Dr Kristopher Lovell

01.11.20

The mood of the country definitely feels to have changed. During the first lockdown there was a pulling together, a sense of we’re all in this together that I feel is lacking now. I think it’s a combination of lockdown fatigue, impatience and a realisation that, in fact, we’re not all in this together. Various government figures or their close families have been caught breaking lockdown rules with zero repercussions. Whether it’s Dominic Cummings with his trip to Durham, his drive to Barnard Castle and the laughable excuses and lies that were offered in the aftermath or the Prime Ministers dad swanning off abroad, coming back without observing quarantine and not bothering with a mask when in enclosed public spaces it has an air of ‘one rule for them, another for us’. I expect general public compliance to be a lot lower than the first wave. There’s anger at the government, some are angry at another lockdown even occurring due to their concern about the economic damage whereas others are angry that it’s happened weeks after SAGE initially recommended another lockdown followed by Starmer asking for one. From the Free School meals fiasco to the corruption in the PPE procurement system most people I speak to have limited to zero trust in the competency of the current government

Beyond that there’s brexit looming, the tory government seems to either not care about the prospects of no deal or is actively aiming for it. The economic impact of brexit combined with Covid-19 is going to batter this country and I’m concerned what it could lead to. People who are desperate and angry and easy prey for extremist rhetoric and from my talks with colleagues, ex-colleagues rather, I know how appealing voices such as Farage and Stephen ‘Tommy Robinson’ Yaxley-Lennon are to many working class people who view themselves as abandoned and left behind. There’s a deep well of anger waiting to be tapped and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t had some sleepless nights worrying about the potentials.

As a more personal entry I lost my job 2 weeks ago, I kind of expected it but it’d still hurt a bit. I worked in purchasing for a catering equipment company and the sales are way down. The CFO, Chief Financial Officer, was almost in tears when she broke the news to me. I’ll miss my colleagues. Going back to personal issue I’m the main breadwinner for my family and am concerned for the family future even with our savings, there are not a lot of available jobs in my area. At least we’re not over-leveraged debt wise and can easily afford our mortgage and living expenses for the next 12 months; there’s many people in a much worse position than us and my heart goes out to them. My autistic son, 4 years old, is enjoying school, we were so relieved to get him into a special needs school and he’s flourishing there. Thankfully he’s too young to realise the strange times we live in, I do feel for the confusion older children must be experiencing who have had their lives turned upside down through missing school then subsequently having to adapt to changed educational environments. My fiance is well, just like every other challenge we face it together, I’m so lucky to have someone like her to share my life with. While she shares the same concerns I do regarding the countrys future she doesn’t have the knowledge of history and international relations that I do to see the rhymes and parallels and sometimes I think that gives her some peace of mind – I’m trying to keep my rants to a minimum to give her some peace and will do so here.


That’s enough rambling for now, I’m a terrible typist so I apologise for any typos I missed.