@XDownwiththissortofthingX
I've long suspected the UK's inability to get to grips with Covid stems from two main factors; an incompetent government, and the fact that a huge proportion of Brits regard rules and restrictions as something that other people have to adhere to. This thread just reaffirms that.
Its not really.
Restrictions in some parts of the country have been in place almost constantly since March.
In Leicester restrictions never were fully lifted.
In Greater Manchester and parts of West Yorkshire restrictions were lifted in June only to be reimposed in July.
Do you have any idea what that has done to some people?
I am struggling to think of anywhere in the world which has had restrictions preventing socialising / limiting numbers for a longer number of weeks.
Restrictions didn't work in some areas of the country as well as others not because people weren't following the rules as much, but because they had lower levels of homeworking (many northern hotspots have particularly low rates) and because they were financially more vulnerable and had less stable/secure jobs.
As time goes on it is natural thing and something the scientists recognise as being inevitable and unpreventable that fatigue over restrictions would kick in. Not merely because people were being selfish but also because its psychologically untenable for humans to isolate indefinitely. We are not made to do so.
I got to a point in October myself were i just wasn't coping anymore. We had a few days away starring a different walls and it made a lot of difference.
I get sick of the accusations and spite comments that suggest that so many people are selfish, when quite frankly, most people are just trying to get by in various ways and have different levels of tolerance for following the rules.
Trying to ban Christmas is going to achieve fuck all. And the % of people who celebrate christmas in one way or another is far more than any other festivity or religious celebration.
If the government are being realistic and honest they have no other choice but to try and find someway to ease restrictions for a limited time because they are partly led by behavioral science and that says that harsh restrictions over Christmas are unworkable and will just create their own problems (think of the number of fights that will break out when Johnny next door has all his family around but Matthew has stuck to the rules and can't see his dying mother - a bit like MN fights but in person and very real).
Genuinely i dont know why we are debating this, to this extent. Banning Christmas is not a viable nor tenable position. Not accounting for people's need (and yes in many cases it is now need level rather than want) to see family has to be done and calculated into restriction planning.
It is far better its all done in a managed way, albiet with many inevitable flaws (and undeniably heartbreaking cases) but the alternative of not doing this is far worse.
If anyone has a better, more sensible workable, realistic or otherwise amazing alternative that doesn't fully appreciate the point we are at, and the particular strains some individuals and areas are at 8 or 9 months on, do crack on and send it to 10 Downing Street because quite frankly we'd all quite like a miracle this Christmas but we sure as hell aren't getting one.