I have just been watching an hysterical woman on a TV phone in, following closely on from a smug ex-politician and pictures of crowds out drinking in London at the weekend. I think the world would be better without either of them but as I don’t have the power of life and death vested in me, I merely switch the TV off. It’s not quite as satisfactory as the thought of obliterating them with a thunderbolt, but it’s better than listening to them.
The subject is, of course, the reopening of the pubs, which took place on Saturday. According the news reports there would be ID checks on the doors in Nottingham pubs to ensure that nobody from Leicester ignored the local Leicester lockdown and travelled out of town to drink.
There is plenty of evidence to suggest that this increased socialising will result in a second peak but there are also many good reasons for the reopening. There will, as usual, have been a calculation of acceptable losses by the Government.
Socialising, mental health, possible riots and the cost of lockdown are all factors in the calculation. They will have been compared to the cost of drunken rampages, police overtime and the deaths of several thousand people.
Cost to the brewing industry versus death of grandparents. For most people that would be a tough choice, but for a politician, with votes, political donations and the possibility of a non-executive directorship, it becomes much simpler.
Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com
It’s unlikely that I’ll be doing much socialising until after I’ve been vaccinated against coronavirus. I don’t go out much anyway, so another twelve months of living quietly won’t kill me.
I really don’t want to end up as a number in the history books of 2020.
For a more cheerful look at Monday, try the second post of the day.
I used to enjoy a quiet half pint in a Nottingham pub every now and again when I worked there in 1968. It was very peaceful then.
I’m sure some of them are probably quite nice at lunchtime even now, but Saturday night is a bit of a trial.
I wouldn’t say the pub was nice but it was quiet.
🙂 Fair comment.
We don’t go out much anyway, but we are waiting for a proven vaccine. This won’t be the last pandemic.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/30/asia/china-swine-flu-pandemic-intl-hnk-scli-scn/index.html
We have had such things in the past and they don’t often amount to much. That was my mistake with covid – I just assumed it would peter out before it got here. I’m hoping we won’t have another pandemic for a while.
Same. Clif and I are pretty much staying home until there is a vaccine.
Having seen the pubs in Nottingham at the best of times I would steer well clear of them now
I stopped going into them about thirty years ago. Nottingham city centre is not a relaxing place – too many stag parties.
And, as far as I could tell, near naked hen parties.
Last time I went to town on a Saturday night was with the kids to watch an ice hockey match – too busy dodging bottles and vomit to notice the clothing!