Coronavirus diary, Sunday 31 May

With everyone eager to keep up to date, coronavirus has been the main - almost only - subject for the media. Good news for the broadcasters and the press, you would think. 
While it has been a boost for television that has adapted well for its huge audience, millions trapped at home, it is a different story for the press. 

National, regional and local weekly newspapers are finding it hard going. Some are struggling to survive. Lockdown has drastically hit newsagents sales, street sellers disappeared - remember their calls? - 'Late night final'!

All our papers have been hit, national, regional and weekly.
Today's crisis follows many years of steady decline, from the heady days when Britain led the world in newspaper readership - ninety percent of the population. The Daily Mail and Daily Express sold two million copies a day.

Radio and, from the early nineteen fifties, television, started the newspaper rot. In just ten years from 1960 eight national newspapers folded.

The Echo 1978

The Echo, 2020

Wales has been among the hardest hit. The Western Mail in Cardiff, the Post covering North Wales and dozens of local papers are under threat. They include the South Wales Echo and South Wales Argus for which I worked for many years. Twenty percent of their workforce has been put on furlough. Now, like most of British newspapers, they are part of just two groups which own hundreds of titles.

In my early days, the Penarth Times on which I started, was owned by a Penarth family, the Pickfords, whose editor, Herbert, was a member of almost every organisation in the town. George Hoare, the editor of the Argus who hired me in 1948 was a magistrate and key figure in the town. They knew their patch and their community and it showed in the paper, and their circulations.

That local touch has long gone. The group owning the The Argus is a typical example of the problem. After being given a very substantial Welsh government grant  to set up a sub-editing hub for its range of papers and create ten new jobs it has closed it and switched to Dorset. 

As one of the Welsh editors said this week, 'Local papers are an essential part of our communities. It is a tragedy to see them closing.'

As a dyed in the wool, old fashioned reporter - hack - I agree.

Coronavirus diary, Saturday 30 May

The modest relaxation of lockdown rules has lifted the nation's spirit, more so in England with its bolder, more risky approach.

But there is not the same optimism over the twin crisis created by the pandemic - the economy.

Bold response - Chancellor Rishi Sunak

The Chancellor of the Exchequer's response to the gravest threat since the depression of the nineteen-thirties is his job protection - furlough scheme.

We are are, in his words, 'likely to face recession the likes of which we have not seen'. 'Yet this may happen.'
Billions of pounds of taxpayers' money has been pouring out to pay nearly ten million workers to stay at home. 

It is the most audacious economy saving move in the world. But the money tap has to be turned off sometime. The Chancellor  is shutting it off gradually, reducing meeting 80 percent of employees' pay -  up to £25,000 a month - to 60 percent by the end of October with employers then having to pay 23 percent. By that time, the total cost is an estimated £100 billion.

As with every aspect of the coronavirus conundrum, the result is uncertain. How many jobs will still be there? The aviation industry has already announced it is shedding 15,000 jobs. Even worse hit is the hospitality industry. Its 3.2 million employees - one tenth of the country's labour force - raised £39 billion tax revenue last year. 

The plight of small businesses is just as perilous, with a survey today indicating that two in five fear closure.

Another indication of the threat to the economy is the rush to claim unemployment benefits - the number in April, 2.1 million, was the highest ever.

Britain's economic rescue plan has been one of the government's rare successes, so far. Honestly, well presented and explained, it has been gratefully accepted by employers and employees. It deserves to succeed.

But, as with every aspect of this horrific pandemic, the health aspect is perhaps the decisive factor. Unless coronavirus is brought under control, if not defeated, continuing lockdowns would prolong the health crisis and decide the result of its twin crisis, the economy.

Coronavirus diary, Friday 29 May

A lovely summer day, with the weather set fair for the week-end. Perfect for a drive to the beach or the country, a trek up Snowdon perhaps. Not possible, though, in Wales. Unlike England, the Welsh government is being ultra cautious in easing the restrictions we have had to put up with for ten weeks. 

Cautious: Mark Drakeford

One of the concessions made by First Minister Mark Drakeford today is to allow meetings between family and friends but only up to six people. A welcome chance to see parents or grandparents, perhaps, but it must be in the open air and two metres apart. 

But not yet...

Lucky England will make the most of the sunshine by crowding the roads and beaches. Although Wales is out of bounds, the Welcome to Wales signs won't be covered - but the Welsh police forces will turn back any holiday invaders. 
And this is the only the second summer since tolls at the Severn bridges were abolished. 

Inevitably, the official government advice is, well, officious. If you ask, can I go for a walk? the answer, 'Going for a walk and also shopping, to have something to eat and, for example, to sit in he park, is intended to be permitted'. When  will they make up their mind if it is permitted? 

Summer 2020 will be remembered as the dullest ever, even if the sun shines non stop. No Ceredigion National Eisteddfod, and the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod postponed to next year, like many other major shows and sporting events. In England, Premier League football is due to restart in mid June, behind closed doors with piped applause.

But it is all in a good cause - to save lives. Wales has been more stoical than England in accepting the harsh restrictions, and more patient. We are heartened and relieved that coronavirus death numbers are falling,  

Coronavirus diary, Thursday 28 May

Here we go again. Optimism versus realism. The much heralded Test and Trace system is under way. Northern Ireland was first, England today, to be followed by Scotland and Wales. 

The Prime Minister says it will change people's lives, a view echoed by Health Secretary for England Matt Hancock. He seems to be following his usual practice of jumping the gun, setting off on a new race against coronavirus. Too often his plans have been not fully though, like his original 100,000  test target for April, which, surprisingly, was achieved on the very last day, thanks to some adroit manipulation -  test kits sent out but not returned. Now the ambitious test and trace scheme is being rolled out nationwide and we hope it will be effective. It seems to be working in other countries.

It is a simple process. Anyone with symptoms must self isolate and  be quickly tested. If positive, they must disclose recent contacts through the NHS Test and Trace scheme and those contacts should self isolate.

The key to success is that everyone should follow the advice, (rules?) and that the contacts should go into isolation for two weeks. There have already been words of caution from scientists who, while welcoming the system, warn that if fully supported it might prevent only five to fifteen percent of infections.

The scheme is already in doubt judging by criticism from Wales and other countries. And what if someone identified as a recent contact does not isolate?  Or, unlikely, admittedly, take the sick leave benefit offered -  to use the jargon, take a sickie?

The Prime Minister says it is our civic duty to follow this advice to the letter. Unfortunate timing, perhaps, with the example of his chief adviser Dominic Cummings with his own interpretation on the strict lockdown and his flight to Durham that has caused a political storm, still blowing.

Coronavirus diary, Wednesday 27 May

Death has been one of the main features in the popular press since the mid nineteenth century. It interested readers and sold papers. People enjoyed, if that is the word, reading of wars and disasters. Today it has become almost an obsession with the media.

Coronavirus is dominating the news. For three months we have had stories of deaths, daily statistics and graphs, reports of the suffering and loss of life around the world.

The most prolific presenter of sad news is BBC television. Its coverage of every possible aspect and angle of the global disaster is relentless and, I think, often heartless. 

As a reporter I wrote innumerable stories of death, from calling at homes for details from families to accidents and murders, yet I am shocked by the lack of sensitivity shown these days. 

Distressed relatives crying on camera, the repeated showing of galleries of mini photographs of scores, hundreds, of victims. BBC corespondents and cameras have frequently gone into hospitals to illustrate the courage, skill and dedication of the doctors and nurses on the often quoted front line. Often useful and often reassuring. But this week I think they have gone too far. Their health editor has been recording in intimate detail work in an intensive care unit. The emphasis was on death. 

It was almost surreal with nursing staff in full equipment tending  desperately ill, dying patients. Anticipating the probable reaction, the BBC issued an advance warning of upsetting scenes as with television thrillers. but this was not entertainment. To me it was horrific, frightening. It certainly was not news.

As an old and vulnerable care home resident I thought of myself in that ward in those circumstances and was distressed. I think my family would feel the same.

Coronavirus diary, Tuesday 26 May

After avoiding our hospitals being overwhelmed and seeing the rate of infections and deaths coming down, the emphasis now is on finding a solution to the coronavirus danger. And like every other aspect of the story so far it is shrouded in uncertainty.

Ambitious plans, based on calculations, perhaps even guesswork as no-one  pretends to know the answer. It all sounds very scientific; a three-point plan with neat media friendly soundbite headings: 
Test, Track and Trace. But before this came the idea of the herd system, letting the virus run free but that was quickly dropped and the three point plan devised.

Test: Testing has been a controversial subject from the early days with the first target of 100,000 a day not met, leading to disappointment and accusations of incompetence. 

The aim is to find out who has had the virus and where it is spreading. Success depends on the volume and accuracy of the figures. The pilot scheme involving the 6,000 Isle of Wight  residents appears to have fallen far short yet it is still due to be 'rolled out' across the country.

Track:The aim is to find 30,000 households in the UK to be regularly tested for evidence of immunity after infection. This should provide evidence of how the virus is moving through the population. It would also influence decisions on social distancing  vital to get the economy moving.

Trace: People who may be infected alert others who might be exposed, passing on the message by mobile phone. 

All this sounds perfectly reasonable, and the system devised and operated on a far larger scale in other countries has proved successful.

Doubts about the British effort  have  already been expressed  People have been remarkably obedient, compliant even, obeying the government's strict orders so far, but and there is no doubt that armies of volunteers needed to make the  system work must provide enough accurate information.

The plan's success would be followed by the discovery and production of a new vaccine on  which several countries are also engaged. In the UK, thousands of volunteers are testing a possible vaccine being developed at Oxford and we have been assured that if trial are successful we could have millions of  doses available by September.

Amazingly, according to a report today, all this might be a waste of time and effort.

VIRUS MAY VANISH TOO FAST FOR VACCINE TRIAL, says the headline. That's the view of  Professor Adrian Hill, co-leader of the Oxford University project. He says a trial of 10,000 people could return no result because not enough volunteers would be infected. If  so, the result would be useless, he insists.

So where do we go from here? It looks as though it is back to guesswork. 

Coronavirus diary, Monday 25 May

Going into a care home after ninety two years of living first with my parents and then my own family was a momentous decision, taken when there was no other option.That was so, first with Rosemary and me when, after 66 years of marriage, we realised we could no longer carry on living in our flat in Penarth. Rosemary was in poor health with failing eyesight and we were shocked by the death of Beverley, our daughter. Even with carers I could not manage to look after her and run the home.

Our first experience of nursing home life was a two month stay at the BUPA in Cardiff, a second choice after Sunrise which we had inspected and hoped to move into but which was full.

After two months we decided we did not want to stay there for the rest of our lives. The  home was comfortable, the staff excellent, but we missed Penarth and returned home.Tragically, just a few weeks later, Rosemary fell in our bathroom, injuring her ribs and she died ten days later in hospital. I tried to carry on but decided to give up.

I booked a place at Sunrise three months in advance to organise the move and sell the flat. I chose a flat large enough to bring all the furniture and pictures from Penarth. When I arrived, after three weeks in hospital suffering from a viral infection, I was ill and weak. Since then my health has improved and I feel fitter and more content than for years, thanks to marvellous carers and staff.

I am mentally active and positive, looking forward each day.
The coronavirus pandemic has changed the day-to-day life as with everyone and I miss visits from family and friends but realise how much better off I am here than being in lockdown in Penarth.

With my reading, listening to music and writing -
my diary is intended for the family as an historical personal record of these incredible days. I am especially fortunate to be sociable. Here I can enjoy privacy and company. Some residents are not the most communicative or lively company.  Some have memory problems but others seem to lack the energy or will to make the most of their life, even if it is more limited.

Women seem to be the more adaptable, taking part in events and entertainment but the men, far fewer, generally do not want to keep up their interests, take up new ones, or even talk to each other.

I find that sad. But it is their choice. I am perfectly happy with Sunrise, my home from home, and realise how fortunate we all are to be looked after so well by the carers who have become my friends. I love hearing, 'Good Morning, Hi Bob' and 'Goodnight'. It makes my days. 

Coronavirus diary, Sunday 24 May

Some good news from the lockdown. Britain is going to be a shopper's paradise this summer. With millions of pounds worth of stock - especially clothing - stuck in warehouses or on its way by sea from around the world, prices are going to be slashed. Instead of the usual ambiguous 'Up to 50% off ' there will be 60,70 or even 80% reductions, according to the trade experts.

Marks & Spencer says it is mothballing its 2020 fashion collection until next year. 

One broadsheet fashion editor enthuses over a 'gorgeous cocktail dress'  reduced from £900 to £450.

I won't be taking advantage of the bonanza. Well, I might treat myself to some socks or a tee shirt  from Amazon. I won't be going anywhere, certainly not browsing the shops which I used to enjoy. 

The most unusual, and successful sale I can remember was in Toronto many years ago. The Hudson's Bay Company of Canada, founded in the mid 1660s as a fur trading company - the first in the world - went bankrupt. It had to get rid of all the stock in its Canadian stores, including the first, huge, shopping mall in Toronto, the Bay Centre. The plan was to get rid of everything in nine days, reducing the price by ten percent per day. Rosemary and I, on holiday, watched fascinated as the crowds poured in, bargain hunters emptying the shelves.

We looked forward to getting a few bargains but hesitated too long. By day seven they all had been snapped up, On the final day on the last day no one wanted what was left.

All that is needed to get the knock down sales under way here this summer is for Mr Johnson to open our doors.

Coronavirus diary, Saturday 23 May

If I were a cartoonist, not a reporter, today's cartoon would feature the Prime Minister as a hapless juggler, desperately trying to keep a bundle of balls in the air.... school opening, care homes, the economy, travellers' quarantine testing, chiefs going AWOL, immigration, Brexit. Quite a handful. No wonder he is dropping so many. 

Admittedly, they are tricky problems to handle but surely there should be greater deftness and ability from the country's leader. 

The problem that blights not just the Prime Minister but most of his cabinet and advisers seems to be a total regard for logic, basic common sense.

Take the latest example, the quarantining of travellers coming to Britain. It is an idea that should never have been put on the runway, patently impossible to control. Britain has been letting in, if not exactly welcoming, hundreds of thousands of people a day from all over the world with mininimum precautions. It antagonises the stricken aviation industry and people looking forward to a break in the monotony of lockdown. Even Italy and other countries including Greece and Portugal are relaxing their travel rules to save their tourism industry.

But the Home Secretary, Prity Patel, ignores all this, stubbornly stumbling ahead. Those who have to, or dare to travel, face a £1000 fine, It would need an army of enforcers to make it work.

As with the long running battle over school reopening, the government will probably have to come down to earth ignominiously.

The latest embarrassment is Dominic Cummings, Mr Johnson's chief adviser, flouting the rules and making a 500 mile round trip despite the lockdown. How can that be justified if  'we are all in this together? If Mr Cummings stays, what incentive is there for anyone not to defy rules meant to save lives?

Amid all the coronavirus confusion, Brexit is back on the government's crowded agenda. Britain has already left the European Union but  negotiations for an orderly departure, on hold for months, still seem to be getting nowhere.

Mr Johnson, as stubborn as with his pandemic problems, is definite there will be no extension. 

Another ball for him to juggle.

Coronavirus diary, Thursday 21 May

Perhaps it is pedantic but I cannot understand why so many broadsheet newspaper reports are so long as to be boring.When I was reporting many years ago the order was, keep it short. Today, it could be let it ramble. 
I have commented before on papers devoting ten or more pages  every day to the crisis, most of it written by journalists with little or no knowledge of any of the subjects.They are following, embellishing, statements or reports, admittedly often complicated, by health and statistical experts, plus the inevitable long winded jargon loaded speeches of the politicians.A typical example in yesterday's Times was a story thousands of words long spread across nine columns, two pages, headed  TRACING PROMISED BY END OF NEXT WEEK... BUT APP IS HELD, It needs explanation, obviously, but that length?
 Today's headlines are much longer and more informative than in my day, and much bolder (often what we would call 'war declared, intended to make you read the full story. Now they tend to tell the story. 
Just one simple example; also from the Times.Written and by-lined by the policy editor, no less, it tells us we may be able to have a drink at some pubs with large gardens from July. After a long intro reminding us how we have missed it, he goes on to quote at length George Eustice, the Environment Secretary, that 'it may be possible for them (pubs) to reopen. However, any opening is likely to be heavily restricted and limited at first to large venues with access to outside garden'.
We are then told by the minister,' We are  already working with the hospitality industry', adding this gem: 'As the prime minister has outlined, we intend that the hospitality sector, including pubs,would be able tentatively to start gradually opening hopefully during ther month of July - subjecr to the epidemiology supporting such a move'.Another few hundred words is spent telling us the trade welcomes the move. Phew!

MAY21

May 21

The blame game has begun.With progress being made in finding the way out of the conavirus maze, politicians are sharpening their knives ready for the battle ahead - the public enquiry.There is a lot at stake.The government hopes that success in defeating coronavirus will prolong its stay in office, the opposition sees the chance of  toppling them by exposing the delays and mistakes which they will claim has lost lives.  
There are many subjects to fight over, going back to previous years and the warnings and preparation before the pandemic struck, with new ones added by the day, The latest is the government's back to school quandary. No doubt about the political intensity here.  The teachers' unions, vilified for opposing the early return, have been joined by many local authorities and doctors' representatives, casting doubt on the government's determination to go ahead.
Then there is the most emotive of all so far - care homes - for which the government will plainly have a lot to answer. 
The latest hot topic is the feud between the government and their scientific experts on which many of their decisions have been based. This has been brought to boiling point by a minister directly accusing them of giving wrong advice. 
How testing is being organised and carried out is controvesal with track and trace now added to the list.
Surprisingly, the one subject the government may find easier to defend is the economy. For this they have to thank the Chancelleor Rishi Sunak, who has been consistently decisive and open, resisting the temptation to claim credit for his early, dramatic moves to save millions of jobs. He even went so far this week to admit, even spell ou, the seriousness of the country's economic future. 
Perhaps it is not too late for the Prime Minisater and his cabinet to follow his example and considering the complexity of all the issues, be straight with the public.
There is still time to limit the damage and the risk, After all, the enquiry, linked with a global inquest into the crisis, will  probably ake years..

Coronavirus diary, Wednesday 20 May

The government's non stop efforts to feed us information on what they are doing to keep us safe remind me of the fable of the little boy who cried wolf. Not because the information we are being given is false, although some of it is suspect, but because it has become boring through constant repetition.
We need to be kept up to date on what the government wants, or tells, us to do, but do we need it hour by hour? 

Surely the time has come to drop the talk-talk show, the daily briefing with government ministers and health and 'modelling' experts standing solemnly at the pedestal, hands grasping the lectern, reading from scripts with the latest facts, figures, assumption and plans.This has now moved on to questions from the public as well as the media which the briefers usually sidestep.

Matt Hancock: hyperbole

Health Secretary for England Matt Hancock can bore for Britain. He takes hyperbole to an art form to to convince us that all his plans are going ahead without a hitch.

The Prime Minister, no great orator, is looking uncomfortable without a script, being hard pressed at PM Question Time by an increasingly bold opposition, set free from their embarrassingly incompetent former leader.

The press is adding to the boredom - for me, at least - by concentrating almost exclusively on coronavirus, page after page. BBC television has the same obsession.

Give us more varied, interesting, accurate news or, like the little boy who cried wolf, we will start to doubt everything. 

Coronavirus diary, Tuesday 19 May

The pandemic is putting a strain on the unity of the United Kingdom. Instead of pulling together the four countries are going their own way, adding to the general confusion exposed almost daily by conflicting reports from government ministers.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are taking the opportunity to rebel against what they see as a dominant England with the Prime Minister dismissive of them and their legitimate aspirations and responsibilities for their people.
He does not seem to appreciate the danger and increasing possibility of a disunited UK.

The latest example of the revolt is the decision of all three devolved countries making their own decisions on relaxing the lockdown, to follow their own chosen path in what is probably the most crucial to be made in defeating the coronavirus. All have ignored England's early easing up orders, maintaining strict lockdown but introducing their own variations - from today Northern Ireland is allowing larger groups of people to gather.

They are accused of political opportunism when unity has never been more important for the nation's future.

Nicola Sturgeon

Scotland is considered the main culprit, the Prime Minister accusing Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's First Minister, of craftily taking advantage of the crisis to advance its case for independence.  She hits back by asserting she is only following the wishes and interests of the majority in Scotland. She is seizing the opportunity by criticising Johnson's every move while conveniently forgetting her own deficiencies.

Bombings in Wales, 1969

Independence is a forlorn hope, impractical, for Wales and Northern Ireland. Wales's half hearted campaign peaked    50 years ago with a small band of hot heads. The 'highlight' was a number of bombings around Wales at the time of Prince Charles' investiture as Prince of Wales in Caernarfon in 1969. 

Both countries have the responsibility to safeguard and improve life for their people which, they maintain. could be achieved in the aftermath of the pandemic by having greater control, responsibilities and finance. The government could avert the danger of the union splitting up by conceding. They could make the devolved countries more efficient by altering the funding, giving them more power to manage their own tax system and, most important, give their local authorities greater power and responsibility, especially in overhauling social care. 

Local government has been brought to its knees by years of neglect and two complicated reorganisations. Now is the time for unity, not division.

Coronavirus diary, Monday 18 May

It looks as though we might be waking up from the deep sleep of lockdown, looking out on a window to a brighter world. There is more good news than for two months, encouraging optimism.

Italy: slowly getting back to 'normal'. Photo: AP

After weeks of doleful daily tolls, fewer deaths are being reported with some countries cautiously celebrating their first day with none. Italy, one of the worst hit countries with over 31,000 deaths, has a lot to be cheerful about. It is coming to life again. Factories and parks have reopened, followed today by bars, shops, restaurants, cafes and hairdressers. People travelling to Italy won't have to self isolate fo two weeks.The prime minister admits it is all a calculated risk but necessary to save the economy.

The borders are opening up in the Baltic countries and in the other parts of Europe. France has described its own road map as a progressive and controlled exit plan.

That is more than can be said of the UK's efforts to decide on safe moves forward that will balance the health and economic issues. With factories and businesses open again, people were pouring back to work today; rail services back to seventy percent normal but workers are encourage to go by car or bike.

The school reopening argument is still raging, the government holding firm, but there is the same uncertainty over many other questions which the Prime Minister will not answer. He is still dithering over the foreign travel restrictions that will delay the revival of tourism although the airlines say they will increase services in two weeks time..

There are more promises as usual from the government, the latest is that we are near the target to collect contact tracers and that we might all be getting the anti virus jab in a matter of months, eagerly splashed by the newspapers. Still, it is better than bad news.

May 18

May 18 

Spare a thought for what must be the most frustrated group of workers in Britain today - tourist officers. After years of boasting of the attractions of their counties, towns and resorts, enticing people to visit, they are now urging them to stay away. How that must hurt. It makes me sad even to think about it
 I appreciate their feelings and know the importance of the job to Britain's economy. Until the pandemic brought it to a standstill the 100,000 in the  industry in Wales - one tenth of the work force - earned the country £8million a day, £3billion a year. In the first three months last year the Wales tourism trade wa the fastest growing in the UK.
For over ten years, helping to sell Wales and the UK to the world was one of my multi-task jobs as Cardiff city and county public relations officer. I was part of  a national/international team, especially strong in Europe, with EUTO - the European Union of Tourist Officers. Wales was represented by Wales Tourist Board, local government, airlines, airports - Cardiff and Schipol, Amsterdam, Wales air hub to the world. Eery year we visited tourism trade shows and British weeks in Germany, the Netherland ,and North America. The conference trade is the most lucrative form of tourism, and we tapped into it with BTO - the British Assocuation of Conference Towns. representing eighty of the Uk's majot towns, includng Cardoiff. As chairman for two years I was in the British team to Phoenix and Boston, USA, cities that spent millions of pounds attacting over 6,000 delegate. from around the world.
 Our sales pitch at home and around the world was backed by brochures by the million, films and television advertisements
All very exciting, and hugely valuable. That is why today tourist officecrs can't wait to get back to welcoming, not turning away such valuable customers.

Coronavirus diary, Sunday 17 May

So, what will happen when the coronavirus dragon is slain? What sort of life will we lead when, gradually, memories of lockdown, loneliness and fear subside? How will we look back on these mad months of surviving the hidden menace? I think, perhaps surprisingly, we will adapt as we have had to do throughout our lives. There will be no VE Day like celebrations, but an overwhelming sense of freedom and relief, the chance to get on with our lives as we wish, although millions who will have lost their jobs will face difficult years.

Yesterday's world of work. Photo: Michael Brennan/Getty Images

Some changes are inevitable; working from home will help to reduce the commuter rush, with many deserted high rise office blocks in our city centres converted to homes or other uses. Our high streets will come alive again. Business executives will save time, money and our natural eco system by reality conferencing, not flying round the world.

But I believe we will very soon relish the return of simple, everyday pleasures that were suddenly taken from us and which we have missed so much. To be able to walk out of our house any time we like, saying hello to a policeman knowing he is now saving us from criminals not lecturing or fining us. Just think of the pure joy of family get togethers, going out with friends, partying, shopping, seeing our children off to school.

Wales v France, February 2020. Wales are still Six Nations champions!

We won't, I am sure, abandon television that has done a brilliant job entertaining and educating us but can't wait to see blockbuster films in the cinemas. We will be happy to queue for concerts and shows.The reopening of churches and hearing their bells ringing will bring comfort and joy to millions. We can't wait for sport of all kinds to be back, to take part in or watch. Holidays? We may not be able to fly off so easily and cheaply around the world to new exotic destinations but there is so  much treasure here in Britain still to discover. 

If 2020 is the year of fear, uncertainty and separation, let's look forward with hope and confidence to 2021. I can't wait.

Coronavirus diary, Saturday 16 May

Politicians, like journalists, are not the most trusted professionals, but I am starting to feel sorry for our government and the motley crew of ministers. Whatever they do is criticised and they get scant praise when they get things right. In these critical days with so much uncertainly it is getting worse for them. 

The latest example is their plan for more children in England to go back to school next month. No one can be certain if it is the right decision, if it is safe for children, teachers and other school workers. The decision, like all the others being taken day by day by the government to defeat the virus, is based on expert advice with which they are almost inundated. 

Following on immediately from the care homes furore we have another bitter, dangerous  battle, all the more divisive as it is coloured by politics which should have no part in it.
The teachers unions are almost all united in their opposition with the doctors' major organisation supporting their view that there is still doubt which should be clarified. The government can point to the experience of schools that have carried on, reducing class sizes and trying to meet the safe distance rules. Even parents who are teachers are divided. 

As usual, the papers make it a black or white - red or blue - issue, with a typical headline, Schools to defy unions and open next month. Another complication: many private schools have from the start introduced sophisticated reality teaching with teachers in touch with their individual pupils, continuing the set curriculum. My grandson is even taking his school examinations this week. Disadvantaged children, on the other hand, are losing months of education which they will probably never make up.

Back  to  politics. Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader is treading a treacherous path. He has the right and the duty to criticise the government even in this almost wartime scene but should do so without crossing that indefinable political line. I don't envy him, or the government.

Coronavirus diary, Friday 15 May

If there is one certainty among the utter confusion created by the coronavirus pandemic it is the disastrous effect it's having on the global economy. Every country is affected. None know how bad the next few years will be. All they can do in these first frenetic months is to try to save jobs and keep the economy afloat. 

Chancellor: bold action. photo via Getty Images

It is a formidable task for Britain. We are in the worst recession ever, say all the experts, much worse than the 2008 financial crash from which it has taken over 11 years to recover. With millions of jobs already lost and the economy almost at a standstill the Chancellor has taken bold, desperate almost, efforts to keep us afloat. The cost of supporting workers, businesses and the NHS for a year will be £300 billion, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Grounded: 12,000 jobs at BA. Photo: PA

The save jobs scheme for furloughed workers, first estimated to cost £28 billion, has now been extended adding many more billions. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has been praised for his swift, bold action and his openness - rare among his cabinet colleagues. Without that instant aid thousands of businesses would have collapsed but many are on the brink, Among the worst affected are the aviation and hospitality  industries. British Airways is sacking 12,000 workers and  other airlines are shedding jobs and mothballing planes. The optimists say Britain's economy could bounce back in a year or so; the pessimists see years of austerity and hardship ahead, worse than the past decade. 

Adding to the uncertainty is Brexit, sidelined now but with crucial deadlines ahead. If no deal is reached by 31st December Britain will have to try to make new trade deals with countries that will be, like us, struggling to get their economies back on track. Britain has been bankrupt before, of course, after two world wars, with similar mountains of debt but we have survived.

It exists after all...

Mrs May as Prime Minister, told Labour in the 2017 general election that there was no magic money tree. Chancellor Sunak seems to have found a magic forest. 

Coronavirus diary, Thursday 14 May

Headlining the care home crisis

When the inevitable public inquiry into the coronavirus pandemic is held - and it must not take years as so many have in the past - one subject that will most worry the government is care homes.

After weeks of non stop criticism from care home residents, distraught families and the media, anger is at its fiercest. And it appears to be justified. The elderly and most vulnerable have been cruelly neglected, leading to what has even been described as a massacre.

The figures speak for themselves. Nearly 10,000 care home residents have died, according to the Office for National Statistics,  although the figure is thought to be much higher. In one week this month care home deaths accounted for forty percent of all deaths. In Wales, 1,000 have died.

The government is being blamed for a catalogue of errors: ignoring the obvious danger, not providing protective equipment for homes and carers and not providing testing. The most contentious and startling allegation is that they sent infected hospital patients to their death by discharging them to under-stress care homes without checking it was safe to do so. This put other residents at great risk. 

They are also accused of hiding the extent of the disaster by not releasing the number of care home deaths for weeks. The chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society said it was tragically clear that care homes, where up to seventy percent had dementia, were left to fend for themselves. 

As a resident in Sunrise, the reason why, so far, we have not had cases may be because it is residential, not a nursing home. We take relief and assurance from the Sunrise preparations and plans on which we have been kept up to date.

Sadly, this has not been the case in many care homes, through no fault of their own. It must be agony for those who have lost loved ones -  parents and grandparents. They want answers but it may be years, and a public inquiry, before they get them.

Coronavirus diary, Wednesday 13 May

The policeman's lot

'A policeman's lot is not a happy one' sing the dancing boys in blue in Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance, and it's certainly true these days. Forces throughout Britain have borne the brunt of enforcing the government's stringent Stay at Home order. Despite the change to StayAlert - in England only - they are still struggling. From the onset they told the government the lockdown was unenforceable. 

Bank holiday beach questions. Photo: PA

The chairman of the Police Federation said they were doing their best but their work had to be based on crystal clear guidance not loose rules open to different interpretations. 
A chief constable described the situation as a shambles, another, totally unacceptable. During the bank holiday week-end thousands ignored the rule, flocking to the seaside.

Police forces in England are dealing dealing with their thankless  job in different ways, the carrot or stick. London's Metropolitan Police have been the most lenient, giving advice not penalties while the draconian attitude of some forces has antagonised the public.

The Welsh forces have also been sparing with on the spot £60 fines, issuing 299 in a month. The South Wales force chief said they preferred to advise and encourage people to stick to the rules. 

The latest announcement by the Prime Minister relaxing the lockdown in England, letting people drive or walk any distance and go out when they want, subject to safe distancing, has created further confusion for police and public.With the devolved countries maintaining their strict Stay at Home order, people cannot cross the borders. Asked if Wales would close its border with England, the Welsh Government Minister of Health  said, surprisingly he did not know if they had the power. 

It would be surprising if people in north west England could not resist the temptation to slip over the border to the lovely north Wales resorts - a reminder of the days when drinkers in 'dry Wales' did the same on Sundays. 

While struggling to enforce the safe distance and no gatherings rules under Stay Alert, the police still have their every day job, fighting crime. Not surprisingly, the criminals are not as busy these days. Very little shoplifting and violent crime down by a third. 

One enterprising gang found facemasks useful...

Coronavirus diary, Tuesday 12 May

That was then... false dawn? 

The coronavirus earthquake that has shaken the world has not only transformed our everyday lives but created havoc on the political scene. Five months ago today, Boris Johnson was celebrating his overwhelming, unexpected victory in the general election.

The future looked bright. Against odds he had persuaded the country to accept Brexit, released from the strings and constraints of the EU. He boasted and promised that Britain would be great again. He had even stormed the red ramparts of Labour's northern heartland. He was looking forward, perhaps, to a golden decade for theTories.

In January came the first tremors of the earthquake and he ignored them. Since been, he has been almost overwhelmed. Little has gone right. He and his government have been accused of delay, mistakes, cover ups and treating the public like children.The Prime Minister, stricken by the virus, disappeared from the scene for three critical weeks, leaving his deputy to lead but without the authority or cabinet support to do so effectively.

Only in the last two weeks has come some semblance of order and authority but there is still a lack of clarity and leadership with the added problem of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland choosing to go their own way. At last there are signs that we are beginning to see an end to some  of the draconian conditions but there is growing criticism. 
Promises of 100,000 tests a day have not been kept; the care home death toll scandal rages. 

Keir Starmer: formidable challenge

Mr Johnson faces division and hostility in his cabinet, but the biggest impending threat to his authority and future is the upheaval on the political scene. The opposition, led by the woefully incompetent Jeremy Corbyn, was little more than a nuisance, to be swatted away. This year, with the pandemic raging, the Labour party was too busy electing a new leader. The result must have come as a shock and a warning to Mr Johnson. The cool, calm Sir Keir Starmer, is already proving  a formidable challenge and danger to the Prime Minister for whom the future does not look so bright. His moves will now be scrutinised and questioned at every turn by invigorated Labour for the first time.There will be no easy ride, perhaps no golden decade. 

Coronavirus diary, Monday 11 May

Anyone for tennis?

Boris Johnson speaks to the nation

So now we know the way ahead, Mr Johnson's roadmap shows us. Or does it? The decisions made by the Prime Minister are not clear cut (and most only apply to England). 

As he said in his address to the nation, there are lots of ifs. At least we have first signs of some relaxation of the orders that have so restricted our lives for two months. Anyone for tennis? A round of golf? Or, even better, a drive to the seaside or country or have fun in the park? That's fine, if you live in England. Now we can go back to work - by bike if we feel like it and think it is safe. 

As usual, Mr Johnson hesitates. We are being 'actively encouraged' not ordered to do so, starting tomorrow. Primary schoolchildren in England can go back in July.

The unions are understandably cautious about social distancing at work and on public transport and the safety of teachers. The quarantining of passengers arriving in Britain is confirmed, except for arrivals from France and Ireland. 

The Times: alert to confusion

The media report the concessions with little comment today but I will be surprised if the criticism does not start up again soon. The PM has had it easy on his road ahead so far.  His cabinet is said to be divided and critical. It all goes back to the Prime Minister's lack of decisiveness, His speech last night was one of the poorest I have heard from a political leader. He is better at bonhomie and bluster than seriousness and boldness. And we could have done without the diagram of the R moving from 0 to 1. Even if he could have had television, Mr Winston Churchill, after Dunkirk, would surely not have shown us a puerile map showing an arrow pointing from Germany to England to tell us about the danger of invasion, like the introduction of the Dad's Army television show. As for the new slogan, Stay Alert, that's not much better than Stay Awake. 

Wales: clear and consistent approach

It is good to see Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland sticking with 'Stay at Home' and doing some things their way.