Minnesota police officer, Derek Chauvin, was videoed kneeling on Floyd’s neck even after Floyd screamed that he could not breathe.
America has seen yet another death of a young black male at the hands of a white police officer.
Police were called to a convenience store in Powderhorn, a southern neighborhood in the Minnesota, after George Floyd had allegedly used a $20 bill which the employee identified as a counterfeit.
Somehow this led to Floyd’s neck being brutally knelt on by a man who had sworn to protect the people of Minnesota, including George Floyd.
The incident was filmed by a bystander and has since been reposted and seen on various social media platforms.
In the video Derek Chauvin can be clearly seen kneeling on George Floyd’s neck. Floyd continuously pleads “I can’t breathe ” and calls out for his mother.
Even after Floyd became unresponsive, there was no attempt by Chauvin to check on Floyd for 2 minutes 53 seconds.
Most social media companies are doing their best to remove the video off their platforms as they say it breaks violent conduct guidelines
There is no excuse that Mr Chauvin can give that Chauvin can give that justifies his actions. He was complete and utterly wrong.
To continue to keep his knee on Floyd even after Floyd said he couldn’t breathe is a complete disregard to human life and so I believe Derek Chauvin should have been charged with Second Degree Murder.
Protests
The Black lives matter movement has resurfaced after some time of inactivity
The state of Minnesota along with several other states has been lit up in flames by protesters
People everywhere in the US of all races have united for one cause. The black community in the US have had enough, they no longer want to be belittled by police. They no longer want to die in the hands of police brutality.
Regarding the looting, Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz said
The situation in Minneapolis is now about attacking civil society, instilling fear and disrupting our great city.
(Source: bbc.co.uk)
I hate seeing comments like these by politicians as it does nothing but fuel problem at hand. Saying such a thing when people are mourning over the atrocities committed toward black citizens will only make more and more people want riot.
Minnesota police officer, Derek Chauvin, was videoed kneeling on Floyd’s neck even after Floyd screamed that he could not breathe.
America has seen yet another death of a young black male at the hands of a white police officer.
Police were called to a convenience store in Powderhorn, a southern neighborhood in the Minnesota, after George Floyd had allegedly used a $20 bill which the employee identified as a counterfeit.
Somehow this led to Floyd’s neck being brutally knelt on by a man who had sworn to protect the people of Minnesota, including George Floyd.
The incident was filmed by a bystander and has since been reposted and seen on various social media platforms.
In the video Derek Chauvin can be clearly seen kneeling on George Floyd’s neck. Floyd continuously pleads “I can’t breathe ” and calls out for his mother.
Even after Floyd became unresponsive, there was no attempt by Chauvin to check on Floyd for 2 minutes 53 seconds.
Most social media companies are doing their best to remove the video off their platforms as they say it breaks violent conduct guidelines
There is no excuse that Mr Chauvin can give that Chauvin can give that justifies his actions. He was complete and utterly wrong.
To continue to keep his knee on Floyd even after Floyd said he couldn’t breathe is a complete disregard to human life and so I believe Derek Chauvin should have been charged with Second Degree Murder.
Panic buying left many shelves in stores bare or with very little
1. On occasions we can be selfish
Remember all the panic buying at the start of the lockdown. People flooding into supermarkets and buying as much as they could get their hands on. Consequently, there were empty shelves across the country.
There was never enough food for healthcare workers and those who worked late shifts. After grueling twelve hour shifts, they couldn’t even get a bite to eat as shelves were completely bare.
It just goes to show that how selfish we can be, sometimes.
I’m pretty sure everyone was a little surprised with the workers that turned out to be our heroes and key workers.
I think most key workers are ‘underpaid‘ and ‘overlooked‘. However during this pandemic they’ve received the credit that they merit, I do hope that we continue to praise them even when the pandemic ends.
I still can’t believe the government haven’t publicly mentioned a bonus for key workers. Eventually, I hope they do.
3. Keeping it simple
Memes like this have helped most of us get through the pandemic
People stuck at home have learnt to fall in love with simple things. For most people, activities that we’d normally not be too fussed about have become our main source of enjoyment.
Many people have taken to healthy diets and regular exercise to get through the days.
Technology has played a huge part in repelling boredom. With it , we’re able to communicate with friends and family whenever we want.
Record number of people have taken to binge-watching series on streaming services, such as Netflix and Disney+, to alleviate boredom.
During lockdown, we’ve seen how the best things in life are the simplest.
4. Spending more time with family
With children at school and parents at work, some families can often spend their day with few daily interactions. But, with many families in lockdown under the same roof , they have used this time to spend some valuable family time together.
It’s not safe to go outside due to the pandemic and, for some, it’s also not safe to stay inside due to abuse.
Though for some individuals being in lockdown means being stuck with their abusers. Sadly, throughout lockdown there has been a rise in domestic abuse. Thankfully, the government has set up shelters and helplines for those who do not feel safe in their households.
Many parents have needed to home-school during the lockdown
Home-schooling, movies, games and baking have been some of the ways parents have had bonding time with their children.
The lockdown has also made us aware of how important our family is. Not being able to see our extended family has been upsetting for quite a lot of us . It’s made us aware of how we need to cherish moments we have with family members.
5. Hard times brings out the best in us
The pandemic has brought out the best in all of us
Random acts of kindness have been essential in getting through the pandemic.
Armies of people have been helping deliver food to the vulnerable who can’t leave their homes.
Many people have raised funds for the NHS, most notably Capt Tom Moore.
The pandemic has brought out the best in us. It’s helping us all get through this. When we do get out of these times , we’ll hopefully all be nicer people.
Hope you’ve enjoyed reading my thoughts and opinions in this edition, I’ll be back next week with another weekly analysis. Until then….
The government says that it has hit its pledge of 100,000 daily covid-19 tests
Health secretary, Matt Hancock, announced that the government had hit their daily test target yesterday.
Mr Hancock set the target to 100,000 on the 02 April and according to the figures given by Mr Hancock at yesterday’s daily briefing testing numbers have reached 122,347.
But questions have been raised whether the UK has ACTUALLY hit the target. (image from: BBC News)
Many questions have been raised on whether the government has actually reached the target .
This is due to, Director of Health Improvement at Public Health England, Professor John Newton admitting that all tests sent to homes and testing facilities are counted at the point they are sent rather than when they have been completed.
Not all tests sent to homes and facilities are used, meaning that we can not be sure that 100,000 tests have actually been used and processed. Therefore, have we actually hit the target?
All of this leads me to think whether we can actually trust what we’re told by the government. It seems as if they’re only telling us small parts of the story and then telling us the rest only when questioned about it.
The government has said that of 122,347 tests sent on the 30 May, 27,497 of them were home tests and 12,872 were sent to satellite sites. This means we can only be sure that 81,978 of the tests were actually processed. Are really being shown the full picture?
Doctor discusses how he thinks the UK can get out of the lockdown?
I believe the only way we can get out of lockdown here in the UK is to test, test and test. The UK is lagging behind its European counterparts in terms of testing. We’re way behind the likes of Germany, Spain and France when it comes to tests per 1,000 people as of April 17.
I think the best way to carry out the testing is to mass test, anyone and everyone who has symptoms should be able to have a test. However in order to mass test, we must first be able to maintain or better the 100,000 daily tests target.
Do I think the UK will reach the stage where mass testing will be available? Yes, eventually but not right now . I think the Government’s approach to testing and lockdown has been quite laissez-faire and stricter guidelines could have resulted in a better outcome.
ICU medics at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, South East London pose for a picture before their shift
There is still lots of hope that we’ll conquer this pandemic. Our NHS staffs are doing their upmost on the frontline for us. So the least we could do for them is to stay safe and at home, to make their workload easier.
We will eventually get through this time and, globally, we’ll come out of this period as much nicer people.
Hope you’ve enjoyed reading my views and analysis in this edition, I’ll be back next week with another weekly analysis. Until then….
Captain Tom Moore’s fundraiser has reached over ÂŁ25m
As I am sure you’ve seen in the news recently Cpt Tom Moore has raised a staggering amount of money for the NHS Charities Together, the exact amount is ÂŁ28,731,630 as at 24/04/2020 at 21:39.
the Sun newspaper suggested that the funds raised be spent in the following ways;
Immediate relief support
Fund care partnerships that work alongside hospitals
Mental health recovery of NHS staff
Using the funds raised for any or all of the above reasons is great but in terms of the current coronavirus pandemic, I believe the money can be utilised for a different purpose.
What can the money raised by Cpt Tom be used for?
During the Coronavirus epidemic it’s fair to say that NHS workers have been absolute heroes who should be praised at every opportunity. But even with this being said, a lot of NHS workers still feel they’re being underpaid and undervalued.
Recently there was a research carried out by UNISON which underlines my earlier point of how many NHS staff feel underpaid and undervalued.
A new survey by UNISON, the UK’s biggest health trade union, reveals that three quarters of NHS workers said there isn’t enough staff in their ward or team and that almost two thirds (63%) are worried about patient safety as a result.
“The online survey of 3,380 UNISON members reveals how workers are working harder and longer hours for free to make up for the staff shortages. Nearly two thirds (64%) of NHS staff work overtime and almost three in five (58%) said their workload has increased.
It also reveals that 70% of them are not paid when they work over their shift, two thirds rarely leave work on time and half (49%) are not able to take breaks because of their workload.
More than three quarters (77%) said they are not at all satisfied with their pay and seven in ten don’t feel valued by their employers despite the extra effort and goodwill NHS workers bring to the service.
A staggering four in five (83%) NHS workers said they have to work more for less money and more than seven in ten (71%) said they had poor work life balance.” (Unison, 2020)
The subject of a pay rise has come up in parliament but not enough has been to done to implement it.
These statistics really show the grandeur of the problem and I believe an opportunity can be seized here to boost the morale.
The money raised by Captain Moore could be used in the following ways:
Tax free lump sum paid directly to NHS workers in the form of a bonus.
The government could opt to double the money raised as they do through gift aid.
I believe any of the above two suggestions will honor our NHS workers even if they end up receiving a small but symbolic amount.
My argument is that putting the money the NHS ‘machine’ means it would be swallowed before it’s arrival and will disappear without making a sizable difference given the gigantic budget of the NHS
So my question is why can’t the UK government do the same and reciprocate what the french have done?
I value recognition
I also believe that recognition is enhanced when used in conjunction with the above
I am sure our government can afford to add money to the kind words they express on a daily basis towards NHS workers . A handshake or a pat on the back (given the current circumstances) is appreciated but better when accompanied with a bonus or cheque.
Hope you’ve enjoyed reading my views and analysis in this edition, I’ll be back next week with another weekly analysis. Until then….
Another week has passed and the UK has now been under lockdown for just under 4 weeks . Overall it seems like people are starting to follow the guidelines given by the PM compared to perhaps the starting weeks of lockdown and the it has been said by scientist that the peak is flattening but the question remains, will our efforts be enough?
A group of young men being told to disperse from a playground by police in Maidstone, Kent.
Furthermore it has been another devastating week in terms of Coronavirus deaths with the number of deaths rising over 15,000 but it’s also been a week where we’ve seen great acts of bravery and compassion through the works of the NHS, Captain Tom Moore and many others.
We also had some good news in hearing that PM , Boris Johnson, had left St. Thomas Hospital and was recovering in his second home at chequers and in other news somehow Mr Donald Trump found a way to get everyone talking about him again, even amidst the pandemic.
We’ve got a lot to go through about what happened this week so sit back and keep reading!
Boris Johnson leaves Hospital
Boris Johnson’s emotional message after leaving hospital
The prime minister, Boris Johnson left hospital on the 12th of April after spending seven nights at St. Thomas Hospital, three of which were spent in intensive care.
Mr Johnson praised NHS staff for saving his life and in particular he singled out two nurses. The nurses were Luis from Portugal and Jenny from New Zealand who stayed at the PM’s bedside ” when things could have gone either way”.
Speaking to the nation through a video message hours after being released from hospital, the prime minister seemed optimistic that the UK were “making progress in this incredible national battle against Coronavirus”.
Mr Johnson was full of praise for a list of NHS workers and was adamant that the NHS would help us to defeat the virus saying that “we will defeat this Coronavirus and defeat it together. We will win because our NHS is the beating heart of this country. It is the best of this country. It is unconquerable. It is powered by love”.
The prime minister will now head to chequers to continue his recovery as advised by medics and foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, will also continue to deputise for the PM.
Congratulations Captain Tom Moore:
A National Treasure & A National Hero
Captain Tom Moore has so far raised over ÂŁ25m for the NHS
The 99-year-old former British army officer, Captain Tom Moore, has so far raised over ÂŁ25 million for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his garden just before he is set to turn 100 years old.
At the beginning of this month the 99-year-old veteran set out to raise only ÂŁ1000 through his ” 100th birthday walk” JustGiving campaign, fast forward a few weeks and he has now obliterated that target by 5195% (at time of posting), to be exact.
Support for the veteran has come in from almost every corner of the world, with donations to his JustGiving page coming in as far as Australia.
Just after finishing his 100th lap Cpt Moore gave the UK another message of hope saying in his interview with BBC Breakfast that ” At the end of the day we shall all be OK. The sun will shine on you again and the clouds will go away. “
Mr Moore has been praised and honoured by a vast amount of celebrities; David Beckham, Lewis Hamilton Jamie Oliver, Aaron Ramsey and Amanda Holding are among those who praised the veterans generous works.
Downing Street also confirmed that the PM was looking for ways in which to formally recognise Cpt Moore’s “heroic” actions , could this be a potential knighthood?
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are also among those who have credited Cpt Moore’s work after making a video message discussing the veterans “incredible” work.
Furthermore to add to all his great accomplishments, Cpt Tom Moore is now number 1 on the iTunes chart with his “You’ll never walk alone” single featuring NHS Voices for Care Choir after knocking Dame Vera Lynn and Katherine Jenkins of the top spot.
Trump manages to snatch headlines amidst the pandemic
Trump announcing he has halted all funding to the World Health Organisation
Even with a global pandemic to deal with , Donald Trump has still managed to make headlines after announcing he is halting US funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO) because he claims that the WHO has “failed in its basic duty” in the fight to defeat Coronavirus.
Mr Trump also accused the United Nations of mismanaging and covering up the spread of the virus as it first emerged in China and he also added that “they must be held accountable”.
In response to Donald Trump’s accusation, the UN chief said ” it was not the time” to cut funding for the WHO amidst a global pandemic.
Trump, who is also under the firing seat due to the way he handled the virus outbreak, has also accused China of giving false official numbers of Coronavirus deaths and cases and he is not the only one to have done so.
Bill Gates, Microsoft founder and philanthropist, said on twitter that ” Halting funding for the World Health Organisation during a world health crisis is as dangerous as it sounds.”
Halting funding for the World Health Organization during a world health crisis is as dangerous as it sounds. Their work is slowing the spread of COVID-19 and if that work is stopped no other organization can replace them. The world needs @WHO now more than ever.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the WHO’s second-largest funder
Public Health England to start recording deaths by ethnicity
70% of the 54 medical and care staff killed by Coronavirus were Black, Asian or minority ethnics
The NHS and Public Health England are to launch an investigation to why BAME’s are being “disproportionately” affected by Coronavirus and they will also start recording the number of Coronavirus deaths by ethnicity.
The investigation will be launched due to data by The Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre showing that 34% of more than 4,800 critically-ill patients with Covid-19 identified as black, Asian or minority ethnic.
The problem occurs when you put in to context that according to the 2011 census only 14% of people in England and Wales identify themselves as BAME, bearing the statistic in mind you can now see that a greater proportion of BAME are becoming critically-ill in England and Wales with Coronavirus despite making up less than a quarter of the population.
For now the question still remains the same , why? Why are BAME’s being disproportionately affected by Coronavirus? Right now we do not have these answers and all we can do is wait for the answers to be given to us by Public Health England.
The UK isn’t the only country that is going through the same trouble, most notably the US have been going through the same ordeal. Currently some reasons given in US news outlets regarding their side of the issue is that BAME’s in the US tend to have lower-skilled jobs , where they are in contact with vast quantities of people.
Furthermore, a large proportion of the US’ Blacks, Asians and minority ethnics are obese so are at an even higher risk of contracting and dying from the virus. Could this apply to the UK as well?
But as I said before, we can not be sure and all we can do for now is to wait and not speculate.
Three lockdown weeks complete and now another three weeks confirmed
Dominic Raab: “The current measures must remain in place for at least the next three weeks”
It is now confirmed that lockdown measure in the UK will now last for “at least” another three weeks. The foreign secretary announced, this week, that relaxing the measure would be a major risk to the public’s health and the economy.
This comes after research suggesting that relaxing too early could result in a “second wave” of cases and deaths which would be detrimental to the economy.
This is because the UK would go into lockdown for a second time meaning the economy would also be hit bad for a second time as a result of people being at home and not working.
Ministers are required by law to discuss whether the lockdown is effective and working every three week so until then it is almost certain that there will be no talks of relaxation to the guidelines.
Dominic Raab, who is deputising for the recovering PM, said that five condition needed to be met before any lockdown guidelines were eased.
The conditions were:
Making sure that the NHS would be able to cope
A “sustained and controlled” drop in total of daily death rates
Reliable data showing that infection were dropping to “manageable levels”
Making sure that the supplies of tests and PPE could meet future demands
Being very confident that any relaxations or adjustment would not risk a potential second peak
An easily understandable video on how the UK is doing compared to other nations
The Brexit party stormed to victory as they picked up almost a third of the votes with the Tories coming a disgraceful fifth in the standings.
It was night to remember for the Brexit party, a party which had been formed by a UKIP reject, Catherine Blaiklock, and had been given purpose to by Nigel Farage. They won 29 seats compared to Labours, 10 seats, and Tories’ 4 seats at the EU election and are set to stand at the next general election if the Tories do not deliver Brexit .
The Lib Dems also stunned many in the Elections, earning a respectable 18.5% share of the votes. The Lib Dems where very clear on their message of being a pro-European union party from the get-go and where almost a go to party for voters who wanted to remain in the European union. In London, they swept up more votes than any other party which is a region known for being predominantly Labour.
What now for the Conservatives and Labour?
For the Tories, these set of results were expected as the party have been in turmoil in recent weeks. They’ll need to elect a party leader who will consequently be prime minister all before Theresa May, the current prime minister, leaves 10 Downing street on the 7th July. The new elected prime minister will need to ensure that the UK has left the EU by the 31st October with or without a deal with increasing pressure from the public and other parties. If the Tories fail to accomplish this, then a general election will most probably occur.
Labour have been calling for a second referendum which seems very unlikely at this point. Based on the results, Labour will need to regroup and discuss where they went wrong. Whether they change leader or not is a mystery but what is clear to see is that they’ll need to give a firm declaration of where they stand with Brexit to unite their followers, which it seems they’ve lost.
Brexit party edged away as Conservative and Labour suffered major losses.
Tear gas and rubber bullets have been fired by police as retaliation to the violent protests
It has been three days of civil disobedience in Hong Kong as protesters destroyed everything in their path, including burning the chinese coat of arms located outside the embasy. The protesters state they want Hong kong to have democracy and do not want to be ruled over by China.
Most protests, if not all, go from peaceful marches to violent confrontations with police. Bricks, gasoline bombs and paint-filled bottles are thrown at police officers. The leader of Hong Kong, Carrie Lang, has urged citizens to put an end to the unrest. However, this has just urged more and more citizens to join the protest as they believe Lang is failing to see the truth and has “already been brainwashed by china”.
The vast numbers
and continuity of the protests suggests that demonstrators are determined to be
listened to and are willing to press a broad range of demands for greater
democracy. Hong Kong government say violence is “pushing us to a dangerous edge
“, whether protesters listen to this is a mystery. But for now, their fight for
democracy continues and it looks to be extremely challenging.
The Weekly Politics 