economy

A must listen: Infectious disease expert gives the most honest commentary on our current situation

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Dr. Michael T. Osterholm, photo courtesy University of Minnesota

In the midst of a pandemic, governors around the country have been reopening local economies and causing concern for many health experts, including members of the White House coronavirus task force who testified before a Senate committee this week. 

Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota has long warned about the risk of pandemics. He calls the effort to reopen a “hodgepodge,” though he believes remaining locked down while we wait for a vaccine is not an option. First and foremost, he laments a lack of national leadership, frank talk about the tradeoffs ahead, and a clear direction in the fight against COVID-19.

Source: NPR “Innovation Hub”

Brit conservative columnist says UK lockdown may lead to economic ruin

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While the state’s advice is to stay at home and socially distance from others, Conservative columnist Peter Hitchens says he’s concerned about the economic consequence of this will be worse than the damage caused by the virus itself.

Does Hitchens have a point (not on his head, we mean, a ‘credible opinion’)? Please comment – THE HOBBLEDEHOY

Britain’s pubs say cheers to their revival

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Latest British government statistics on public houses indicate that the decline in their numbers has been halted and that pub culture may actually be coming back into fashion.

The church, the cricket lawn and the pub. For centuries, that “holy trinity” was the essence of life in a typical English village.Church congregations have long ago melted away, and there were fears that the pubs, those drinking establishments with quaint names, rickety furniture and lukewarm beer, would also disappear. Thousands of such “public houses” went out of business over the past two decades alone.

But Britain’s pubs are fighting back, and are proving surprisingly resilient. Latest government statistics indicate that the decline in their numbers has been halted and that pub culture may actually be coming back into fashion [ . . . ]

Continue at: Britain’s pubs say cheers to their revival, Europe News & Top Stories – The Straits Times

Britain’s pubs are still closing, but at a much slower rate than before – here’s why

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Twenty five per cent of the UK’s pubs have closed since 2001. But the picture is finally improving, because of the hot World Cup summer – and some local people power.

Twenty five per cent of the UK’s pubs have closed since 2001. Between January and June 2017, more than 20 pubs shut every week – 525 in total. If this startling trajectory had continued, Britain would have eventually been left with nothing more than a handful of Wetherspoons and a Hungry Horse. Once buzzing neighbourhood establishments with their shiny green tiles would have finally been completely replaced by unaffordable flats and branches of Tesco Express. The latest figures reveal 14 pubs closed their doors each week between July and December 2018, according to the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). Despite the slightly more positive picture, the consumer champion has renewed its call to tankards and is again promoting its Save Our Pubs campaign. It said the Government needs to “urgently halt the tide”. National chairman Jackie Parker said: “Pubs are a very important part of our national culture and are valuable community assets which help to combat loneliness and social isolation.”

The number of small pubs has halved in under 20 years

This romanticism isn’t far-fetched: pubs have long been a vital resource for British people. Sitting by a fire, a slot machine and a snoozing dog with a pork pie and a pint of Doom Bar isn’t fantasy. It’s a real thing that happens Fortunately, there have been positive signs in the past two years. While small pubs remain under threat – since their peak, at 40,840 in 2002, their number has halved to 22,840 last year – their relative demise has slowed. CAMRA said there are things to be hopeful about: tighter planning regulations, community action groups, and increasingly diverse boozers have all buoyed trade. “It’s great we have seen a drop in the number of pubs closing, showing that our hard-fought campaign to get planning protection for pubs was worth it,” said Ms Parker [ . . . ]

Pub closures

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