Lord Sumption has been anti lockdown and anti mask wearing since the beginning of the pandemic. I’ve been truly shocked by some of the stuff he’s said.
I know he has a reputation for being a libertarian (I’ve read a lot of stuff he’s written over the years) but I really think he’s advocating throwing the baby out with the bath water re Covid.
It rather seems to me that since he retired from the Supreme Court with the structure of legal parameters he’s rather lost his sense of logic.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
China got hammered internationally with allegations that the govt did not report first signs of Covid 19 quickly enough, and thousands / millions of lives might possibly have been lost as a result. The stakes are very high. I would think that any country with high levels of a new viral expression could see the benefit to the whole world of locking down fast and not take it as a punitive action. Leaders ike Trump and Johnson are happy to dismiss risk. Global health leaders are tasked with mininising risk to life.
I understand that the developing countries which are very dependent on the tourist trade take the shut downs and flight suspensions much harder.
Years ago I read a fascinating article on the cultural split between our Roundhead versus Cavalier dispositions. In the English civil war (1642–1651) Roundheads (so called because of the shape of their helmets) challenged the king and his claim to absolute rule without accountability. They believed in parliamentary diligence and tended to be more religiously Puritan in their outlook. Cavaliers (from the term 'horseman') supported the king and his luxurious court. They came to be seen as more 'swashbuckling' in life - up for the party, live for today, do what you like, 'you only live once', the gold and the glitz.
The article suggested that this split is an interesting way to view a continued development in British (English?) life, and that the culture still breaks along these lines. This might translate as Roundheads prioritising being moral, responsible, restrained, carefully planning, introspective, calm and stable; (saving money, studying hard, forgoing luxury, more frugal, interested in charity, more rule-bound). The modern day Cavaliers might be seen as loving a drink, more into drugs, splashing out, living for today, life and soul of the party, doing anything for a laugh; (beach parties, champagne, maxxed credit cards, big weddings, big car, designer gear, risk taking, adventure).
The Cavalier types might see the Roundheads as boring, narrow and judgemental. The Roundheads might see the Cavaliers as shallow, childish and selfish.
Yes, it's a binary / black & white analysis, but I find myself musing on this idea quite a bit. I wonder if it's part of what we see in environmental and Covid debates, or some nuance of the idea.
If we go with this schema - I think Boris Johnson and Trump (and much of the country) would happily fit into the Cavalier mould and would be happy to see themselves as the swash-buckling horsemen; as leading the party, taking high risk for high reward.
My dad's family would pretty well fit as more Roundheaded and my mum's family as more Cavaliers
The split you describe, @Fire, is very evident in the Netherlands between the liberal Amsterdammers and the more strait-laced Calvinistic rest of the country.
A Dutch friend of ours is currently in SA on holiday visiting relatives and is reporting no problem and perfectly safe.
It's interesting to watch how various countries' leaders have responded to their high risk, high pressure situations. Many leaders' immediate response is to downplay the threat - 'business as usual', carry on regardless. All "Tits and Teeth". They see their role as primarily to keep borders open, tourists happy and the stock markets calm. Some see anything less is promoting 'Project Fear' that might harm their own standing. They become just the grinning face of PR. Poster children.
You can't @Punkdoc, sorry, I should have said HE feels perfectly safe. He is definitely a 'cavalier' type though. He is also a dentist of long standing who has a medical background.
Posts
I know he has a reputation for being a libertarian (I’ve read a lot of stuff he’s written over the years) but I really think he’s advocating throwing the baby out with the bath water re Covid.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/02/world/south-africa-omicron-origins-covid-cmd-intl/index.html
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
It's interesting to watch how various countries' leaders have responded to their high risk, high pressure situations. Many leaders' immediate response is to downplay the threat - 'business as usual', carry on regardless. All "Tits and Teeth". They see their role as primarily to keep borders open, tourists happy and the stock markets calm. Some see anything less is promoting 'Project Fear' that might harm their own standing. They become just the grinning face of PR. Poster children.
He is also a dentist of long standing who has a medical background.