Where Were You Three Years Ago?

Alice Ferguson, of Playing Out, said: “Compared to previous generations, children’s lives have become incredibly restricted, indoors, isolated and inactive, largely due to changes in the outdoor environment. Government could reverse this trend and hugely improve children’s health and wellbeing by making streets safer and neighbourhoods more child-friendly, enabling them to get outside and play every day.”

Until the government forbids them from going outside in the next manufactured panic, you mean?

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said in a report last year that children’s health in the most disadvantaged communities presented “a terrifying picture”.

“Economic deprivation and racial inequality are both significant additional factors compounding children’s lack of access to outdoor play, physical activity and green space. There is also evidence to suggest girls spend less time outside playing than boys.”

Wow, suddenly, there is a difference between boys and girls after all! 

You Cried 'Wolf' Once Too Often...

...and the parents now know there aren't any.

Parents who take their children out of school to go on holiday are damaging their life chances, the shadow education secretary warned yesterday.

Bridget Phillipson urged parents to 'reflect seriously' on the impact of unnecessary absences on their youngsters and the wider school community. In an interview yesterday, she said that while it can be 'tough', it is 'really important that children are in school' as 'every day matters'.

Do you think parents are going to swallow that now? When you did nothing during lockdown but slavisly support the government? 

Ms Phillipson's comments came as a new poll found almost one in three parents believe the coronavirus pandemic has shown it is not essential for children to attend school every day.

One wonders exactly what's wrong with the other two thirds that they don't believe that. 

Don't Be So Quick To Blame GPs...

I know, I know, but hear me out....

Emergency departments, which are designed for serious injuries and life-threatening emergencies only, are seeing an increase in people attending with sore throats, insomnia, coughs and earache.

Well, why not? You have, after all, spent months, nay, years, convincing people these are signs of a deadly disease, haven't you? 

Cases where sore throat was the chief complaint rose by 77% between 2021-22 and 2022-23, from 191,900 cases to 340,441. Patients going to A&E with coughs rose by 47%, from 219,388 to 322,500, while attendances for nosebleeds rose by a fifth, from 47,285 cases to 56,546.

Of course, the blame must be shifted, so GPs are in the firing line: 

Miriam Deakin, the director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, said: “The rise in A&E admissions is piling even more pressure on to an already stretched NHS. Persistent strain on primary care services, including GPs and dentists, means patients often resort to A&E when they cannot access timely care elsewhere.

“Minor ailments such as coughs, earache, fever, nausea and hiccups can and should be managed through more appropriate services such as pharmacies and NHS 111 online. This could ease pressure on emergency departments, whose priority is to deliver urgent care for those most in need. Boosting capacity of staff, beds and equipment in these settings would also significantly help. However, this requires proper funding and support from the government.”

The NHS has funding enough - it's how it chooses to spend it that's the issue.  

'There are some longer-term consequences of the lockdown that concerns us...'

Wow, quite something for an MP to admit! Oh, wait, he's the school's minister..?

'... and one is that parents have been slightly more cautious about sending their child into school with a mild cold.'

Gosh! I wonder why? 

It comes as new analysis shows a 'staggering' increase in persistent absence from schools across the country following the pandemic.

Another flock of chickens hoves into view, clucking wildly... 

Professor of Social Mobility at the University of Exeter Elliot Major, who was part of the research team, said the rise in absenteeism has been 'startling'.

He said: 'This data shows the impact of coronavirus is sadly not just a one-off disruption, from which pupils would soon bounce back.

'The rise in absenteeism among pupils has been startling and there has been a staggering increase in persistent absence.

'We now face a national education crisis in the post-pandemic era: a huge slice of the Covid generation have never got back into the habit of regularly attending school.'

More popcorn, anyone? 

When Will A UK Politician Show The Same Backbone On Behalf Of The People Cull?

Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, has called a general election for 1 November after a member of her ruling coalition threatened to withdraw its support over her handling of the country’s controversial Covid mass mink cull.

Gosh! Mink are cute and make great coats. Do they rate higher than people, though? 

Frederiksen’s popularity has slipped after the government’s 2020 decision to cull Denmark’s entire captive mink population of 15 million for fear of a Covid-19 mutation moving from the animals to humans that could jeopardise future vaccines.

A parliament-appointed commission said in June that the government had lacked legal justification for the cull and made “grossly misleading” statements when it ordered Europe’s first compulsory shutdown of an entire farm sector.

Sounds familiar. Maybe we should all identify as mink, and maybe then our government could be brought to book for their actions during lockdown? 

Sound Like The Same Old Story To Me, Bri...

National Geographic says storytelling “helps us to find order in things that have happened to us and make sense of the events of a random world”, and that studies suggest “the more compelling the story, the more empathetic people become in real life.” According to the BBC, “storytelling is a form of cognitive play that hones our minds, allowing us to simulate the world around us and imagine different strategies, particularly in social situations … brain scans have shown that reading or hearing stories activates various areas of the cortex that are known to be involved in social and emotional processing …”

Wow, Bri, since you're an author, that must be a good thing to hear, right? 

Oh, wait, this is the 'Guardian'! What was I thinking? 

The problem is that some of the most urgent and lethal challenges our society is facing are too giant and unwieldy to fit into the little patterns our human minds are used to making.

*sighs* OK, go on, give us an example... 

Our present pandemic response policies suggest some people don’t get to be “heroes” on a “journey”, and many traditional western storytelling conventions aren’t up to the task of understanding a climate emergency that defies any sort of conflict-resolution arc.

*yawns* Boy, some stories do get old real quick...

Today's 'Satanic Panic'...

Young women around Australia are being struck down by a mystery neurological illness - with experts fearing social media addiction and pandemic stress is triggering the problem.

The Tourette's syndrome-like disorder is seeing teenagers suffering from incontrollable 'tics' - which include outbursts, twitching, pops, noises, swearing, kicking and hitting.

Doesn't sound that different to the behaviour of a lot of modern teenage girls these days... 

'This bright, spunky, fiercely independent young girl just trapped in her own body, in her own head. It's really hard to watch,' Melissa told 60 Minutes of her daughter Metallyka - before the teen slaps her mother.

Which teenage girl hasn't wanted to do that at some point? Have they found a way to do it and get treated as if they are the victim, I wonder? 

Nicole, a British 15-year-old began suffering from her tics shortly before her 13th birthday - with minor facial twitches transforming into violent physical and verbal outbursts. Her mother said the most confronting of her tics is she will commonly shout 'I am Madeleine McCann, I've been kidnapped' in public. Like many other cases, Nicole's tics came on during Covid when she was admittedly 'very lonely'.

Long time readers of 'Fortean Times', of which I count myself as one, will not be unfamiliar with this pattern that's emerging, of course. The ontly real modern twist is it's being spread via the Internet. 

The professor pointed to the mimicking of TikTok videos showing tics being broadcast around the world - with 16-year-old Michaela admitting seeing the clips had triggered her behaviour and even seen her mirroring it. She has now 'fully recovered', with Professor Dale saying the disorder is 'definitely' something that can be overcome but admitted only 20 per cent of his patients have kicked the condition.

The more things change, eh, prof..? 

Nostalgia Is Overrated...

A wave of 1970s-style economic unrest is threatening to spread from the railways across the public services, as unions representing teachers and NHS workers warn of potential industrial action over pay.

OK, well, at least the music was great in the Seventies. We don't even have that!

...the National Education Union (NEU), told the Observer that unless it receives a pay offer much closer to inflation by Wednesday, it will be informing education secretary Nadhim Zahawi of its plan to ballot its 450,000 members. The move could lead to strikes in schools in England in the autumn, the union said.

The country’s biggest union, Unison, representing NHS staff, said the government now faced a choice between offering a deal close to inflation or triggering a mass exodus of staff coupled with possible industrial action in hospitals, at a time when they are already hugely overburdened.

Will we even notice? We've had two years without a service thanks to covid (with needs to be paid for, of course) and I think we can bear another, if it crushes the unions for good. 

Good, If It's 'Guidance' I'll Take It Under Advisement...

Stronger guidance on wearing masks is being planned in case coronavirus hospitalisations keep rising.

...but we all know it's not going to be guidance, don't we?

Ministers are now concerned by falling compliance in supermarkets, trains and buses amid rising infection levels. Yesterday there were another 37,622 Covid cases and 147 deaths. There are also 8,098 patients in hospital with the virus – a six-month high and a rise of 6 per cent in a week.

No doubt the Met Police can't wait to act like their Aussie counterparts... 

Although government sources insist a mask mandate is not imminent, the fact it is being considered will concern Tory backbenchers.

Not enough to actusally do anything, I expect. They proved supine enough on everything else, they aren't going to rebel over this.

They are already angry at being asked to renew the emergency Covid powers that allow ministers to impose restrictions.

Yoda says 'Angry they maybe, but ineffectual they also are, mmmm...' 

And Would You Open Up Your Surgery For Them To Have It?

Covid vaccines have been a remarkable success, but if we are to enhance public safety and return to normality, we must build on that achievement.

Interesting you talk about 'coverage', because Janet Street Porter points out:

...the real scandal is happening at GP's surgeries all over the country. And I don't think money is the problem.

Waiting rooms lie empty, lines of freshly sanitised chairs sit without any occupants. Signs on external doors say 'do not enter without an appointment' - so the sick stay at home and potentially shorten their lives, forced to hang on to the phone waiting for ages or try and log on, remember their NHS number, password and navigate a complicated website.

It's easier for Michael Gove to enter a nightclub mask-less and make a complete tit of himself, than it is to meet your local GP face-to-face.

Seems they are only willing to do this now if they are weilding a needle like an eager Spanish DEFRA vet. 

GPs are holding 3.4million fewer face-to-face appointments a month compared with before the pandemic. The shocking figures reveal the scale of the shift towards consultations held remotely.

The Alzheimer’s Society said virtual appointments do not work for people with dementia, while Labour, which analysed the NHS England data, said the shift increased the risk of serious illness being misdiagnosed.

But who cares about serious illness when we have a version of the flu to worry about? 

So, They Can Move Fast When They Want To...

A shamed anti-vaxxer nurse who spread coronavirus conspiracy theories and compared the NHS to the Nazis has been struck off.

Kate Shemirani used her status as a health professional to spread 'distorted propaganda' about the Covid-19 pandemic.

She claimed that symptoms of the virus were caused by 5G and that vaccines were 'rushed through' because 'they want to kill you'

That was quick, compared to their usual sloth in these matters! 

And it's astounding what you can get away with and not get struck off, so maybe she's just unlucky?

Now a NMC Fitness to Practice Committee has ruled that her misconduct was so serious that she should be struck from the nursing register permanently.

In its ruling, the chair of the panel found that Mrs Shemirani 'attempted to encourage people to act contrary to public health guidance issued by the UK government by spreading this information through social media platforms and at public events'.

If she'd just ignored that health guidance herself, like political advisers and police and doctors did, she'd have had nothing to worry about... 

It's Like Killing Your Parents Then Demanding Clemency Because You're An Orphan...

But Megan, who has done more to turn people into this than the 'Guardian' itself? 

Britain has long had a reputation as a nation of curtain-twitchers, of course, but the pandemic has exacerbated these tendencies and lent them unearned moral authority. From the very beginning of the pandemic it has been a trope for tutting scolds to photograph strangers who are sitting in parks or queueing for coffee to shame them, without feeling the need to justify why they themselves were in the exact same space.

Which newspaper - OK, maybe the 'Independent' - has done more to enable 'tutting scolds' than this one? From the proper use of the latest terms and phrases to what you're supposed to eat and what you're not, to what TV characters you should love... 

When was it that we stopped believing, on the whole, that other people are essentially like us? By this I don’t mean believing that we all share specific traits, but rather extending the general assumption that the motivations of others are not utterly divergent from our own.

Was it when the 'Guardian' started telling us all that we were wrong and racist for not agreeing with them, perhaps, Megan? 

You Don't Say, Judge...

District Judge Joanna Dickens at Swindon Magistrates Court lays into the bugling Wiltshire Police and CPS:

'This case does worry me, and trouble me, that there could be a situation where other ten thousand pound fines have been bandied about by police in circumstances where they shouldn't have been.'

'Could be'..? There almost certainly is, and likely more than one! 

But let the Blame Shifting begin! 

A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said it was 'surprised' by the dismissal and will seek a review with the CPS.

Why? They didn't threaten the fine, you did... 

'Our policing response to the ongoing public health pandemic will continue to be robust, proportionate and consistent.'

But not accurate? 

'It remains vital that everyone takes personal responsibility for their actions and adheres to the restrictions which are in place.'

What personal responsibility are you taking for your officer's ignorance of the law he or she was laying down? 

A CPS spokesperson said: "We note the judge's comments and are examining what happened in this case before deciding next steps.

"The CPS also conducts a monthly review of all finalised coronavirus cases to ensure that the right person is charged with the right offence."

I wonder what you find in most cases? No, it's OK. I already know. 

I Try Not To CriticiseThe Police Constantly...

...but they do make it hard sometimes:

A pensioner was given a police warning after she had a socially distanced cup of tea with her neighbours in their communal garden.

Officers turned up at the 82-year-old’s sheltered housing complex home at 9.45pm to question her about the incident – after she’d settled into bed to watch television.

The woman's daughter is understandably furious.

She added her mother did not deserve the warning from police and had been unreasonably disturbed late in the evening.

‘I made a complaint to the police station. As soon as my mum opened the door the worst things began racing through her mind.’

Mrs Magovern said. ‘I really do not understand why the police thought a few elderly folk drinking tea, socially distanced in a communal garden, is a priority.

‘My son works for the London Met and even he could not believe what I was telling him.

‘We all have been left thinking, what a waste of police resources.’

I expect the farce's social media squad is on high alert for criticism of their actions. They aren't backing down, that's for sure - rules is rules, innit?  

A Gloucestershire Police spokesman said: ‘An officer has spoken to the complainant and an explanation was provided in response to concerns raised. She was content with this and the matter has been resolved.

‘Police received a report of a potential Covid breach on Tuesday 9 March at 1.30pm suspecting that there was a gathering involving people from multiple households in a residential garden in Charlton Kings, Cheltenham.

‘Covid response officers attended later that day at around 9.45pm where some residents were spoken to and given words of advice around current restrictions.

‘Officers are deployed to incidents based on an assessment of the threat, risk and harm of the incident and in this case officers who are part of the Covid response team and are deployed across the county attended later that evening.’

If you'd attended a few weeks later and at 9am it'd still have been a waste of police time and resources. 

Who's Going To Be Ignored The Most?

TV tax collectors, bailiffs, or these guys?

Ministers are being urged to offer vaccines door to door in hard-to-reach, deprived and minority ethnic communities amid fears that coronavirus could become a disease of poverty.

And if still, no-one takes up the offer? What then? 

Speaking to the Guardian, Dr Halima Begum, the chief executive of the Runnymede Trust thinktank, said if people were not able or willing to go to GP surgeries, hospitals or vaccination centres, members of the NHS vaccine army should go to them.

Those 'not able' have plenty of alternative options. There's been quite a lot of requests in my local Facebook groups and newspaper for people to assist those without transport. And GPs are supposed to arrange home visits for the totally non-mobile.

Whoever is reluctant to take the jab, it's not due to inability to get there. It's due to reluctance to have it.

“We would urge the government to take the jab door to door where necessary,” she said.

“Although there are a lot of vaccination centres in inner cities, a lot of elderly and immobile people are simply unable to get there.”

They are catered for, and you know it. It's the unwilling that are the real issue. Do you really think knocking on their door will be the thing that persuades them?  

Why Are We Pandering To Idiots?

As coronavirus continues to grip the nation, the vaccine rollout continues in order to protect the most vulnerable in society.

Yet scepticism about it and its effectiveness has persisted, with some fearing possible side-effects of getting the jab.

'Some'..? Well, maybe. It has been an extraordinary quick response to a pandemic. It's not a surprise some are sceptical.  

Levels of this scepticism are highest among the Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, according to a Royal Society for Public Health survey which found that BAME groups were less likely to want to get the Covid vaccine.

Ah. We are in the realms of identity politics here, I see,  

Dean Henry was born and bred in Gloucester, and has lived in the Barnwood area for 33 years.

His parents are both Jamaican and moved to Gloucester before he was born. He said that a major reason for the doubt amongst his community is the lack of trust in its safety, and fears over side effects.

Fair enough. I'm sure there are plenty of people in other demographics with the same concerns.  

"Most of the stuff we hear in the news is that we're okay to take it, but that it hasn't been tested over a long period of time.

"So we want to know whether there's any specific testing among our community."

Let's ask the experts! 

Dr Mala Ubhi, from NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “The vaccines approved for use in the UK have met strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness set out by the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

"The MHRA follows international standards of safety; any coronavirus vaccine that is approved must go through all the clinical trials and safety checks all other licensed medicines go through.

"The Pfizer and Oxford/AstraZeneca trials involved participants from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities.”

There. Happy now? 

He added that the lack of BAME representation in the media can also lead to mistrust of the news: "The people who work at news agencies may not look like me, so they may not have those kind of questions in their mind." 

Wait, what..? Who was that medical representative, again?  

Dr Mala Ubhi, from NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group...

Hmmm. Maybe it's me, but if you won't believe him, why on earth should journalists who 'look like you' make any difference? 

Why Are You Blaming One Man..?

My dad, Cliff Anderson, 88, was twice misdiagnosed and sent home from hospital a week before he died with Covid.

On the first occasion he was diagnosed with hypoglycaemia. He was diabetic, but religious in taking his medication, so I thought that was rubbish.

On the second, his notes said he had a chest infection, an unexplained dry cough and shortness of breath. I thought it could be Covid, but the tests were negative.

On the third occasion he had collapsed with an enormous Covid-induced stroke. The ambulance took four and a half hours to arrive at his home in Higher Shotton, north Wales.

And that was the last I saw of my dad. The consultant rang to say: “Your father has had a significant left lobe stroke and he’s Covid positive, and has Covid pneumonia.” And I just thought: “I’ve known this for a week. A week!” He had typical symptoms for the elderly.

He'd been shielding but they think an asymptomatic carer brought the virus into the house. It's a shocking indictment of the NHS and their... 

Oh.

Today, I am just so angry at Boris saying he couldn’t have done any more.

Now, I think Boris is a buffoon whose lockdowns are going to eventually kill more people than covid, but unless he was moonlighting as a carer, I fail to see how he's somehow personally responsible for your father's death. 

It seems to me that there's a lot more people to blame. And they all work in the 'caring' NHS. The one that idiots clap like seals. 

He hadn’t closed the borders. Only now, almost a year on, he’s talking of closing them. There was no PPE for carers or doctors, exposing frontline staff to enormous viral load like cannon fodder. There was no testing until it was way way too late. There was “eat out to help out”. There was changing the rules constantly. There was backing that amateur, Dominic Cummings. I see Johnson’s father has had two vaccines. My dad never even got his letter. He still hasn’t.

You live in Wales, where your government has slapped draconian restrictions on people buying children's books and clothes, and had their police stopping people at the border. Yet the virus got through anyway. Brought in by the failing NHS and caring staff.

Not by Rishi. Not by Dominic. 

My father’s death was avoidable. We’d kept him safe for a year. He wasn’t a bloody number.

He was to the NHS though...