Across the UK, online, on DAB and on your smart speaker, the Independent Republic of Mike Graham, on Talk Radio.

Good morning and welcome to the Independent Republic of Mike Graham right here on Talk Radio.

We have reached the end of yet another extraordinary week, ladies and gentlemen, in the Independent Republic and outside of it. So let us pause

and take stock of exactly where we are. In Scotland, huge swathes of the most populous areas

are going into tighter lockdown restrictions as of today. And you can't even travel across

Adrian's wall after 6pm if you're coming from England.

In Northern Ireland they've so convinced the lockdown is a good idea.

They've extended it for another two weeks.

That's how much they like it.

I've completely missed what's going on in Wales, so if anybody can tell me, please do let me know.

Mertha Tinville did, of course, get the highest infection rate in Britain while they were in lockdown. And in England, Boris Johnson and his ministers are teasing us with the possibility of having a few days of freedom for Christmas. Marvelous,

isn't it? Meanwhile, there's an entirely different conversation being had in other sectors

of the medical community outside of SAGE about immunity, about T-cells, about measuring rates

of fatality, and about the accuracy of all the testing that we are basing all of these restrictions on.

We'll be talking to Diagnosticathologist Dr. Claire Craig.

0344-49-1,000 is the number to call us on, just to prove 2020 has indeed well and truly lost the block.

I've now been blocked by the Pogues on Twitter.

It's after I spent most of yesterday's show declaring how ludicrous it was for Radio 1 to ban

fairy tale of New York.

Apparently, they're now against people who think the original lyrics are sacrosanct.

Maybe they should rename themselves the woes, or possibly the planks.

We'll be asking Emily Carver about why this year has been so bizarre when it comes to people being

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