So says Rishi Sunak, our shiny new Keeper of the Coin, elected by plutocrats who aren't us. The neoliberal answer to this existential crisis of capitalism (and life) is to lend money at "attractive" rates.
Isn't this blackmail? You need the money, your staff need the money, your society needs the money...so sign on the dotted line. They'll hold us hostage to the last breath - or should that be last gasp.
Even Trump is considering the equivalent of a Universal Basic Income. He's calling it helicopter money, though not quite the Richard Branson definition (money to bu helicopters to fly over my private island while my staff go without pay). Of course it would be naive to believe the upcoming election isn't a factor. As if Trump, anymore than Sunak and the Tories, cares about the working class. He cares about votes.
And golf.
Every day the numbers increase. It just seems inevitable now. A few days ago there were 2 cases. Now it's 4. In a few days 6? A week? It's like when you were a kid, at the beach, and you saw the tide come in, slowly realising it wasn't going to stop and you could be in trouble if you didn't get out the way. Nature has a way of asserting herself. We better get out the way.
But I don't see that happening. What will happen when it gets here? Will I even notice? Or just the fear. They are shutting the schools tomorrow, yet the local pub remains open. I'd be more concerned about the casual drink driving that takes place there, but allowing people to congregate in this way doesn't seem well informed. I can understand why the pub wants to stay open: it's life or death. Problem is we don't want it to be life or death!
And so these are the shape of our days: how the immediate future will unfold. The undressing of our lives. I went to the chemists earlier (stress + piles = TMI!). Only two people are allowed inside simultaneously. I got the sense they were busy; lots of people want their prescriptions. They're shutting an extra hour for lunch. I wondered if that was to give the place a clean but I don't know.
All these little changes are conspicuous yet small. Staff wearing blue gloves - probably a good idea at the best of times. If only these were the best of times.
On the way home I noticed the trees just starting to bud. It's still cold though; as if nature was still oppressive. What else could it be right now? What will it be like when the sun appears? Come May/late April, when that time finally comes, I can feel the expansive part of myself relax. Like a creature stirring from hiberation. Will that happen this year?
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