Julian Le Vay: Thoughts on Government
  • Articles
  • About
  • Contact
  • Books
    • Competition for Prisons
  • Articles
  • About
  • Contact
  • Books
    • Competition for Prisons

1943, and counting

29/11/2020

2 Comments

 
I've been thinking of how different Lockdown II is from Lockdown I. I am reminded a lot of civilian war diaries and letters in WW2. (If that analogy strikes you as a bizarre, even tasteless, think of the similarities – same number of civilian dead, England isolated from a suffering world, difficulties of travel within the UK…).

At the start of Lockdown I, as in 1939, there was more fear than there is now, because all was new and nothing was known. We washed fruit as it came through the door and were scared to go to the allotment, just as in 1939 people thought entire cities would be destroyed and gassed. It was scary, but also thrilling in a way. We really did felt ‘in it together’, were pleased and moved to find neighbours looking after one another, we clapped for ‘heroes’, there was strong, instinctive compliance with the rules. There was also a wonder - Nature remontant – and we thought that we would learn from this and be kinder to Nature and to each other ‘afterwards’. Initially, we thought only of the next 6 months and how to survive it, beyond that we could not see, and dared not try.

Picture
"I'm so glad Mr Burey is a fatalist. We were one gas mask short'

Now it’s, what, 1943, or early 44. We’re just so tired, weary, numbed not so much by the death count as by privation, restriction. It’s so long since we could do what we enjoyed and our previous lives seem a distant memory. We long for a bit of colour, a bit of variety and entertainment in our lives. We’re less scared now, true – we know exactly what to do to avoid death and what not to bother with – consequently we can live a little easier. And we know, in late ’45 or ’46 or sometime, that we will eventually ‘win’, once the vaccines become available. But we are so damaged by the experience that we’re not entirely sure what ‘peace’ will be like once more. The State is nearly bankrupt. And that sense of community has long gone. We cheat, we denounce others for cheating. Spivs and charlatans abound. Morality is less certain.

Picture
"And then to make absolutely sure, we always sit in the dark"

Some differences. Big ones. Of course, we don’t have a third of a million-war dead. We havent suffered near famine of massive shortages or long queues.  But a lot of negatives, too. In the course of the War we became more trusting, not less, in Government. Government became more competent, not less. There were spivs and crooks aplenty in 1943 - but they were not running the Government. We did not, in 1943, have a sizeable minority advocating capitulation to Hitler, as some now do with COVID,  peddling nonsense about our radios attracting V bombs.


And by 1945 we were much  more confident about our future – we thought that though hardship would continue short term, we could build a much brighter, more just, more sustainable future than before the War. No one thinks that now. We’ve already shown that our contempt for Nature is more destructive than ever, and we know that when the COVID peace comes, the next catastrophes, environmental disaster, are following close behind. And we are planning now not a brave new world order, but ever great isolation from Europe, from the whole world – we can wait to shut ourselves off in this little island. No one likes us. No one looks up to us, as they did so much in '45.

We have learned nothing from this war. Nothing whatsoever.


2 Comments
Fiona Roberts
1/12/2020 01:42:04 pm

I watch independent SAGE briefings, and they believe that had this second lockdown been instituted earlier, when the official SAGE group recommended it, thousands more would not have lost their lives. The economy is shot to pieces, the end of transition, even with a paper-thin deal, will further damage our country. In all of this, individual people are suffering, losing their jobs, their businesses and their lives. Should interest rates rise, which I fear they will at some stage, we are in really big trouble with this level of borrowing.
I was faintly irritated to read the latest fairy story coming out of the MoJ, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/938571/Prison_Population_Projections_2020_to_2026.pdf
Clearly concerned at falling prisoner numbers, the MoJ feels the need to project huge increases to justify ever more big building projects. These are relatively easy, just give yet more taxpayers money into the private sector and lock up more people. What concerns me most is that this is viewed as a “' consummation, devoutly to be wished”. We are the country with the highest per capita prison population in Western Europe, and clearly firmly destined to remain so for many years to come.

Reply
Julian
1/12/2020 03:21:21 pm

Hi Fiona Yes it' beyond doubt that earlier lockdown wd have saved lives, as you know we have one of he highest per cap death rates from covid in the world AND one of the worst economic hits from it .

I'm not so cynical of the projections for 2 reasons, 1) these people used to report to me and are fairly free of political tampering and 2) numbers are bound to rise steeply because for years cuts to police, CPS, courts have cut numbers convicted and as these cuts are reversed, for sure numbers entering prison will pick up smartly. This before Johnsons plan to increase time served which I agree, are a nonsenical waste

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    I was formerly Finance Director of the Prison Service and then Director of the National Offender Management Service responsible for competition. I also worked in the NHS and an IT company. I later worked for two outsourcing companies.

    Now retired, I write about criminal justice policy (or the lack of it), cultivate our allotment and make glass.

    Archives

    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016

    Categories

    Criminal justice
    EU referendum
    Politics

    All
    EU
    Justin Russell
    Outsourcing
    Prison
    Privatisation
    Probation
    Rory Stewart

    Click below to receive regular updates

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly