BACK IN THE COVID - The Lockdown Diary Days 76 and 77.

Yesterday, day 76, was a weak, sleepy blur. Today, just as sleepy, not so wobbly and we took ourselves off in our car for the first time in this lockdown for some Barbary Castle air, a change of scenery and revitalisation.

People everywhere! Not in usual numbers but sufficient to warrant considerable caution. I say ‘this’ lockdown because today the government ‘U’ turned on the re-opening of schools and would not even commit to a return in September when they would usually be opening for next school year. That can only mean one thing, that authorities are expecting a second wave big enough to require a second lock down. It seems to me that this is potentially our most vulnerable period in The Covid.

News is dominated by the Black Lives Matter protests. Unsurprisingly those who are most exercised by protesters out  in support not just of George Floyd but of meaningful change generally also voted for Brexit. Many of them no doubt had flocked to the beaches at the weekend and probably supported the retention of Cummings who did more to spread the virus both before and after lockdown than any other UK citizen. Our government could have immediately condemned this racist killing but did not. They did condemn the protesters. They listened to no-one. The johnson has today claimed that this is not a racist country. This is the same johnson who has, seemingly with impunity used racist speech on several well documented occasions and done more to faster racial hatred than any politician I can remember since Enoch Powell.

It is said, quite rightly that not all people who voted for Brexit are racists but certainly true to say that all racists voted for Brexit. This definately is a racist country with a racist history of exploitation, pillage and massacre on an imperial scale and Britain needs to have a serious conversation with itself regarding its inhuman past.

I am glad Colston ended up in the harbour. Ironic that he might have gone in where he loaded and unloaded his ill-gotten cargo. Statues of hateful figures like his should ideally be set up in  museums where they can be seen in a truthful historical context and not appear to be set on high as exemplars from the past. I am not agreeing with wanton destruction but this particular statue should have been removed a long time ago as should others with the same sordid past. The very forces that enabled the slave trade back in the 18th century are still around today with power to prevent change and so change does not happen through peaceful means. The very reason ‘peaceful means’ are promoted is because they can be thwarted by a minority of powerful people who have a vested interest in the status quo.

These people are still conducting their slave trade today. Economic slavery is the Conservative way of running the economy, trapping people in low paid work, with little employee protection and without a social safety net creates a maximally productive and therefore profitable workforce at the lowest cost. Hence zero hours contracts, the gig economy and their urgent desire to free themselves from European employment protection laws. These working men and woman and their dependents are slaves who have freedom in name only.

Good riddance to Edward Colston and judging by the opinion polls for 2024 we are well on our way to good riddance to his Tory apologists.