Fatigue and a lack truth from power is what destroyed our ‘blitz spirit’

WE’VE all learned a lot about ourselves in the last nine months but, arguably, it is the last five weeks that have taught us the most. From the beginning of the pandemic crisis in February the Irish people proved they were more than willing to do what was necessary to overcome the killer virus.

Amidst that initial ‘ blitz spirit’ an overwhelming sense of community and duty took hold. We had faith in our leaders and their decisive actions and we understood that as long as we all did our bit we would make it through the emergency.

Not only would we survive, we would emerge stronger. A renewed nation, resolute and determined.

Looking back now that borderline Communist zeal that gripped the nation feels rather quaint.

Perhaps it was the weather or maybe a feeling of ‘war weariness’ but this time, when the latest lock-down was imposed there wasn’t the same sense of togetherness.

War comparisons have been ten a penny since the arrival of the pandemic. If one were to draw a Hollywood parallel, a suitable comparison to the first lock-down might be that British Christmas staple ‘ The Great Escape’. A group of plucky and inventive heroes – backed by a theme tune for the ages –struggling against, and overcoming, great adversity to win their freedom.

As films go, it offers a fitting analogy for Ireland’s can do, ‘never give in’ attitude to lock-down in the early part of the year.

The fact that most of the liberated heroes are recaptured and shot before the credits roll feels like an even better metaphor for where we find ourselves now.

With widespread vaccination still months away – at best – people know the nightmare has a long way to go. It’s no wonder huge numbers of us are feeling depressed, defeated and hard done by.

Many people feel that all their efforts were for nothing, that their sacrifices were wasted. They ‘flattened the curve’ like they were asked but still they are locked-down and kept apart from loved ones. “What did we flatten the curve for?” they wonder.

There are also the thousands of business owners who have invested millions to keep their customers safe and their businesses open. They are closed again having done all, and often much more, than was asked of them.

These issues pale into insignificance when it comes to the 2,000 people who have died. Could more have been done to save some of them when we, seemingly, had the virus on the back-foot?

It’s easy to understand why a weary people are growing ever more frustrated and angry. The vast majority are still doing their bit to stem the tide of the virus – there’s been no drop in mask use or sanitizer use for example – but people are losing patience

The public are tired and angry and they want answers and they have a lot of unanswered questions.

Where is our promised ‘world class’ case tracing system? Where are the promised new beds in our hospitals? What is happening in our nursing homes? What happens at Christmas?

Perhaps most importantly, what, precisely, is the Government actually hoping to achieve?