Thread 38 Starmer: Tax your Hamster

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The whole fun began when it was clear that there were going to be a them and us approach to the crisis.

One thing the British (yes, British) are very very attuned to is class and privilege.

Fans of Churchill would know that he was keenly aware of this and acted accordingly.

If Boris Johnson could understand what he reads, he'd know that.

Cheltenham & the Liverpool match was beyond comprehension.

I regularly berate myself for actually thinking the government would abide by the rules they set I complied, my second dgd was born a couple of days before the first official lockdown in the March I held her just once & then didn’t see her until June my older dgd was traumatised by the isolation she refused to FaceTime as she was convinced me & Dh were dead as she usually saw us at least three or four times a week for a long time after even when the rules relaxed she used to hold onto me sobbing & crying pleading with me to say when she would see me again I find it hard to forgive myself for abiding with the rules.

Both my parents were shielding on chemo.

My sister I work for nhs and education and so both were working.

We did my parents shopping but as far as we got to them for months was the end of their drive.
my dad 70th was by zoom. Although my brother did an amazing job of setting up a PowerPoint and we did a “party”.

Im both sad I couldn’t just have cake with them but also I know it was the right thing as I was still in work daily as was a risk.

My dad was in and out of hospital with all the usual 90+ stuff throughout 2020 & 2021. Trying to explain to mum (Alzheimer's) every time why she couldn't visit him in hospital was a nightmare, especially the times he wasn't expected to make it. Luckily he held on until January 2022 and the lovely ward clerk bent the rules so we all got a chance to say goodbye when the rules said only 2 visitors and it was supposed to be the same ones every visit.

Can still clearly remember one particular prolific poster defending the it was only a slice of cake debacle & JGW1(think that was the name) who was utterly brilliant in taking them to task I often think of JG was so brilliant at taking the piss.

Oh jgw1 was so funny. She could tie them in knots! 👋 in case she is still around.

That inquiry thread is rather discombobulating. It is like being catapulted back to three or so years ago.

It's going as I expected with the contributions I expected, though I don't enjoy saying so. Some of the posts are disgusting.

Oh @dontcallmelen , that brought a tear or two my eyes. You must not blame yourself at all.

I don't like to think about lockdown too much. It was so fucking hard . I remember one particular thread on here when we were all trying to gee ourselves up, but people were really seriously struggling. We had no idea that all the time Johnson and Co. were taking the piss.

Silence from the Tories so far

I had to stop posting. I know exactly what you mean. I would be more specific but 👀 etc.

Can’t bear to think too hard about Johnson and covid - my dad had a fall in dec 20, came home, I let him get taken back into hospital for dehydration- and he asked not to - he never came out, they found my phone number the day before he passed away but he was already unconscious really - the ward was horrific for the 10 mins I got - I then went to see my mum in her rehab care home and told her from the distance of 6 ft and cos I’d been that close they had to then isolate her for a full week - well a bit more than she already was - much later found they’d not followed up her broken shoulder and it had set wrong - when I thought she was just adding drama sometimes tbh.
I’m so sad their wonderful happy many years together were ruined at the end and so bloody angry that they totally followed all boris, well not the following rules which they had to - but actually thought he was doing good for all and they behaved for the pm as they always had and were cross if others didn’t - all the time he’s taking the mick out of folk like them - I have to not think about it yet.
Obviously I know there were so many more and worse stories - bless everyone. My eldest kids lost their paternal Nan 18 hrs before my Dad - she said her goodbyes on zoom - I’m not sure which is more heartbreaking - again thoughts with each and every person who was in the U.K. then as we were all impacted and with Johnson making it worse and lying and partying then we all deserved better.

I think it is the rule following element that enrages people. As it should. We will never know if it was worth it.

I think of the effort people made to repress their needs for human society - and their credulity to authority. Awful. And the damage to physical and mental health was immense

Completely agree - really don't want to see it and have hidden the thread

Oh @MsJinks I am so very very sorry.💔

Msjinks I’m so sorry. That’s must have been so bloody awful and hard

Some people still wear masks in my town. I keep my distance and respect that. Remember the queuing for the shops and feel for those who worked to keep us fed, safe and transported.

Obviously for those whose loved ones died. Much love 💕

They all got hit by a bus after having a positive Covid test.

There’s a fair amount of ‘we’re looking at this with hindsight. It wasn’t obvious at the time’ going on in my Twitter feed. Which is not my recollection of the two weeks or so before Boris decided that something needed to be done.

Co-incidentally I’ve been re listening to ‘stories of our times’ podcast from the start recently. It started in March 2020 no lots of the early ones are about Covid/the Covid response. I’d forgotten how much of this he was being criticised for in Mar/Apr/May of 2020.

Heartbreaking @MsJinks. I’m so sorry. Covid was the only time I’ve ever been grateful my parents died in 2015.

I also lost my DF during the summer of 2020 after spending months waving to him from the gate as I dropped the shopping off. We held his funeral in a cemetery with locked gates and only a tiny number of of socially distancing mourners. DM couldn't have her friends or family visit to help her grieve for him after almost 60 years of marriage.
Obviously there are far worse stories, he had a long and happy life but I am still furious about the cake etc.

I was fortunate enough not to lose anyone, but a close friend has long covid which has destroyed her life. She can’t rely in having the strength needed to stand up long enough to cook for her kids. She was a community midwife but the NHS won’t accept it was caused by her job.
Id recently moved and was in a small rented flat (the idea was to look around for somewhere to buy, which I did eventually) and didn’t see anyone, not even my DD, for months. I had covid when you couldn’t get help until you turned blue and I had nobody to watch for that. A friend used to get me to text her when I went to bed and when I woke up. She said if I went past 9 hours and she couldn’t reach me she’d phone 999. Scary times.

I’ve hidden the thread before I end up in danger of saying something that will get me deleted.

I’m so sorry for all those that lost loved ones during those bloody awful years. Grieving can be such a lonely business in normal times but during Covid it must have been all the more so.

Yes, they were criticised at the time for leaving it late. Of all the criticisms made by the Inquiry this should be one of least surprising.

@MsJinks I’m so very sorry

Like others, both of my parents, and DH’s parents, had died before Covid struck - for which I’m eternally grateful. Sounds like an awful thing to say, really.