"Clap For Carers" is back again

[Darandio]

The fact the person who organised something that's a positive when everything is negative is quite sad.

Positive for who? Look on social media at the individuals it's aimed at, they don't want it. Look on social media at the organisations providing an overall voice for those it's aimed at, they don't want it.

All she had to do was get in touch with one of these organisations first and sound them out to see what they thought. Instead she just went out off her own bat and announced we should all be doing it again tonight. It could have saved her all the hassle.

 

[bramling]

I just don't think people are in the mood. It's cold and we're looking down the barrel of goodness knows how much longer in lockdown. It had run its course.

People aren’t in the mood. A lot of people are properly fed up with this now.

The one thing NHS staff want right now is for people to do what they can to avoid needing to use the NHS avoidably. At least this time they won’t be finishing their shifts and finding the supermarket shelves had been plundered by panic buyers.

 

[yorksrob]

People aren’t in the mood. A lot of people are properly fed up with this now.

The one thing NHS staff want right now is for people to do what they can to avoid needing to use the NHS avoidably. At least this time they won’t be finishing their shifts and finding the supermarket shelves had been plundered by panic buyers.

Yes, the old supermarkets seem to be holding their own now, which is good.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

It isn’t just NHS staff who have kept the country going this year, and “rewarding” many staff with pay freezes or rumours regarding things like their pensions hasn’t exactly gone down well.

I’m certainly sensing there isn’t the keenness to step up to the plate this time round to keep things ticking over. People are fulfilling their obligations, no less but no more. A bit of verbal gratitude from Boris, or the relevant Secretaries of State, would go a long way. There’s also a lot of anxiety now about what the future will hold. On a personal level I can’t be the only one who has been waiting to see the dentist for ages for a filling and is in intermittent discomfort!

Had major dental issues through the last year - so my sincere best wishes for a resolution.

 

[bramling]

Yes, the old supermarkets seem to be holding their own now, which is good.

I think part of the reason “key workers” aren’t interested in the clapping is because of the amount of hypocrisy seen last time.

One minute the virtue signallers were banging pots, next minute they would be yelling abuse should a key workers get priority in a supermarket queue.

Had major dental issues through the last year - so my sincere best wishes for a resolution.

Thanks for the kind wishes. It’s more of an irritant than a major problem, however at the moment it’s an irritant I could do without!

 

[yorksrob]

I think part of the reason “key workers” aren’t interested in the clapping is because of the amount of hypocrisy seen last time.

One minute the virtue signallers were banging pots, next minute they would be yelling abuse should a key workers get priority in a supermarket queue.

Indeed. For me, there's also always the risk that if I were to breathe too near to my elderly next door neighbour, I could have "blood on my hands", as one doctor put it recently.

 

[bramling]

Indeed. For me, there's also always the risk that if I were to breathe too near to my elderly next door neighbour, I could have "blood on my hands", as one doctor put it recently.

Round here there was some tension with people being kept up by households partying late into the small hours during weeknights. I can well see how people (key workers) up in the early morning would have found this infuriating.

These sorts of considerations go a *long* way further than inanely banging a pot.

 

[yorksrob]

Round here there was some tension with people being kept up by households partying late into the small hours during weeknights. I can well see how people (key workers) up in the early morning would have found this infuriating.

These sorts of considerations go a *long* way further than inanely banging a pot.

Ah yes, fortunately I haven't had such problems since I moved out of urban Leeds fifteen years ago.

 

[bramling]

Ah yes, fortunately I haven't had such problems since I moved out of urban Leeds fifteen years ago.

It isn’t normally an issue here, but back in April / May a *lot* of people were WFH or on furlough. It was a particular relief to see one household in particular back to going to work each morning - thankfully this time round they don’t seem to have ceased work.

I suspect there’s a lot back to WFH here now (many never stopped), but the cold winter evenings don’t lend themselves to outside parties thankfully.

 

[SouthEastBuses]

No clapping here in Horsham either. Either people can't be bothered to do so (and tbf they have a point) or it's just too damn cold to do so.

 

[MikeWM]

Happy to say you could have heard a pin drop here.

I don't think around here was ever especially enthusiastic about the thing, but the first few weeks last year there were certainly some people doing it. (As I said above, after a few weeks I used this weekly irritation as motivation to have a long walk around the countryside well away from civilisation, so I can't say if they persisted all through)

 

[Flange Squeal]

Yes, the old supermarkets seem to be holding their own now, which is good.p

Probably because it's cold and the panic buyers don't want to queue. It was noticeable last time - at least round here - how if you went on a sunny day you'd be queuing for an hour, but if you went on a rainy day you'd be pretty much straight in as all the people desperate for bog rolls and pasta always seemed to be good for supplies on those days.

I was aware there was a clap going on today but I can't tell you how it went here as I think I was cooking dinner at that time. I did it last time, but not joining in this time. I've spent the last nine months or so helping the NHS by only really leaving the house to go to work or shopping. I've not been congregating in groups or venues, or making unnecessary journeys. I find it completely hypocritical watching people who have repeatedly been doing all the things that have helped contribute to the spread of the virus and the mental stress, anxiety and exhaustion our frontline NHS staff are suffering, stood outside their house clapping for a minute a week pretending they give two hoots about them.

 

[Andrew S]

No clapping here this time, thankfully. Previously it was quite popular.

 

[C J Snarzell]

It isn’t normally an issue here, but back in April / May a *lot* of people were WFH or on furlough. It was a particular relief to see one household in particular back to going to work each morning - thankfully this time round they don’t seem to have ceased work.

I suspect there’s a lot back to WFH here now (many never stopped), but the cold winter evenings don’t lend themselves to outside parties thankfully.

My friend lives in a residential street and he used to cringe every Thursday during last spring.

Every Thursday evening at 8pm all his neighbours would gather at the front with their beer and wine - then by midnight some would still be out almost paraletic (no work in the morning) and going in & out of one another's houses.

I think he said there was at least four Thursdays on the bounce when a police patrol turned up with its 'blues' on to 'pour' everyone back into their respective houses.

Hopefully if the 'happy clapping' starts up again, the irresponsible members of the community are not going to be fool hardy to brave the January weather.

CJ

 

[Trackman]

I can report no clapping or pot banging here.
There are a couple of families with kids (who love banging pans and making noise in general) who I excepted to come out, but they didn't.

 

[yorksrob]

Probably because it's cold and the panic buyers don't want to queue. It was noticeable last time - at least round here - how if you went on a sunny day you'd be queuing for an hour, but if you went on a rainy day you'd be pretty much straight in as all the people desperate for bog rolls and pasta always seemed to be good for supplies on those days.

I was aware there was a clap going on today but I can't tell you how it went here as I think I was cooking dinner at that time. I did it last time, but not joining in this time. I've spent the last nine months or so helping the NHS by only really leaving the house to go to work or shopping. I've not been congregating in groups or venues, or making unnecessary journeys. I find it completely hypocritical watching people who have repeatedly been doing all the things that have helped contribute to the spread of the virus and the mental stress, anxiety and exhaustion our frontline NHS staff are suffering, stood outside their house clapping for a minute a week pretending they give two hoots about them.

I must admit, the implication that we all should have been indoors at home for the past nine months is something that I've seen expressed a few times in relation to this proposed event. It's not something I can personally agree with, so is another reason why I'll have no part in it.

 

[Flange Squeal]

I must admit, the implication that we all should have been indoors at home for the past nine months is something that I've seen expressed a few times in relation to this proposed event. It's not something I can personally agree with, so is another reason why I'll have no part in it.

I wasn't so much getting at people who had dared to leave home - I've just chosen not to personally. More that some of my neighbours that have taken part in the clap in the past have also been having large BBQ/Halloween/Christmas parties, multiple car loads of mates visiting every other night, etc etc. I just find it a bit hypocritical of them to then pretend to give a damn.

 

[Bikeman78]

It isn’t just NHS staff who have kept the country going this year, and “rewarding” many staff with pay freezes or rumours regarding things like their pensions hasn’t exactly gone down well.

I’m certainly sensing there isn’t the keenness to step up to the plate this time round to keep things ticking over. People are fulfilling their obligations, no less but no more. A bit of verbal gratitude from Boris, or the relevant Secretaries of State, would go a long way. There’s also a lot of anxiety now about what the future will hold. On a personal level I can’t be the only one who has been waiting to see the dentist for ages for a filling and is in intermittent discomfort!

Have you tried ringing your dentist? I saw mine two days after the initial phone call for a minor problem.

 

[DustyBin]

I think anybody clapping deserves to have a mackerel thrown at them.

 

[galwhv69]

Silence in the council estates in Putney Heath yesterday, contrary to the first round, where many were clapping

 

[Jamesrob637]

Time to lock this thread and reopen it around 7pm on the 25th of March or whenever the last Thursday of March falls.

 

[Class 33]

Hopefully the government and media have got the message through this resurrected Clap For Carers/Clap For Heroes being a completely damp squid, that most of the country is not interested in clapping on their doorsteps ever thursday night anymore, that most of the country is completely sick and tired of the situation we're in now - back in lockdown yet again with no definite end in sight.

I wonder if this will be called off now.

 

[Bantamzen]

Annemarie Plas has given a statement to The Guardian decrying the fact that there was a negative reaction to the event being restarted.



I didn’t see anyone giving “personal abuse”, merely opposing the clapping for the same reason as most of the above posters - it’s crass tokenism that achieves nothing. “Personal abuse” ≠ “Disagreeing with me on social media”.

Oh dear. Rather than accept that people, including healthcare workers didn't want it, she chooses to make it about herself. Its what I suspected all along, full on virtue signalling.

 

[DelayRepay]

There was no clapping here. Last time my neighbours were quite enthusiastic, as well as clapping we had the obligatory pots and pans, car horns and even fireworks. One neighbour set up his mobile disco in the street for one of the 'claps' that fell before a Friday bank holiday!

This time, nothing.

I think the very first Clap for Carers was a good idea as a way of showing the NHS staff that they are valued and appreciated. But like many things it became OTT doing it every week and seemingly competing as to who could come up with the most ridiculous way of making noise. I don't agree with it being brought back now, and most NHS staff I know don't want it either.

If and when this is all over, then perhaps one final clap would be worthwhile - not for carers but for everybody, as a way of celebrating the end of this mess.

 

[Ianno87]

If and when this is all over, then perhaps one final clap would be worthwhile - not for carers but for everybody, as a way of celebrating the end of this mess.

I could get on board with that idea.

 

[Mag_seven]

Maybe it's dawned on people that leaving your house to "clap for carers" is actually illegal as it is not listed in the regulations as a "reasonable excuse"

 

[jon0844]

Now we're in the second week of 2021, the extra £350m a week should be far better for the NHS than some clapping.

 

[DelW]

Last year, when this began, the clocks had just gone forward, the weather was fine, and on nice warm evenings, most of the participants in my road simply sat out in their gardens with a glass of something and joined in the clapping for a minute or two at 8pm. (Not many of our front doors are in sight of each other anyway, I can only see one other from mine.)

Compare that with standing in the dark on a (literally) freezing cold evening, and I'm not surprised that people are much less enthusiastic now, quite apart from weariness with months of on/off lockdowns and ever changing rules and regulations. At this time of year, at dusk I just want to lock the doors, close the windows and curtains, and stay in the warm!

 

[birchesgreen]

Don't forget when the clapping started last year we were mostly all under the impression this mess would only last a couple of months.

 

[C J Snarzell]

I can see when the Covid numbers start to drop (and they will) the NHS will still be winging on about something else and yet again 'day-to-day' patients will be put on the back burner.

CJ