While we await the Cummings presser my nomination for the bookshelf of the pandemic
Social Distancing: How Far? How Long For?
Time to relax the rules? Isolation, especially when imposed rather than chosen, is hard. No wonder solitary confinement is a punishment. Periods of quiet, retreat, solitariness are valuable as a contrast to life’s normal noisy busyness. Above all, they are chosen and can be broken at will, our will. Humans crave and seek intimacy and closeness and communal activities. Socialisation and socialising – in their widest sense – are necessary for the sound development of the child and joy as…
Wear and tear. The fate of Dominic Cummings
We become what we hate, so yogis tell us. For Dominic Cummings, son-in-law of a baronet and nephew of a judge, the transition to unelected and unaccountable metropolitan elitist was a short journey. The Prime Minister has thrown his weight behind him for now and the Cabinet were dutifully tweeting on behalf of a devoted family man who felt the compelling need to drive the length of the country to self-isolate in his other home. Will this last? The answer may depend…
The boys who cried sheep. The politics of the end of lockdown
Baby it’s cold outside. And don’t the public know it. The government’s Stay Home, Stay Safe campaign has been stunningly effective. A large chunk of the public is now firmly committed to Staying Home and Saving Lives. They aren’t going to stop doing that just because a mere Prime Minister tells them otherwise. They’re having the mother of all duvet days. This is now becoming a problem. The government needs the economy to revive as soon as possible. It can only do so…
28 Weeks Later: The Coronavirus Aftermath for the NHS and its Political Implications
“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning” The NHS has come through the first phase substantially intact, but with considerable losses, and a mixed performance at best, as ably outlined by Cyclefree in a previous header. Moving to the next phase is a challenge across all the domains of economics and society, but my thoughts turn to the next phase for the NHS….
Why it could be politically challenging prioritising the economy over people’s health
New Ipsos MORI poll finds little change during the lockdown By far the biggest decision ministers will have to take over the coronavirus pandemic is when to ease the restrictions in order to to boost the economy once again. This is becoming increasingly urgent because of the sheer cost of so many being placed effectively on the government payroll The message coming from government suggests that ministers are becoming more more eager to start to close down some of the…
What Brits are most looking forward to once the pandemic is over – YouGov
But one in 20 say they’ve lost their jobs