No. 133 -'Shut all Doors. Stay Home. Stay Put!' A Clear Message at Last?
Dear James,
Last night the message at last got through to us all. ‘Shut all doors! Stay home! Stay put!’ Thank you Boris, your message is finally, loud and clear even though, to deliver it, your minders had to put you in the straightjacket of a recorded address. I wonder how many takes it took to erase the smirk, remove the waffle, suppress the giggle, expunge that promiscuous urge to please and to put forward at least the vague simulacrum of leadership? For the moment, it seems to have worked. Boris was on for five minutes and then he was off, unhindered by any of those journalistic questions that normally send him into his endless babbling which fails to answer any of the questions. If you can’t be funny and optimistic, the autocue is the populist’s best friend. Across the pond, friend Trump was delivering his own form of scripted eulogy on the old world of mass rallies and mindless optimisms. He sounded so depressed. As if truth itself was being dragged out of him on some mediaeval rack.
But as the Telegraph put it this morning, for three weeks at least, it is the ‘End of Freedom’. We have been told that ‘It’s a moment of national emergency’ and Boris is right. It is necessary to stay inside to save lives. And, if we don’t, the police now have the power to impose a £30 fine on anyone flouting the new rules.
It seems that last weekend’s mass exodus to our beaches and parks was the trigger for yesterday’s announcement. The sun was out, the grass was green, the birds were singing. Why not enjoy the glorious early spring? Social-distancing was, literally, for the birds. But I think there was something more fundamental to this insouciance. We British are used to our freedoms and woe betide anyone whom tries to interfere. Last week I too was confronted by an ethical and philosophical dilemma. I wanted to be ‘responsible’ as per the government’s request to self-isolate and yet, as a Brit believing in the liberty of the individual, I also reserved my right to make a balanced assessment of my own specific situation. That assessment told me that as long as I wash my hands regularly and separate myself from others by 2 meters at all times - any meeting with others should be risk free. However, would I be setting a bad example to others? And what right do I have to reserve such a decision to myself alone when I live amongst others? Oh the pain of ethical choice! But it is one that I am now willing to put aside. I shall follow the government’s instructions. This is an emergency.
Even so, it is easy for me. I am fortunate. I do not live in a few rooms at the top of a high rise tower block. I do not live in a suburb of closely packed houses. I do not need to go to work in a densely packed tube train. And I am not a member of the medical profession. For those who live in such locations or work in key professions it will be much more difficult. For those at home, many of the usual distractions have been removed. ‘East Enders’ is suspended. ‘Neighbours’ has been put on hold. The latest Bond movie has been postponed. Not only that, but the shops are shut, the pubs are closed. People can no longer go to the barbers or hair stylists. The kids are at home and before long tempers may start to fray. But that is nothing compared to what our doctors and nurses are having to confront. For them it is a matter of life and death. They deserve all our admiration and gratitude.
We have three weeks at least of shutdown James. Hopefully there will be an end to it sooner rather than later but of one thing we can be sure. Things will never be the same again. And when the analysis and the aftermath begin, the political landscape will also have changed for ever. Already the US-China relationship is changing. China has sent teams of medics out to affected nation while the US has sent just one small group of Navy Seal medics to Italy. The symbolism could not be clearer. While the West fumbles China makes a bid for the hearts of people worldwide. And all we get from our leaders is the pretence of being in control.
James, Boris’s message last night was meant to reassure us that he is in control. He is not in control, James. And even if he were, it would be only temporary.
Kind regards,
Your Concerned Constituent