Well now, who among can claim surprise at any of this. What is interesting though is that is strips bear the festive facade, revealing just how infantilised we are by consumerism (by which I mean capitalism) at this time. Even the Mirror is calling Boris 'the Grinch'! Gods, I'm certainly no apologist for the wretch, but this isn't journalism, it's just childishness. Covid doesn't care about Christmas, Grinches, or Boris. It cares about spreading. If dealing with that means moderating our behaviour, within reason, then yes, it's necessary. It's always been necessary, and had our response been, well, responsible, and coherent. Had we followed global best practice things could well have been different.
So yes, in a way, Boris is the Grinch. But not in some Christmas cartoon manner. Not in this facile representation, that always accompanies this time of year when we collectively loose our minds before shiny baubles and consumer debt, but in the manner of arrogance and corruption. In fact Christmas was stolen late summer when, in the name of the economy, he sold students and schoolkids down the river, and threw open the doors to the nation's booze industry.
Now he faces the latest mad dog Tory sect, the Covid Recovery Group. The irony that these filth claim to care about people's wellbeing when they've spent the last decade curtailing life chances and cutting support for people whose wellbeing was already compromised. They are, as a party, antithetical to wellbeing. This is Parliament giving actual representation to fringe conspiracy voices in our society. The rightward drift continues, unabated. While we are not a fascist society, these are the stepping stones necessary. The normalisation of this fringe thinking, masquerading as compassion. If they really cared they would have handled this situation better from day 1, possibly preventing the need for the current mess we are in. Now they claim they want science to prove the case, but they have already stepped outside the bounds of science and so aren't going to be persuaded. Fortunately their number isn't likely to influence any vote on the matter.
None of this is good though. We can't have a week or two off from the virus, like the school holidays. Viruses don't play by our rules of sentimentality. Sadly no one seems to want to explain this to people and so it will be too late, being that lone voice in the wilderness. Fiddling while Rome coughs.
What abtou the wellbeing of the health workers having to dress in bin liners in lieu of actual ppe? Well we can clap, I suppose.
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