wherebee

I think the Australian authorities played a straight bat 3 weeks ago in banning all non-Australians from China, despite strong criticism from the Chinese government (yeah, fuck off you two faced liars - you have locked down over half a billion people so far)). It stopped the 'fleeing' of infected people that would have created a steady drip of new vectors into Australia. I suspect all chinese with Aussie passports have already come, and won't be going back now until this thing is done. No secondaries here so far detected, which really surprises me. Maybe this thing is i) hurt by UV (minimal pollution and lots of sunlight since end Jan) ii) more dangerous to Chinese/East Asians. I still expect secondaries. As said upthread, I have declined meetings with contacts from singapore this week, and they FULLY understood. So - this looks like more of a slow burner, at least for Oz. Has given me more time to 'fix' the preparations, which is good. The average aussie on the street is pretty unaware how big this is in China. I was in a strategy meeting for a client this month and the chief exec could not understand why some figs for Feb were way down on Jan. "nothing's changed!" he said. Ignoring the fact that chinese tourism has disappeared and investment is drying up across asia as people hunker down. I didn't have the heart to point out the elephant in the room (not my area, not paid to comment, would be seen as a loonie). In conclusion - this is like the phony war in 1939 in my view. When the invasion of France kicks off, so to speak, a lot of people are goign to be caught off guard. In my view, that is.

I wish I was black as night, so I could volunteer and play it as straight as Ali G in reverse. Then again, this is another excellent example for Boris why the license fee should be scrapped.

Lets not be the usual cynical cunts that we know we all are. If he is willing to sit round a table and hear a bunch of strangers tell him how shit life is, all power to him. It's actually quite a sacrifice by him - he can no doubt stay with friends in cushy digs, or in hotels on campaign expenses, but seems to actually be willing to put himself out there. He might hear a few home truths that he will never get elsewhere. Now, he might be a cunt, but sometimes cunts can do non cunty actions. This seems like one of those to me.

Interestingly, going by the poll at the top, 10% of voters are already wrong according to CCP official stats. Those 10% have to now post their cans of beans to the rest of us as punishment.

Update from Australia: No new cases detected in Australia; almost all those initial Wuhan evacuees taken to Christmas Island for quarantine have been found to have none infected all all were released today. 36 last leaving tomorrow. Plenty of communication from the PM and the Health Dept about what is happening and they stress none detected in Australia outside the initial 15 from the Wuhan tour group, of which about half have recovered. The group from the Japan tour ship are going to be taken to Darwin (Howard Springs) for quarantine. It's not that isolated, looking at the map, but I can see a military base which might be what they are using. I suspect one reason for that might be that they expected Christmas Island to have a few cases and so still be locked down. The Health Minister said future quarantines will be back to Christmas Island. One Health bod just admitted on the press talk that some cases are asymptomatic. Nothing else new from Oz - pretty 'calm before the storm' in my view

can't watch iplayer. Does he tackle the issue around numbers? I think only insane people think that there wasn't an organised murder regime against jews and others in the Nazi state - but the validity of numbers is an interesting debate to have (and are not allowed to have in some countries)

Look at Australia - yes, immigration has been a factor, but we have a HUGE landmass and use virtually nothing. The two combined factors of credit plus overseas purchase of land has been the bubble pushers here, in my view.

You have to remember that the Trust system was created over a thousand years ago in order to protect assets from the state - back then, greedy kings and others in power who would seize assets by almost any means. They have been specifically evolved over centuries to prevent any widespread risk of assets being lost to outsiders (outside the family/group). Any law changes that would be possible in a democratic society will not beat 1000+ years of evolution. Trust me on this one. The only way you destroy trusts is a year zero type approach as the Soviets did. And I don't think any of us want that.

you mean cases IN the USA? Doubt it. Too much of the american spirit for broadcasting the truth at all levels of society.

BZZZT nope, because any differentiation between charities has to show a legal difference. There is no way to show a difference in law between a trust which lets selected members of a family/group stay rent free in a property, and a charity which lets mental patients stay rent free in a property.

how's that going to work then? Macau is kept going by hordes of coaches from across China which run 24/7 bringing chinese people to gamble. They lose all their money, then go back to their factories/towns and start saving again. I've seen them! Hunched over in the casino twilight, pumping money into the casino coffers... With much of china on lockdown, how's that going to work/

This. sometimes when I discuss this with people they say "but what about the roads and police". "fine." I say "what about the bombs you paid for that blew innocent Iraqi kids to bits?" they tend to get angry for some reason

BZZZZT fail., That would also catch all charitable hospitals, hospices, and sheltered accomodation. There is no way to stop trusts without massively impacting all other forms of property in a negative way.

I've said before on this thread - the Singaporean government is excellent at organising, planning, and executing. If they can't stop this going big in Singapore, I doubt there is another country on the planet that can.

BZZZZT fail. I am a successful industrialist from the 1920's. I have a property in a Trust. My descendants live in it tax free. for ever. They do not own it. Your petty laws do not bother us.