please empty your brain below

Boris has been reading from our State Premier's handbook as for a month or more we have been told we must stay locked down so that we can have a COVID normal Christmas.
The cynic in me wants to say that Boris waited until November to enact the circuit breaker because Halloween is good for the economy. Again the lack of immediacy is dissapointing, but at least it gives time for businesses to prepare, transport operators to make decisions, and police to mobilise in city centres... I'm fearing the worst on Wednesday night, looking at the earlier scenes in Liverpool and Nottingham.
At least the first time there was the sense of novelty and responding to a challenge to power us through. Now there is nothing but despair at the incompetence and venality of the government that has utterly squandered all the efforts and sacrifices we made and taken us back to worse than square one.
Exactly what Sarah said.

It's like a teacher saying that if the class behaves and gets on with things nicely they won't have to miss breaktime!

Except we all know there's not going to be a playtime at the end - no office parties, no mixing of households, Rule of 6 (we're a family of 7 - our uni students have already announced they're not going to come home!...

Expect mental health issues to go through the ceiling this time round.

On the other hand as the one who does all the work to 'make Christmas/ for everyone, I'm quite looking forward to having an excuse not to this year!!
Imposing a lockdown on 5th November stops effigies of the official public enemy from being burnt.
The PM could have just played Private Frazer on a loop, even tins of Quality Street are missing some of the sweets.
I also agree with Sarah on this one, well said.

TheLupineOne and Sprout Eater may also be on to something here. Beginning another lockdown on Guy Fawkes’ Night seems like a rather big coincidence to me. I think it will be interesting to see how we celebrate the 5th of November this year - especially if the US election swings a certain way!

And yes, good observation, DG, about how the narrative is also about ‘protecting Christmas’ this time round - and how unlikely the reality of having a ‘normal’ one this year will be, despite the promises.
I too think Sarah has summed it up rather nicely, and accurately
My brain is already empty. I came here, now what was it for....
I don't think that anyone with an ounce of common sense believes that a traditional Christmas can be "saved" in any meaningful sense.
However, it is clear from several recent developments that people with even an ounce of common sense are rather rarer than we might expect.
I am looking forward to a lockdown Christmas.
Notwithstanding the comments above about the outcomes from this latest lockdown, the letter itself is one of DG's masterpieces; from the time-stamp at the start to the shrinkage of expectations paragraph by paragraph. The 'cancelling of Divali so we can have Christmas' is unfortunately unlikely to be a million miles away from 'official thinking'. How well we are served by our current government.
Very good letter. Rather more clarity in it than the real life equivalent though, I think, sadly.
While nice rhetoric, I can't agree with Sarah.

As a retired virologist neighbour of ours said yesterday, the only reason we are all going to be locked up again is because some people have been careless, thoughtless, selfish, or not understanding the mechanics of virus risk, infection and spread.

It is not "the incompetence and venality of the government that has utterly squandered all the efforts and sacrifices we made and taken us back to worse than square one."

This one is solely in the hands of people who have acted irresponsibly and broken the 'rules', made unnecessary journeys, got too close to others, not worn masks, not washed masks regularly, had parties, gone on protests, and gone to public places unnecessarily.

Every single one of us is responsible for our own actions, health and wellbeing.

It is not the government who have failed, it is some selfish people.

And because of that, all of us must suffer.
Some people, as you say, will disregard the rules whatever they are. But the government can't be excused of all blame.

Their messaging strategy has been abysmal throughout, such that I doubt the majority of the population fully understand what the rules are.

Saturday's press conference, for example, was 20 minutes of Why We Need To Do This and just 2 minutes skating over What You Need To Do.
How long before 2 Metre long Christmas Crackers appear in the shops?
*awards self a very rare 'I got a wordy response in the comments from DG' badge* ;)

I'm no fan of the government either, but there can't be many people who haven't heard about 'hands/face/space'.

I think a lot of the rule muddle is because the 4 constituent parts of GB decided to each do their own thing, and the media continually run through each country sequentially, whcih is highly confusing to even those of us who attempt to follow closely.

Much as I dislike Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's messaging and the way she has spoken to the Scottish people (and, in particular, usually herself rather than lining up minions to be slaughtered) is undoubtedly the best of the four.
Agree with everything Blue Witch said.
Por favor Monsieur, The Blonde Budfer is a Classicist so would [of] said "sitting" not sat.
Yours, up one's own, JP










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