Personal responsibility

 I live alone. I have done for many years and I like it that way. But I'm not a solitary person. I like company. I like being with family and friends and having a nice meal, several glasses of wine and a bit of banter. The lockdown has not been good for me but I've got through it. Living alone, I've acquired hobbies over the years that keep me entertained when I can't get out and about. 

I've noticed many married people, left on their own after bereavement, struggle to handle the solitary life. Most of them come round, make new friends and develop new interests. There are, though, a few people who just don't have the knack of living on their own. Life must be pretty difficult for them.

This pandemic is not over and anyone who thinks we can all just get 'back to normal' is a fool. But today I saw an article in which people in the north-west of England complained the lockdown had been lifted too soon and they were now heading back into a very restricted lifestyle. 

And a couple of thoughts occur to me. 

Where I live there used to be a regular cavalcade of taxis, dial-a-buses and minibuses every single day taking people to pensioners' clubs, adult learning centres, the bingo, local restaurants, the hairdresser's and - in one case - horse-riding. Now most of my neighbours are not out and about, although they could be. Most of my friends are still avoiding travelling and eating out too. It's me that's trying to encourage them to get back out into the world.

Masks are being worn where I live. Sometimes I see people in Lidl (I go there because it's usually quiet and I know the one-way system by heart) with their masks clamped to their mouths but somehow just missing their noses. 

But people are scared. They don't need a government edict to tell them to take precautions. I regularly watch the Scottish Government briefings on TV and I don't think I've ever heard anyone say: You must do such and such or you must not do such and such. Public health and politicians give advice, not orders. Nobody needs to tell us what's good for us. Except, of course, Aberdeen FC players who have behaved like absolute dicks in the past couple of weeks.

Folk in the north-west of England surely don't need to be told what's good for them. Surely it doesn't come down to enforcing things by law.

At the start of the lockdown I had a phone consultation with my GP. I'd been in hospital and hadn't been out for quite a few weeks. I wondered if I should be trying to get out for a walk despite the virus. He said:

<<If I told you there was a ferocious tiger wandering the streets where you live, what would you do? Knowing the beast could kill you, you'd stay in. Right?>>

I offer this as sound advice to the people of north-west England. I also advise them to watch the BBC Scotland channel at 12.15 on weekdays if they want to hear common sense on the pandemic. We've survived a lot of stuff in Scotland: Thatcher, the Tories, the Poll Tax. We know what we're doing. Follow us.