Are they more Renault now?
Mick, you just had to make things even wurser? 
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Back on topic, Iāve been thinking about how we might move forward given a few possible scenarios.
Possibility 1 - might be how the establishment is hoping things go.
We return to doing things much as before, just with a working vaccine. Carbon usage soars again.
Snag; the virus mutates, and it kills about 2% of the time (so far as we yet know), and it spreads like wildfire, and can vaccine development keep up?
In this instance I expect maybe 50% people will still be cautious, but unfortunately the feckless rest will mess it up for all of us. Over the next few years a million+ die of it in UK.
Possibility 2 - might be how we are forced into existing because of no vaccine regardless of what is tried.
No sardine-can virus-incubator public transport (planes, trains, tube, buses) allowed, and only isolated transport (partitioned taxis, personal cars, etc) possible if and when allowed.
Most big expensive transport projects will be cancelled (eg no 3rd runway, no HS2 or the rest of it, no motorway expansion) because with printing money the hyperinflation means there is nothing left to pay for something nobody can use.
No gatherings, so no concerts, matches, restaurants, etc.
Self-sufficiency is essential, the Goode Life comes true for those who have the ground, the rest starve or fight for it. This still does not prevent a million+ dying of it in UK, just over several decades of restrictions.
Eventually 2% of the worldās population dies directly because of the current mutation because it will continue to spread, and many more while competing for local resources. But the over-riding fear is what happens with the next mutation, 2% or 5% or 10% or worse?
Possibility 3 - the world effectively shuts down to a much lower level of activity, somewhere in between these limits, but depending on where one lives, anywhere between them.
Again expensive white-elephant projects are likely cancelled, and again there might be hyper inflation.
No big gatherings of any kind, but sport etc played behind closed doors and the voyeurs watch via pay TV.
Much more local food growing, waiting lists for allotments, back gardens bearing fruit and veg again, more of a sharing helping āBlitz spiritā among neighbours.
Over the next decade or so a million+ die of it in UK.
So it doesnāt look good. I hope I am completely wrong, but I donāt see anything logical to counter these options.
Maybe we have some experts who can offer a more optimistic view?
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Like everyone else, hoping the death rate declines, as we hopefully get a handle on things, and we get through this in one piece,and hats off to the people on the front line, its certainly sorted the men from the boys, and a lot of people have shown their true colours, including the selfish morons who have ignored the lockdown rules and carried on as normal with their get togethers, all well and good until one of them goes down with the plague then itāll be all tears and panic.
Thereās also been a lot of side effects to this as well, businesses closing, lack of crop picking staff, the list is endless, along with anti Chinese sentiment.
Makes you realize how many ,normally mundane things I take for granted, like volunteering to got to the shops, just as an excuse to get out in the 5!, getting fed up with ,Gardening, decorating, daytime TV, and adverts that make me feel as if Iām in a minority , Funeral plans ( with a bloody Will Kit or free pen ) more and more Charity ads, and cleaning the cars ā¦again
On a lighter note, looking forward to going for a blast, and I think we will enjoy it ,like never before 
Boz
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Missing the grandkids in particular, one has a birthday this coming Sunday. We usually go there for all birthdays, I had planned to treat the granddaughter last weekend to a football treat. Sheās into football but thatās all cancelled, all on hold now.
Lotās of other stuff of course but the upside, yes there is, Iām not spending much money not being able to get out so much.
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Things Iāll miss if and when things return to ānormalā:-
- Aircraft-free sky
- Lack of background roar from the M25
- Lack of ārat-runā traffic
- The ability to walk along our road without being the target for some motorised psychopath
- Lack of heavily polluted air
- Smell of plants and trees
- Sound of birdsong
- Peace and quiet
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Will miss a few things, including having my two daughters at home, being stuck in my home office five days a week, drinking at five every night, but oh, I am looking forward to playing golf againā¦
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I believe, after weeks of absorbing specialist scientists & qualified experts while ignoring political all-party platitudes, that we have not seen the last of Cov-id 19 by a long chalk. Be it Cov-id 20, 21 or whatever derivative mutation it chooses, the plague from Hell may be able to dodge the anti-virus serums and make killing future outbreaks as easy as trying to score 180 on a revolving dart board.
I wish this patronising phrase " the new normal" was binned as it is, in itself, a self cancelling oxymoron insofar itās either eventual business as usual pre Cov-id, or it is not. Whichā¦it never will be again in my opinion.
I think we will witness, say within a 20 mile radius of our personal post codes, many corner shop/niche businesses with the shutters down permanently. Everything from cake & coffee, barbers, MOT garages, pubs, clubs, hotels,computer shops and perhaps even dentists who in the past had private care as their core business as well as NHS. The leisure & travel industry is stuffed as we speakā¦expect local brokers to go.
Small to medium employers, if they do survive, will already be figuring ( if they have not already) how to run the business with reduced staff. Multiple micro-events just like BA & Virgin. Can we blame them? In every cull event, itās survival of the fittest. and the lucky.
I believe it will be many months, perhaps into next year, before the ripples level out and the true costs in terms of unemployment and fiscal damage is realised. I would expect a semi-permanent high level of unemployment across the board for many yearsā¦from airline pilots to P/t service industry workers.
The PM may well wish to avoid the dread āausterityā word, but for him and his merry band the fun has not even started. There simply is no form of governance from any party that can fight what is to come, such is the level of fiscal & social devastation of millions, nor does it matter which part of the UK you live in.
Itās a good time to be retired. Frankly, as a baby boomer, Iām grateful I was born in the early 50āsā¦because through the 60ās & 70āsā¦āweā really didā¦ " never have it so good" Heaven help our youngsters.
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Sadly, I think your analysis and predictions are spot on Rob! Iām glad Iām in my mid 70ās! Never thought Iād ever say that!!!
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