It was sunny and cold this morning. I nearly went for a walk but put it off to the afternoon. A mistake. At lunchtime, it clouded over with squalls of rain and sleet. I stayed in!!
It meant that I’ve been able to do some serious editing. I’m down to the last seven pages! I managed to get thirty pages done today.
All good!!
Meanwhile, out in Coronaland, it is not so good for our clown in chief and his cronies. There is total disarray!!
The bewildered court jester must be wondering how this shitstorm all started.
Easy really! He was getting away with murder, lies, sleaze, incompetence – none of it stuck. It made him complacent and arrogant. He felt immune.
When Owen Paterson was caught with his fingers in the pie, carrying out illegal and very lucrative lobbying, Johnson thought that he could just change the law and stop him from being suspended. He was confident. He had a huge majority he could do anything. He’d already got away with law-breaking, rule-breaking, sleaze, a string of lies and incompetence. He was just loveable Boris. They loved him. He could do anything.
He was unprepared for what that triggered:
Outrage at the sleaze.
A flood of anger at second jobs and lobbying – Geofrey Cox pulling in a cool million while lounging away in the Caribbean. Rees-Mogg moving his firm abroad to avoid tax and stuffing millions into the Cayman Islands.
It brought the illegal PPE contracts back
It set the tone for the corruption and sleaze that had been taking place.
Then partygate set off a series of revelations. Johnson lied, then lied to the house. First there were no parties. Then they were obeying every regulation. Then there were but they were work meetings. Then it turned out that they weren’t following rules. Then that Johnson was at them.
So we had a Sue Gray report.
Then a MET police investigation.
Then it brought back wallpapergate, cash for knighthood, cash for secret meetings, holidays, lunches, favours, promises of jobs.
It opened up a can of words. They were all at it.
Instead of working for us they were working for themselves. Politics was just about wealth and power. We were pawns.
Then everything else started to go pear-shaped. The financial failures of Brexit were becoming apparent – £30 billion a year – red tape, border checks, and cheap labour – HGV drivers shortages, nurse and doctor shortages, farm-workers restaurant staff, carers, pickers…….. wages went up, staff shortages – result rapidly rising prices.
Then Johnson’s ready-made care solution turned out to be getting the poor to pay for it.
Energy prices went through the roof.
Inflation took off.
Tax rises were introduced.
Billions of pounds of shoddy PPE was scrapped
National Insurance was put up.
Billions of pounds of covid fraud was written off.
All the incompetence was coming to the surface.
The Tories were suddenly ten points behind in the polls and beginning to panic. They were not bothered about how people were going to survive with no money for food and heating, or the food banks and homeless; they were scared silly they might be voted off the gravy train!
Were they better off with a lying, incompetent clown who just might regain his popularity, or should they put in Rishi Sunak? Would he be a better bet?
Now we have lies, Saville and criminal investigation. The clown is hanging on by his fingernails. The Tory Party is a bunch of sleazy, corrupt public school millionaires.
A week’s a long time in politics. I think this week might bring it to a head. The rats are fleeing. The letters are going in. The revelations keep coming.
Democracy is being undermined. We deserve better!!
So, right now I have two members of my family with covid. My grandson only knew because he had a positive test at school. He has no symptoms. My daughter’s partner also tested positive but has no symptoms.
That throws some doubt on all figures. If he hadn’t been tested he’d never have known he had it. He could have gone on spreading it.
Yesterday there were 54,095 new cases with 75 deaths (though this is Sunday and data at the weekend is dubious).
It means that the real rates are likely to be much higher.
What is also apparent is that this Omicron appears much milder. Are we at the point where we can return to normal life and accept the risk? Maybe!
The problem is the vulnerable – many people – the elderly, those with asthma, diabetes or compromised immune systems – are at risk. The asymptomatic could kill them!
Do we move towards regular twelve-weekly vaccination of the vulnerable and let everybody go back to normal!
Personally, being triple vaccinated, I feel OK about it. I’ll take the risk. I would like another jab in 8 weeks time though!!
Take care!! The system is falling apart!!