My daughter’s seen the light – on a party holiday in Zante
My first-born has finally arrived back from Greece with a light tan, a handful of brightly painted Orthodox crosses and a line in political oratory worthy of Demosthenes himself.
“I am very worried about the human rights implications of vaccine passports,” she says. “Our basic democratic freedoms are being curtailed and we are sleepwalking into a society of division and discrimination.”
Gosh. Who knew such wisdom could be distilled from a fortnight partying hard on Zakynthos? Maybe it was a Zante climax?
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” she adds tersely. “I have had plenty of time to think about things when I was on the other islands, and young people’s opinions are as legitimate as anyone else’s.”
Crikey. In my defence, the last time we were on a Greek island, she was two years of age. We bought her a pack of toy sea creatures in a Corfu supermarket and she spent the week happily playing with them in a basin of water.
A far cry from concerns over civil liberties. I know I shouldn’t patronise but, as her parent, it is very often my sole recourse.
What’s interesting is that,
despite her scepticism about vaccine passports, my 19-yearold is resigned to obediently having her jabs in order to “get back freedom”.
“A lot of people my age are anti-vaxxers on principle – not because they think the injections are harmful, but because they don’t want to feel controlled.”
We have just learnt that Covid infections in the over-20s are at a higher recorded rate than for any other age group.
I wonder aloud how to counter their reluctance. Her analysis is swift and straightforward.
“Pay young people. Go door-to-door so they don’t have to think about it,” she concludes. “Fifty quid for two jabs. Not cheap for the NHS, but £30 won’t cut it. Oh, and call it an incentive rather than a bribe, even though everyone will know that’s exactly what it is.
“When the pendulum swings in the direction of getting the jab and the cash, there will be peer pressure because anyone who doesn’t claim their £50 will be seen as a complete mug.”
So there we have it. The answer. If any politician is willing to listen.