Sunday 31 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Sunday 31 January 2021


The continuing furore over vaccine contracts and supplies is a conflict between international co-operation and national interests.

Should individual countries be able to shop to buy safety for their citizens or should the development and sourcing of vaccines be a combined effort?

Britain, elated at having signed contracts for many billions of doses - said soon to be enough for  two doses for every citizen - is now well ahead of most countries in the vaccination programme - almost a race.

It is facing criticism and anger from the European Union. They claim that the vaccines - a total of five now likely to be available within months - should be shared.

They have even threatened to ban the export of vaccines made in the EU, although they have since played this down.

The contracts clearly show when they were signed, suggesting that first come, first served is legitimate, but is it? Pandemics do not recognise borders, sweeping relentlessly around the world, and countries cannot isolate themselves even if they can achieve total vaccination.

It is debatable; yet another example of the wicked complexity of coronavirus. 

Britain’s ‘red top’ tabloid newspapers are having a field day, boasting how we have beaten the EU and are racing ahead of the world.

Saturday 30 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Saturday 30 January 2021

The saddest aspect of the pandemic, almost too serious and depressing to write about, is the inability of relatives to be with loved ones dying in hospital, or even in care homes.



Strict funeral rules add to the misery, limited to thirty mourners, social distancing, short services with little or no singing and no receptions.

It seems incongruous but funerals can even be conducted via the internet.

Funeral directors have had to adapt to the changed circumstances, with every detail of their service designed to retain the dignity while safeguarding the mourners.

They are worried that they can be blamed if rules are broken by families as happened recently when nearly 150 mourners turned up for a funeral in Hertfordshire. The police fined the funeral directors £10,000.

The National Association of funeral Directors said it was ‘utterly ridiculous’ for members to risk penalties and that families may be asked to pay the penalties if they broke the rules.

The cost of funerals - average £3,000 to £4,000  - is being reduced now, affecting the industry.

One compensation for them and bereaved families is that there will be a spate of memorial services when lockdown ends so we can remember with love and pride those who died during this relentless pandemic.

Friday 29 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Friday 29 January 2021

Coronavirus has caused untold harm and suffering but it may also have prompted some beneficial changes.The upheaval will at least make us think of ways to improve our way of life. 

One of these will be transport. We must find a way to reduce the pollution from the millions of vehicles that clog our roads, belching out deadly fumes. The pandemic has made a huge impact with car production last year the lowest  for 34 years, but it could rebound once we can all take to the road again. This must be prevented.



One way would be to rebuild the country’s railway system, devastated by the 1963 Beeching report - author Dr Richard Beeching, the then British Railways Chairman. It led to the closure of one-third of the whole system, 4,000 miles, affecting urban and rural areas. 




At last the government is taking action to repair some of the damage; the most important, the HS2 project, costing over £100 billion. There are other, infinitely cheaper projects needed, like the revival of the Oxford to Cambridge and Newcastle to Allerton links just announced. 

South Wales suffered as badly from Beeching as the rest of the country. I was involved in a campaign to save one of the threatened lines, the scenic Brecon to Newport route. As public relations officer for Caerphilly urban district council I stood on the Nelson station platform early in the morning counting passengers going to work, aiming to show how important the line was. We failed. 

I remember it, too.from my reporting days. I used to walk, often as late as midnight, from my digs to the local station, leaving my press envelope with my stories to reach head office in Newport early next morning. 

That was fifty years before the internet and emails that flash the news around the world in seconds.

Thursday 28 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Thursday 28 January 2021

After stumbling along the coronavirus road for months the government has become more sure footed with its handling of the vaccination programme. 

They were accused again yesterday of making mistakes before and during the pandemic but this time they have shown boldness and initiative, foreseeing the need for urgency if and when a vaccine was developed. They spent billions buying millions of doses still to be produced When two of the first vaccines were delivered the government made a brilliant start to the biggest ever vaccination programme. As a result, Britain has already vaccinated over seven million priority cases - me included - and we are streets ahead of most other countries 

Not surprisingly, some countries, notably in the EU, are complaining that Britain has jumped the queue, claiming it was morally wrong. An unseemly row has broken out, probably exacerbated by tensions over the Brexit deal. The blunt answer from the British government is that it is a contractual matter not nationalism. 

When the Prime Minister and Health Secretary for England set formidable vaccination targets and boasted they would be achieved, I thought they had not learned from past mistakes. This time it looks as though their confidence and competence are justified.

Wednesday 27 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Wednesday 27 January 2021

It was a day of mourning yesterday. In memory of the 100,000 who have died during the pandemic. 

Prime Minister Johnson told the nation he accepted full responsibility for everything. ‘We did all we could’, he said.

That was nor the view expressed, not only by the political opposition - Labour accused the government of ‘monumental mistakes’ - but by a whole bevy of science and health experts, including some of his advisers.

The main criticism was of poor decisions made before and during the pandemic including easing restrictions too soon and failing to provide a workable track and trace system

Defending the government, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said they had taken the best possible expert advice.

The sadness, almost despair, arising from the death toll was reflected by the media.The BBCs main news bulletins were totally devoted to coronavirus.

BBC: candles for the coronavirus victims

They dramatised the tragedy using 100,000 candles - probably conjured up by technical wizardry - symbolically lighting the first one to mark the deadly progress. And there was the obligatory hospital visit showing hard stretched doctors and nurses.

Mr Johnson’s distress wave is understandable, but he might have lifted our spirits by assuring us that we will win through.

He might have taken on Churchill’s stance of defiance and  assurance in the dark days of 1941 with his ‘Give us the tools and we will finish the job‘ rhetoric. Convince us that we have the tools - the vaccines - to win the battle.

No-one will forget these horrendous days and the deep sadness caused by the 100,000 deaths, but we must learn from mistakes and make the world safe again.

Tuesday 26 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Tuesday 26 January 2021


Yesterday brought home to me the togetherness of residents and all those who look after us in Sunrise.

I was sitting in the bistro when carers and residents gathered in the foyer, sitting or standing in line. They were waiting to say farewell to Joyce, who died earlier in the day - not of the virus. Many were in tears.

Joyce and George


Joyce, a former teacher, and George, her husband, have lived here for five years. She took part in the activities and games and enjoyed reciting at our poetry group. 

I took photographs of them a few weeks ago at a party celebrating their wedding anniversary

In the 18 months I have lived here I had formed the impression that many of the residents, comfortable and looked after, did not, like me, seemed to want, or to need, a social life; that they were happy in their own world, their more private, sheltered life, content to dwell on a lifetime of memories.

But I think I was wrong, that they appreciate the Sunrise family spirit and the constant attentiveness and kindness of the men and women, many years younger, who are devoted to our care.

Joining them in that simple gesture I was moved by the warmth of the farewell to Joyce as she left her home, our home.

Monday 25 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Monday 25 January 2021


Was it almost a year ago that Matt Hancock warned us there would be no luxury overseas trips that summer? If so, we could not have imagined it would be the same this year.

It seems highly likely, with Britain and dozens of countries retaining tight restrictions and shutting out foreign visitors.

The latest government move here is to make it compulsory for people arriving in Britain to spend 14 days in quarantine in a government run hotel, at their own expense.

France has announced that their ski season is a write off.

While it is desperate situation for the aviation and travel industry it is a different picture for our home holiday businesses. From bust to boom. The accent is on staycation - we used to call it holidays at home - which I prefer. 

Ria, my grand daughter, has had a flight to Saville booked for August cancelled and the family are going camping in Devon instead.

Bookings are flooding in and favourite resorts are heading for a bumper season, making up for some of the billions lost by the world travel ban.

Even if some countries change their rules, people are likely to be deterred from long distance flights, feeling safer in Britain which has so much to offer.

As for me, even after my vaccination I have no idea if I can be off on holiday. I still have not lost hope in my deferred cruise and was encouraged to receive a new brochure, but not surprised that cruises booked for May have already been cancelled.

Roath Park lake and Captain Scott memorial

My hope is that at least I will be able to get my scooter out again and ride down to Roath Park for a breath of fresh air, and an ice cream.

Sunday 24 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Sunday 24 January 2021


The arts and entertainment world has been among the worst casualties of the pandemic, its plight made worse by Brexit.

Pop stars, symphony orchestras, opera, stage and ballet companies have had a huge following there and they have earned Britain billions.

But due to the failure of the EU to keep to the established rules that benefit both the EU and Britain, disaster threatens.

It means substantial costs involving visas and work permits and transporting instruments.

I appreciate the frustration of event organisers and performers through an experience many years ago.  

It was to be a highlight in the 1985 Cardiff Music Festival. a symphony concert with a world premiere and a sell out audience, plus royalty.

The main work called for two little known Chinese instruments.

We had booked two members of the Hong Kong Symphony Orchestra. With just a few days to go we heard they could not make it - no work permits.

It was getting increasingly desperate. I was getting regular middle of the night calls from Hong Kong but it seemed hopeless.

Our last chance was to appeal to Cardiff MP and former prime minister Jim Callaghan for help.

The day before the concert Robert, my son, and I drove to Westminster to meet him in his Westminster office. He immediately phoned Alan Clark, the minister for employment and a Plymouth MP. His message, ‘Come on, Alan, as a Plymouth man, make Drake’s drum roll.' (Callaghan came from that other great naval town, Portsmouth.) That did the trick, and we received the precious work permit in a couple of hours. 

A phone call to Hong Kong, a courier with the precious work permit dispatched to Heathrow and our players were on their way. 

The concert was a great success.

The EU and Britain must solve the problem but our government says it is not a priority.

Friday 22 January 2021

Coronavirus diary: vaccination day, 22 January 2021

22 January: Stop press edition 

V Day

It’s V Day at Sunrise. A day of relief, and celebration. Mass vaccination.

As usual, Sunrise got it right. Organised to the minute. Calm and relaxed, just right for us old people.

And, a happy touch, flags and balloons to cheer us - a bright idea. Having a jab is never fun but today it was relished, welcomed with open arms.

The troops were on parade, with our sticks, walking aids, wheelchairs, ready and willing.The long wait was over.


The moment arrives...


When the call came we went into the temporary surgery, rolled up our sleeves. It was over in a flash. I did not feel a thing. Then into a lounge for a rest and and a glass of orange juice. 


To mark the historic day we had our pictures taken and then it was time for lunch.

Happy that a milestone in the long, arduous pandemic road pointed the pathway to safety.

Well done, Sunrise, and the NHS!

Vaccination - a poem by Bob Skinner

A shot in the arm

Will do us no harm

A near magic charm

To beat covid virus

Lift and inspire us

To safety and health

Far better than wealth

An end to the madness

And sadness

Of pandemic bold

Harming young and old

So roll up your sleeve

And believe

Better days lie ahead

A good life instead

Free from sorrow and pain

Our freedom again!


Coronavirus diary, Friday 22 January 2021


While coronavirus is killing hundreds of people a day in Britain, millions face the insidious threat of delay in diagnosis and treatment of other serious illnesses.

Towards the end of last year, the backlog of patients was estimated at over four million, no doubt increased by the latest wave.

Hospitals can barely cope with the surge in coronavirus patients, let alone treat patients suffering from other life threatening complaints.

The NHS sounded the alarm months ago of patients dying untreated at home through failing to get treatment. 

It was not just a case of no hospital beds but patients’ reluctance to visit clinics or go to their GPs due to safety worries, and to ease the burden on the health service.

Last summer a successful effort was made to tackle the backlog but that was halted by the resurgence.

The ONS - Office for National Statistics - reported one-third more deaths from heart disease in a year and the British Heart Foundation warned that we faced a tidal wave of untreated cases. Macmillan Cancer Support reported 50,000 diagnosed patients in the queue.

I am one of the millions waiting for long delayed treatment and clinic appointments - for five complaints.

The delays in my appointment with the opthalmic consultant for 20 March last year, the first day of lockdown for care homes, is especially worrying.

I have been diagnosed with the same condition suffered for years by my wife Rosemary who almost lost her sight. 

The sooner coronavirus is defeated the happier and more relieved I shall be.

Thursday 21 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Thursday 21 January 2021


It was inevitable, I suppose. After the much heralded successful sprint start to England’s marathon vaccination programme - four million -  the difficulties are emerging, with the inevitable criticism following.

We have already had the worn-out cliche, ‘post code lottery’ complaint that some areas are lagging behind the luckier ones. Another from GPs, frustrated having to cancel appointments, often at the last moment as they had not received supplies.

Then there are the differences between the performance so far of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

More serious is the doubt about the lengthening of the time between two doses from three to twelve weeks and the lack of research to justify it.

The news of a temporary shortage of vaccines is also a concern.The producers say it is due due to the upgrading of their production plant in Belgium. 

No fault of the government, but they should by now have learned not to blow their own trumpet and to just get on with the job.

Today’s further rise in the number deaths, over 1,800, up on yesterday’s and a new record, emphasises the importance of getting and keeping the vaccination programme on track.

I was heartened yesterday by the inauguration of President Biden. 

Dragged down by even greater problems than those facing Britain, the departure of the incompetent and dangerous Donald Trump heralds a new era for the USA.

Is Mr Biden, at 78, too old for the daunting, monumental task? I don’t think so. He is 16 years younger than I am,

And I don’t feel old. Not most of the time. Creaking a bit but my mind is still active  and I am interested and enjoy life

Bob with his mother at her 100th birthday party


My mother was enjoying hers at 102, until the last few weeks, and she never considered herself old or decrepit.

I remember my brother, sister and I laughing when she would describe someone years younger as a ‘lovely old dear’.

That’s  life as I see it.

Wednesday 20 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Wednesday 20 January 2021


Just as we were gaining confidence that the worst days were over we are stunned by the news that 1,610 people have died in one day, the deadliest total so far.

It may be bizarre, an outlandish thought, but it almost seems as though we are facing some malevolent force beyond our control.

Those wonderfully welcome vaccines, now appearing like cars off a production line, are hailed as the answer to an imponderable question. 

The sprint start to the massive vaccination programme has met with almost euphoric acclaim, with day by day counts to prove we are overtaking coronavirus in some hideous race.

The reality is that, as throughout this ghastly business, we still face uncertainty and have our nagging, lingering doubts.

Is our dogged optimism justified or bravado, to keep up our spirits?  

Has all that patience, obedience and courage been in vain? Surely not.

Despite the setbacks we have to hope that, as ‘the experts’ are insisting today, we are winning.

Thousands, old and young, are dying today in what we all pray are the dying days of this long drawn out tragedy. 

That is ironic and cruel.

Like runners in a marathon stumbling and falling near the finishing line, soldiers dying on the battlefield hours before the ceasefire.

As a former Boys Brigade member I have always been encouraged by our motto, Sure and Steadfast.



And I remember another rallying cry - Sir Harry Lauder’s ‘Keep right on to the end of the road’.



We have to. We can’t despair now.

Tuesday 19 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Tuesday 19 January 2021


I have been interested in 'news’ for as long as I can remember. As far back as the early days of broadcasting in the late 1920s. Not long after it started, in fact  - the first radio bulletin was in November 1922, by the then British Broadcasting Company.

With no reporters of its own, it used the press agency wires. To avoid competition with the powerful newspapers it was not allowed to broadcast news before 7pm.

It was not until 1934 that the British Broadcasting Corporation set up its own news department, taking on its first reporters. Today it has over 2,000 and the biggest ‘live’ news room in Europe.

Television news bulletins began in 1954, by which time I had been doing radio work as a freelance for BBC Wales for two years with a brief foray into television reporting some years later.

Richard Baker


Richard Baker was the first television reader/presenter, followed by Robert Dougall, Alvar Liddell (who had made his name as a wartime radio newsreader) and other fondly remembered pioneers.

Nan Winton


It was not until 1960 that we saw the first woman TV presenter, Nan Winton, and the 10 o’clock evening bulletin.

Throughout those near 90 years of news making, news breaking, I have been an avid follower, an addict almost. But not any more.

As an old fashioned journalist - I started in 1942  ~ I view the nonstop, 24 hours-a-day torrent of  news, unnecessary and harmful. 

It is such a mishmash of the important and the trivia that it dulls our senses. 

In the longest running story for decades -  the pandemic - we are in danger of becoming inured to the human tragedies and suffering by the incessant broadcasting of horrific details, often ‘live’ from hospital intense care units.

The BBC even boasts about these being ‘exclusive’- in my day the term was scoops.

Television is making desperate, real life drama, into ‘soap opera’.  

I look back on those earlier, more  humane days of news reporting as infinitely better than today’s minute-by-minute deluge.

Monday 18 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Monday 18 January 2021


The government is often accused of bewildering us with ‘mixed messages’. Who can blame them when the pandemic situation is so volatile and incomprehensible. 

Daily our hope is countered by disappointment; the good progress with vaccinations offset by grim infection and death rates, overstretched hospitals sending seriously ill patients across the country.

The promise of freedom in just a few months is muted by the seemingly endless lockdowns.

No wonder the government is telling us to look on the bright side while emphasising the blacker picture and exhorting us to play safe to stay safe.

The truth is that, from those very first days in March last year, we have been on shifting sands, with no sense of security. We just have to hope that firmer ground lies ahead.

The latest move to lessen the threat of new virus infections being imported is stricter travel conditions. 

Most of  the ‘corridors’ to countries have been closed and people arriving from overseas have to have health checks before flying and on arrival spend up to ten days in quarantine.

Belatedly, perhaps, the government will exert stricter control by emulating some other countries by making arrivals stay in government controlled hotels. 

Welsh government owned Cardiff Airport

The aviation industry is in despair. Its hopes of a lucrative, business-saving revival this summer is threatened. The situation is so serious, it is reported, that airports might have to close down. This must be temporary as I am sure the aviation industry will find its feet, or, more aptly, its wings again. 

It is the same with Eurostar, said to be in danger of closing down by April. Unlikely, in fact, in my view, impossible.

Despite the continuing uncertainty, I prefer to look on the bright side. Our patience and resilience over these past punishing months will, I am convinced, be rewarded.

Sunday 17 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Sunday 17 January 2021


Hero: Hans Brinker


I wonder if our prime minister ever thinks of himself as a possible legendary historical figure. An icon in fact or fiction, If he does, who might be his heroes?

One, surely, must be Winston Churchill, one of Britain’s greatest, who saved us from being overrun by a deadly enemy, just as our prime minister is trying to do today. 

This time, though, the enemy has managed to invade and is threatening to overwhelm us. 

What about Francis Drake who showed the true English character in 1588 by allegedly calmly finishing a game of bowls on Plymouth Hoe before going to sea to sink the Spanish Armada? 

Mr Johnson can at least claim he cycled through the streets of London in the grip of deadly coronavirus.

Perhaps he might hope to be remembered for saving his country from being overwhelmed  like Hans Brinker, the little Dutch boy with his finger in the dyke.

Our prime minister would shy away from the thought of the desperate, doomed bravery of Lord Cardigan who led his 600 into the valley of death in the Crimean war.

Self confident as he is, like most leaders through history, he would not compare himself with Napoleon Bonaparte who brought France back from the brink of destruction by epic battles in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Politically, as a committed ‘leveller’ he would never countenance the possibility of being connected in any way as a reverse Robin Hood, depriving the deprived to further enrich the rich.

And, heaven forbid anyone to suggest that he was a Nero, fiddling, playing the lute - a forerunner of the guitar - while Rome burned.

Just some thoughts.

Saturday 16 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Saturday 16 January 2021


Some of Bob's carers - and friends


In the 18 months I have lived in Sunrise the more I have come to appreciate the carers looking after me. From my first day I recognised their commitment and efficiency and, since then, their warmth and friendship.

Caring is a wonderful, worthwhile occupation but it has its drawbacks. It is intensive, stressful and poorly paid. It calls for a combination of compassion, understanding and patience to look after elderly, often lonely people. Not easy when some may be unresponsive and apparently ungrateful.

Sunrise has the ability and resources to select and train women and men who have the capability and character to make a strong team.

I have come to see them as friends, always helpful, attentive and interested in my welfare.

These are difficult times for all of us, but even more so for carers. Ours come from different backgrounds and countries - with family origins in Britain, Europe, the Middle East and Africa - and they make a formidable team.

Many of them plan a career in nursing or other professions, studying while working, and they have all told me they realise the importance of their job.

They have accepted the danger to themselves and their families, and some have suffered from coronavirus. They have been saddened by losing two of their oldest residents. 

Apart from looking after us day and night they run and take part in a varied activity programme, from games to keep-fit, from poetry, art and flower arranging classes to bingo sessions.

Life at Sunrise is stimulating, never dull.

I consider myself fortunate. My life is happy, fulfilled and much richer and interesting than if I had continued to live on my own.

My hope is that soon it will be even happier, easier and safer for us residents and our carers.

Friday 15 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Friday 15 January 2021


I am one of  millions around the world who have had and survived coronavirus and who have therefore done everyone else a favour.

By our involuntary and dangerous experience we have proved more effective than vaccination.

That is the surprising conclusion of some leading scientists.who say it is as good as having the vaccine, in effect the ‘herd’ immunity theory.

I am glad if I am  helping mankind but I am slightly sceptical as I have yet to see or hear of proof that once stricken, we are free. If so, the contribution could be short-lived. Not worth mentioning in fact. I feel uncomfortable and annoyed with the nonstop parade of theories, forecasts and homilies of the experts, with the media too willing to give them credence.

They have conveniently ignored the view of other ‘experts’ who say do not know how long immunity might last; it could be only a matter only of months.

I am improving, too slowly for my liking, after my brush with coronavirus, and am hoping that I have achieved immunity.

If so, I really have done my bit to make the world safer, but I would not bet on it.

Thursday 14 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Thursday 14 January 2021


Statistics, statistics...

Statistics. We are bombarded with them every day: coronavirus cases, deaths, hospital admissions, tiers. Bewildering and boring.

It set me thinking of the statistics of my life. Intriguing, and surprising.

I was born on 27 November 1926 so today is my 34,379rd day. A long life and very happy one, both as a child and an adult, and very active, What a contrast since 20 March 2020.

Apart from my ambulance rides to and from hospital and the 25 days I was there I have been confined to Sunrise for 300 days including six weeks of solitary confinement - self isolation. 

Memory tells me that it is probably more days than in the rest of my adult life, including the spells in hospital.

So, what have I missed due to coronavirus? Holidays - the latest, a cruise last April for which I am still waiting - visits to families, birthday parties, funerals, lunches and dinners out, shopping and, apart from seven occasions in the stop-start visitor programme, having  a total of just seven visitors. 

No wonder life is rather claustrophobic, but I am lucky to live so comfortably here in Sunrise, well looked after, with plenty to do, so different from the other 48 million adults in Britain.

At 94 I am one of the 600,000 over ninety year olds, 1.06% of the over eighties. One in a hundred. Quite an achievement. But I have a long way to go to match my mother’s longevity - nine years.

The most rewarding time in my busy life in Sunrise is writing my blog, my daily coronavirus diary; today’s is my 329th. I have only missed 21, when I was in hospital. 

How many more days until freedom and a normal out-and-about life? We shall see. Not many, I, and we all, hope.

Wednesday 13 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Wednesday 13 January 2021


Two topics dominate the coronavirus news: vaccination and tougher action against rule breakers.

The record number of cases and deaths, and hospitals only just coping, have created a darker mood throughout the country, overshadowing the the relief that the answer - vaccination is on hand.

The country’s sombre mood has been further darkened by Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, warning that the worst weeks were yet to come. 

To counteract this, the government has launched a campaign setting out how they are tackling the vaccination programme.

They have issued a 46 page ‘master plan’ - not just an ordinary plan, of course. It makes pledges, gives dates, priorities, numbers.

Already 2.6 million have been vaccinated. The top priority cases will all be offered vaccination by mid February and all over-fifties by May. 

The NHS has mobilised thousands, set up hubs and vaccination centres and recruited GPs, pharmacists and trained volunteers. giving  thousands of vaccinations a day. To meet  the target requires over two million vaccinations a week stretching well into the year.

Matt Hancock oozes confidences that his master plan will work, conveniently forgetting past failures, including the inexcusable mishandling of test and trace which undoubtedly contributed to delays. This time he must get it right.

So far the harsh restrictions and lockdowns have been met stoically by most people, but there is a growing minority whose patience has given way to defiance.

The police, generally, have been lenient in their reaction, apart from well publicised cases where they have been exposed as ridiculously heavy handed. 

Urged on by the government, they are going to crack down harder on offenders, a message reinforced by London's Metropolitan Police chief. A necessary move, but sad to see our liberty so curtailed and reducing police forces ability to tackle real crime.

There will continue to be cases that make the rules and reaction seem ridiculous. The latest involved PM Johnson who cycled seven miles from Downing Street for exercise. And what did London's police chief have to say? Nothing wrong with that: he did not break his own laws.  

Not exactly a vote of confidence in the new get tough regime.

Tuesday 12 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Tuesday 12 January 2021


Shades of Goebbels, Nazi propaganda chief


The studio was ready.  Dummy runs had been made. It was stand by for the launch of a new national television programme that would make political history. But, at the last minute, it was called off. 

Allegra Stratton, journalist and broadcaster, who has been hired as the voice of the government, will have to wait until at least the end of lockdown before going on air.

Boris Johnson has decided that, with the crisis intensifying, it is not the time to experiment. He, his ministers and advisers will continue the daily briefings.

The plan follows the long established US presidents’ practice of televised White House briefings by their press secretary.

It has been met here with some cynicism and concern, including by the media. I agree with them. It smacks too much of propaganda, of government control. Shades of Herr Goebbels. 

It would also prove tricky for the broadcasting organisations. Timed for early evening, just before the major news bulletins, would they feel obliged to report what Ms Stratton offers or deal with it on a strictly newsworthy basis?

She will be trying to achieve ‘breaking news‘ to bolster what the government wants to get across. 

There is no doubt she would outclass most of the ministers and their doleful advisers who, standing behind their lecterns armed with statistics and charts, have become boring.

It could be another step by the government to take more control over our lives.Very dangerous.

Monday 11 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Monday 11 January 2021


The biggest ever UK vaccination programme, key to success in beating coronavirus, is under way.

England's health secretary Matt Hancock is boasting, again. He never learns.

The take up so far has been fantastic, he says, on track to meet the target set for mid February.

He promised that every adult would be offered vaccinations by the autumn.

The prime minister maintains the two million target by mid February will also be met. Nothing to boast about. That is just 350,000 a week

More promising information: the mass vaccination centres, are starting work.

Wales has got off to a disappointing start, with just 1.6% of the population vaccinated.

Care home residents have reason to feel let down. One newspaper's front page today: Care homes: We have been betrayed.

Sunday 10 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Sunday 10 January 2021


With the new. more infectious coronavirus variant running riot - a record 2,000 cases and 1,000 deaths in a day, among the worst in the world - the question is: what have we done wrong? It will be quite a time before we find out.

Since the first day of lockdown last March this blog has been my daily record of life as seen from Sunrise, Cardiff care home.

It will be some months before I write the final chapter when Robert and I intend to make it into a book, a permanent record of a bizarre saga. 

There will no doubt be volumes published on the pandemic, more searching and detailed than my personal account, seeking an answer to the question.

We will have to wait for years for the official answer from the public inquiry if it follows the pattern over the years.

The  Saville Report, set up by PM Tony Blair in 1998 into the killings in Londonderry/Derry in 1972 during the Irish troubles, took twelve years to report.

Four inquiries ordered by PM Theresa May, including one into the Grenfell Tower disaster three years ago, have cost £300 million so far without being completed.

A very long wait for the full story of the monumental, historic coronavirus disaster, and the answer to that all important question. 

Saturday 9 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Saturday 9 January 2021


Hope that the new year would see the virus losing its grip following the stringent measures taken have been dashed.The pandemic in Britain is even worse than last April.

Truly horrifying figures -  68,000 new cases and 1,325 deaths in a day. Hospitals at their limit with some of the emergency Nightingale ones, not needed in the first wave now brought into use. 

The upsurge has affected almost all the country with the mayor of London calling a major incident as the situation was ‘out of control’. Another worry is the rise in the number of younger people dying, including apparently healthy 30 and 40 year olds.

It is difficult to know what else can be done to stem the flow except to keep emphasising the importance of following the rules and laws to the letter, even if  some police are being heavy handed. Two women were fined £200 for taking  a coffee with them into a park, ruling that it constituted a picnic.

Hope now rests on vaccination. A third vaccine has been approved and the government has ordered million of doses.

The programme is getting into its stride with the army called in to assist. The PM has set a target of two million doses a week - optimistic judging by progress so far.

I am still waiting for my jab as are most home residents in Wales which is lagging behind Scotland where half the residents have already had theirs. In Sunrise we have had a note indicating ours will be before the end of the month

That restores some hope, as does the possibility of a resumption of visiting soon if all the staff and residents remain clear.

Friday 8 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Friday 8 January 2021



Prime minister Boris Johnson has a forbidding task, defeating the seemingly irresistible coronavirus and steering Britain through the inevitable post Brexit problems. Across the Atlantic, president-elect Biden has an even more daunting and dangerous mission. 

The pandemics is at its highest, having already affected  21.7 million and killed 365,000. Now Biden faces anarchy, an uprising that threatens the nation’s democratic institutions. 

The sensational scenes of the storming of the Capitol shocked the world and did irreparable damage to the country’s reputation. Biden must stop the mayhem, restore confidence and unity. 

He must quickly limit the damage caused by the megalomaniac Trump, the most unstable, dangerous leader in generations. The US politicians, Republic and Democrats, must get rid of him, before he can do more damage, before the inauguration

There must never be a repeat of the disgraceful scenes this week in what so easily could have been  a coup, accepted if not led by the disgraced president.

Donald Trump and Boris Johnson have been seen as similar characters and in some ways this is true. But, despite his faults and fumbling leadership, our PM has pride in his country which he will defend, Unlike Trump who harbours and incites hatred and who is a little Hitler, ruthless and with overwhelming confidence in his ability and power to lead his country down a perilous path.

The next few months will test to the limit the new president and our struggling prime minister, and be an anxious time for both.

Veteran Biden, at 78, will have to find the courage and skill to defeat two enemies, the anarchic followers of Trump and the horrific pandemic. 

These are indeed historic days for both countries.

Thursday 7 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Thursday 7 January 2021

Champagne Christmas for supermarkets


The ghost of Christmas past will haunt us for years, but it was a ghost of good cheer for a fortunate few - Britain’s supermarkets.

They saw sales and profits leap as we drowned our sorrows by taking to drink - champagne. The cork popping was deafening. 

Morrisons, our third biggest supermarket, reports an 81% rise in sales over Christmas, with bubbly and beer sales up 64%.

No wonder it was able to hand back the £274 million it had been granted by the government in business rates relief. Most of the other supermarkets dId the same, with three still hanging on to the bonus: Iceland, the Co-op and Waitrose.

The British arm of the German family owned firm, Aldi, still forging ahead, clocked up a record £1 billion in food and drink sales in Christmas week, including  four and a half million bottles of champagne, wines and beers, 75% up on last year.

Coronavirus was the reason for their Christmas bonanza, with the whole nation embattled, confined to their homes, making the most of a woeful time.

And probably raising a glass for a real champagne Christmas this year. 

This year it's been an ill wind...

Wednesday 6 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Wednesday 6 January 2021


What a  start to the new year. I should have resolved not to watch television news or read the papers. Nothing but gloom and dire predictions.

No need to read the stories, the headlines tell it all.

Look at those, from just one paper, a tabloid.

COVID CURVE MAY BE BACK  NEXT WINTER - Whitty’s grim news

Tory MPs fear Hancock may miss vaccine target

Exams off but no clue to what happens next

1 MILLION IN ENGLAND HAVE COVID

DOUBLE DIP RECESSION ON THE WAY 

CANCER CRISIS 

NEW AGONY FOR 400,000 IN CARE HOMES 

Holiday hopes dashed

GLASS VIALS SHORTAGE AND APPROVAL DELAY HOLDNG UP VACCINE DRIVE

WE’LL BE TOUGHER THIS TIME WARN  POLICE

What a catalogue of despair. 

Tuesday 5 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Tuesday 5 January 2021


Midwinter has brought chilling news of a new crisis, the return of a lockdown as strict as last March and a danger of hospitals unable to cope with an avalanche of patients.

The prime minister, in a television address last night, announced that the new lockdown in England would last until mid February at the earliest. All schools will remain closed - some had been back for just one day - everyone who could should work from home. University students must stay at home. The country is virtually shutting down.

The situation in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is equally serious with coronavirus cases soaring to record levels. over 50,000 a day.

Some hospitals in south east England are sending seriously ill patients two hundred miles to hospitals in the south west.

The PM warned that the next few weeks would be the most difficult so far. Parliament is being recalled to pass the new rules into law.

The new form of coronavirus, more infectious than the original, is spreading to other countries. There has been assurance that the vaccines are effective against it.

The redeeming feature in the latest situation is the vaccination programme is moving up a gear, which it needs to after a slower than expected start.

Once again, hope of an end to the saga is being deferred. We will have to endure this dangerous, inhospitable winter and look forward to relief in the spring sunshine.

Monday 4 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Monday 4 January 2021


Health versus the economy is one major question on the pandemic  but there is a second that will probably have a longer lasting effect - health versus education. And it has been the most consistently debated issue of any.

It is at its fiercest now, fanned by the wave that is threatening to overwhelm the hospitals.

Schools are due to reopen this week but already throughout the. UK this is unlikely. There is confusion for teachers, parents and children, with governments unable to make up their minds.

The prime minister maintains that primary schoolchildren should go back. ‘In my mind I have no doubt it is safe’, he said.

But another about-turn is on the cards in England as, once again, embattled education secretary Gavin Williamson is in the middle of the conflict. 

He agrees with the PM and is adamant that pupils should go back, except for primary schools in London.

School heads, local authorities and the unions have warned that it is unsafe, a view shared by some local authorities. Head teachers are taking legal action, demanding the government give information on infection rates.

The. position today is unclear, with the prime minister admitting that closure could not be ruled out if the position worsened

In Wales, councils have been told they can be flexible, with many planning to reopen on January 11.

Whatever the result  of  the latest muddle, millions  of children face years catching up on so much lost time.

The overriding consideration must be their health.

Sunday 3 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Sunday 3 January 2021

It did not take long for a dampener on the PM's celebrations. His first new year storm is a controversy over vaccinations.

Once again we have promises from health secretary for England Matt Hancock - will he ever learn? - of a million doses a day, only to be falling short.

An exuberant Hancock says the NHS has risen to this 'enormous task’. It has to!

It is not just the warning from England’s chief medical officer that the shortage of vaccines ‘will last for months’ but criticism about the way the operation has begun that is worrying. 

Their grumble is on two fronts: the government’s decision to speed up the programme by deferring the second dose from three weeks to three months and the red tape that is said to be stifling recruitment of medical staff volunteering to give injections.

GPS say the deferral is unfair to patients who have been told at short notice that their second appointment is delayed. Many retired doctors and nurses who volunteered to help say they have 21 separate documents to deal with including training in counter terrorism, counter racism, human rights and data protection. 

As usual, the army are being called up. They say they can muster up to 250 mobile teams that could give 250,000 jabs a week.

A Queen Mary University doctor told the BBC a bottleneck in vaccine is preventing the target being met.

To add fuel to the fire, Israel reports today it has given over one million doses, one in 12 of its people.

Not an auspicious start for the UK in 2021.

Saturday 2 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Saturday 2 January 2021


Prime minister Johnson must have enjoyed his little Christmas and celebrated the new year. Hope inspired by the vaccines and his last minute triumph signing and sealing the Brexit trade agreement has probably given a new spring to his step. 

He needed it, and deserves sympathy and support for having had to endure and try to solve a massive crisis like none of his predecessors over generations. 

The question is, will he build on his success and become a bolder, more competent leader?

He has to if the barrage of criticism and opposition he has faced over many months are to die away.

He has compounded his problems by his choice of cabinet, most of them patently out of their depth.

He must realise this and reshuffle the pack, probably within a few weeks. There must be better quality members ready for the challenge.

Another, more important questions, is whether Mr Johnson has the will to battle on. Will the temptation to retire to a quieter, more relaxed, and remunerative lifestyle - perhaps back to his writing days that earned him a reputed £100,000 for a weekly column?

Few of Britain’s 76 former prime ministers have voluntarily stepped down, the more recent ones, Stanley Baldwin, three times PM, in 1937, Harold Wilson in 1976 and Theresa May in 2019. 

Instead, he might be relishing the chance to make good his boasts and promises for the post Brexit era.

It would be a relief and pleasure to see the old affable, optimistic Boris building on his recent successes, and it might make 2021 a truly memorable happy, even glorious new year.

Friday 1 January 2021

Coronavirus diary, Friday 1 January 2021

New Year's Day

Ringing in the new...


So, what will this new year bring? Surely it must be better than disastrous 2020. But we must be cautious, and not expect a return to our lifestyle of 10 months ago. Remember? - we were promised that it would all be over by Easter - the last one - and then Christmas, and look what happened to that. 

At the end of the summer, with infection and death rates falling, and just three months ago with the unexpectedly early clutch of vaccines on the horizon, we looked forward to a promising start to the new year. 

Instead the arrival of the second wave, and the even more infectious mutant coronavirus, or Covid-19, we are again fearful.

Having endured all the hardships for almost 10 months and the unprecedented loss of our freedom, we surely deserve a reward. 

I am optimistic about the new year. We know we are facing more months of worry and restrictions but I think we shall be moving out of the darkness into summer sunshine and relief. 

I think, too, that there will then be an explosion of energy and activity at work and play.

The initial problems of leaving the European Union will have been dealt with. Industry and commerce will be.revitalised, jobs will be created, making up for some of the losses.  We will go to pubs, restaurants, theatres and cinemas, we will flock to sporting events. Freedom will lead to fun, joy and relief. 

It will not be easy, though. It will take years to meet the horrendous cost. But with the fear of death from coronavirus mercifully ended, we can get on with life and enjoy ourselves.

That is my hope and belief.