Part 1 can be read here.
Certainly, the present emergency has divided the opinion of the nation yet again, with many people not impressed or intending to take part in the national thank you NHS demonstration which has been described by one experienced journalist as mawkish behaviour.
Others though, have ‘reached out’ to the NHS by applauding in the street, banging, setting off alarms, sounding car horns, letting off fireworks (where did they get those from?) scrawling ‘we love the NHS’ on walls and even here, in St. Mary on the Wold, rainbow signs made by school children have appeared in the windows of homes proclaiming the same message. I’m not sure that children need to be worried by this new emergency, when many must only just be recovering from the climate emergency as told to them by just about everyone in sight, including the department for education, schools, celebrities and the media. From memory didn’t Boris reach out over that too? Interestingly all that and many other ‘issues’ seems to have taken a back seat for the moment.
All this reaching out is getting tedious, particularly if you are now finding out, as many people are, that the words of Rishi don’t mean a lot. It appears he can hardly do anything to wake up the civil service and local government officials who seem to be good at reaching to their own out but slow at providing assistance to people (this time not those living on the streets who have apparently suddenly been found accommodation), but people who are suddenly finding themselves, through no fault of their own, in financial difficulties because, as small business owners, the self-employed are at the bottom of the list when it comes to loans and grants or even the award of universal credit payments. Rishi was much applauded for his speech and in particular for telling worried people that ‘we’ are right behind you, ‘we will do what it takes’. He may have been better advised to assure people in this time of national emergency that he would ‘reach out and I’ll be there’ as the Four Tops did when some of us were much younger. It was an original and catchy hit then but, I’m not sure 50 odd years later the same would be true.
We have a joke central government, a useless civil service and now a brain-dead local government sector. All getting paid 100% of their salaries and gold-plated pension contributions, whilst self-isolating at home on sick leave. Meanwhile, private businesses are singing for their supper.
These useless incompetents have just put up council tax by 4%. When we have 1.8% inflation. The least they could do is empty the bins and open the local rubbish dumps. – Commenter. Daily Telegraph.
Comments such as these, and many more, will be found across the comment sections of the print media and in alternative media sources who are asking some difficult questions about the NHS, which, let’s face it, has been put on a pedestal by the media for years and then vilified when it suits. Liverpool Pathway anyone? or Dr. Harold Shipman? or even the ministrations of that TV bloke who used to be a friend of anyone who was anyone and ‘fixed’ quite a lot of things in his time.
As I write, the Queen, in an effort to motivate and bring everyone together is, for only the fourth time in her reign, going to address the nation. Many of the commenters on social media and in the columns of the popular press are not impressed, writing comments along the line of ‘so what?’ or ‘that will solve the problem then’. Now that will put my worries to rest…. … which just shows how far the media is promoting its worldwide, mostly anti-government agenda and working here to turn the public against the established institutions of the UK and at the same time working it seems to promote mass hysteria. So far though it’s not working and Boris has mass support and the confidence of millions, but a week is a long time in politics as Harold Wilson rightly said and Boris – and his advisors – need to have some convincing answers to the many and rising numbers of serious and qualified doubts people have to government strategy as well as being more than a little uneasy as to the role being played by the police.
Let’s hope that the Queen’s speech does bring the nation together. I somehow doubt that it will for many. Reality, not to mention financial reality, is about to hit and hit very hard, emotions and virtue signalling are fine and nice when you can afford it, anyone who thinks that everything will return to normal after this is going to feel, maybe for the first time, the wind of change with a dose of reality thrown in and that will include government, the establishment and, if they are not very careful, the monarchy.
It’s not all bad news though, British humour still seems alive and well, as one person said on hearing that the Queen would be broadcast, replied: “Great! I hope they do Bohemian Rhapsody, that’s my favourite.”
Yet again this shows my good reasoning for not buying a so called Newspaper, – How I keep up to date with the News is most surprising, and yet I do, with sensible openings from news channels but avoidance of their ‘spin’, plus the input from friends around the world by emails !
If the MSM were to get their way, with ripping down the PM, the Government, the knowledgeable advisors and their ‘So What’ to our Queen’s input at this time, then when they have done away with those National Institutions, will they be satisfied with the chaos that would follow ?
The Newspapers in particular have scant ability with common sense today ! – When this pandemic ends, and end it will, will these MSM outfits make hay with the financial problems that the Nation will face ? – Of course they will ! – It will sure beat the crap out of giving support to the Nation’s difficulties ! – Journalism has reached an all time low, no matter whether it is written or spoken ! – They truly are our Nation’s fifth column !
The best way to “reach out” to front line NHS workers is by BY NOT GETTING THE VIRUS.
I shop for two vulnerable people, yet I’ve managed 10 days without entering ANY shop.
PLAN your meals, PLAN your food shopping & hugely reduce your chances of becoming infected.
If you have antiviral (NOT just antibacterial) gel or wipes, then use them on shopping trolley handles AND your hands.
I take my exercise where & when there are as few people about as possible.
Don’t be dim
Stay IN.
“Norman”, you write ” Many of the commenters on social media and in the columns of the popular press are not impressed, writing comments along the line of ‘so what?’ or ‘that will solve the problem then’. Now that will put my worries to rest…. … which just shows how far the media is promoting its worldwide, mostly anti-government agenda and working here to turn the public against the established institutions of the UK and at the same time working it seems to promote mass hysteria. So far though it’s not working and Boris has mass support and the confidence of millions”
First of all, unless backed up by quotations from sources, this is just vituperation, which I’m reading all too much of in the once good Independence Daily. How do you know, for example, that BoJo “has the mass support and confidence of millions” ? Let’s adopt a “scientific-paper” approach when firing off out tirades.
Secondly, I happen to agree with the sentiment ” so what?, ‘that will solve the problem then’. Now that will put my worries to rest”.
The nauseating, obsequious TV media response this morning to the Queen’s address yesterday enraged me, with loaded questions such as “How important was her address ?”. i don’t think it was at all important, but then i’m a diehard republican.
Never mind, Mr Morton, perhaps one day you’ll have your wish and have a President Tony Blair or Richard Branson, or some other of their noble self-serving ilk. No doubt that would please you, seeing these paid magnificent sums from the public purse rather than the self-sustaining Royals.
Gest well soon Boris
The NHS is a prime example of the Curate’s Egg; good, even excellent, in parts. However, in my recent experience, the administration is shambolic. I doubt many people realise the extent to which the HHS has already been privatised with much control being handed over to private companies.
As we see elsewhere such companies are almost always cronies of government ministers. Same with the Public Private Partnerships favoured in the past by government which have saddled the taxpayer with huge debts for many years to come.
A prime example elsewhere was the shambolic implementation of Obamacare in the US by a software developer which contributed to Obama’s election campaign. The problems were caused by a basic error in the software which no experienced developer would have made.
I sometimes wonder if any government contract does not involve favouring cronies at best and outright corruption at worst.
Government contracts rarely go to small firms. The entire system from Civil servant to bricky is run crooked. In todays society which is organised in this way it cannot run at all otherwise.It relys on friends, backhanders, facilitaters and the way being familiar and smooth., and saleable expertise etc.Otherwise , you won’y get the time of day.
‘Norman’ thank you, I don’t think I’ll ever see ‘reaching out’ in quite the same way again!
Now when I hear it it’s more likely to have me retching out. (Isn’t it amazing how English has such lovely counter-balancing words, all built in, just waiting to be used!)
I 100% agree, this is something we normally never see, all the stops really are being pulled out, even the Queen! and all singing from the same hymn-sheet. Amazing. All this to cover the shortcomings of Soviet-style socialised medicine?
That word ‘Soviet’ got me to thinking. European Union, as in delaying our departure therefrom.
And, buried at the bottom of the pile of things the ‘conservatives’ most of all don’t want us to see?
China.
And their connections to it.
Huawei! Huawei! Huawei, Huawei, Huawei!
(At least it’s got a nice ring to it.)
Or perhaps with a question mark – WhoAreWe?