Saturday 7 November 2020

Lockdown 2020 #5

So. Here we are and it's November. Seven and a half months ago we went into national lockdown in March and the cabal in government desperately didn't want to return to a national lockdown so they invented area lockdowns instead so they can say there is no national lockdown. They invented a new three 'tier' system and London went into tier 2 (high risk) in mid-October. Then on 31 October, the liar-in-chief, the prime minister, announced a national lockdown in England starting on Thursday 5 November until 2 December, except this time schools and colleges will stay open. The scientists have been calling for a lockdown for weeks now but this incompetent government didn't want to upset the backbench MPs or their big business pals so dithered away the weeks at the cost of who knows how many deaths. 

On Saturday 31 October the word was out in the newspapers that the prime minister would announce a lockdown on Monday 2 November in a scheduled public announcement. Then around mid-morning the word on Twitter was that the briefing given to two newspapers was actually a leak - it took the government quite a while to decide it was a leak. Then it was announced that the prime minister would make an announcement at 4pm, then at 5pm, and then he actually did so at 6.30pm. A government that can't even manage to make an announcement at the time it decided on is not fit to govern and lead us through a national crisis. What a shambles. 

The multi-billion pound test and trace system run by Serco and chums still isn't working properly, let alone 'world-beating' as the prime minister claimed, we still don't have a fully staffed NHS system due to brexit and low pay and who knows what may happen now we're entering the colder months of autumn and winter. Last time we were heading into summer with light and warmth but now we're entering winter with cold and darkness. What sort of future are we heading into? I am angry. And powerless.

It's the same everywhere, of course. It's not as if this country, this government, has been singled out for punishment. We're in a much better position than most of the world and we should be grateful for that privilege. If only we had a government that demonstrated through its actions that it knew what it was doing rather than chopping and changing all the time depending on which interest group shouts loudest. We need a picture, a roadmap of where we're going and that's lacking. That's a huge failing by this government.

If you're reading this blog then thank you. Stay safe and be kind. If you can help someone then please do. This isn't going to be easy for anyone so let's help each other. Then, when we can, let's work to get rid of this incompetent government and its shabby ministers.