I’m quite pleased the Beetles didn’t make it big with the song in the UK – I think the Marmalade cover is much better (people under 40 start a Google search at this point). I can remember a bunch of people half open shirts and bell bottoms dancing to it at a wedding. What ever happened to bell-bottoms? Isn’t it time they came back in to fashion? But today I was impressed by the way life is going on.
You can call me sad after reading this confession. Today I sat and watched some parliamentary committees looking at how we are dealing with coronavirus. I know a lot of people are saying things like “we need a review when this is done”. I guess they have not been aware of how parliament works. When you look at that big room where people sit opposite and behave abysmally you need to know that is just a part of the work of parliament. There are a number of committees that bring in experts to get the best information on subjects and also grill the government and civil servants.
Committees are already looking at whether the government have and are making the right decisions. For example on Wednesday a committee called in senior experts from Hong Kong and Korea (along with UK experts and NHS leaders) to examine whether the UK testing strategy was correct and whether we could learn from others.
Every time I watch these committees on coronavirus I am left with a positive feeling that we have an amazing transparent system of government that really is working effectively to manage this situation. Today I really felt proud of our system and of having been part of it. No panic, no playing to the cameras, just life going on. The scrutiny by these committees makes the press investigations seem like childish questions (maybe with a smattering of childish imagination).
The negative news I heard today was that there seems to be a global consensus building that this is only the first wave of the virus, and there will be multiple waves before we have a vaccine. The difference in how I feel after listening to the experts being grilled and listening to the news is quite different. Even though the committee is sharing negative information the feeling I am left with is positive as a result of the feeling that our parliamentary system and our civil service are responding effectively.
Another interesting thing I noted was that all of the MPs are working remotely from home and you get to see their home office. It is fascinating to see the pictures on the wall,the musical instruments and things like the bicycle helmets hanging on the wall. An interesting insight in to the lives of our leaders.
It also appears that wasps are making an early appearance this year. I do wonder whether this has something to do with the large amounts of toilet paper or hand gel, and maybe there is something in them that attracts wasps. Or maybe these are not wasps. Could they be micro-robots searching for our hidden stashes of toilet paper and hand gel? If so – how far a way could the transmitter be. Is this a neighbour, or could it be somebody more distant. In fact with the number of people reporting seeing wasps in different locations – could this be secret government investigations in to toilet paper hoarding?
A couple of photos of my creations this week:
Oh – and a friend sent me an email offering a coronavirus test. Not a scam, he does work in the testing business. Unfortunately not in this country.