Most people are thrilled when they are proved right. A smugness settles over them and they think, “Told you so.” There’s even a German word for it Schadenfreude that has crept into the English language. I’m not aware of an opposite word for the joy you can feel about being wrong. It might be more relief than happiness. If there was a German word it might be Falscherleichterung. Perhaps I can see why it won’t catch on.
However I did have just as good a feeling when I was proved wrong about Essex Council’s motivation for going to tier 2 at what seems to be a premature time. I hated the idea of corruption but I couldn’t get it out of my head. Watching the interview Essex Live did with Dr Mike Gogarty and Cllr John Spence, I realised that they just think that they are making a decision that they think will save the county and I sort of admire them for that. I think it is very risky to go against the national plan because if it goes wrong then you have no one to blame but yourself. In politics it would be better for your long term viability if you could blame Matt Hancock. In fact, in life, it is always better if you can blame Matt Hancock. They were also clearly upset at the suggestion that they would take these measures for financial gain.
I was surprised that the government were happy to agree to it, as it completely undermines their strategy. If Essex needs to go to tier 2 then so does the whole country and I am completely amazed by a government that is prepared to hand over the ammunition to anyone who wants to accuse them of negligence, quite so easily.
One thing I do know, is that these are not easy decisions for anyone and so I am prepared to cut everyone a bit of slack (except maybe Dido Harding).
I am hoping that I get the feeling of Falscherleichterung again very soon, though because I think that local lockdowns in the way they are being managed are partly what is driving this virus transmission. To contain a virus, you need to keep people where they are. You have to sacrifice a small population to save the whole. That sounds cruel but that is what has happened historically. (Read about the Derbyshire town of Eyam https://www.eyamvillage.org.uk/plague) These lockdowns are different. They are not keeping people in their own social circles but actually appear to encourage a wider mixing.
When we came out of national lockdown and it became obvious that it was far too soon they tried to remedy the problem by containing it. They locked down Leicester but our country doesn’t work like that and it just meant that everyone from Leicester went to other places to eat, drink, have their hair cut or buy a suit and the virus spread. You can guarantee that the farm shop/tea room in Market Harborough, as nice as it is, won’t be donating any of its extra profits to the nice cafe in St Martins Square.
The same will probably happen with the Essex tier 2 restrictions but in reverse. We don’t have that many cases at the moment but if we can’t see our friends in our safe home town then we might travel to more virulent places. Essex has two unitary authorities so you can still meet your 5 friends at Lakeside or in a Southend pub and bring home a nice cough that you wouldn’t have got in your home town.
I just don’t think it’s going to work and I don’t think they have the backing of enough of the public either. Oh, I really hope I’m wrong.
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