Things don’t look bright just now on the employment front though. Despite Rishi Sunak’s saying that he was putting “jobs, jobs, jobs” at the heart of his economic recovery plan unemployment in the UK is in crisis as Boots the Chemist cuts masses of jobs, Burger King does likewise and John Lewis closes stores in various places. Quite where we go from here, goodness knows!
Once again I am rather glad not be a young person right now.
And while vouchers encouraging us to “Eat Out to Help Out” might help keep restaurants going and thus keep some people in employment, it’s not going to help the really badly off to feed their families.
But, hey, gyms and pools and all sorts places are going to open up again. Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Oliver Dowden is very enthusiastic about it and told us,
“We pressed pause on many of the things that brighten our lives [in March] … but as we’ve made huge progress against this disease, we’ve gradually seen the things we love return. Normal life is slowly returning.”
Among the things that “brighten our lives”, as well as hairdressers brightening our hair, are tattooists, spas, and tanning salons. Oh, and nail bars! Well, places I am not at all likely to frequent, but who am I to dictate what people should regard as essential services.
Swimming pools are gradually opening but nothing has been said so far about changing rooms. The last I heard suggested that we should turn up at the pool with our swimsuits under our clothes and then, swimming completed, set off for home with our outdoor clothes on top of our wet swimsuits. Hmm! Not ideal!
I hear that Disney World is set to begin reopening in Florida this weekend despite surging numbers of new coronavirus cases in the state. Is there, I wonder, an element of “If I ignore it, it might go away on its own” influencing things.
It’s still more than a little dangerous to pretend that the coronavirus crisis is essentially over.
In Tudela, in the region of Navarra in Spain, they have put the place on top alert after 23 wedding guests, including the bride, tested positive for coronavirus. Nobody seems to know if coronavirus regulations were adhered to or whether the number of guests exceeded permitted numbers. It must be very easy to get carried away with the joy of a big occasion and then find that the nasty virus pops up again.
Here’s something else. Chris Grayling has a fine record behind him:
- £14 million for a ferry company with no boats
- £2 billion on the East Coast Line bailout
- £23 million on a prisoner tagging scheme that was dropped
- £200 million to Carillion who then collapsed
- Privatising the probation service, which then had to be de-privatised
- The train timetable fiasco
Over in France the question of the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral is back in the news. Is it really only last year that the roof fell in when the spire collapsed? So much has happened since then to take our attention away from it.
Anyway, Mr Macron wants it restored by 2024 in time for the Paris Olympics, assuming that we do get around to being able to organise such events once more. The work has been held up by bad weather, concerns about lead in the original roof and now the coronavirus.
And now they can’t decide what do do about the spire.
Mr Macron argues that the spire was not part of the original design but was added in a mid-19th century renovation by the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. So, as this was a fairly recent innovation, in architectural terms at least, it doesn’t necessarily need to be replaced exactly as it was. The cathedral could perhaps be rebuilt “more beautiful than before”.
This has led to a whole host of suggestions from architects around the world, including plans for a rooftop pool, a giant greenhouse and a park, accompanied by a stained-glass or metal spire – or even a virtual one made of beams of light. Really?! Do architects have any common sense? Who would go for a swim while visiting the cathedral?
Anyway, France’s chief architect for historic monuments, Philippe Villeneuve, wants to put a stop to such nonsense. He says it should be rebuilt exactly as it was before the fire. I feel quite relieved! I have to confess to being less than enamoured of some modern architectural projects. Goodness! I’ll be talking about monstrous carbuncles next!
Now they just need to work out how to rebuild the cathedral more safely.
Finally, in this time of mass social media criticism of people’s opinions, of worries about the political correctness of certain ideas, of attacks on our freedom of speech, here is a relevant quotation from George Orwell, dating back to 1948:
“Threats to freedom of speech, writing and action, though often trivial in isolation, are cumulative in their effect and, unless checked, lead to a general disrespect for the rights of the citizen.”
There you go!
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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