Hibernation has never seemed a more attractive prospect. Hunkering down in a dark, snug spot, away from the daily horrors in the news would probably do wonders for our mental and physical health. I’m tempted. I am sure you are, too.
We’ve put out a lot of shocking stories of corruption, incompetence and bare-faced lying from those in power. We’re about to publish another on the appalling Patelgate bullying affair. We’ll probably have to write something on the ongoing PPE procurement scandal, the ongoing Serco scandal with their latest massive contract despite failing, the fake Green industrial Revolution, the croneyism and, almost certainly, the Brexit ‘deal’ which Johnson will no doubt declare to be the unparalleled triumph of his ‘reign of error’.
It’s a real dilemma for an editor.Do we risk inducing outrage fatigue? Do we lose readers who, with the option not to take it any more, choose not to read on? Or do we stick to our guns and, with our sister regional publications and our inspirational ‘leader’, Byline Times, carry on outing the villains, telling the truth and trying to counter the drip-fed toxicity/cover-ups from the mainstream media? I think we do. We must.
We can also use our platform to alert you to action you can take. Do you remember the piece we put out back in the summer on the absolute imperative for a locally-run test, track and trace system? It’s here, if you missed it:
Campaign organisation March for Change has been working with MPs to organise and run the All Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus. You may have seen some of the Zoom sessions, many of which have made for a pretty tough watch, as you might expect.
A key focus of the campaign is to promote the Covid-Secure UK Plan:
The Covid-Secure UK plan is the exit strategy that will protect both the health and wealth of the UK.
The Covid-Secure UK Plan is the only viable proposal to protect both the health and wealth of the UK. Supported by scientists, health professionals and politicians from across the political spectrum, the Covid-Secure UK plan is the exit strategy to avoid continuous lockdowns and school and workplace closures ahead of a vaccine or other protective remedy becoming available.
You can do your part by signing this petition.
The UK Government wasted the first lockdown by failing to develop a viable exit plan. Now, as we face a second lockdown, we are back to square one.
Rather than living with more waves of infection and lockdowns, government should adopt the Covid-Secure UK plan to control, suppress and eliminate the virus in the UK.
By using the second lockdown wisely, we can get the number of cases down and then move our frontline in the fight against the virus to the UK’s entry points. Only then will we be able to open up the economy and break the cycle of lockdowns.
Signing a petition sends a message. It builds a sense of community and shared purpose. We cannot just point to the government majority and its disgraceful behaviour, shrug and say “what can we do?” We’re asking you, please, to stand with us so that you, too, can say “Look what I did!”
You can help. too, by sharing articles and posting them on community sites where we can speak to people beyond our own (inevitable) social media bubbles. You are a vital part of our distribution chain! The bad guys have the bots. We have real people!
It may seem from the headlines that decency, truth, integrity, rights and respect for the rule of law and for democracy itself are all being systematically destroyed in plain sight but, as Joe Biden’s victory demonstrated, there are actually a helluva lot of fundamentally decent people out there. We just need to flex our moral muscles a bit more and make our presence felt.
Take a look at our back catalogue or search through the subject categories! It’s not all about Westminster, thank goodness!
Stay safe and thank you for reading. You are the reason we write!
