Why Boris Johnson isn't getting the blame for coronavirus
They had such hopes! The virus would inspire a popular uprising because the Government had not ordered enough PPE, Tories would be swept out of power following massive demos and press campaigns, and Brexit would be abandoned. Alas...
The happiest people in lockdown are those most capable of finding solace in small things [most of the population that is, without constant restless unfocussed anxiety], and it’s this dramatic lowering of expectations under pressure that might help explain the baffling paradox in politics right now....somehow, blame slides off our prime minister – 60% of Britons think that a government led by the man who missed five Cobra meetings about coronavirus has handled the epidemic well, according to YouGov,
the left [and the entire Gurdina organization] has always underestimated Johnson’s natural rapport with voters , even after he won a Brexit referendum followed by a landslide general election, and is still doing so now. Not everyone is thinking what you’re thinking, to put it simply: millions of Britons either still actively like Johnson, or are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt... a third of Labour voters, half of Liberal Democrat voters and 49% of remainers agree.
YouGov’s extraordinary findings, when tracking changes in the public mood, [show] that happiness is rising again after plummeting at the start of lockdown, while stress and fear are declining after an early spike... Logically, the situation hasn’t got any less frightening....[People are] dangerously open to the defence Johnson is now apparently trying to build ahead of any public inquiry, that is that this was an unprecedented global crisis in which everyone made mistakes but he nonetheless did his best.
The unprincipled shyster! Finally identifying the beam in her own eye,Hinsliff concludes
no opposition to Johnson will succeed unless it first understands why, whatever happens, so many people want so badly to believe in him.
She might not have to go far for material. Petty bourgeois have deeply irrational and conservative beliefs and tastes too, except in some safe 'imaginary' areas. Even a Graun colleague argues:
Take the safe option: it's time to ditch edgy fads
Elsewhere, a 'positive psychologist' sees an opportunity for trade and writes:The 21st century seems so unhinged, it feels as though it’s drastically in need of a friend to confiscate its phone and force-feed it a sensible mug of Horlicks. So as we enter a new decade, it’s time to wake up to the obvious truth that sometimes playing it safe might be the smarter option. Sure, it won’t necessarily make for great social media content or keep trend forecasters in business, but the tried and tested route at least offers proven enjoyment.
what can we do during Covid-19 to become an emotional coach for our kids?
Lots of professorial advice follows:
For home-learning, you can set a language assignment that involves your kids creating an “Emotions Dictionary”. Have them look up the full range of different emotions, define each emotion [not actually easy, in fact], put it into a sentence and write about how that emotion might show itself during family lockdown. You can add an art lesson to this by having your child draw or paint each emotion [modern expereimental artists like F Bacon have been trying to do this unsuccessfully for years] ....As parents, we can also take comfort in knowing that “this too shall pass”. The anxiety or frustration you had this morning during family lockdown will give way to a sense of relief that your family is safe, gratitude for the kindness of a friend, pride that your family is adapting and having little wins [eg small signallings of virtue?] along the way during this time of crisis....A key part of building emotional intelligence is being able to name one’s emotions. [didn't she say that earlier?] You can encourage your child to explore their emotions using the metaphors of weather....create a positive playlist of songs that boost your mood. Include songs about resilience, triumph and overcoming negative events.
It looks pretty much like the jolly old commonsense of the middle classes given by Observer agony aunt M Frostrup who has no qualifications in psychology at all, from what I can see. The link does point to a published study of emotional literacy, finding positive changes after an intervention programme (but not allowing for the Hawthorne effect -- any intervention of any kind has positive benefits), and there remains a bit of a problem in this:
However, the participants did not share a common language to describe, and had different knowledge and understanding of, the term emotional literacy (pp 416--7)
It is just not that easy to find reassurance for those for whom it is a fearful world. After all, the Graun also reports that:
Mile-wide asteroid set to pass within 3.9m miles of Earth
And what is Johnson doing about it? Nothing!
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