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The new HFP chat thread – Friday 22nd May

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We have decided to run this new daily chat thread on Head for Points.

Historically, the daily ‘Bits’ articles were the defacto repository for random comments and questions.  It is unlikely that the news flow will be so big over the next few weeks that we will need many ‘Bits’ articles, however.

The comments under this article are where you should post questions about travel and, indeed, anything else on your mind.  At this tricky time, and given that many of you are stuck at home self-isolating, we want the HFP community to have a place to chat.

Please only comment under the main articles on the site if your comment is directly related to the topic of the article.  This has long-term benefits as its keeps the commentary relevant for people who read those articles in the future.

By default, HFP shows the last page of comments under the article.  If you want to see the first page of comments and read them all from beginning to end in order, click here: https://hfp2022.headforpoints.blog/2020/05/22/the-new-hfp-chat-thread-friday-22nd-may/comment-page-1.  The page will refresh with this article but the comments will now show the first page and not the last page.

We will continue to monitor how this is working.  Let’s see how it goes.  Take care!

Category

General

Comments (228)

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

  • Peter North says:
    22 May22 May 16:22

    Home secretary will be running the Coronavirus Briefing today. Will football arrests or bar fight arrests be down again?

    • Anna says:
      22 May22 May 16:40

      I’m very unlikely to be involved in either so I’m more interested in what she’s going to say about quarantine!

      • Rob says:
        22 May22 May 16:52

        What Peter means is that in a previous press conference Pritti was proudly boasting how domestic burglaries and shoplifting had gone down, inferring it was due to her genius at running the Home Office and not to do with the fact that everyone is at home and all the shops are shut.

        • RWJ says:
          22 May22 May 17:03

          Priti Vacant is the worst Home Secretary we’ve had in 20 years. Absolutely brainless.

        • Anna says:
          22 May22 May 17:14

          Implying! And yes, she is not fit for purpose. Jack Straw was the last one with anything about him, and I’m not much of a Labour supporter.

          • Chris Heyes says:
            22 May22 May 23:20

            Anna@ lived in Blackburn many years “But Never” voted for him he as home secretary (one of many)
            Who denied Diego Garcia population their “Legal Rights” to return to their Island even though they won their legal battle in the courts (even won it in the High Court)
            But America wanted to keep it so we made excuse after excuse to keep the “monkeys out”
            Not my words official records words by a previous MP
            shot their dogs told them only temporary, & they would be allowed back
            Jack Straws excuse “the islands sinking”
            Bet not many on here know or even care about their plight interesting read though

          • Lady London says:
            23 May23 May 00:21

            is that the island the US is using as a military base?

    • Bazza says:
      23 May23 May 06:26

      I think she is great! Was on to this wasteful foreign aid like a harbour shark!

  • TGLoyalty says:
    22 May22 May 16:47

    Randomly just had my IHG ambassador status and voucher extended by a further 3 months so instead of March 2021 it’s now September 2022

    Still not spite choice benefit though.

    • fivebobbill says:
      22 May22 May 17:00

      By my calculations is that not 18 months mate 🙂

    • Andrew says:
      22 May22 May 17:10

      Same, another 3 months were added a couple of days ago. And like you, still no spire benefit added.

    • guesswho2000 says:
      22 May22 May 18:09

      Same, thanks for this I hadn’t noticed. Feb 21 now, no additional anything, although I’ve qualified for Spire twice over anyway and did receive the 25k, so despite the extension I’m imagining I won’t receive anything.

    • The Urbanite says:
      22 May22 May 18:09

      I’m beginning to wonder if I want these extensions – I’ve found a good use for the free night certificate and would like another one ASAP!

    • Harry T says:
      22 May22 May 18:22

      Extension again for me too. Will be visiting the Amstel in Amsterdam on points a lot next year, I think. May bump into Genghis.

    • Lyn says:
      22 May22 May 21:18

      Thank you very much for this, TGLoyalty. Just checked and same here. Account activity shows Ambassador renewal on May 20, so a couple of days ago. Hopefully everyone will have had their extension by now.

  • Bootlace says:
    22 May22 May 17:06

    PM has purged all talent that may pose a threat to him. As such, we are left with these dullards and dolts.

  • Andrew says:
    22 May22 May 17:11

    No international travel until July at the earliest then.

    • TGLoyalty says:
      22 May22 May 17:39

      Depends. I’m working from home for the foreseeable so don’t see the issue sticking to my home for 14 days.

      I did think late July onwards was a possibility.

    • Rob says:
      22 May22 May 18:04

      No UK travel either, given the hotels are closed here!

  • Anna says:
    22 May22 May 17:11

    Priti Patel just announced that police will be “empowered” to enforce quarantine rules, in other words “instructed” to. This will play out in a prolonged squabble between the police and the border force over who has the least resources to be able to do this.

    • mr_jetlag says:
      22 May22 May 17:15

      I always make sure I’m away from the TV at 5-6pm these days to avoid unwanted face/palm interactions. It’s more of a danger whenever Patel is on.

    • Andrew says:
      22 May22 May 17:20

      Hopefully the £1000 deterrent will be enough to put people of travelling outside the Common Travel Area and the police needing to waste their resources to enforce this.

      • Doug says:
        22 May22 May 17:27

        I guess staying home 14 days is not a problem for many.

      • Anna says:
        22 May22 May 17:36

        Not really enforceable for someone who’s only going to be in the country for a short time. Then there’s the likelihood that they won’t get the legislation or procedures right and people will successfully challenge fines (it’s been a shambles as far as enforcing lockdown has gone so far). I can’t see there being any “draconian” measures such as a power of entry so all someone will have to say is that they didn’t hear the door and – case dismissed. It’s difficult enough to get a phone trace for a murder investigation, so there’s no way compliance will be monitored through people’s mobiles.

        • Doug says:
          22 May22 May 17:49

          Agree, why people think phone tracking works? just pop down my local market twice and leave my phone home.

  • marcw says:
    22 May22 May 17:30

    Sheraings Leisure Group into administration https://www.shearings.com

    • Ken says:
      22 May22 May 21:14

      Struggle to see when the market for pensioner coach tours of cheap hotels is going to restart.

  • Peter North says:
    22 May22 May 17:37

    Play Priti Patel bingo.

    Absolutely,
    Movin forward
    Let me be clear
    Quite Frankly
    Goin Forward
    The key Thing
    The Fact of the Matter is
    Committed to Doin
    But Also

    • Michael says:
      22 May22 May 17:41

      I hear far more people from a similar background on the Left speaking like this. Priti is gorgeous. A handsome craft. She’s almost 50! I want her surgeon…even her face cream.

      • Connor says:
        22 May22 May 17:43

        Agreed!

      • Peter North says:
        22 May22 May 17:46

        I like it.

        “The fact of the matter” 4 times so far!

      • Chris K says:
        22 May22 May 17:46

        And agreed

      • Chrish says:
        22 May22 May 23:00

        Michael@ her surgeon why would you “Want Her Surgeon he’s ugly lol

      • Lady London says:
        23 May23 May 00:13

        Harumph! my equivalent comment admiring Rishi Sunak was deleted.

        Wonder how long your comments about Pritti P will last.

        i will check tomorrow to see if your comments have been deleted too.

    • Heathrow Flyer says:
      22 May22 May 22:35

      I’m not sure she properly answered one question that was put to her.

    • mr_jetlag says:
      22 May22 May 23:08

      “Let me be clear ” anytime a politician ejaculates this phrase I know the next words out of their mouths are a waste of oxygen

      Whoever trained the twits at Oxbridge PPE must have had a bet going on how many times they could get this phrase on PMQs…

      • Crafty says:
        22 May22 May 23:49

        Oxford PPE. There isn’t a course called PPE at Cambridge.

  • Anna says:
    22 May22 May 17:39

    What is the situation in the Republic of Ireland? Are they also quarantining anyone who enters the country – if not a UK quarantine is doubly pointless?

    • Anna says:
      22 May22 May 17:42

      Apologies, just read that Eire is also imposing 14 day quarantine. However, this means that the UK and Ireland will have to review this at the same intervals and agree on whether to continue or not, otherwise it is definitely pointless!

      • Save East Coast Rewards says:
        22 May22 May 17:46

        It still is pointless, you fly to Dublin, you tell immigration there you’re entering the UK, then you enter the UK via the CTA arrivals route (therefore you don’t go through immigration in the UK). If you’re worried about Ireland passing your details to the UK just book a night at a hotel near the airport and give that as your address, then travel to the UK the next day.

      • John says:
        22 May22 May 21:03

        Bit more complicated than that.

        There is an existing form to fill in and – unless on transit, including to N Ireland by road, or GB by air/sea – you’re supposed to hand it over at Dublin airport, and then self-isolate for 14 days:

        https://www2.hse.ie/file-library/coronavirus/covid-19-public-health-passenger-locator-form.pdf

        But most recent published figures showed more than a third of passengers didn’t bother to complete and return the form before leaving airport. And not all who did, were actually contactable on address/mobile number they supplied.

        This led to Michael O’Leary saying whole exercise is pointless. But…

        Presumably coordinating with Patel, Leo Varadkar regime today said failure to complete form will soon be illegal:

        https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2020/0522/1140009-travel-to-ireland/

        Although travel advice has yet to be updated:

        https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/e885b2-covid-19-coronavirus-travel-advice/

        Theoretically, somebody could indeed fly JFK-DUB or CDG-DUB on still operating Aer Lingus service, then fill in form before hopping on DUB-LHR service. But likely Border Force at LHR would literally make the connection.

        However, taking train or aircoach to Belfast and then flying EI’s BHD-LHR shouldn’t be automatically flagged. Then there are the ferries…

        Basically UK and ROI both went into travel lockdown too late, and are trying to remain in it too late, for political reasons.

      • Ken says:
        22 May22 May 21:09

        Trivial I know but I find it really weird that anyone uses the word Eire these days.

        • Anna says:
          22 May22 May 23:27

          I just thought it was Gaelic for Ireland, like you might say La France or Espana. But come to think of it I haven’t heard it referred to like that for a long time,

          • John says:
            23 May23 May 00:17

            It’s the official name of the country in Irish Gaelic (thus on stamps, banknotes etc). In English, it’s Ireland. Not a big issue though.

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

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