LionRed
The author is based in the UK at the moment (ex-pat Kiwi) and travels the world as a consultant in developing countries working on business development. As a result, he is totally cynical about NGOs, the UN and WHO etc. He is regularly exposed to contact with governments and diplomatic agencies. He has regularly commuted to Myanmar and South East Asia over the past three years so is able to understand what China is up to in the world.
At last, the sun has disappeared, probably through embarrassment at the goings-on in the UK. It has been replaced by heavy rain stopping some of the shenanigans that occurred with the slow breakdown of the lockdown. It seems to have been replaced by the influence of the moon, hence the lunacy that seems to be afflicting the UK.
Last week the acting leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey thought that it would be a good idea to show solidarity and compassion with our Muslim brothers and sisters and said that party members would be fasting on the first day of Ramadan and have a virtual Iftar at the close of the day. The councillor in charge of the scheme, Hina Bokhari, said that “this would help them to recreate the Ramadan spirit online”. I am surprised that they didn’t recommend the wearing of the hijab as well (or has that already been done?). As a sign of his solidarity, one unfortunate councillor, Ian Manning, posted a photograph on Twitter of his sahur. This just happened to be bacon and eggs. Nothing like showing cultural understanding and support than preparing for your fast with haram food.
What is more concerning is that the LibDems did not display a similar show of understanding and solidarity during Pesach and Lent. Would they show solidarity with Sikhism by having a day on which they decline to eat kosher or halal meat as this is forbidden?
That’s the problem with virtue signalling. It eventually results in having to be selective and display preferences. But that just sums up the lack of direction of the LibDems.
Talking of virtue signalling, we are having fun with the Greens. The demand for PPE has risen dramatically, and in general the disposable gloves, aprons etc are made from plastic. Unfortunately, the source material for the plastic is oil. So the Greens have a dilemma. Do they support the worldwide search for plastic products to save our NHS or do they continue their anti-plastic stance? The choice is theirs – save the planet or save thousands of people from Covid-19? Greta Thunberg where are you when we need you? Who can resolve this dilemma for the Greens?
More bad news for the Greens is the disappearance of the sun and its replacement by the current downpours. It had become noticeable that the sky was bluer and clearer than it had been for years. This was put down to fewer cars on the road and less pollution. Of course, the Greens were just starting to get traction on this when the rains came down and the blue sky went before they could take political advantage. Oh dear, never mind!!!
Now for the lunacy regarding OAP Tom Moore who has raised 29,000,000+ GBP for the NHS. To recognise this a restored Spitfire was going to make a flypast over his house to celebrate his 100th birthday on April 30th. In an act of typical bureaucratic stupidity, misreading the national mood, the Ministry of Transport rejected this as being a non-essential journey. As soon as they realised the amount of push back and general revulsion from the public to this jobsworth’s attitude towards someone who has become a national hero, they decided to provide a flypast from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. As a good friend of mine says, it’s the little things that matter. The public will stoically submit to major changes and hardships, but always, somewhere there will be a little matter that just pushes them over the edge. His birthday came and went, with a flypast by a Spitfire and a Hurricane and a promotion by the Queen to honorary Colonel. Now there is someone who can read the public mood.
The political atmosphere is getting very interesting. Boris Johnson was back in the office on Monday, and the government began to regain some of its focus. He missed Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday as his partner gave birth to a boy that morning. In a heartfelt and genuine statement to the House Keir Starmer, the leader of the opposition wished Boris Johnson and family all the very best. What a change from his miserable predecessor. This was also evident from the questions that followed as he put them to the #2 Dominic Raab.
Instead of the stereotypical ranting from Jeremy Corbyn, we were blessed with 6 questions of high quality and coherent arguments. The only problem was that they took 25 minutes to get through and were a perfect cure for insomnia. At least they were asked politely.
Which brings me to Dominic Cummings, the Prime Minister’s chief advisor. Rumour has it that a snake bit him and then died from the poison. He is a master at coining short, pithy sound bites, being responsible for “Take Back Control” which won the leave referendum; “Get Brexit Done” which won the 2019 General Election; and his latest effort, which is emblazoned on the pedestals at Government press conferences: “Stay Home: Protect the NHS: Save Lives”. He could come a cropper with the last one as people are getting a bit sick of continuously having it thrust down their throats.
It’s also been commandeered in a shortened form “Save our NHS” which is heard everywhere in the media. This is slowly getting on everyone’s nerves. Much as the country loves the NHS they are getting fed up with the constant playing on their sympathy and the deification of the NHS.
There are rumblings of discontent everywhere. The cabinet is at loggerheads with divisions sharpening between the “maintain the lockdown” and “get the economy working now” schools of thought.
Some of the scientific advice came from a body called SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies), comprising experts and scientists to give non-partisan advice to the government. Guess what? Dominic Cummings attended as an “observer” and the advice given was generally adopted by the government. This has irritated the opposition, and more ominously some of the cabinet. There are whisperings about the influence of Cummings, but MPs are too afraid to voice them loudly and openly. Still, watch this space.
The care home “scandal” rumbles on. This will prove to be a major embarrassment to the government and the overseeing agencies unless some pretty smart work prevents facts from becoming public knowledge. They have started to add on the deaths in care homes to the previous figures, so the total has gone up dramatically. The feeling is that the publication of these figures was delayed until the hospital deaths slowed down so as to avoid a huge peak early in the progress of the disease. This is, without doubt, going to be a major scandal. Look out for stories of hospitals dumping suspected COVID-19 patients into care homes without testing being done. This is linked in with the decisions being made on the allocation of intubation and ICU facilities. There is a lingering feeling that a cull of the elderly is taking place, and politicians are ducking for cover.
The MSM are managing to drum this up into an intergenerational conflict which will only store up resentment for the future and is part of a growing lack of respect for life.
With typical political nous the government are flying the kite of relaxing the lockdown on a regional basis. Prime candidates for this are the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Skye and Cornwall. All are islands or remote, all are depressed economically and would welcome the boost to the economy. Except this is priming the pumps for more discontent as the residents do not want to be treated as guinea pigs and they don’t want incomers bringing in the disease as the lockdown is relaxed. They are also areas with already stretched hospital facilities.
As said earlier the sun has disappeared and been replaced by the lunacy from the moon.
Finally, the forecast is for the economy to tank, but the economists I have spoken to think that New Zealand will have a worse depression than the UK. That should make for interesting and difficult negotiations on the resumption of trade after the lockdown. New Zealand will need all the non-Chinese trade it can get and the UK may be in a better negotiating position than NZ.
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