Troon Sand, Grim Twinkles and Literate Herring
Another quick day. I walked out to the supermarket this morning and once again was dismayed by the traffic–the road into the city was nose to tail. I get that people are happy to be out and about, I get that people might be wary of public transport, and I get that economic activity is needed, but it seems to be a giant step backwards. The walk to the shop was for the ingredients of a decent Asian/fusion supper, which appears to have been well received.
This afternoon I wrote a little.
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A couple of times since last March I’ve commented that what I see about me, partly because of the enforced localism of the last few months and in large part because of my avoidance of the news, is parochial in nature. I mentioned a few days ago that the relative success of the vaccination programme here in the UK risks missing the catastrophe unfolding in India. But it’s worse than that. We are looking at catastrophic failures of health systems in Brazil and India, and both have broader consequences because viruses don’t respect borders. The risk now is that the collapse in India spreads.
Jeremy Farrar of the Wellcome Trust commented yesterday that there is very real risk that this will now ripple out, west of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, north to Nepal, east Myanmar & hence South East Asia. There are many links between South Asia into East Africa and hence a continued risk to the continent despite massive efforts to date. This is a grave international and ethical crisis just as we have one of the least ethical British governments in recent memory.
Farrar suggests that this humanitarian (and security) crisis requires UN Security Council level intervention and co-ordination. I agree in principle, but am unconvinced it will happen in practice. Fingers crossed, I get my second dose of vaccine somewhere towards the end of this month, but, in the bigger picture, this looks like it will be a destabilising international situation for years. I started this Covid diary last March musing on my relative privilege; same as it ever was.
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One of my oldest friends–I think since May 1969 when Blacklaw Primary School opened and we were the first pupils in it, sent me a link to a BBC programme on Ivor Cutler which, aside from one physical and social geographical howler about Glasgow, is a good listen.
So that’s tonight’s entertainment sorted: Life In A Scotch Sitting Room, Vol. 2, Episode 2, Episode 1 and Episode 6
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