I can appreciate what Boris is trying to do and it's not easy when a large portion of the public do not give a damn and will do as they please. He knows businesses are struggling so what does he do, he gives them a lifeline by saying a large portion of shops can open BUT that in doing so, it relies on the public to adhere to the advise on social distancing, mask wearing and washing hands where possible.

I am in tier 4 and it sucks that I cannot spend it with my family because of others who ignored advise and let the virus spread. Shops have tried their best to adhere to the rules but many haven't. The biggest problem is that they refuse to police their own shop. I've seen it personally, every shop where i live has a hand sanitizing station at the entrance to the shop and hardly anybody uses them. I've actually purposely stood in the high street with a cup of tea looking at people entering shops and hardly anyone uses the sanitizing stations or wears a mask. I've been in food shops where a person not wearing a mask has been coughing all over the place and the store staff do nothing about it. People touch stuff with their bare hands then put it back, again, going against the shops advice which is to only pick something up if you intend to buy it (the virus can stay on surfaces and objects for 3 days).

Many blamed hospitality for the increase in infections but that can't be the case this time as hospitality has been closed but yet infection rates are rising and hospital beds are filling up with convid positive patients. So if hospitality is closed down, how is the virus still spreading so rapidly. Could it be that many people have got fed up of the restrictions placed on them and thus ignoring the rules and thus spreading the virus? Being in tier 3 was supposed to help ease the spread of the virus but it has only made it worst. Now businesses are going to bare the brunt of it again. How many more businesses are going to close down because they are not able to operate.

The ball is firmly in the publics court, if they adhere to the advice and stick to the rules, the virus cannot spread but if the public ignore the rules and advice, the virus will spread.

As far as the hospitals rapidly filling up, I ask again, why are the Nightingale hospitals not being used? Last I saw only ONE out of 7 were in use. Why?

Good post Dodge, makes a lot of sense.
I must admit though, that I have been guilty of picking packets up and putting them back, because sometimes I need to read the ingredients, so it can't always be helped.

The spread is mostly from extensive mixing of households, in households. There is nothing to stop that happening in Tier 4. There is no policing or control of household mixing. So it will continue.

Auckland is populated just like any UK city. Their climate is similar to UK but exactly out of phase. They got through their winter (our summer) quite well.
The difference is they have a proper leader. Acted decisively, firmly and quickly. Stopped the planes coming in early. Strict quarantine rules later.
Has an effective track and trace and all but eliminated the virus.
Admit it the main difference is our lack of leadership.

So why let people mix this Christmas?

Boris is in a pig of a position though. He'd be lynched if he banned Christmas this year, and he'll be lynched when the virus explodes everywhere by the end of December.

What else was he supposed to do?

We've been told that hospital beds are becoming scarcer, a new strain is more infectious, numbers and rates are not on the decline, etc etc.

What choice did he have? Say "stuff it and carry on"?

I think not.

Nowts changed except the message.