The blame game

In current society, folks are encouraged to be socially free and self-indulgent, because that generates big bucks for the hi-tech, software and leisure industries.

Government cut-backs have resulted in laws being ignored and a surge in drug and alcohol-related offences. Overly liberal attitudes towards discipline and inadequate police resources have seriously eroded control in our classrooms and on our streets.

Politically-aligned newspapers and social media use Covid as an excuse to pummel the government, criticising every decision made, adding to public distrust of the government. Is it any wonder that simple Covid-19 distancing rules are ignored?

Don’t blame Boris because he cycled seven miles from No.10, which he is perfectly entitled to do for exercise. Don’t blame every government reaction to the crisis, because there is absolutely no proof that an alternative government or plan would have been any more successful in controlling this virus.

Commercial interest may have swayed some government decisions but there is no evidence that a prolonged lock down would have resulted in a better outcome, because folks were already getting bored and ignoring the distancing advice.

Society and the national media have to blame someone. A virus cannot understand or react to criticism. Folks find it socially unacceptable to blame themselves for spreading it. That only leaves Boris Johnson and his government, even though the simple disciplines that they tried to install in us were ignored by many and still are.

Discipline and humility are crucial to the survival of society, especially now it is globalised. Could it be that our beautiful planet is losing patience with our relatively short but devastating intrusion and is currently firing warning shots, with fires, floods, famine, disease, civil unrest and a general dumbing down of society becoming widespread.

Hopefully, the vaccination programs will at least control Covid-19 but it seems that much of society will return to its pre-Covid-19 over-liberal ways. We may gain control of the virus but we will still be losing control of society.

The answer is actually quite simple but it is difficult to persuade the very rich and controlling, who have profited from our addiction to advertising and lifestyle. Stop spending vast amounts of money on weapons, space projects, unnecessary travel and trivial entertainment. Instead, spend it on restoring the social contract (remember that?) and reducing the negative impact of humans on this planet. We might want to apologise to our planet while we’re at it!

Graham Haynes Kensington Road, Portsmouth

Folks find it socially unacceptable to blame themselves for spreading it

GRAHAM HAYNES