Original Post: 1/4/2020
Good Grief. Hello World. Well this is an excuse for me to keep some sort of diary containing events and my thoughts about such events so that when all this Virus thing is over, and here’s hoping I’ll still be alive and breathing at such point, then we can look back and make observations, cast nasturtiums, and be alarmingly smug, disgusted, over emotional and even somewhat shocked by what’s happened. So here’s this here, as opposed to upsetting too many people on other Social Media. Enough are spouting there…
It’s 31st March 2020, and it’s been a sort of Lockdown in London for a couple of weeks now. This means popping out for a walk and a shop a couple of times a week, in my case. My half-the-time Nurse buddy is here for a few days then back to Yorkshire where he also nurses (in two places), so is getting quite pooped. I’m trying to write more enormous life-changing International hit songs (very very slowly) with wrist injuries, and old lung injury and a slowly recovering left eye after a botched then recovered cataract surgery….
But, London. UK. We’ve had a few months since we heard about the virus which originated probably in dodgy bat food markets, no I mean, Food Markets (where bats are still to this day sold) in Wuhan in China at the end of last year. Hospitals were rapidly built there, thousands have died (though the current conspiracy theories suggest that FORTY times the number of infected and died is the true figure), so the UK conspiracy theories currently abound, regarding: 1) nowhere near enough protective clothing for frontline staff, 2) a suspiciously low number of ventilators, testing kits and testing full stop is out there, 3) the daily briefings contain a vast number of lies by Government officials (including Johnson, Hancock and Gove) so that’s hardly surprising, especially as they’re all guided by Chief Liar Dominic Cummings, who may well be running the whole shebang.
Italy and Spain have alarming numbers of infected and dead (the latter currently rising by nearly 1000 a day), though the UK’s figures are hardly reliable as the government keeps changing the criteria for counting them.
Countries like Brazil have a leader who says Don’t Take Any Notice of Guidelines (“let’s face this virus like a man”), Florida has absolutely jam packed beaches as the Governor of Florida thinks it’s a good idea to keep Normal Activities Happening (“We have to look after the next generations”). Trump himself has changed his Point of View sometimes thrice daily, but then his lies make Cummings seem angelic. Can he possibly survive all this?
So what’s our strategy? Do we have one? The scientific boffins in the UK honestly don’t seem very clear on any sensible strategy other than at the moment “Wash Your Hands, Social Distance, and Stay At Home” to save the NHS. Idiots are still partying and the Police now have Sweeping Powers. They do.
So we’ve ended up in March 2020 Locked Down, about to enter a massive world recession after an equally massive pandemic, and I’m not convinced Life will ever return to Normal. What’s also happening is that polluting Nitrous Oxide levels are diminishing impressively, the canal water in Venice is crystal clear, and with the hugely reduced road and air traffic, evidence of hugely decreasing pollution from aerial shots is most promising.
AND YET…..we’ve not heard much from Russia or Africa at all, India with its huge population is now declaring, and this could go huge there, the USA is currently the greatest affected (if the figures are to be believed), and countries in the Far East claim they’ve beaten it. Planes are arriving at Heathrow daily and passengers not checked AT ALL upon arrival, whereas all airports Eastern have vast numbers of testing staff as soon as people arrive.
So what does any of this mean? Are we starting to examine our lives during the long lockdown periods, especially attitudes to work, friendships, environment, other people (less fortunate etc)? Do any of us think there should be MASSIVE change so as to save the World, animals, plants, oceans, kinda restore the balance the planet used to have whenever that was?
Will any of us change our politics? It’s not unknown that I’ve always been a bit of a leftie, and don’t think very much of this government, or other extreme Tory ones. Equality and Chance in life (not to mention Freedom) no matter ones origin must be the most important things in life to my mind. Anyone who is dishonest, who constantly lies (at least Thatcher didn’t exactly do that, Belgrano aside) has no place in my life or in Power in my opinion.
(Here we go…) So people who parade in front of us since Brexit (I so wish we were still in the EU, leading it even) to constantly be uncaring and lie through their teeth for their own ends, people who take advantage of other people and exploit financial loopholes to get richer and richer and richer whilst so many people suffer, and it doesn’t matter HOW great an entrepreneur you are, as long as you use your money without greed and share it when you have an insanely excessive amount, and finally people who are outright crooks, and whose prime characteristic is evil…well all these folks should be taught a lesson by whatever’s happening now, and help to make a Better World.
Yeah Yeah Yeah, what Hippie Rot. You’re all right Jack, you own a house, have food, drink and friends, and work minimally and at your own pace. I hear this. True (though I certainly worked for most of it, and was blessed with some talent).
SO, IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN THEN. NO CHANGE THERE. BACK TO USUAL. Get full blown Capitalism back on its feet, the Billionaires won’t have suffered too much, the huge huge companies will start employing again, and we’ll enter a lifetime of austerity. I’m certainly not an economist, so I don’t really have a clue what’s going to happen.
Well, I’m gonna keep this lowkey diary blog thing for myself, and if anyone (who disagrees, agrees or who wants to share their thoughts) wants to comment, comment! Below, already….
Star Date, Lockdown 2 week, 16 bottles of gin left, 2 degrees outside.