My kingdom for a horse
LEICESTER’S most famous son, Richard III, is possibly hoping to join the secret exodus from the local lockdown in the Midland’s city and escape in time for ‘Super Saturday’.
The original rainbow warrior - known in many a British classroom for the immortal prism colour chart ‘Richard of York gave battle in vain’ helping remember what happens when white light is refracted was, according to one Bill Shakespeare, in need of a prime piece of horseflesh to escape the Battle of Wakefield...but history is apparently repeating itself.
The one-time monarch apparently planned to leave his cathedral home to visit the Rose and Crown this weekend to mark the re-opening of the premises after lockdown. And once again to defend his claim the rose on the pub sign outside should be repainted white in honour of the House of York, while enjoying a jar or two of ale with the local gentry.
According to modern historians, the Bard deliberately painted Richard as a bad egg to please the politics of the time and CBN has it on good authority the former king is now planning to head north to sample the wares of the Black Sheep Brewery in Masham, North Yorkshire.
However, when Richard’s crown slipped, it did pave the way for the Tudor period and the reign of good King Harry and the mythical ‘Merry England’.
It is the Super Saturday return to normality and the fears of a ‘merry’ population that now appears to have the authorities quaking in fear over disorderly mob rule in this time of pandemic. The peasants, it seems, are revolting.
The new July 4 independence day in England - it is in fact Independence Day in the USA to mark events back in 1776 was announced in good time by Boris Johnson; allowing another step forward along the long road back to something like normal life.
The result of this good news? The country went crazy. Forget social distancing and keeping to
One Metre Plus (it sounded like a new city micro car was being launched); this was time to party.
Battle
Suddenly, there were street parties, raves, packed parks and beaches sinking under the sheer weight of humanity fighting for control of a few grains of sand. Naturally, as the sun sank from a cloudless sky there was an opportunity for another much-missed entertainment, running battles with the local constabulary.
According to top cops across the nation, alcohol and various other substances were to blame. As officers queued for treatment in casualty departments at hospital, senior ranks blamed the behaviour on ‘cooped up for too long’ people needing to burn off excess energy. Those poor dears.
It took a while to realise why the beach, at say Bournemouth, was heaving. Why were all those law-abiding folk able to sunbathe on a weekday? They were being paid to relax thanks to the furlough scheme. All right now then.
The serious side is the breach of coronavirus protocols, the guidance that is intended to help keep people safe in the new normality and prevent a second wave of Covid-19. Fears of spikes in infection rates and the chance of local quarantine areas being declared do not seem to be enough.
Spain set out a road map to the end of the state of emergency and the rules of the new normality. On the whole the guidelines were followed, certainly there have not been mass street battle scenes on television screens or in the newspapers - although there have been media stories of fines for not having a mask or bad parking in the rush to get on the beach. Good sense and responsibility, on the whole, prevailed.
Local town halls have drawn up their own contingency plans for limiting numbers on the beaches and while visitor numbers are up, so far (and touch wood) there are no major infection spikes, although high season is coming.
Also coming to a strip of coast near you are international holiday makers - including those quitting the UK for these shores. There are many people at higher risk of coronavirus who have since March patiently put their health first; they are clearly worried.
It is a difficult balance and life must go on - but as Richard III found out, every rose has its thorn