Covid Musings 4
This week on the train I was served by a maskless conductor wearing a lanyard stating, “I have a hidden disability that precludes me from wearing a mask. Please treat me with respect”. We smiled at each other.
Big propaganda drive by the Scottish Government in the last few days and although restrictions were not brought into law unlike previously, the public is so well trained that most just blindly obey. New rules - stay at home only go out if necessary and only if you have an LFT, 2m distancing back-in, only seated in pubs and restaurants, only 500 allowed at football matches, visits limited to 3 households together. So today town visitors were average for ordinary mid-week but quiet for Christmas time. Pubs the same and some customers were wearing masks this week.
Scotland is over-governed, at one time having five levels - EU, UK, Devolved Assembly, Local Councils, Community Councils. The first of these is gone because of Brexit and the last always was and still is weak with no real function (talking shop). Whatever other failings Scotland has, and there are many, Scottish politicians have got their ear pretty close to the ground. In a nation simmering with social tension they manage to keep balance among the factions. Police have a nuanced approach and apart from football crowds when police are managing demonstrators if any violence occurs it is no more than trivial pushing and shoving.
Last week in this blog several commentators remarked on growing citizen marches in their local areas and I confirmed the same was happening in Scotland. Periodically in Europe mass movements swell up in unison even though no entity is coordinating them. I’m thinking for example of the c.1848 revolutions and more recently in the early noughties of this century the spontaneous protests against petrol prices. Are we seeing Europe on the rise again this time against covid restrictions?
While large demonstrations are regularly held in Europe’s major cities, London for example, it is the minor cities we should pay attention to when trying to gauge whether opinion is on the turn. The fact that a major Scottish newspaper has featured anti-vax demonstrators is significant in itself. Small numbers can be ignored, rising numbers can’t. Politicians pay attention to the press and to numbers, they know that if protests turn violent this will go against them at the ballot box as for example happened with the Thatcher poll tax.
If numbers in local protests continue to increase expect to see UK politicians rein back on covid restrictions. The rest of Europe will follow as they won’t want the UK to have an economic advantage. I predict this to happen in spring 2022 and for it all to be over by next summer. Yes, I believe it can turn as quickly as that, similar has happened before.
So, everybody, to speed the process join in with your local demonstrations!
Video of Glasgow march below. Next Glasgow marches are on Saturday 8th January at Nelson’s Monument and 22nd January at Commonwealth Monument, both on Glasgow Green starting at 1.00pm.