Everywhere I look is chaos, fear,
aggression, misunderstandings, and a whole lot of
misinformation.
Usually governments are keen to keep the fear levels of a
population down, but Angela Merkel set the tone early on this
year when she said that 90% of Germans would catch the virus.
Excuse me, a responsible government minister does not spread
panic.
Across the world we have aggression in spades from China. The
stories from the country itself and from the surrounding
countries is tantamount to a state of war.
The US also seems to have taken to the barricades, but then, I
used to live in the USA and I always thought that mayhem was
only inches under cover, and in rather too many places it was
blatant.
I tend to think that a Russian threat is non-existent. Maybe
I'm wrong, but too many people fight historical battles. I can
understand the Baltic states fearing their neighbour (I have
lived there as well), but Russia is a different country today,
fighting totally different battles. (Yes, I've even visited
there many times.) But we do have the pipeline problem in
Germany. Most Germans are in denial over their dependence on
Russia for energy. I have to admit to being out of date, but I
remember some figure in the region of 40% dependence on
Russian power. When I mentioned that last time I was in
Germany a lady nearby looked as though she was going to hit
me.
Even I'm scared. I have a list of great companies that I want
to buy on the various US exchanges, but I'm too frightened to
do the deals. I am reasonably sure that the whole edifice is
about to come crashing down.
Where can we move too in order to be safe? The times I get
asked that question.
I have to say that I can walk to the top of my garden where I
can see for miles, right down to the sea. It all looks calm. I
can't hear any gunfire, except for the hunters thursdays and
saturdays, but even they seem quiet by comparison to former
years. The dogs still bark, but then the one thing I remember
above all else from southern Europe is that permanent horizon
of dogs barking all night.
The birds still sing. The geckos wigwag their way across the
walls. The cat washes itself on the patio. The ants swarm
towards the leftovers. In fact, all is calm and normal. But
open up the world of Youtube and there it all is. Chaos and
mayhem in all directions.
I hate to think that the corona virus and lockdowns are all a
put-up job to get us ready for a real lockdown. Usually
conspiracy theories can be countered with the old fashioned
retort that there isn't a conspiracy, the idiots in charge are
just incompetent.
The trouble is, I am beginning to wonder. With the corona
virus we have 96% of people who get the disease who dont even
know they've got it, so why a lockdown at all? Just get those
who are at risk to stay home. It's so obvious.
We've had drugs that control the disease within five days, and
they have been available since that cruise ship was
quarantined in Yokohama harbour. (No, regretfully I have not
been to Japan.) And the most recent stats from the US show
that old fashioned flu kills off 0.1% on those afflicted.
Corona manages only half that, and so why is there any lock
down at all? Pure madness.
Masks dont work. Again, the stats say the average mask has a
5% efficiency. That's close to useless. Mine is utterly
useless. I'll post a video on Youtube showing tap water going
straight through it. Viruses can play hockey through my mask.
Here's the link:
https://youtu.be/9rfRsLQ8SCA
On planes we have to wear masks, but everyone takes them off
when the food and drink comes round and no-one thinks this
absurd.
I know government officials are usually brain-dead, but this
is a whole new order of insanity.
Coping with my clients and their non-stop panics is a bit
depressing, but at least I enjoyed loading a different kind of
video onto Youtube the other day.
My son reminded me that there are moves ahead to celebrate
what would have been John Lennon's eightieth birthday in
October.
On the day he died I was working for the GLC, and the news of
his death hit us round about lunch time. I was then also in a
band called The Mockers, and we toured, released records, and
generally gigged on the college circuit. I was living in West
Ealing at the time, and as I walked up Avenue Road I felt a
song coming on. By the time I hit the front door I'd finished
it. I picked up the phone and rang our management company.
They rushed us into a recording studio and we put down the
song which was called
I'm Sorry John.
Everybody loved it, but then came the news that there was
going to be a blackout on tribute songs. It's been in the
cupboard ever since, until now. If you are into that sort of
thing, give it a listen and maybe give it a Like. Here's the
url: