Post 360. WITH RESPECT...

THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO KNOW.

IT'S FOR THE GREATER GOOD

BOLLOCKS! is my immediate reaction whenever some sniffily superior citizen confronts me with one or the other of those patronising platitudes. I was never convinced when foot-in-the-door journalists used: 'The public needs to know' as their prime excuse for downright rudeness. The public does not always need to know and seldom ever will if it is a matter of any importance. 'With respect' is an opening I hear from far too many people who clearly intend anything but respect for the person they are about to address. And I have never heard the words 'It's for the greater good' said by somebody who, whatever 'it' was, had been or would be adversely impacted by it. 

Right now we are up to our necks in sound bites. The clever dicks who pied pipered us out of Europe are using the same tactics to put across their pandemic messages. 'Save our NHS' as a slogan from a political party that has spent years undermining it at every turn and would still, given the opportunity, put it entirely into the hands of private enterprise, is hypocritical cant. So, it now seems, was 'Stay at  home.' 'Only go out for essential shopping.' 'We're all in it together,' etc. Many people were fined for failure to comply with fairly clear instructions and I have to admit I was firmly of the belief that the government was doing everything it could in an unprecedented situation. Ah no. Think again. 

CUMMINGSGATE put paid to that. 

While all we normal (?) mortals (including the millions who put this government into power with a massive majority) were abiding by the rules, the Prime Minister's chief aide, Dominic Cummings, decided the rules were not for him and drove his wife and himself, both coronavirus infected, with their small son, to an empty cottage in the grounds of his parents house in Durham. It has all been told too many times now for me to waste blog space churning over it again. Enough to ask: What the hell was he thinking? Did he really believe he was that impregnable? Is he? If so, why? 

One thing is for sure. No matter how much the P.M. may wish to 'move on', this won't go away.

Mr. Cummings has hitherto seemed to relish his 'most hated man around Westminster' image. Now it's biting him on the bum. Well, they never learn. Perhaps he should have paid more attention to the way the world now is for his 'most hated man' predecessor, Alistair Campbell, and taken up the bagpipes.

I dunno though. Perhaps his one saving grace is that he hasn't.

LASTLY: A LOSS AND A FIND.

Sad to report the loss from our lives of old friend Jim Plant who died a few nights ago at the age of ninety four. Jim and I became friends after his retirement from the police: he was the station sergeant at Newport I.W. for many years and when he befriended you he became your friend for life: a trait I have been fortunate enough to find in many career services (army, excise, police) personnel over the years.  Jim joined the police as a cadet, from his home in Shanklin I.W., at the age of seventeen and was an Islander through and through. He died of natural causes in a chair at his bungalow, here on the island, with his daughter Carolyn at his side.  RIP old pal, you will be much missed.

The find was a friendly email from Mr. Kym Barnden in Adelaide. South Australia who, while researching Barnden family history, found my blog and has sent a cheerful hello message. I shall get back to him with as much family stuff as I can, but I'm not great on remembering the past. It ain't age, it's idleness. Ne'er mind.

Be in touch, mate.                           

  

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