On the 1st of January, Chinese authorities took the decision to close the Wuhan food market. The following day, 41 admitted hospital patients in Wuhan, were confirmed to have contracted 2019-nCoV (novel coronavirus) which we now know as COVID-19.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a New Year message, from the private island of Mustique in the Caribbean, that the “first item” on his agenda remained his commitment to take Britain out of the EU by the end of January.
Within weeks the virus had spread across the world to many countries including Italy, Germany, Australia, the USA and of course the UK.
It’s pretty interesting that today marks the first really tangible diversification between the Scottish and UK governments with regard to the coronavirus crisis: the Holyrood administration has rejected Westminster’s much-criticised new main slogan and will be sticking with the old “STAY HOME” message.
(Here at Wings we’re mainly upset that the extremely misguided new campaign will undermine our years-old pro-alertness position.)
Because what our latest Panelbase poll showed is that there’s a huge gulf between perception and reality in Scotland when it comes to virus strategy.
Yeah, we know we said we weren’t going to say anything else about the COVID-19 crisis, but sometimes there’s just too much stupid going around to stay silent.
A disturbing number of people appear to have interpreted the undoubted seriousness of the pandemic to mean that nobody is ever allowed to be even slightly happy for the briefest of moments until it’s all over.
As a result, while half the country is full of people just trying to cope as best they can while acting sensibly and responsibly within both the letter and spirit of the emergency restrictions, the other half has elected itself officers of the Lockdown Gestapo, pointing fingers and shrieking at anyone deemed not to be miserable enough.
This article is the only thing Wings is going to say about the COVID-19 crisis, because (a) we’re on holiday, (b) it has very little to do with Scottish politics, and (c) we’re not virologists and have no expertise to offer.
But in so far as we have some sort of reach and to some extent people listen to us, and we don’t want any of you to die, here’s a small plea for all our sakes.
As we write this, in between bouts of weeping with exhausted misery, frustration and rage, Her Majesty’s Opposition’s interminable will-they-won’t-they game of attempting – maybe, one day, perhaps – to bring down the government and force a new election leading to a new EU referendum continues.
And as the SNP in particular devotes huge amounts of energy to trying to stop Brexit, against the wishes of its own voters, we wondered how the public not just in Scotland but in the two constituent nations of the UK that voted Leave felt about that.
Cynicus on The Tactics Of Suicide: “You can get 1000/1 against Tories, Libdems and others” Feb 27, 01:20
Cynicus on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Latest Gorton and Denton May election betting? Greens: 1/12 Reform: 10/1 Labour. 45/1” Feb 27, 01:05
Young Lochinvar on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Why is BBC news continuing the old canard (while reporting on Willie Clinton @ chez Epstein) that Ghislaine Maxwell is…” Feb 27, 00:55
Cynicus on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Agreed. Provided TACO Trump lives up to his acronym.” Feb 27, 00:54
Young Lochinvar on The Tactics Of Suicide: “RAF sites used by Epstein.. Isn’t Gordon Broon (newly thawed out of cold storage) complaining a little too loudly given…” Feb 27, 00:41
Young Lochinvar on The Tactics Of Suicide: “The above public information message has been brought to you courtesy of the Friends of Is Rye Ale and the…” Feb 27, 00:29
Young Lochinvar on The Tactics Of Suicide: “HMcH You need to remember when talking about “who is subsidising who” that for over 50 years Messr McCrone could…” Feb 27, 00:20
Mark Beggan on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Geri is my alter ego. You can thank the Scottish government for my early release.” Feb 26, 23:26
Andrew on The Tactics Of Suicide: “I couldnt ever bring myself to vote for a unionist party. I’ve too much self respect. Plus every vote for…” Feb 26, 22:57
Jimboagain on The Tactics Of Suicide: “You’ve missed the sectarian element in the Gorton vote. Longsight has long since been a muslim area and what used…” Feb 26, 22:44
Hatey McHateface on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Never mind that. What were the odds of both you and Geri re-appearing within hours of each other after absences…” Feb 26, 22:40
Hatey McHateface on The Tactics Of Suicide: “You missed one, Alf, rule from Brussels. Will that be direct or indirect? What was it last time around? I…” Feb 26, 22:33
Mark Beggan on The Tactics Of Suicide: “If you were given a choice to bet on the future outcome of the following people. Who would you put…” Feb 26, 21:58
Alf Baird on The Tactics Of Suicide: ““You seem to be suggesting that as a result of decolonisation, support for Indy will wither away.” According to postcolonial…” Feb 26, 21:42
Mark Beggan on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Man of experience and wisdom. Uncle Alf knows best.” Feb 26, 21:33
Mark Beggan on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Fascinating stuff. Sharing the voting conundrum you find yourself in. You should consider voting for the Legalise Cannabis Party. At…” Feb 26, 21:26
Hatey McHateface on The Tactics Of Suicide: “How can you call it English gold when it’s Scotland which is subsidising England to the tune of £150 billion…” Feb 26, 21:12
Hatey McHateface on When the law breaks the law: “Hands up everybody who, when they read x writing about “England’s largest beaver enclosure”, thought he meant an enclosure to…” Feb 26, 21:06
Hatey McHateface on The Tactics Of Suicide: ““That’s even if elections take place at all. They’re becoming desperate & reverting back to type” Too late, Geri, they’ve…” Feb 26, 20:58
Young Lochinvar on When the law breaks the law: “AX Sounds a bit like you have beaver fever 🙂” Feb 26, 20:45
Ross on The Tactics Of Suicide: “But your idea is to make snp voters believe instead of potentially wasting their vote, they should actively vote unionist.…” Feb 26, 20:34
Ross on The Tactics Of Suicide: “The other option is to vote Unionist, any unionist party, on the list to ensure your snp list vote doesn’t…” Feb 26, 20:20
Colin Alexander on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Holyrood is an English colonial-crumbs devolution parliament for money-grubbing lying deviant scumbags to rule over us. MSPs are oath takers…” Feb 26, 19:47
Geri on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Scotland will vote SNP because SNP have socialist policies. All that mitigation that’d be up shit creek without a paddle…” Feb 26, 19:17
sarah on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Vote for an Alliance to Liberate Scotland candidate on the list. Why vote Green – they are as incompetent and…” Feb 26, 18:42
Hatey McHateface on The Tactics Of Suicide: “The “pro-woke half” are still colonised then, Alf? Fair enough. So the “anti-woke half” must be decolonised, and they’re the…” Feb 26, 18:13
Ross on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Readers …I’ve hatched a plan that is best of both worlds ?”Hate the SNP? Good. Vote for them on the…” Feb 26, 18:06
Alf Baird on The Tactics Of Suicide: “““SNP’s voters wouldn’t tolerate Reform support”” Perhaps the Rev is thinking about the pro-woke ‘half’ of the indy movement who…” Feb 26, 17:19
