Beware of the quiet ones.

 “Is it just me, or does the government website sometimes repeat itself?” my son messaged the family WhatsApp group. He added a screenshot of the roadmap document for clarity.

“They’re just really excited about outdoor cinemas opening,” my daughter replied. 

The part of the document that he’d sent was from step three and said, “Outdoor performances such as outdoor cinemas, outdoor theatres and outdoor cinemas can reopen.”

My son had gone back to his University accommodation just before the New Year Stay at Home order was announced and is, luckily, living with people he really likes, so his final year University experience hasn’t been as bad as it could have been. However, the actual learning experience has been dire and definitely not worth the £9000 he has paid for it. The problem with turning students into consumers is that they have a right to expect value for money. 

It’s true that at the end of this year he will still be awarded a degree. It might not be quite the grade he had hoped for because it has been terribly hard to motivate himself but you could argue that it doesn’t matter if he gets that certificate, which, after all, is what he’s paid for. It isn’t though, is it? University is about access to a specialist library, meeting people that think the way you do, building relationships with people who can help you in the future, the buzz of knowing that there are other people who can understand what you are writing about. 

Now, my son is one of the quiet ones. He’s laid back, easy going and doesn’t often say much. He’d never complain. 

In the governments roadmap for unlocking the economy there are sections that have been forgotten. University students were the first and most obvious of these. As soon as the embargoed roadmap was given to journalists I asked my daughter what was happening with Unis and she confirmed that there didn’t appear to be anything said. A little more detail appeared later but it’s still basically a no to having the education they are paying for and no actual proper plans for when. 

Other sectors that feel forgotten include the arts and museums. I wonder what governments think happens in a museum or a specialist library that increases the risk of transmission? Have they watched too many teen movies where there is snogging behind the exhibits?

My mind keeps repeating the phrase, “empty vessels make most noise,” and I think that the reason Whetherspoons will be able to open before the Museum of English Rural Life is because Mr Spoons will make a lot of noise. Ms Merl actually has a brain inside her head and can see the point of not opening up everything straight away, so she says nothing and the government thinks she can be left until last without any financial compensation.

The government would do well to remember this anonymous quote because there is still a long way to go and it doesn’t bode well to annoy society’s quiet thinkers.