Need for a natural disaster of epic proportions, major war or global epidemic.

[barkingmad]

“government moving in at this point and deliberately restricting population movement...”

Delete “movement” and insert “growth” might have been a wise move for all governments?

UK introduced ‘Family Allowance’ to encourage breeding in the years following WW2 and continues this incentive, under different names, to the present day when that strategy is obviously no longer necessary.

Just imagine what a vote-loser that would be when included in a manifesto?!

[llondel]

UK introduced ‘Family Allowance’ to encourage breeding in the years following WW2 and continues this incentive, under different names, to the present day when that strategy is obviously no longer necessary.

Just imagine what a vote-loser that would be when included in a manifesto?!

Didn't they sort of start on that by restricting benefits to the first couple of children? It wasn't particularly popular, but I guess larger families are not as common as they once used to be, so all those with two or less children weren't too annoyed by it.

[ian16th]

but I guess larger families are not as common as they once used to be,

Excluding certain immigrant groups!

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Princess Auto has a sale on pitchforks at the moment; guy in front of me was buying one.
They know the market better than anyone, in my experience.
The Revolution can't be far off now!

[Rwy in Sight]

Funny you mentioned that: I am assisting a friend with clearing a plot of land and he needs a pitchfork he has bought a rake and it is of little use. Obviously I would provide one but nice to know there are options to buy one.

[Slasher]

Well, with a bit of positive luck this rock will hit just south of the India-Paki border in 10 years time.





If so this is one armageddon I don’t want Bruce Willis saving.

[FD2]

The 'Global Health Security Index' shows which countries are equipped to offer any resistance to a pandemic:

https://www.nti.org/about/projects/glob ... ity-index/

NTI (Nuclear Threat Initiative) seems to be an anti-nuclear group but also investigates the threats caused by biological, radiological, chemical and cyber threats.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Usual unrealistic assessment by academics.
Any really serious pandemic is going to cause mass panic. Governments will be able to shut down major ports and airports, rail networks, and major highways. That's it. It is highly likely to be done too late to make even a 48 hour dent in the spread of the disease. Anyone with influence is going to be able to bypass those restrictions, and they are just as likely to be vectors as anyone else. All western countries have large numbers of illegals, who won't give a flying f#ck about government orders, and indeed are probably going to be the initial vectors. Only about 5 countries have the army and police to effectively action (i.e. detain and isolate, or shoot) travel bans. None of those have sufficient antidotes for the general population (who know that), and all are endemically corrupt. Anyone who thinks key people like police and doctors are going to sacrifice themselves for any current government are sadly mistaken. The only effective quarantines will be local, will require all citizens in those locales to participate, and will need to be enforced at gunpoint or by extreme remoteness.
If ebola turns up in an illegal crossing the Texas border then travelling in the back of a truck with 50 other illegals, headed for LA, then the world is screwed.

[FD2]

Yes, agree, with anything very serious the damage will already be done (by the ease of international air travel) before the threat has been properly assessed. Even the countries with reasonable 'facilities' will be swamped and any serious measures will be taken too late because most governments will be reluctant to take them early enough for 'humanitarian' (i.e. political) reasons.

[Alisoncc]

Two people in China infected with plague, the disease tied to Black Death

Two patients in China were diagnosed with plague, the deadly and infectious disease tied to historic pandemics, local media reported.

The two people, from Inner Mongolia, were treated for pneumonic plague in Beijing's Chaoyang district, local health officials said on Tuesday, according to Caixin and state-media Xinhua.
.........
Pneumonic plague is one of three forms of the infectious disease and the only one that can be transmitted from person to person by inhaling infected droplets - for example, spread when someone breathes in cough droplets from an infected person.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention calls pneumonic plague the "most serious form of the disease." All three forms are caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/two-p ... 53af3.html


The Black Death is coming. Bring out your dead. Bring out your dead.

[Sisemen]

[Slasher]

No one eat any salmon mousse till the crisis is over.

Nor even sit at a table with those eating it.

In fact just stay in bed and have food brought up by a trusted slave.

[Pontius Navigator]

In bed right now nursing headache. Might stay there, nice and comfy

[Alisoncc]

You should be okay PN, in bed nursing a headache isn't a recognised symptom of the Black Death.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Quite right.
Headaches is Ebola

[OFSO]

Nice bit of artwork, Siseman. Looked familiar, somehow.

[Alisoncc]

2019 was a year of global unrest, spurred by anger at rising inequality – and 2020 is likely to be worse

2019 may well go down as the most disrupted year in global politics since the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 and the subsequent implosion of the former Soviet Union. However, the likelihood is that 2020 will be worse, and bloodier. Conditions that spawned global unrest on every continent in 2019 are unlikely to recede. Rather, they are likely to worsen in the face of a slowing global economy and little sign of causes of disaffection being addressed

https://theconversation.com/2019-was-a- ... rse-128384

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Washington as disruptor
In a word, the world is in a mess, made more threatening by the retreat of the Trump administration from America’s traditional role as a stabilising force.

Utter b#llocks. Trump is not getting involved in stupid, pointless wars. The article cites Libya. Well, the West already went in once, under Obama, and the situation is even worse than if they hadn't. What, exactly, does the idiot writing this article want? And why does he expect the outcome to be different?
The rest of the article avoids mentioning that the real causes of the problems are all globalist/left wing stuff. The riots in Chile were due to fare increases created by the authority buying a ridiculously expensive new fleet of electric buses. The migration into Europe is caused by an open doors policy and a welfare state that prioritises illegal immigrants over citizens. Etc.

D@mn right the world's falling apart, but it's not Trump's fault*. Globalism isn't working, can't work, and the globalists are blaming everyone else as usual.

And in itself, that article and my reaction are the reason the problems won't get better any time soon. The people of the world are polarizing. The left wingers not only won't listen, but are trying to shut up anyone who disagrees by calling their speech a "hate crime". And when there's no more "jaw jaw", the only option left is "war war".

*I would remind everyone that I am not a Trump fan; he's just less bad than Hillary would have been.

[Sisemen]

Certainly an increasing polarization between left and right factions, with the greens (and their army of useful idiots) as a major disrupter with their "climate change" agenda.

[Slasher]

Agree fully and a very succinct post Fox.

I firstly noted the author of the article is from LaTrobe Uni. That was enough to expect what nonsense was to follow.