergus Finlay and some other wan about lockdown in Midland counties.

She immediately launched into about how people in direct provision had to share bathrooms and coulld not isolate.

Then she started about how they could not get driving license and how they had to car share to work.
Fergus Finlay pointed how they shouldn't be working, but she quickly pointed out they are now allowed work.

Of course moderator, i.e. show host, kept stump and never once pointed out these people are not here legally and thus that is why they are in Direct Provision in the first fooking place and secondly they are not valid residents so should have no right to an Irish drivers license.

Our media is an abject failure at this stage at acting in any way impartially on certain topics.

hmmm

antimatterx wrote: »

Theres a pub in Dublin city who are saying the minimum price for food in their place is €23. I don't think I spent that before covid.

That's because they clearly want to operate as a restaurant given a limited number of tables, and don't want people buying a cheese sandwich and sit there drinking pints.

Yes the pandemic means a lot of things that have held us back for years are suddenly being overcome. It's brilliant.

Next step hopefully will be a lot more pedestrianisation, and an expansion of covered outdoor seating for pubs and restaurants.

mariaalice

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shock_Doctrine

This centers on the exploitation of national crises (disasters or upheavals) to establish controversial and questionable policies, while citizens are too distracted (emotionally and physically) to engage and develop an adequate response,

hmmm

mariaalice wrote: »

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shock_Doctrine

This centers on the exploitation of national crises (disasters or upheavals) to establish controversial and questionable policies, while citizens are too distracted (emotionally and physically) to engage and develop an adequate response,

We're adding bike paths, not bringing in a dictatorship.

MrStuffins

Fred Cryton wrote: »

..... but it's convenient for furthering the bonkers Green agenda.

More Asbestos! More Asbestos!

Wanderer78

elements of our economic systems have become so parasitic and predatory, as soon as a real threat came along, some of these elements defaulted to even more parasitic and predatory than normal behavior, go humans!

JDD

Yeah, I can't really see the Shock Doctrine being applied here. In fact, nearly the opposite. A load of liberal stuff that needed to be done, but was sat on for years, is now being done because of Covid (including that cycle path). If only covid meant that more houses needed to be built, it might actually solve the housing crisis too.

The Shock Doctrine relies largely on man-made disasters - e.g. the Iraq War - as prequels to forced changes in economic policy. Unless you are completely of the tin hat variety, I don't think this covid thing could be deemed as some sort of world-wide liberal conspiracy to bring in unpopular liberal policies.

nthclare

JDD wrote: »

Yeah, I can't really see the Shock Doctrine being applied here. In fact, nearly the opposite. A load of liberal stuff that needed to be done, but was sat on for years, is now being done because of Covid (including that cycle path). If only covid meant that more houses needed to be built, it might actually solve the housing crisis too.

The Shock Doctrine relies largely on man-made disasters - e.g. the Iraq War - as prequels to forced changes in economic policy. Unless you are completely of the tin hat variety, I don't think this covid thing could be deemed as some sort of world-wide liberal conspiracy to bring in unpopular liberal policies.

Supposedly liberal is about liberty and giving people free speech and free opinion.

Sadly this aint the case, and liberals are now nasty narcissistic and vile people instilling subjugation on people who are interesting, funny and factual.

Liberals are not liberal and their policies are only for cranky, sensitive and uninteresting people who have no ability to be grown up and enjoy their lives...

Liberals my...

Wanderer78

nthclare wrote: »

Supposedly liberal is about liberty and giving people free speech and free opinion.

Sadly this aint the case, and liberals are now nasty narcissistic and vile people instilling subjugation on people who are interesting, funny and factual.

Liberals are not liberal and their policies are only for cranky, sensitive and uninteresting people who have no ability to be grown up and enjoy their lives...

Liberals my...

id class myself as being liberal, and this isnt me at all

mariaalice

its the concept of a shock, in this case, a global pandemic bringing about rapid change that in normal circumstance take years to sort out.

Wanderer78

mariaalice wrote: »

its the concept of a shock, in this case, a global pandemic bringing about rapid change that in normal circumstance take years to sort out.

completely agree, us humans tend not to like sudden change, this change has been required for a very long time, particularly since the last crash, this could all get very hairy for a while,hopefully we ve learned from history!

Padre_Pio

JDD wrote: »

Yeah, I can't really see the Shock Doctrine being applied here. In fact, nearly the opposite. A load of liberal stuff that needed to be done, but was sat on for years, is now being done because of Covid (including that cycle path). If only covid meant that more houses needed to be built, it might actually solve the housing crisis too.

I'm actually quite happy with several aspects of worldwide lockdown. COVID is awful, but people should make the most of these unusual times. It's given us a chance to see how the world operates with a reduced human impact. Not realistic to keep it, but maybe an achievable goal. There's a load of researchers out now conducting studies that would never happened w/o COVID.

I think that WFH or partial WFH will only be a positive for those who can do it. Right now I'm in my new home office, tunes on, my lunch is in the oven waiting for me

nthclare wrote: »

Supposedly liberal is about liberty and giving people free speech and free opinion.

Sadly this aint the case, and liberals are now nasty narcissistic and vile people instilling subjugation on people who are interesting, funny and factual.

Liberals are not liberal and their policies are only for cranky, sensitive and uninteresting people who have no ability to be grown up and enjoy their lives...

Liberals my...

You're talking about the online "militant ultra-liberal", not the vast majority of the country who are quite liberal. There's a distinction to be made there that's missed by many. Life is better when you delete Twitter.

JDD

I think "liberal" as a word describes different things for different people. I am using liberal in the sense of economic policies that range from centerist to middle-left in their outlook. Kind of like the labour government policies in Europe of the fifties and sixties.

If you equate liberal with the outlook of a younger generation who seem - to older people - to take issue with any view that might be deemed controversial, well, that's your view of the word. When you hark back to the original meaning of liberal - i.e. in the 1800's - you are correct. Free speech and free economics was a central tenet of liberal beliefs. But lets not forget what the right to free speech actually means and what those 1800's liberals were fighting for. It means the right not to be imprisoned for your views. It does not mean that private companies, like twitter or your local convention hall, have to provide you with a platform for your views. Or that anyone needs to choose to listen to you. Or that you have the right to not have people say you are offensive or argue with you, or decide not to buy your products. It is just that you will not be jailed.

I often find that the people that complain the loudest about "cancel culture" are the ones who have an over-inflated sense of how important their views are, and that their parents probably told them how clever and talented and smart they were, and then when they make it to the real world and find that people, in general, find them less than clever and smart and talented, they have absolutely no idea how to cope with that. Now, that's a generalisation - there's a tendency for the internet mob to jump to conclusions about people far too quickly and before you know it the pitchforks are out - but that's more of an issue with the instant nature of social media than "wokeness" itself.

Wanderer78

JDD wrote: »

I think "liberal" as a word describes different things for different people. I am using liberal in the sense of economic policies that range from centerist to middle-left in their outlook. Kind of like the labour government policies in Europe of the fifties and sixties.

If you equate liberal with the outlook of a younger generation who seem - to older people - to take issue with any view that might be deemed controversial, well, that's your view of the word. When you hark back to the original meaning of liberal - i.e. in the 1800's - you are correct. Free speech and free economics was a central tenet of liberal beliefs. But lets not forget what the right to free speech actually means and what those 1800's liberals were fighting for. It means the right not to be imprisoned for your views. It does not mean that private companies, like twitter or your local convention hall, have to provide you with a platform for your views. Or that anyone needs to choose to listen to you. Or that you have the right to not have people say you are offensive or argue with you, or decide not to buy your products. It is just that you will not be jailed.

I often find that the people that complain the loudest about "cancel culture" are the ones who have an over-inflated sense of how important their views are, and that their parents probably told them how clever and talented and smart they were, and then when they make it to the real world and find that people, in general, find them less than clever and smart and talented, they have absolutely no idea how to cope with that. Now, that's a generalisation - there's a tendency for the internet mob to jump to conclusions about people far too quickly and before you know it the pitchforks are out - but that's more of an issue with the instant nature of social media than "wokeness" itself.

its important to realise, free market libertarianism largely comes from more conservative origins, the confusing part is, the so called political left also involved itself in this ideology, particularly over the last couple of decades, effectively walking away from its traditional base, and shafting them, i.e. the political left is complicit in this fcuk up, and is completely flummoxed in what to do about it, it needs to stand up and accept its failures, then move forward