I can hardly type, here, as my hands and fingers are freezing! No heating on but, instead, layers of clothes, to no avail. How I wish I could switch my electric blanket to High, climb in under the downie and pick up my book … until 2022! Hang on a minute, though, is that allowed? What Tier am I in today? Not a clue. However, nothing would surprise me. Handcuffed, fined, civil liberty all but gone, only this morning, I was told that police were stopping cars at the Queensferry Crossing, questioning the legality of their journey. No words. Well, none I should commit to paper. Funnily enough, when these latest travel bans were announced, it was said that there would be no such road blocks or random checks. April Fool! Welcome to the communist state. Programmed to receive, all brain power obsolete. Freedom of choice is dead and failure to comply with the confusing, intrusive and ever more restrictive regulations is punishable by a fine, arrest or, let’s face it, whatever the long arm of the law chooses at the time. They have emergency powers, remember, which over-ride the norm. Meantime, it seems there is blanket immunity for all MPs and Government figures … Dominic Cummings, Neil Ferguson, Margaret Ferrier? Blatant flouting of the rules punishable by nothing! All were deserving of the maximum fines and yet no such penalties were imposed. What kind of fools do they take us for? What has happened to this country?
Anti-Bullying Week 2020 and Priti Patel. Anti-Bullying Week 2020 and the bully. Anti-Bullying Week 2020 and its antithesis. Anti-Bullying Week 2020 and a Prime Minister who has, in effect, laughed in the face of every person, every child, ever subjected to the torment of this unacceptable behaviour. The irony is glaring. Boris Johnson and the last straw …
Leaning towards the dramatic a little, now, methinks – call it a form of hysteria. Whatever happened to morals? To standards? Boris Johnson’s adviser on ministerial standards, Sir Alex Allan, resigned today following the Prime Minister’s insistence on disregarding the conclusions of his report into allegations of bullying by the Home Secretary, Priti Patel. Sir Alex found Ms Patel guilty of breaching the ministerial code, citing incidents of shouting and swearing and behaviour tantamount to bullying. Mr Johnson chose to ignore, unswerving in his support for Ms Patel and insistent that she is not a bully; rather, he has ‘full confidence’ in her. Bully for him!
It makes no sense unless, as I, also, suspected in the case of Dominic Cummings, the Home Secretary knows too much! Boris is further risking his reputation – what is left of – to defend someone who is, clearly, guilty, alienating all and sundry along the way … I was never a fan of Boris (or of Ms Patel, for that matter). On a personal level, he seems devoid of morals. Aside from the lies and the cheating, the numerous affairs and the love children, his searing ambition has been unfaltering with little deference to friendship. Loyalty? Taken, not given … until Cummings and, now, Ms Patel. (How I detest the use of ‘Ms’. For me, it carries a lack of respect, and the necessity for its use, I find pathetic. Perfect, then, in this instance.).
Ms Patel has issued a statement claiming she is sorry that her behaviour, in the past, upset people. Apparently, it was unintentional! Well, Dominic Cummings, merely, took the best decision for he and his family, for goodness sake, and then saved himself a trip to Specsavers by driving to Barnard Castle instead. (In fact, Specsavers was closed, subject to the strict lockdown rules initiated on his advice.). The repercussions? None. No fines, no dismissal, no resignation, just the profound undermining of, both, lockdown and Government, the effect of which has proved insurmountable.
Then there was Professor Neil, whose grossly exaggerated prediction of 500,000 deaths from COVID – in March – was responsible for poor Dominic’s advised lockdown. Give the guy a break. He had a married mistress whom, of course, he needed to see! Everyone else was complying with the rules so it would make no difference … until he was caught! The repercussions? In terms of penalties or fines, none. Scotland Yard claimed he had ‘taken responsibility’ and, thus, there would be no further action. (Sorry? Note to self!) However, huge embarrassment leading to resignation – of sorts. Postscript: he’s back, issuing advice as though all was forgiven … and it’s not!
As for Margaret Ferrier? Have a heart! She was feeling sufficiently unwell to take a COVID test but, being conscientious, travelled to London, anyway, to deliver her speech in Parliament. The fact that she saw fit to visit a gym, beauty salon and gift shop before making the journey – on public transport – from Glasgow to London has no bearing. Committed to her £82,000 per annum job, she saw fit to go – and return, having received a positive result! She needed to get home. She wasn’t well. She had Coronavirus, for goodness sake! Understandably, she was behaving out of character and her actions were nothing more than a blip. The repercussions? Advised to resign, she refused – and continues to do so. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police will take no further action claiming the self-isolation regulations did not come into force until after her return …
Lesson of the Day: in view of the aforementioned, we can, all, do as we choose! We can adhere to our own judgement, free from dictatorship. This whole situation has become untenable. Under the current regulations, we can book our hotel in St Wolfgang and our flights on Jet2; however, it is breaking ‘the law’ to travel to the airport! How does one write ‘Daaaah!’?
There are two things at play, here: one, the rules for them as opposed to the rules for us; and, two – most important of all – I have, now, realised that these little green men who came to earth in search of intelligent life have gone home and taken those displaying any semblance of a brain with them! Yes, yes! Why am I still here? It’s obvious, for goodness sake. They need someone on the ground …
Chime for wine. I knew that Christmas present would come in useful!
‘If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.’
Mark Twain
This is Trish, signing off.
