Forgotten Fogeys

Yes, you’re right. We over-seventies are self-obsessed. I am aware that a month ago (April 4) I posted “Fogeys on the Fringe” suggesting that we had become a peripheral concern. That’s now official, and reinforced by the media. For weeks the Government has insisted that to even talk of a strategy for coming out of lockdown was a massive concession, which would lead to widespread public panic (despite the fact that almost every other country in Europe was already holding this particular discussion.) now we’re told to “wait till Sunday” (why Sunday, for God’s sake) when Boris will reveal the roadmap in all its glorious detail. Boris actually reveals very little. He talks about particular tweaks, here and there, what might happen in some remote future, and by the way people should go back to work tomorrow. There is, of course, no mention of the over 70s. When we get the detail, it appears that 1.5 million cases at risk have now become 2.5 million, but there’s no indication as to whether or not that includes “all people over 70” (unlikely, I’d have thought). But if the focus is on those 2.5 million, wouldn’t it make sense to now say that healthy over-70s need no longer stay at home? Apparently not. They don’t say it, the papers don’t mention it. We’re not actually of interest, since we’re not having much impact on the economy, and that’s all they care about. But a little bit of honest communication would be nice. Dream on.