A lesson from literature: ‘Animal Farm’

 

Does this Johnson government deserve to be labelled ‘Tory’ or indeed ‘Conservative’? Isn’t it far more akin to the Labour government of Mr Callaghan which some of us recall? The government, the time when Trade Unions ruled the roost? And what have we got today? Trade Unions – yes, the BMA is a trade union – demanding ‘privileges’ at the petrol pumps. 

Of course, one might say that this is an unfair comparison because it’s not so much trade unions demanding preferential treatment, that it’s in fact ‘our sacred cow’ which is driving this demand. Isn’t it amazing how the mask has slipped, how we can see that the NHS has become not just a state inside a state but is in fact running the government of this country. Oh yes – some animals are most certainly more equal than others – see firstly this:

“On Monday – a fourth day of queues for petrol – Boris Johnson faced calls from NHS groups, unions and medical bodies including the British Medical Association (BMA), as well as Labour and Tory politicians, to make sure doctors, nurses and other key workers get fuel first.” (paywalled link)

Ah, some might say – surely this is reasonable? Surely this is just another way of protecting you-know-what? No, sorry – not when certain other trade unions – teachers’ first and foremost – have jumped onto the bandwagon with alacrity. Here’s a rather illuminating piece of background information though – my emphasis:

“The national emergency plan for fuel, published by the Government in January last year, outlined the 10 steps that could be taken in a crisis scenario. Some of the steps – including lifting competition laws so drivers can deliver petrol to rival businesses – have been implemented.” (paywalled link)

Well, it’s good to know that there actually is a ‘National Emergency Plan’ – you can read it here, straight from the horse’s, sorry: government’s mouth. This begs the inevitable question why it hasn’t been implemented yet, either partially or as a whole.

Sadly, just as with the gas supply issue, nobody in Whitehall was apparently capable of foreseeing this disaster. If I were horrid -which I of course am not! – I might suggest that perhaps our beloved mandarins preferred sitting on their hands to show that Brexit is just the disaster they’ve been hoping for. They are remainers, after all – as we all know.

There’s  one other rather interesting little titbit which I knew nothing about. I do wonder though if this, rather than just low pay and of course ‘Brexit!’ has had something to do with the HGV driver shortage:

“The requirement for lorry drivers to complete a series of refresher courses to keep their certificate will also be temporarily suspended to help ease the driver shortages.” (paywalled link)

Well … ain’t that fascinating! But never fear – government isn’t doing this from the goodness of their hearts. There’s this little strike at the DVLA which has had a huge impact on motorists – not that HGV drivers were mentioned (link) but who, I ask myself, would document that HGV drivers have done their mandatory refresher courses? There’s also another ‘step’ in that Emergency plan which is highly illuminating (my emphasis)

“Another option is the designated filling station scheme, which would mean “emergency and critical service vehicles” are given priority. The move was taken by Tony Blair during the fuel crisis in 2000.” (paywalled link)

Well, if Saint Tone did it, who could possibly complain now if Johnson does it, especially when the various trade unions are screeching:

“Senior figures at the BMA, the Royal College of Nursing, Unison, NHS Providers and Prison Officers Association on Monday called for the measure. Christina McAnea, Unison’s general secretary, said: “Ambulance crews, nurses, care workers, teaching assistants, police staff and other key workers mustn’t be left stranded or forced to queue for hours simply to get to a pump.” (paywalled link)

It’s good to know that Unison’s general secretary mentions, as an afterthought, ‘other key workers’. I wonder whom she could mean – refuse collectors, by any chance? Some councils have apparently cancelled their refuse collections. Or does she mean all those lowly workers who stack shelves in supermarkets? Perhaps she means the builders, plumbers and electricians who keep our homes maintained? What if there’s a gas leak in a house but no plumbers are available?

Perhaps she meant delivery drivers – no, not amazon’s but those who deliver groceries to housebound people? What about posties? What about taxi drivers, public transport staff who need to get to bus depots or train depots to keep trains and busses running?

What about parents? If teachers get preferential treatment to keep schools open – shouldn’t parents get petrol to ferry their kids to and from schools? Do GP surgery receptionists come under ‘NHS providers’? Questions, questions … why not demand that all who WFH last year now do so again? Perhaps even a ‘temporary lockdown’ might work? 

To round this up, there’s another item which might explain why people were so desperate to fill up their tanks: motorists could be fined to the tune of £5,000 if driving low on petrol (link). I’m sure that’s all the ‘panic-buying’ motorists needed! 

Obviously nobody in Whitehall or in the trade unions, never mind the MSM who kicked off this round of panic buying, asks why there were no appeals to people’s common sense, to the sense of fairness which is still alive in so many of us – certainly those outside the bubble of government and semi-government institutions.

Where, for example, is the famous nudge unit? Why did they not come up with a nice slogan when this crisis started to unfold? They were fast enough when it was about curtailing our freedom, creating all the covid lemmings, many of which are now bleating for preferential treatment at the petrol pumps!

I leave you with one more news item which demonstrates that this nation has become lemmified:

“Desperate motorists unable to secure enough petrol and diesel have started panic buying electric cars and bikes, according to retailers. […] Analysis of Google data showed that searches for electric cars jumped by 1,600 per cent on Friday.” (link, paywalled)

Crikey! But: where are all those recharging stations which will be needed? Isn’t that another ‘crisis’ in the making? Will electricity be rationed next, with trade unions demanding electricity be provided preferentially to key workers? Those smart meters should make this possible, no?

Perhaps we’ve not become a nation of fearful lemmings but have imbued the ‘just-in-time’ mantra and applied it to our own lives? After all – who needs to plan ahead when everything is open and available 24/7! Is that why so many panic over everything, is that why some are rushing around like headless chickens whenever the MSM declare something is ‘A Crisis!’?

In my darkest thoughts I wonder if this is just what Johnson needed, so that he can force us to submit to his ‘green state’ – before the infrastructure is even in place. The trade unions and the NHS demonstrate today that yes, they are definitely more equal than us.

Are we therefore on the way to a two-class society more akin to that experienced by normal people during the reign of the communists in the former Soviet Union? Remembering the clapathons last year I wonder who wouldn’t forego their petrol to support all those ‘angels’ …

Oh yes – be in no doubt: some animals are vastly more equal than we are!

 

KBO!

 

Photo by fotobyfred

Print Friendly, PDF & Email