Lockdown (ish) looms

 Lockdown (ish) looms

England is to go into another lockdown (ish) from tomorrow, Thursday November 5th.  Officially 4 weeks. Possibly. Maybe. Depends on who you believe. Discontent and discord rule. 

Yet again everything that fills me with joy is to be forbidden. No household mixing. No meeting friends. No seeing my grandchildren, no walking groups, no long coffees putting the world to rights. No visits to my Norfolk cottage. Long endless empty days. Again.

Luckily I will not miss the gym or the cinema as I had not yet re-embraced them, nor the pubs or the restaurants. But it is November. Wet, dark, cold, grim. 

This is supposed to be for Xmas but no MP will commit to anything like a normal Xmas. 

It is supposed to be following the science but every scientist from every camp has made the same point. Too little, too late.

Too little as this is a light touch lockdown by anyone's standards. Schools, colleges and universities stay open. Public transport runs. Playgrounds stay open, estate agents continue as normal, and whilst non essential shops are supposed to close the rules are flexible, elastic and frankly bizarre.

Macdonalds making sure your essential nutrients are still available...

I cannot go to Norfolk, visits to second homes are banned. Despite the fact that I can legally travel by train to lecture at the university in Norwich and then I have to stay in a hotel. Ludicrous.

Dissent echoes in the Commons, in private homes, in cities and across the country.  Revolt among back bench Tories, whilst not enough to stop this passing, shows how strong anti-lockdown light sentiment is. 

Everyone I know feels it should have been either a proper lockdown or England should have continued with the tier system, give it time to work. 

When early warning of this impending lockdown was leaked on Friday night to headline Saturday's papers , thus ruining everyone's weekend, there was immediate anger from all quarters that yet again the Prime Minister has sought to circumvent debate in the House of Commons. 

Boris Johnson insists the leak was not from No 10 given the speaker had previously issued strict instruction to Government to talk to Parliament before any announcement.  Well, he would, wouldn't he, is the phrase that comes to mind.

His self appointed presidential style has backfired yet again as whilst the synopsis of this plan was revealed early, substance was so vague Cabinet Ministers have been 'misspeaking' every since.

As the country plunges yet again into darkness the Chancellor reintroduces furlough through gritted teeth. fixed smile failing to raise above a grimace. Nightmare on Downing Street.

The UK media distracts us by the freak show of USA election night. Yesterday. Knife edge decision resting on key states with Trump insisting he will contest any result which causes him to leave the White House. 

Me, I can barely watch the ghastly spectacle of millions of Americans voting for another term for Donald Trump. 

I am lost in a strange alien landscape, disorientated, depressed, beyond making sense of anything.