Spark of dedication should be an inspiration to us all
I WAS listening to Radio 4 in the car yesterday.
My AC was struggling to cope with the 35C temperature while the radio presenter did a roundrobin of those working in the heat.
One guy said he was an electrician working in an insulated roof-space where the temperature was 51C. He was doing 15 minutes in the loft working and 15 minutes drinking water on the landing.
The interviewer asked him why he was working at all in such extreme conditions and he replied, “I’m self-employed, I need the money.”
It made me think of all those tradesmen who worked tirelessly through the pandemic for the same reason.
The lockdown meant nothing to these workers but it did to a lot of public service staff who were pretty much ordered to stay at home.
The DVLA, Passport Office and many town halls had next to no employees on the job. I made a point of thanking those who did work, but they were rare.
Now, we are all trying to get back to work so that hospital waiting times are reduced, retailers get their deliveries, young drivers can finally take their driving tests, and yet we have public institutions clearly reluctant to get everyone back in work.
I’m not questioning their integrity - I’m just wondering what they would say if, like the selfemployed, their income stopped when they did.
Would they encourage employees to down tools if their cash flow came to a sudden halt?
So, rather than live your lives in a permanent state of anxiety, just remember that the ones stoking up the fear of Covid are those that have their income guaranteed regardless whether they work or not.
Have all your jabs and get on with your life.