Month: May 2021

This word has been used to defend the Governments lack of action regarding lockdowns and other measures. I see the relevance of this argument, but dismiss it.

Governments are elected to make informed decisions, especially during emergencies. They enact laws such as those regarding seat belts, drink driving and speed limits BECAUSE the public cannot be relied upon to make the correct decisions. Ignoring the first lockdown for now we must look at the second one. By studying the data issued on the BBC it was obvious that a lockdown was imperative over Xmas. Politicians are not there to be liked. Respected one would hope. So by ignoring what I could see plainly the deserves to be neither liked or respected.

And it is still playing the same game of mixed messages and indecision. Allowing travel to and from India, for the sake of a Brexit induced trade deal is abhorrent. The latest comments asking people to be sensible, etc. is an advoidance of responsibility. Even when there are laws against the activities mentioned above, many people chose to ignore them.

If the situation warrants a lockdown – do it, and compensate the poor. There does seem to be a positive correlation between poverty and the impact of the virus. Does it suit the government to be able to lay the blame for outbreaks on BAME communities (and in the case of North Tyneside in particular), poverty.

And to ensure that these people do not vote them out lets introduce a multimillion £ scheme to introduce ID cards for voting. After all there was one person who tried to vote twice in the last election. Is this democratic? Just as the Brexit vote was not a carte blanche for everything the Brexiteers proposed, democracy is not a defined fact.

More concerning is having a government that panders to populist ideas in times of crisis. And I am not referring to Covid – but global climate change. A Government elected for 4/5 years needs strong decisive leadership to make the decisions necessary to meet a 20-50 year disaster. Will Johnson ask us ‘please do not use your car so much, and do you really need to fly as much as us rich people).

Think they have already shown their colours with coal mines in Cumbria and trade deals with Australia. It takes a man or woman of integrity and intelligence, charisma and clarity to lead a nation through a crisis. Johnson is not this man, neither ~Starmer. Sturgeon possibly, if the press could be called off her back. And I am not being sexist, but she is a woman, and this country does still have misogyny deeply ingrained in some areas. Maybe Burnham – rejected at least twice by Labour, but will his position between Corbyn and Starmer be seen as a potentially winning position. He did get 67% of the vote for Mayor of Greater Manchester against just under 20% for the nasty party.

I am sure the media will find people to object to the continued placing of restrictions in parts of Scotland, but from down here, it seems like she has explained and justified rapid action to try and contain the virus, in a way that Johnson could only aspire to in his dreams! Oh and going back to democracy – without PR the non SNP parties would have had, what 6 seats was it? Mr.Johnson’s populism is not so popular north of the border, or for that matter to the west in Wales. Nor in many cities.

So now he has a problem – will country bumpkins and lords of the manner types still support him if the government reduces planning application restrictions and gives the go ahead for 400000 new homes in rural areas? And the traffic created? Will farmers see it as a way to make a quick buck, or reject the dessicration of the countryside.