Letters / ‘Duck and cover’ won’t do
The lack of discourse locally about the long-term impacts of the virus I find very disturbing.
From Carmichael, Wishart to the council and indeed the business community, focusing on self-interest misses or emasculates the issues of long-term economic sustainability, food security and the physical and mental health impacts for day-to-day life, and in particular for the most vulnerable.
The ‘rush’ back to ‘normalisation’, new or otherwise, seems to lack investigation, research and vitally creative thinking and solutions or at least adaptations, the very essence of good leadership. Sticking plasters don’t last.
Symptomatic of attempts to get back to normal, Westminster and indeed Holyrood returning to ‘yah boo’ politics and a culture of blame.
The societal, economic, health and welfare changes after WWI and WWII, and the OPEC oil price hike of the mid 70s, are instructive in this regard.
It brought changes that seemed impossible; but collective, national, non-partisan government approaches – the new consensus that we couldn’t go back – are a very good starting place.
This is the ultimate test of community and communality, both of which have to be re-instated if not re-invented after 40 years of ideological and cultural individualism.
‘Duck and cover’ will not do. Open, inclusive debate and dialogue, free from historical agendas, will.
James Paton
Lerwick
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