The Psychology of a culture is revealed and perpetuated in how they relate to and treat their children and in how they relate to and treat the most vulnerable people within their society. Heal that and we can heal everything.
1. Early in March, the New Zealand's Government began to instruct all international visitors — in normal times, the country gets as many as 4 million tourists a year — to self-isolate for 14 days.
Then on March 19, the tourism-dependent nation fully closed its borders to international visitors, a move that was likely effective because it came before community spread took off locally.
They NZ government demanded people quarantine at home or in local hotels, they covered the costs (hotel or loss of income) and they policed it robustly, yet kindly.#
In the UK people returning from Northern Italy (Ski Holidays) where there were numbers of cases emerging in February were not checked, not asked to quarantine. Yes, they were allowed to return to the community and share their good fortune, share their holiday photo's, compare their suntans to the pasty white of those who did not have the good fortune to take a mid term holiday on the snowy slopes.
They brought back the disease as a silent gift. This was not heir fault - the UK Government absolutely failed in it's duty of care to each and every one of those holiday makers and to their communities to which they returned.
There were travellers arriving from where ever the viral infection was emerging, at every UK airport.
There are still flights coming into Heathrow as of today, 11th April, arriving from New York and other locations where outbreaks are surging, and there are still no health checks and no request or provision for quarantine. ,
2. Just as importantly the Ardern government pushed a strong "stay home" message beginning early in the crisis, and implemented a strong social distancing ORDER as of March 23. The order shut schools and nonessential services and banned many outdoor activities.
It was not 'suggested advice'.
New Zealanders (including immigrants) have also received recurring payments the government designed to make it easier to people to avoid working, thus to remain in quarantine.
No similar policy here - I am self employed, if I apply now, I will start to receive income in May or June - I will be utterly broke and about £1000 down in bills by that stage, plus extra 500+ on a credit card for just to buy the most basic foods.
My income will be 80% of what I earned last year, which comes to about £96 weekly.
I never have earned much, but because I know how to live cheap (the artist must) I could get by. That is now looking less likely.
I am one of the lucky ones, there are millions of people in the UK are facing possible destitution right now, as their daily fare.
A member of Ardern's government caught mountain biking and beach going with his family even faced public condemnation from the prime minister.
Here a minister does the same, and a few words of complaint from dull witted pundits is all that happens.
Boris Johnson is getting praise from the media, for being ill and for recovering (a recovery made possible by frontline NHS staff taking daily risks) and is now in hiding, recuperation...
The core epidemiological strategy Contact Tracing and quarantining is not happening in the UK at all.
Nada. Take it on the Chin. Herd Immunity. (Hoard Immunity - protect the Wealth)
Testing is also not happening.
Massive disruption to testing supplies due to claims they do not work (the Government we are told bought 17 million)
How does a Government order 17 million of anything only to find that the product does not work?
Did they get samples and test those?
Did they examine the manufacturers evidence, their scientific and technical papers that must be publicly available, that prove the efficacy of the product?
None of this information is available, Government is not presenting it.
Just as they refuse to present the 'scientific evidence' for their original policy of 'take it on the chin'.
We do know they are urging British manufacturers to make kits. That pattern of cancelling orders of proven equipment, and then giving the order to companies closer to the Conservative donor base is one to be watched very carefully. Dyson sucks.
I was able to find working testing kits online on March 13th.
I wrote about that at the time on my facebook page.
4. The NZ government treated the citizens as adults, and told them exactly why these measures were needed. Direct, honest communication from the start. They did not rely on 'Behavioural Sciences' or 'Nudge' or 'suggested advice'.
That meant that from the very start that the citizens had provision of accurate timely information that they could trust, therefore engage with. Which they did.
The British Government treated us all like idiots and economic cannon fodder.
This has an historical resonance, one that approved state hagiographers such as Simon Schama are unwilling to acknowledge. The Irish and Indian Famines of the mid to late 1800s - 'let the people take it on the chin, protect the Wealth.' Same old, same old.
5. The Ardern Government injected a very well considered economic package to small and medium businesses, farms, community groups, the unemployed and arranged mortgage pauses, banned evictions, increased weekly benefit payments and worked with the larger corporations to make life bearable for the duration.
The UK Bailed out the stock market and corporate sector, and provided conditional loans for British workers and small businesses, and the hope of future support to the huge self employed and gig economy workforce.
Yes, hope. Sometime in June.
And still is not providing adequate PPE for frontline staff. Employers are still forcing workers to work without adequate PPE. Universal Credit's online application systems are log jammed, close to collapse.
The British Government have co-opted every call for support and turned each into a wealth grabbing opportunity for their Corporate sponsors.
6. This is the difference between New Zealand and the UK, and it has nothing to do with the size of the population.
it's got nothing to do with the population size.
NZ GDP per Citizen - $38,000 US dollars. UK GDP per Citizen - $41,030.US dollars
It has everything to do with the culture of power, and the compliant servility of Government, Civil Service, Parliament and news media as a whole to the concept of the Crown and The Flag behind which the Establishment Status Quo of Empire, the Plutocracy, the Spiders' Web of Economic, Political and Military Power hides, and which must be insulated from emergence of the ordinary citizen as an equal partner - the entitlement to rule is both genetic and by divine right, and citizens should know their place.
I have written more than enough about the regularity of scapegoating by both Government and Mefia in the UK, and how it operates. I coined the term 'political grooming gangs'. A term totally unacceptable to the status quo, and indeed to most people in the UK. Too bad. Get used to the smell of this cup of coffee. I am not going to alter my position because it is the honest truth.
7. The only thing holding the UK together is the decency of ordinary people. Nothing else.
Keir Starmer was raising questions about an Exit Strategy this morning. What a dull servile grovelling official he is. Exit Strategy? We are not yet even in the end of the beginning of this dreadful shituation and he's whinging about exit strategy? Rebecca Long Bailey would not be so servile.
Unless Keir Starmer (and by extension Labour, Greens, Independents, SNP, Plaid and decent Conservatives) calls for a unity Government void of the current Cabinet, (who ought to be arrested) a unity Government informed by epidemiology, clinical care, trauma informed social care and economic kindness to workers, funded by the Tax Havens and their trillions, he is a servile, compliant betrayer of the UK Citizenry.
There is nothing more to be said.
Arrest the Mefia barons too, who have enabled of of this...
The Queen is nothing. The Prince of Wales is nothing. Parliament is nothing. The Mefia are nothing,
The decency of ordinary people is everything.
Kindest regards
Corneilius
"Do what you love, it's Your Gift to Universe"
Thank you for reading this blog. All we need to do is be really honest, responsive to the evidence we find,and ready to reassess when new evidence emerges. The rest is easy.
Provide Fully Functional Support Without Strings Starting Now.
Nine Words:
We Are One Human Family, We Must Do This.
One Word:
Now.
Two Words:
South America.
One word:
India.
One word:
Now.
Colony - a song by Damien Dempsey
deep, poignant, honest and rebellious in the best sense of the word
a song so full of love and life
that it uplifts my heart and mind every time I hear it.
Kindest regards
Corneilius
"Do what you love, it's Your Gift to Universe"
Thank you for reading this blog. All we need to do is be really honest, responsive to the evidence we find,and ready to reassess when new evidence emerges. The rest is easy.
Political Grooming Gangsters study bias and vulnerability across a population in order to locate targets, to exacerbate their fears and biases over time, in order to nudge their behaviour in ways that the groomers can exploit.
THIS IS INDUSTRIAL SCALE PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE.
The image above is The Telegraph front page March 16th, in which the editing contrast some black people stocking up with loo roll against the idea of punishing people who refuse to go into quarantine, when there was no such policy - this is quite deliberate, it is intentional mass scapegoating in classic style.
What did these East Asian States do? They alerted their citizens, as soon as they were aware they were dealing with a new infectious virus that we have no immunity for and had confirmed that by sequencing the genome.
The treated their citizens as adults, and the told them EXACTLY what was at stake, and they provided the resources for programs designed to limit the spread of infection and bring it to halt, and treat those who were ill, and protect the more vulnerable and they trusted the citizens to engage with that.
They provided economic and financial support to the citizens as they went through that process.
And that is what the citizens of those four states did.
They did not have to be ordered and forced - China did introduce Laws to shut down and that was less about force than about marshalling the resources to protect the people.
2. The British media have played the narratives that have scapegoated the citizens who were frightened, confused, mislead and acted in panic and confusion in order to protect the governments neglect of their duty of care
When the first surge of deaths emerged around 10th-14th March, they proposed locking all the elders and other vulnerable people in their homes, to protect them, and let the fit population handle getting infected.
That was official policy.
The medical and epidemiology community pushed back, and that policy lasted less than 24 hours...
3. Since then confusing messaging and piecemeal policy adjustments has meant that a degree of confusion amongst the citizens remains - then we can factor in the UK Column Brexit community and the Con Theory community spreading profoundly damaging content far and wide - and we get idiots everywhere taking a parties, having a day out at the beach, etc...
Whilst the vast majority of citizens get on with the shut down and stay at home protocol because they want to protect the NHS, who as it happens are, even today 4th of April, still working without correct protective kit for handling a surge of patients presenting with a viral lung infection that is life threatening for tens of thousands of vulnerable people.
And the media hype the behaviour of the minority, and allow that misrepresentation to roll, which makes more people angry at each other - and the government will exploit that as an excuse to introduce 'draconian measures'... watch and see.
The total vulnerable population in UK is just over 5 million people, out of 65 million.
That's disabled folk, chronically ill folk, people living in temporary accommodation, the homeless, the people in prisons and detention centers, on remand, in psychiatric hospital and in day to day hospitals, the people in need of care assistance at home, people in hostels and refuges, large families sharing small houses and apartments.
If 1% of those people are infected and the infection causes them to die an horrific death, that is 50,000 people.
That is 50,000 avoidable horrible deaths in a few weeks, or a month.
4. So, having explained my position, please let us not blame the our fellow citizens - focus all ire on the people who put us all in this position to protect the 'economy' the Wealth, and the few who spout con theory and fear of totalitarian European or Global overlords, etc to a vulnerable, gullible audience.
5. Beware Lateral Violence, and those who would stimulate it.
Making sense of the English Government Policy on SARSCOV-2 viral infection epidemic, and the COVID19 disease
Boris Johnson's father has written a book on population, posing population as a problem to be resolved by reduction, rather than by changing what the population does. My perspective is that 7 billion people engaged in nurturing the world we share, deploying permaculture for example, is a different way to solve the problem.
Here Johnson senior lays out the basics of his 'thinking'.
Who's chin, and for what?
Late Victorian Holocausts is a book that looked in some detail at the many famines that 'occurred' during the reign of Queen Victoria. I grew up in Ireland and the stories of the Famine were part of my education. It was much later that I learned that even the Irish official narratives were incomplete.
I read Late Victorian Holocausts at the same time as I read The Scramble for Africa. The threads of European Christian Imperialism were revealed to be steeped in the bloodied lives and deaths of millions of vulnerable people.
Now we are living in the Late Elizabethan era, and since 2003 the British Government has perpetrated a series of mass population level harms at home and abroad. Iraq, Afghanistan, Austerity, Libya, Syria and Yemen. Millions of avoidable deaths caused by deliberate UK Government policy choices.
And now COVID19.
We are in potentially at the beginning of yet another holocaust. What is Herd Immunity?
Why did Johnson even mention that concept, a pseudo-scientific 'theory' in the context of SARSCOV2 and COVID19 except to put that idea into the mix? It is scientific nonsense to postulate Herd Immunity for a new pathogen which we know so little about, which appears already to be generating variants more rapidly then we would like.
He can claim, of course, that he has not chosen that policy. However the effect of the ignoring best advice since January 24th is that the population will be forced, by circumstances the Johnson Government have created, to take it on the chin. Slow spread guarantees the bulk of the population will inevitably be exposed to the virus. Fully aware, as he must have been at this date, of the implications of ignoring the best advice, look at this interview (see below).
What is going on here?
Are we getting accurate and clear advice?The Government might not have stated the policy in public as such - take it on the chin - yet when we examine the time line of global awareness of a unusual form of pneumonia in emerging in Wuhan late November through to identifying a novel corona virus, in early January having sequenced it's genome and thus confirming the nature of a novel pathogen and the implementation of epidemiological protocols in January into February in China, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea, then the British Governments lack of a response is at odds with the realities of the situation.
Take note of the speed with which the Chinese and international medical, virology and epidemiological research community responded once they had identified that the virus was indeed a new virus for which there was no immunity, and the speed with which China, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong implemented the correct protocols to stop the spread of infection.
Contrast that with the lack of a determined response in similar fashion by the British Government and National Health England when they were categorically warned and alerted that serious and immediate action must be taken, to prevent thousands upon thousands of avoidable fatalities, the only logical analysis is that the policy was indeed to allow the infection spread across the population.
"Take it on the Chin."
Now, it appears that in mentioning it on live breakfast TV, Johnson put that policy aside - and offered a different policy as the way forward. But did he? Did the policy really change?
If it had, then there is no evidence in material terms at that time, that it has changed.
The lack of PPE, the lack of stock piles of kit and medicines, the lack of effective and clear public communication, the failure to introduce distancing policies, the lack of attention to detail and the wilful rejection of prior learned experience notably the contact tracing work carried our in China, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong, amount to allowing the NHS to take it on the chin.
As a background to the rest of this piece I will set out a context, a psyche-sociological behavioural and historical context. The psychology of artificial power disparity and it's historical patterns.
We live within a social material system or culture of hierarchic power where a few hold the material power to affect the lives of many, many people for good or for ill.
This is not an egalitarian society, what we live in. Inequity is the normative dynamic we see everywhere. It is a power hierarchy. Even with 'democracy' as it is, it is a violent hierarchy.
A few principles of the behavioural dynamic of such a system must be understood in order to understand what is happening in the UK at this time, where we face an epidemic of a viral infectious disease for which we have neither immunity nor a vaccine.
This is an unprecedented situation, where the population as a whole is suddenly made vulnerable, not only by the virus, but by the behaviour and actions of people who hold power over the population.
This situation requires that we see the true material reality of power and behaviour in order to confront the situation in the best manner with regards to public health and the care of our most vulnerable people.
1. Bullies will always exploit any emergent vulnerabilities in any family, community, organisation, institution or population where they gold a power disparity. It is a behaviour pattern, a psychology - it is not a conspiracy as such, even though bullies in a position of power will conspire within it...
It is a core behaviour pattern within hierarchy cultures.
Egalitarian cultures do not do this, ever. Ever.
Good decent people will never behave in that way.
Hedge funds do. Tyrants do. Predatory Corporations behave this way
2. The UK establishment/Government policy from day one was, as I have laid out above, in effect if not in publicly declared name, to "let the population and the NHS take it on the chin, in order to protect the Economy" (code for protect our Wealth and Power)
The British Government ignored warnings from expert communities, international epidemiologists, clinical practitioners and public health officials and workers. They adopted a policy of isolating the elderly and the vulnerable away from contact with the rest of the population, to allow the infection to spread through the fitter, younger population who would experience 'mild' symptoms.
This was a policy based on bogus pseudoscience, "data modelling and behavioural sciences" rather than virology, epidemiology and best public health protocols and practice.
Every push back exposing the flaws in that and subsequent policy decisions of the British Government, from the epidemiological, medical and public health experts has been carefully co-opted with that in mind.
Even the policies on protecting income are in real terms a wealth grab.
The media are refusing to call it like it is, and are protecting the Government/Establishment by portraying this event as an unforeseen (lie) and difficult situation (true), or by claiming Government incompetence rather than the actuality, which is deliberate mediated negligence of the public's health, driven by a desire to protect the Wealth.
There is, of course, some genuine incompetence involved. But much worse than that is repeatedly not admitting errors and carrying on as if they (the government) have addressed their previous errors, whilst continuing with the original policy.
2.a There is an historical precedent for what we are seeing.
The British Government behaviour : their actions and and the outcomes during the Irish Famines (mid 1800s) and the Indian Famines (late 1800s) are instructive of the attitude we are seeing today.
Bear in mind the Eton/Harrow public school background and education of the main players of the British Government and the Establishment, their links to investment banking, their desire for a deregulated corporate environment, their protection of Tax Havens. A plutocratic ruling class.
Priti 'No Potatoes' Patel "Tory MP Priti Patel has told the paper that these *warnings should have been used as leverage against Ireland to encourage them to drop the backstop.
“This *paper appears to show the government were well aware Ireland will face significant issues in a no-deal scenario. Why hasn’t this point been pressed home during negotiations? There is still time to go back to Brussels and get a better deal.”
Using food shortages as a political leverage.
https://www.thejournal.ie/brexit-threat-food-shortages-ireland-4381228-Dec2018/
People educated in a sense of entitlement to Rule, a sense of genetic and intellectual superiority to the general population, and an historic loyalty to the Crown and The Establishment above all else, the Power.
Sir Charles Trevelyan one of the British politicians charged with managing the response to the famine echoes the words of Iain Duncan Smith, who rejected the idea of applying Universal Basic Income as a short term solution to help workers and employers bear the burden of a shut-down during the looming crisis : Sir Charles Trevelyan: his wiki page "If the Irish once find out that there are any circumstances in which they can get free government grants, we shall have a system of mendicancy [begging] such as the world never knew”. “The great evil with which we have to contend is not the physical evil of the famine, but the moral evil of the selfish, perverse and turbulent character of the people" Iain Duncan Smith : source "One proposal being pushed around at the moment is the redundant idea of a Universal Basic Income. Let me say now, it’s un-affordable, impractical, produces massive disincentives for people to work and most importantly won’t make any difference to poverty in this country. And even if that weren’t enough, this would not be the moment for such a massive upheaval of our welfare system."
Update - The post-Covid-19 war on the working class has begun early. Rishi Sunak wants to wind down the Job Retention Scheme, which has paid 80 per cent of the wages up to £2,500 a month of 6.3 million people, in July. “People are addicted to the scheme,” a senior government source briefed the Times: with a current price tag of £8bn a month the policy has been deemed not “sustainable”.
It appears that it was not Rishi Sunak who uttered those words - it was some other high official, who is remaining coy. Nonetheless, the pattern is clear and continuous.
No mention of the upheaval of a tsunami of COVID 19 cases across the country, and the potential for tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of fatalities, logn term chronic health impacts and the disruption of cycles of shut-down, open up, next wave, shut down etc..
So there it is, the repeated behavioural dynamic, across 100's of years. I think it's worth mentioning in passing this website which record the details, of British Empire sentiment, action and rationalisations of policy as recorded in Hansard, the Parliamentary record, in news media of the day, and in private archives.
Late Victorian Holocausts is another go to text on this. This book examines in detail the British Empires attitude to famines across the empire.
Quite complex, yet not at all complicated once you understand what is happening and why.
3. Have you read the WHO final report on Wuhan, written by a team the visited Wuhan for a week, speaking to those who had the experience, in February 16 -23?
Have you read original sources, or what others have written about those materials, giving their perception rather than relaying the pertinent information.
If not, you know nothing other than what others are saying about it. You are rendered blind, and trusting. In such a severe situation, that is unwise.
4. Get up to speed, seek accurate, original sourced information in order to protect your family and loved ones.
4.a Doctor John Campbell, a British Accident and Emergency Veteran and Epidemiology doctor and a senior Nursing Trainer, is a really good source on Youtube.
He has been vlogging on this since early January.
4.e Google 'lessons learned' and 'China' or 'Korea' or 'Taiwan' or 'Hong Kong' - seek out source info.
5. My top tip Advice - make no more assumptions, work off the available evidence, evidence, evidence!
There is so much information available - explore with google scholar for papers on any specific subject you want.
It's all there, and there is shed loads of really good science done and dusted, and presented in clear language..
We are all indoors, we have time to peruse the real papers and our growth in knowledge will help dissipate the fear of the unknown.-
6. Please study the experience of Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore - they know what they are doing because they had already experience with SARS in 2003, and they applied those learning's to this outbreak of the new infectious virus SARSCOV-2.
They have managed to control the spread of infection, though they will remain, as we all will, vulnerable to further outbreaks.
The thing is that precisely because of having successfully deployed the best epidemiological protocols, they are ready to respond rapidly to any new out breaks, and limit the harms caused..
7. In terms of how food can help support your immune system, and your bodies defences, it's fever dynamics, I present for your use a web page with nutrition advice, from the American Nutrition Association.
Personalised Nutrition and the COVID-19 Era..
"At the moment, the nutritional strategies to deal with this infection are only supportive. In the absence of large-scale and long-term data, there is insufficient understanding of the subtle differences of specific nutrients on outcomes for individuals and populations. This task force of ANA nutrition scientists and clinicians has gathered to share collective expertise towards the potential supportive role of personalized nutrition during this challenging time for our society and our healthcare systems."
Has links to research papers supporting the various bits of information, which is to say, proven efficacy, not theory or hope..
8. Arm yourself with accurate, verified information that you can check.
Helpful tips on caring for relatives at home.
Dr. John Campbell, UK - I highly recommend his channel as a way to access grounded information that is presented calmly without diluting it's seriousness.
No need for fear, or belief, or assumption or fantasy.
9. We will get through this, in spite of the British Government, Conspiracy Theories, UK Column and the misinformation industry, the BBC and British Media in general.
Kindest regards
Corneilius
"Do what you love, it is your gift to universe."
This blog, like all my other content creation work is not monetised via advertising. If you like what I present, consider sharing my content. If you can afford the price of a cup of coffee or a pint of beer/ale/cider for a few months, please donate via my Patreon account.
"Dear Sir/Madam, Dear Editors.
Repeatedly we see decisions that are made by the UK Government that exacerbate the situation - whether it is inadequate income support for workers or lack of PPE stockpiles for frontline Staff, cancellation of orders for essential kit then transferred to other companies closer to the Conservative Party's donor group, repeated off the cuff lies - all stemming from a crazy 'take it on the chin' policy.
As an Irish citizen trapped in the UK I am reminded of Sir Charles Trevelyan during the mid Victorian era.
Who took what on whose chin? For what?
Repeatedly means deliberately, just as DWP policy on sanctions as a motivator of behavioural change is clearly a deliberate policy that goes ahead in spite of the harms it causes.
Why the other leaders of political parties, why editors and pundits and international leaders are not screaming for a cross party government led by all leaders, informed by epidemiological science and best practice is beyond me...
We are all enabling a terrible catastrophe by our deference and silence.
Yours sincerely,
Corneilius Crowley...
Ten ways the uk government policy is making things worse - read more
my short song for NHS PPE kit...
Kindest regards
Corneilius
"Do what you love, it's Your Gift to Universe"
Thank you for reading this blog. All we need to do is be really honest, responsive to the evidence we find,and ready to reassess when new evidence emerges. The rest is easy.
The work to deal with climate change can wait, just a few months, even a year. That can wait.
The work to deal with who is liable for bad advice during the run up to this crisis, that can wait.
The Rapture can wait.
The fear of a global dictatorship being introduced can wait.
The run-to-the-hills and get away delusion is just another vector of transmission.
Evidence based medical and clinical and epidemiological really matter.
This video, one of many by Doctor John Campbell, is crucial.
Doctor John is a Nursing Trainer. He knows his onions.
Let us learn from those who have the experience.
It ought to be on all TV Networks.
It concerns what all the people ought to know, in order to make good decisions...
Let us learn from the experience of others.
Why re-invent the wheel?
Watch this video.
John Campbell is a Nursing Trainer, with decades of experience,
He presents the information the Government is not presenting, in a timely manner, so that we can integrate that information and understand why we must isolate, shut down, identify all infected people, treatment, quarantine etc, in order to see how far the infection has spread - to make the disease path visible in order to slow and stop that spread.
He suggests we (The UK, where I live) learn from those who have already been through the experience.
Knowledge is far more efficient than belief, assumption, prejudice or ideology in resolving problems.
In my own past experience, in roles where I held responsibility for large teams of workers, whenever I was in a situation where I did not have enough accurate information which I could absorb in a timely fashion, I noticed a tendency to imagine, to make assumptions, to guess, to fall back on belief and opinion, rather than the evidence, This created numerous problems, for me and for others. I learned very quickly to stop, seek evidence, and work with the evidence, Belief is a very dangerous thing, in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Opinion is generally useless, and tends to be a reflection of the opinion holders internalised beliefs... It is an understandable dynamic. If you don't have accurate info, and you are worried or frightened, what do you do? Most people fall back on beliefs and prejudices. I know because I have done this myself.
The job of those who Govern is to provide that accurate information, in a timely fashion, so that the population, understanding the situation, can act in congruent manner to face the situation.
Good quality information, delivered on time. The British Government have failed in this, and the Media has failed in this with regards to COVID-19. This is not a 'flu. I know because I am in day 7, or possibly day 13 of the illness.
I know because I know others going through this, and I see the statistics... of those who recover, many recover with lung damage that will afflict their lives. There is a wide range of symptoms, and variations are because each human body is different, there is no average.
That means that each of us going through this must pay attention, close attention to our symptoms, we must understand them and then take action based on our understanding. Belief will not suffice, except as matter of sheer luck.
-------
Then there is the trauma of such an experience, individual and collective.
How do you quantify that qualitative lived experience?
How do you prepare for that?
Honesty is the only way through.
So I repeat, do not be complacent because you have had flu's and colds before and gotten over them.
This COVID-19 disease symptom progress is way more variable than we are being told, the media and politicians throw the word 'mild' around as if it had value - as evidence it is void because we have no immunity to this particular virus, and bad management will kill many, many hundreds of thousands of people in the UK, millions world wide. Mild is deeply misleading. The Government and Media have failed to inform the population in ways that would support our home treatments, in ways that would engage with is to follow the epidemiological protocols.
Herd Immunity and Take it on the Chin... If you don't have accurate information, what do you do?
You make it up, you make decisions without all the necessary information.
Which is why so many people have been 'behaving' in ways others regard as insanitary, or even insane, and it is notable that much more voice is given in media to targeting those people, than the people who mislead them. The media repeated the Government line, they did not challenge it, in the way it needed to be challenged. The media is not baying for the head of Boris Johnson.
Why?
They are not calling for his resignation or his arrest, nor or they calling for a Government of national unity, non-partisan, committed to the task, void of party politics, power grabbing and profit gouging.
Lateral Violence.
It is glorious of course, to rail about the stupidity of the masses.
It's a buzz. People get off on that.
It allows one to vent, to feel superior.
It is a form of lateral violence.
"Look at all those people who are so selfish -The loo roll hoarders, the caravans and RVs fleeing west, the frightened, the confused, the mislead, the hopeful. How stupid they are, how uncouth!"
Easy targets. Wrong targets, this does not help the situation...
Social conditioning is real and it afflicts many peoples lives. Powerful groups publish through their networks lots of dodgy 'information', gossip deliberately to mislead, mask, trigger, bully. Where do we find accurate information delivered in a timely fashion?
Be VERY cautious of material that sets one group of ordinary folk against another.
Be alert to materials that might trigger lateral violence. I wrote previously about this misleading, manipulative dynamic.
I called it grooming.
Political grooming that exploits ordinary folk's varied perceptions and beliefs, assumptions and blind spots..
"The Chinese Virus".....
Kindest regards Corneilius "Do what you love, it's Your Gift to Universe" Thank you for reading this blog. All we need to do is be really honest, responsive to the evidence we find,and ready to reassess when new evidence emerges. The rest is easy.
Kindness is a key strategic dynamic when faced with vulnerability.
People spontaneously making public music for pleasure and solidarity in Italy during the lock down that was made necessary because the transmission of the viral infection had been allowed to get out of control.
Bella Chao!
#kindnessispolitical
We do not need to be cruel to be kind, when faced with vulnerability.
These two pages of the same corporate newspaper, in different neighbouring countries, presenting entirely different narratives, speak volumes, dated Friday 13th March.
An appalling vista. One one hand let us work together as a people, and let us take action to save lives.
On the other hand, we have already failed you and thus you will lose more people because we will not take the appropriate action, because the economy - our ability to exploit it - is our priority, get ready for more deaths.
Kindness and it's opposite, indifferent, callous negligence. Some other countries are blessed with Governments that bring care for the people to the forefront of their deliberations. It's not rocket science.
Jacinda Ardern speaks of kindness as a political dynamic within Government. Her intellect, her grasp of both the economic and social detail, whilst being able to keep the larger picture in focus, her intense concern is self evident, and thus she stand in contrast to the buffonery of Boris Johnson, the narcissism of frontman Donald Trump and others of similar disposition.
Corona Virus is upon us.
I am unwell. I have been unwell since 4th March, and it is unlike any previous illness I have experienced, although it has similarities to colds or flu.
I had no idea about COVID19, I was totally not paying any attention to events in China, Taiwan, South Korea, Italy or Spain. I was clueless. Until I had a conversation a few days ago with my daughter, who was also very unwell, and was going into 'self isolation' - a term I was unfamiliar with. That has changed. I can assure you of that. I am now well acquainted with the phrase. I was listening to her and she was telling me about the virus, and the threat it represented. I, in my ignorance, suggested she was being terrorised by the media.
She suggested I re-think my position, and not be so arrogant. I was taken aback and respectful - my daughter is no fool, nor is she the kind to be dismissive or rude for the sake of it - and so I took her seriously and I turned to examine what was known at that stage. 24 hours later and up to speed, I understood her concern, and I apologised. I had been really unwell a week before, with severe aches around old injuries, as if they are inflamed, splitting headaches, heavy sweats whilst sleeping, chest trouble, loss of sense of smell, fatigue. I had assumed it was a flu of some kind. I was really unwell for about 5 days, and then it calmed down. That was when I was speaking with my daughter. It has resurfaced.
I now believe I am unwell with COVDI9. My breathing is way, way down, my chest feels like I cannot fill it, and I feel very fatigued, I cannot sleep much, my appetite is minimal
It's a little scary, in that there are many unknowns, I cannot get tested, and I am self treating with Vit C, lots of fluids, rest, light foods, and hoping for the best. I am being kind to myself.
So here's the thing. Kindness is political. Let me explain by way of looking at UK Government policy on Corona Virus, as I know it today, (I am sure I will learn a lot more in the coming months) in contrast to others who are taking a very different stances.
Monday 16th of March - British Newspaper Front Pages focus on protecting the elderly by secluding them, by isolating them; on protecting the economy by allowing business as usual among the less vulnerable; on police powers to arrest suspected covid-19 patients (with no testing available?) and a front page portrayal of people of colour as loo roll panic buyers.
Crime and punishment, emotional blackmail and vague policy directives lacking any evidence, as grooming devices.
This portrayal reminds me, again, of everything repulsive that has gone on in British Corporate News Media and in online trolling in the past decades, the dehumanisation of certain demographic groups, and the caricature of situations as emotive trigger material, the dearth of honest analysis leading to confusion across our population.
Where is the kindness needed in a time of increasing vulnerability?
I like to think of kindness, beyond being a personal trait or quality, as a practical method, as a way of coping with life, and as a way of learning and growing in the real material world, through experience, reflection, deliberation, honesty and practical application.
We could envision kindness as a social organisational strategic behaviour, in and of itself. Especially so in a time of emerging vulnerability and great difficulty.
Kindness is looking at the whole situation, taking the detail as well as the larger field of view. Making that extra effort to see the small and the large with equal precision.
Kindness is responsive, rather than reactive. Kindness is responding to the needs of the people in the situation of increased vulnerability.
Kindness is receptive : "I hear you and I have made sure that you know that I have heard and understood you, and that I am responding to your need."
Kindness is focused.
Kindness is political, in that the lack or presence of kindness in managing a power disparity and in handling governance of the commons has huge impact on the well being of the governed, who have less power by orders of magnitude than the few who occupy positions of power.
A small policy adjustment of the powerful leader or official or office can alter the lives of millions of people, one way or the other, in ways no one individual can counter.
That is not safe, if that decision, choice or action is careless.
Kindness is political.
Kindness is what is missing from the concerns of overtly financial budgets, gross population models, behavioural modification, reward/sanction dynamics, artificial intelligence and machine learning .
Kindness cannot be found in an algorithm or in coding.
And kindness is what is missing from the interactions between the powerful and the vulnerable, in our current political dynamic.
This lack of kindness, of attention to the detail of people's lives translates into a consistent and incremental escalation of chronic stress imposed upon vulnerable people, whose immune systems, living conditions or will to deal with that lack of kindness can often break down under the combined pressures.
This is what is playing out at home, on broadcast TV news and on the international political stages. Break down.
Lessons from 1918 Flu pandemic
To the biology of the virus, to the human body and to the T-cells of the human being it does not matter what kind of political or economic model China operates, what ideology is chosen by any Government.
What matters is that State and the people agreed to a strategy of limiting the spread by top down lockdown, and by a bottom upwards and outwards process of identifying the infected and the unwell, providing support for contact tracing all cases, to identify, quarantine and offer good treatment all the way to ICU level support where necessary, covering everyone's living costs, with an aim to stopping the spread of the infection.
We have known since 1918 that this method works. It is established scientific and clinical practice.
This one chart demonstrates the efficacy of social distancing, treatment of infected people away from the community, which helped to reduce transmission of infection during the 1918 flu epidemic - two cites, two different policies, two different outcomes.
One city went into early lock down, the other allowed large gatherings to go ahead.
Because these cities varied in their responses, and because we also know that this variation repeated itself across the Earths population affected during 1917-18, we know this is true.
SARS in 2002/3 and MERS in 2012/13 and other outbreaks of infectious diseases spread by human to human have led to further study and development of the protocols to stop the spread of infection.
Learning from experience : China
The Chinese Government and people know that they will see future out breaks, and they are devoting funds and resources to prepare for that, right now. This epidemic in China is not yet over - their systems remain active and vigilant.
The Chinese Government did not suppress information about the outbreak as they have been accused by various western news media. Some errors were made in the early days, and these have been acknowledged and addressed.
There was a case of local Wuhan Government having a go at a number of doctors, for sharing information in online social media, before the genome of the novel virus had been sequenced. Censorship of those comments as they spread through social media was carried on for a few days.
The Chinese Government and the WHO were perhaps too cautious. The 'unwillingness' to slap an international travel ban cannot be laid at the feet on the WHO alone - that body can advise, it cannot impose.
The Chinese medical, clinical and epidemiological communities were totally open about what was happening, and were sharing there information with others in other countries across the Earths nation states, including the British Government who rule over me and my compatriots, and our visitors.
From 31st December to 7th January was the timeline involved between Li Wenliang publishing his concerns on social media and the sequencing of the genome,
It was the National Chinese Government that initiated the lock down, and threw all available resources into limiting and stopping the spread of the infection, and ramping up hospital and treatment facilities, contact tracing etc...
Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Vietnam have all acted rapidly to suppress community transmission.
Boris Johnson's plan is bogus.
Boris Johnson tells us that "many of your loved ones will die".
He says the strategy is to move 'from contain, to delay.'
Containment would mean clear and timely communication of the threat. a temporary lock down, social distancing, testing and contact tracing to identify pockets of infection, quarantine of contacts, treatment in fever hospitals and the focus of resources in order to stop the spread of infection.
That never happened. There has never been any serious attempt at containing the virus, within the UK.
Delay is in practice to delay the correct action as indicated by best practice epidemiological protocol. That is the only delay the UK Government have made. Slowing the spread is not the same as stopping the spread of the infection. Slowing the spread is allowing the spread.
That is the policy in how it is actually happening, whatever they might call it.
The UK Government, 'led' by Boris Johnson has carried out no program of containment, and has not acted according the best medical practice. They are pursuing a herd immunity policy.
"Our policy is informed by data modelling and behavioural science" said Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer, UK Government. That claim was repeated by Sir Patrick Valence, the Governments Chief Scientific Adviser.
I fell off my seat, listening to that. What the actual flabbergasted?
Behavioural Science - not epidemiology, not medical practice, not public health protocols.
Nudge, anyone?
Herd Immunity, or Hoard Immunity?
Protect the People or the Economy?
It can be both. This is not an either or situation.
As of this date, there is no testing offered locally, no accurate public information on local outbreaks, on the full range of symptoms, no contact tracing, no solid information, in fact there was such confusion published in media and across online social media that the Government were forced to say out loud that "this is not a flu!" but something much, much different.
As of this date there is still no contact tracing, no fever hospitals, no checks at airports - the UK is still receiving flights from other infected countries, there is no quarantine of incoming travellers, nothing.
No testing, no process of identifying infected patients as early as possible, offering correct protocol advice for self management and when to move to more intensive care, there are no enhanced facilities to operate that care at sufficient strength to be kind all the way through. Nothing.
No attention to detail, no practical structural kindness by way of policy.
Social distancing, identification of people afflicted, quarantine and treatment in isolation properly supported works as a policy, together, and any gap in that undermines the whole..
It worked in 1918, where it was applied, and where it was not applied, mortality rates went way up.
There are more examples, detailed in the history of 1918, and beyond.
In these epidemics, Governments involved chose to deploy all available resources to ensuring as few people as possible become infected, they chose to act to stop the spread of the infection, not merely to slow it down. Those Governments activated a protocol that demanded that as much resources as can be made available to treat the unwell, and the seriously ill, in isolation from the general population. The policy was to acknowledge the fatalities, and to keep and provide accurate up to date information at local level, so people know what is happening.
This method had form, has been used to contain epidemics for a long time, and was clearly successful where applied during the 1918 worldwide flu outbreak. People need to know what is happening in order to be better engaged in the process of suppression of an infection.
The worst misleading public narrativefor me was the insistence in News Mefia and across the online social media that the illness was similar to the 'flu.
In terms of prevention of spread, and provision of treatment, the Chinese, Taiwanese, Koreans, Vietnamese and other East Asian states have developed practical protocols which they know from direct experience have been helpful. Aware that there will have be many variations in dosage and reaction, they have developed the capability to analyse the data, the evidence.
Which means that they have an array of field tested protocols. Attention to detail is kindness.
Studying these as the international epidemiology community does all the time is about helping other States draft responses within their own territories - co-operation is a matter of international care, and form of kindness.
The understanding since the Spanish Flu of 1918, SARS, MERS and other cases of infectious diseases is based on real experience, the truest evidence set of all.
It is recorded in some detail that social distancing, self isolation, testing, treatment once infected or infectious until recovery all are essential parts of stopping the spread on an infection.
We can arrive at a reasonable and rational evidence based observation.
In amongst all of this, I watched some live Al Jazeera, today and a segment on refugees, in refugee camps, about the vulnerability of those 100 million displaced people.
How can that not be front page news here?
What about the 320,000 people in the UK who are living in temporary accommodation, in B&Bs, Hotels and Hostels where most of those involved are families, all of them living in very close quarters were self isolation is very difficult to maintain?
Are they left to gamble with a loaded dice on life and death with Boris Johnson's pseudoscience and behavioural nudges as their only 'advantage'?
"Take it on the chin.".
Some reality checks.
The T-cells do not care about our political consciousness, they respond to how we are supporting our living bodies, our brothers and sister, our mothers and fathers and grandparents immune systems with every tool available. Kindness boost one's immune system.
That kindness of quality care at all stages - that people care enough to engage with and carry out shutdown and social distancing for a temporary situation, that the care the state and other agencies take in carrying out action - all of that care is our immune systems ally, and is a counter force to the spread of the virus within any given population in this outbreak.
What happened - real material evidence - in China and South Korea was that the transmission from person to person was reduced, those who were infected were treated until they were clear and no longer infectious, until they had proven immunity, so that they could then not be a transmission or infection agent or submit to the disease state again, because their immune systems now know the virus, and have anti-bodies.
And there are variations in peoples immune systems which led to variations in outcomes. Including, tragically many fatalities.
Boris Johnson would not follow this practical, proven advice for all the T-cells in China!
Excuse the pun - kindness has a sense of humour.
Kindness has to be robust, firm, gentle, determined, and given an unquestioned budget for cost and excellence in delivery - the profit is the health of the population, our welfare and well-being.
Jeremy Corbyn is the kind of public figure who could hold that together.
If only the competing bullies could just stand aside, just for now, while we are dealing with this public threat, within Labour as much as anywhere else. We need to empower the population to be well organised as a grass roots, to turn to mutual aid, in conjunction with NHS, social services, councils and other logistics support, to organise around resources placed at our disposal according to need, so that we can all live without infecting millions and watching hundreds of thousands to die?
Would that be so bad?
Genuine Social Kindness is calling for all of this, and more, and those who stand for power and status, the ruling oligarchies, do not agree: what they will tell you, is that genuine social kindness is a threat to the economy, austerity is necessary.
Corbyn is a threat.
Sanders is a threat.
The Chinese are a threat.
Grass roots request for the human right to regulate and eliminate industrial pollution is a threat.
The virus is just a virus, doing it's thing.
There is no 'war against a virus'; that language is puerile nonsense - there is living with the virus, there is supporting strong immune systems supported by nurturant social behaviour.
There is knowledge based proven efficacy of care.
The Virus has no political or religious affiliations or concerns.
Kindness, as suggested above, and attention to detail are the critical elements of our societal response to the virus.
Kindest regards
Corneilius
"Do what you love, it's Your Gift to Universe"
Thank you for reading this blog.
All we need to do is be really honest, responsive to the evidence we find,and ready to reassess when new evidence emerges. The rest is easy.
