Andy Richardson: The nation has lost too many souls; let’s not blow it now
Guys, guys, guys; let’s not blow it now, eh?
The vaccine is here, in just a short time we’ll all be able to roll up our sleeves, bite on our tongue and wince ever-so-slightly while pretending it didn’t hurt at all and all we suffered was a flesh wound. The silver bullet has been loaded. The scientists are ready to pull the trigger.
After nine months of bedlam, we can look forward to a different kind of normal. So let’s just think carefully, shall we, about how we spend our Christmas. And let’s be particularly sensitive, shall we, to the needs of the elderly, the vulnerable and those with pre-existing health conditions. The nation has lost too many souls; let’s not blow it now.
It’s odd, isn’t it, that the Government – ever focused on its popularity ratings – tells us it’s not safe for two people to sit at a restaurant table where there are QI codes, hand sanitisers, ventilation systems, screens and other forms of mitigation, yet we can spend five days in groups of more than a dozen as three households bubble up.
Which one is safer: easy answer. So does that make any sense? About as much as claiming a Scotch Egg is a substantial meal.
When immunisations arrive, it will take a considerable time to repair the Covid damage and return to normal.
Inevitably, the creation of a vaccine has led to the untrustworthy and venal claiming credit where none is due. There are those who say it’s a triumph of Brexit, which is as big a lie as the ones told by Tango Man, across the Atlantic, about having won an election that he lost by five million votes. We’re still in the EU, doh. We’re using provisions under European Law - and we would’ve gone through exactly the same process as full members of the EU. But what’s a little Brexit-lying among ideologues. We were sold a fantasy and in the years to come those who voted for it, like fisherman Ian Perkes, may rue their decision. Even the fishing industry, in whose name Johnson is holding the country to ransom, is terrified of no deal.
While politicians squabble and underscore why most are untrusted and considered despicable, it’s left to a footballer to offer a word of compassion and empathy. Over to you, Marcus Rashford: “Small acts of kindness can go a really long way. There is a lot of power in understanding and compassion. A listening ear and a kind word is sometimes all it takes...”
