CYMRU AM BYTH

[BritishHobo]

Bit worried about the latest decisions being made in Wales. I've been a big fan of the way we've been seen to be taking our own clear approach to the pandemic, very firm, but this latest squabble with the clingfilmed non-essential items in Tesco feels like it's given an absolute metric fuckton of ammunition to anti-lockdown types, anti-Labour types, anti-Senedd types. The visuals of it, to ordinary folks, doesn't look great, and there seems to be a massive groundswell of SEE, THEY ARE DEFINITELY TAKING OUR FREEDOMS gloating going on.

[bgmnts]

Thankfully the Cymraeg are quite sensible and won't fall for any of that shit.

[BritishHobo]

God I hope not. I've had this horrible weighty worry for months now that the Abolish the Assembly Party are actually going to end up massively successful. I need to get off the internet, stop reading comments sections.

[Zetetic]

This probably speaks to my bubble more than anything, but I've not seen any evidence of a groundswell beyond:

- Andrew Davies implying that Welsh Government is literally of the "Eastern Block" dictatorships.
- The video of that bloke tearing some plastic down (possibly in a Tesco), being shared around various networks by the usual (seemingly English) types.

I'd be grateful, if not exactly glad, to have my bubble burst, I suppose.

[Zetetic]

(Cardiff blissfully empty again earlier.)

[bgmnts]

God I hope not. I've had this horrible weighty worry for months now that the Abolish the Assembly Party are actually going to end up massively successful. I need to get off the internet, stop reading comments sections.

I was just joking we are probably thick as mince, youtube comments section are pure cancer though.

[Zetetic]

For anyone confused by the "clingfilmed non-essential items in Tesco" stuff:
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/supermarket-coronavirus-covid-fire-break-19159487

The justification for this is to prevent supermarkets undermining smaller non-essential-items shops that have shut in their entirety. (Although the obvious question is whether this is just handing more business to Amazon and the like, now and in the future.)

[Fambo Number Mive]

I though the Assembly was right to prevent supermarkets selling non essentials to prevent people popping in just for a newspaper or suchlike. I'd argue books are essentials though as they occupy people's mind during lockdown. it's a very difficult balance but the Assembly are doing much better than the arseholes in Westminster.

I presume it's also being done so shops that sell only non essentials aren't at a disadvantage.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Sorry, posted before I saw Zetetics post.

[Zetetic]

(The Assembly was renamed "Senedd Cymru" or the "Welsh Parliament" in May, FNM - but you can just call it "the Senedd".)

[confettiinmyhair]

I think they've made a mistake. Kids clothes are decent quality and affordable from supermarkets. Gloves, hats, coats, jumpers may well be needed, particularly during half term. People buy there rather than the high street anyways.

[bgmnts]

Pretty sure all supermarkets have a home delivery service. Most people working will have clothes or uniforms, most will be at homes and wont even be using many clothes, enough to buy more from Tesco anyway.

Just shite.

[Hand Solo]

For anyone confused by the "clingfilmed non-essential items in Tesco" stuff:
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/supermarket-coronavirus-covid-fire-break-19159487

Disappointingly they cut just as he was breaking in to a Samantha Fox number.

[Zetetic]

I note that *collection* of non-essential items is also permitted.

I think it is more on the "feels like bit of mess" side of things rather than "reasonable fuzzy compromise", unfortunately.

[Sebastian Cobb]

For anyone confused by the "clingfilmed non-essential items in Tesco" stuff:
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/supermarket-coronavirus-covid-fire-break-19159487

I saw this in a tweet earlier under the heading 'when you're not allowed to see your kids any more' and wondered what the fuck it was about.

Kids clothes seems an odd thing to stop sales of. They grow quick don't they.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Pretty sure all supermarkets have a home delivery service. Most people working will have clothes or uniforms, most will be at homes and wont even be using many clothes, enough to buy more from Tesco anyway.

Just shite.

I got cold in my tracksuit bottoms and bought some long-johns the other day.

[bgmnts]

ITV News saying 25k signatures to remove the prohibited items.

Hate them all.

[Zetetic]

"It is enough to make you suspect that it is not really Covid-19 Drakeford doesn't like, but competition, free markets, and indeed any form of business not controlled by the state. He is starting to turn Wales into a wartime, command economy: East Germany, except not as efficient, and with more sheep. If that is what the Welsh really want, then fine – but it is hard to believe it will end any better than any other command economy has ever done. "

( https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/mark-drakeford-has-declared-war-on-the-economy if you must.)

A comment by the author of Death Force, Fire Force and Shadow Force, there.

[Zetetic]

"We'll be reviewing how the weekend has gone with the supermarkets and making sure that common sense is applied. Supermarkets can sell anything that can be sold in any other type of shop that isn't required to close. In the meantime, please only leave home if you need to."

https://twitter.com/fmwales/status/1320074006863687680

[bgmnts]

Matthew "Economy Economy Economy Free Market Die Proles" Lynn.

[poo]

LOVE IT

[paruses]

"Tens of thousands" (headline in Independent) have signed petition to allow them to buy Vileda supermops and cheap clothing (my words) during the firebreak (it's a lockdown - they've re-badged it you fool). Phone wouldn't let me click through for some reason.
I do keep getting articles thrown up suggesting that there is a serious call to trigger whatever is in the legislation to suspend devolution but probably because I read a couple yesterday. I don't want to read them and encourage the algorithm tbh. Will read whatever The Nation has to say as I haven't really seen a non-anglo-centric source yet.

[George Oscar Bluth II]

Actually think Wales has done a lot better on Covid than either England or Scotland but they have majorly fucked this specific thing.

[Zetetic]

Will read whatever The Nation has to say as I haven't really seen a non-anglo-centric source yet.

Opinion piece by IMJ:
https://nation.cymru/opinion/agree-with-it-or-not-wales-now-has-to-make-a-success-of-the-fire-break-lockdown/

[Zetetic]

"We're not reviewing the requirement for supermarkets not to sell non-essentials - we're going to review how it's working in practice"

"We'll be reviewing how the weekend has gone with the supermarkets and making sure that common sense is applied. Supermarkets can sell anything that can be sold in any other type of shop that isn't required to close"

https://twitter.com/Amanwy/status/1320288576488300545

"It's 36 hours in and there's some bumps. Some selling batteries and cards, others not. That needs to be looked at, that's what we'll review"

https://twitter.com/Amanwy/status/1320282161581350914

[bgmnts]

I NEED PAPER NOW

[pigamus]

Was horrified when I saw this on Twitter. As well as making life a misery for the staff it's a perfect excuse for arseholes to start grandstanding.

[BritishHobo]

The Tesco freedom fighter has been arrested:

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/man-rips-supermarket-charged-police-19162142

Funnily enough, most of the comments I'm seeing now are calling him attention-seeking and a dickhead. Still the odd person desperate to feel like they're an underdog hero in a dictatorship (seen comparisons to Rosa Parks, to the Tesco staff being like the Nazis at Nuremberg, the Senedd being a communist state - this arrest will absolutely delight them), but fewer and far between.

[Zetetic]

English media still pushing this fairly hard - Gething on Marr etc.

[George Oscar Bluth II]

Was horrified when I saw this on Twitter. As well as making life a misery for the staff it's a perfect excuse for arseholes to start grandstanding.

Exactly, more bullshit for the Ickeian crowd. We had this same hysteria during Lockdown I about fucking Easter Eggs didn't we, thought we'd got past this.