A WINTRY TALE

 

  A WINTRY TALE

The cobwebs are swept away, the aching joints find some lubrication, the brain loses its lethargic befuddlement and we are soon to be re-born in our Spring foliage, bright-eyed, luridly-coloured and bushy-tailed. Lockdown imposed a kind of soporific inactivity but it was not entirely pleasurable as it stirred up fears of malignant bacteria upon whose alleged horrors our medical establishment and sensationalist media loved to wallow. The last month has had dismal weather too – cold, wet and gloomy – enough to deflate the most ardent spirit.

Spare a charitable thought for we ordinary hedonistically-inclined Brits, bombarded by daily images of frowning hypocrite Sir Keir Starmer, professional sour-puss Nicola Sturgeon and envious has-been Theresa May, sharpening her knitting needles to exact her revenge.

Hardly a cheery trio!

The object of their collective hatred is of course our erratic Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, admittedly something of a buffoon and in Betjeman’s words:

Always up to a lark

With a toy balloon and a whistle

And some cider after dark

 

                    Boris, up to a Lark 

It is a lost cause to pretend that Boris brings much dignity to his office and his mistakes are many and serious, but the man is real, is human, he has wit, he can move voters and he is a winner. I happen to believe his Brexit policy is entirely right in principle, if not in execution, and that he has eventually made the right calls to lead the UK out of the pandemic. I think he may be ousted but I much prefer him and his Cavalier circle to the blue-nosed and deadly dull Roundheads (led by The Blob) likely to replace him.

The hysteria about alleged Downing Street parties is overblown but the canny enemies of Boris have built a great tale of privilege, entitlement and arrogance lording it over the humble populace, huddling round their unaffordable fire-grates as their children or other loved-ones suffer agonies. Taking in the BBC News the other night was like watching a Party Political Broadcast, so slanted were the reports in a Lefty and Woke direction.

The investigation into the cake-eating and BYOB drinking orgies has been beset by problems. Loudly demanded by the Opposition, it was soon conceded and has been completed for the Cabinet Office by the senior civil servant Sue Gray. Assurances were given that it would be published in full, sparing no famous name, however eminent. Then the Metropolitan Police announced it was also investigating breaches of the law and it has since requested that the Gray Report does not make extensive mention of people and places – does not sound like a very informative report! Anyhow some kind of report will be published soon, possibly heavily edited - “redacted” (in the civil service jargon). The whole fatuous broth has been spoiled by too many cooks.

The irrelevance of these matters is astonishing while Russia is squeezing Europe over gas prices, a Russian invasion of Ukraine seems a distinct possibility, the UK cost of living is rocketing, Brexit remains a battle and the Six Nations rugby starts next week. We have bigger fish to fry!

 

SMD

30.01.22

Text copyright © Sidney Donald 2022