A bit O/T. This is a post about politics but I myself am not political as frankly, I don't need any group to tell me how to think. Also in the overall terms of the pandemic, this is small potatoes I realise that but this is, after all, a RL forum.



However, Coronavirus has just inadvertently produced a major example of the political shift that has taken place in the UK.



The 16m pound loan to the game may or may not be enough who knows, but there is a huge political irony in our receiving it at all.



You see for all the class warrior stuff that still persists in the North and around the game it is now a complete myth. Class structure will never die and all countries have one but the one we have desperately been hanging onto is clearly gone, hooray!



Truth is and like it or not had the Corbyn Labour party got in we wouldn't have got the loan. So far away from its roots have the Labour party gone that to a middle-class cosmopolitan London based politician like Jeremy RL wouldn't even have registered. He would have happily let the game die, hard to take but true.



Now the Conservative, most of whom also don't give a toss for RL know what side their bread is buttered. Let there be in no doubt here, that money is our reward. It's not 13 pieces of silver, I say that before someone else uses the tiresome quote, it's a recognition that in voting terms the North is now where it matters.



Inadvertently the virus has highlighted this, It's not the way any of us wanted it but it truly illustrates whats happened. I never thought I'd see the day where RL counted as a vote winner for a Conservative Government. Is it good or bad? Time will tell but for now, it's vital.

As you say FC, regardless of your political persuasion, a big help. Although some will point out its only a loan.... However the terms are "favourable" according to the RFL. in this article https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/52493621

As you say FC, regardless of your political persuasion, a big help. Although some will point out its only a loan.... However the terms are "favourable" according to the RFL. in this article https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/52493621

I'm not sure that I agree with you and I'm less sure that a "political" subject should be on the Trinity forum.

Having said that, credit where it's due and those involved in negotiating the loan have done pretty well.



Worth remembering that there will be a full blown economic Schmidt storm following the lockdown and the depth of recession is something that none uf us have ever lived through.

The last 10 years of austerity will seem like the good old days.

This.

A situation such as we have is unprecedented and it's going to come with a huge price tag. Undoubtedly this will fall to the public to pay.

Hindsight is wonderful but shouldn't we have a cash reserve in case of a national emergency? I know it would have to be huge to cover this crisis but some reserve would help!

Maybe we wouldn’t have to get a loan had the Government actually been competent enough to enforce a nationwide lockdown (it is still referred as social distancing FFS) sooner, ensuring tests were available as soon as and then look at restrictions being lifted sooner. This also makes for interesting reading. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/ ... es_Manager Sorry but in the grand scheme of things RL is only a game and this Government has been responsible for thousands of needless deaths with their lackadaisical attitude.

Maybe we wouldn’t have to get a loan had the Government actually been competent enough to enforce a nationwide lockdown (it is still referred as social distancing FFS) sooner, ensuring tests were available as soon as and then look at restrictions being lifted sooner. This also makes for interesting reading. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/ ... es_Manager Sorry but in the grand scheme of things RL is only a game and this Government has been responsible for thousands of needless deaths with their lackadaisical attitude.

Quote Willzay="Willzay"=#FF0000Maybe we wouldn’t have to get a loan had the Government actually been competent enough to enforce a nationwide lockdown (it is still referred as social distancing FFS) sooner, ensuring tests were available as soon as and then look at restrictions being lifted sooner. This also makes for interesting reading. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/ ... es_Manager Sorry but in the grand scheme of things RL is only a game and this Government has been responsible for thousands of needless deaths with their lackadaisical attitude.'" Back again with your political slant....... The piece I have highlighted shows your bias and incompetence. Seeing as you rattle on about other countries - as you have on the Coronavirus thread - ie starting before we did re lockdown - I cant see them starting sport any sooner than we will.

Quote Willzay="Willzay"=#FF0000Maybe we wouldn’t have to get a loan had the Government actually been competent enough to enforce a nationwide lockdown (it is still referred as social distancing FFS) sooner, ensuring tests were available as soon as and then look at restrictions being lifted sooner. This also makes for interesting reading. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/ ... es_Manager Sorry but in the grand scheme of things RL is only a game and this Government has been responsible for thousands of needless deaths with their lackadaisical attitude.'" Back again with your political slant....... The piece I have highlighted shows your bias and incompetence. Seeing as you rattle on about other countries - as you have on the Coronavirus thread - ie starting before we did re lockdown - I cant see them starting sport any sooner than we will.

=#FF0000Truth is and like it or not had the Corbyn Labour party got in we wouldn't have got the loan. So far away from its roots have the Labour party gone that to a middle-class cosmopolitan London based politician like Jeremy RL wouldn't even have registered. He would have happily let the game die, hard to take but true.





On what factual basis do you make this statement fc?

Perhaps Jeremy Corbyn might not have "offered" a £16,000,000 loan to the RFL on his own volition, but there again has the Tory Sports minister. I think the Government were probably asked by the RFL to loan the money, not just offer it out of the blue.

Your whole post was based upon your own assumption.

The sad thing is, and this is probably the first time I've ever agreed with Willzay, he's right, we are not and have bpnever been in "lockdown" countries like France Spain and Italy have. I have many friends in Spain(canaries and mainland) also friends in Gibraltar. The "lockdown" they have had is a lockdown, only one person allowed out once a day to either shop for food or go to chemist, no one working except true essential workers and to ensure compliance the penalties are pretty severe and regularly enforced, we may as well have not had any measures put in place, I'm still seeing families going shopping together, people having picnics and BBQ's whilst on my daily 1hourswlak which I take from my house (luckily I live out of town so I'm already walking to the countryside) people driving then getting bikes out of their cars to cycle round pugneys and to top it all the chip shop by me (kingfishers) which is 3 miles out of town, has. Now opened for call and collect with the most pathetic social distancing measures in place, a 3-4 mile drive to your favourite chippy is not an "essential joiurney". It's a joke and this namby pamby government have created this problem, I believe that if we had of had proper lockdown in place very similarly to other EU states wewould not have had the amount of cases Andy. Deaths, for a virus that has a 7-10 day incubation period, for the measure taken to be working, we wouldn't be getting new cases on a daily basis 40 days later

You do know that Spain and Italy have more deaths per million than us don't you? And the French figures are slightly less but don't include care homes like ours. Just checking

And it's hardly the government's fault if people are too stupid to stay at home.

Who's Andy?

One of the points I was trying to make - which you seemed to have missed - like he does with most things of this sad subject - is that sport will not take place in those countries mentioned above by other posters before ours....

France, Spain, Italy and Germany - who according to him had the best "lockdown"....

Looks like you've started something here FC old boy, I fully concur with your post btw and don't believe for one moment it was politically motivated, unfortunately some people will use this simply as an excuse for that although surprisingly one or two others haven't risen to the challenge yet although there is time yet if it doesn't get locked, speaking of which my favourite and most sensible post was popTart's who I quote "and it's hardly the governments fault if people are too stupid to stay at home" sums it all up for me.