Corona virus: Bringing out the best and the worst in the people.

The British Isles - like much of the world - has been engulfed by Corona Virus. In Ireland it is Saint Paddy's Day, but the pubs are shut across the Republic by decree of the Dáil (they stayed open in Stormont-administered Ulster).  In Great  Britain panic buying has seen shops stripped of toilet roll, hand-sanitiser, pasta and plenty more besides, with online shoppers left looking at empty shelves online.  The Corona Virus follows on from SARS, Swine Flu and other similar ailments which have been sweeping the globe in recent years.  The major difference between the previous outbreaks and this one, has been the reaction.

In 2009 Swine Flu hit the world. In the UK, the reaction was pretty much business as usual. The shops stayed full.  Swine Flu killed 457 people in the UK in 2009 - or rather, 457 people infected with Swine Flu died in 2009 in the UK (there is an important distinction between the two, which is routinely ignored). As of the moment of writing, 71 people have been died of/with Corona Virus in the UK. This figure is projected by official sources to rise with estimates ranging between 20,000 and 1,000,000 deaths.

We honestly do not know how Corona Virus is going to impact people in the British Isles.  What we do know is that it has already having an impact which far exceeds that of the 2009 Swine Flu outbreak.

To visit the shops today is to visit places of madness, with people buying up ridiculous amounts of pasta, toilet roll, toiletries and other items they feel are vital if they have to go into temporary quarantine. The government is suggesting that people with symptom which are identical with Flu should self-quarantine for a fortnight, so the people who are stock-piling are really overdoing what is necessary for a short period.  Sadly, it is not only fear which is motivating stock-piling, it is greed as well.

To go online in search of items which the shops have sold out of, is to find an orgy of despicable profiteering.  There are many Markets where unscrupulous stall holders are selling goods for vastly higher prices than they would cost in shops if they hadn't been bought old. We are witnessing a return of the Spivs of the Second World War, with absolute scum buying essentials at the normal price, and re-selling at inflated prices.  Baby formula - which is essential for mothers who cannot breast-feed - sells in the shops for a a couple of pounds a pot. The new Spivs are re-selling it for hundreds of pounds.  Under the capitalist system, this is called the free market! The Socialist Motherland Party calls it what it is - exploitation, criminal selfishness, theft and anti-social behaviour which in a sane society would be responded to with the harshest of punishments.  The new Spivs are the Kulaks of the twenty-first century, hoarding food to sell at a profit, whilst their countrymen suffer - and in the case of babies whose mothers cannot breast-feed, starve.  Scum like this deserve nothing less than execution - but the UK isn't a sane country, it is a capitalist one, and this kind of behaviour isn't punished, it is encouraged.

The British Isles are being divided like never before:

• There are masses of people stock-piling through fear of succumbing to the virus and needing what they have come to see as vital items.  There are many more who are stock-piling simply because the sight of empty shelves creates panic and a spiral,of panic buying so as to not be in a position of being unable to buy anything.  These people are the majority.  
• There is a minority of absolute scum -  Spivs - who are buying in bulk to sell at a profit and who positively relish the chance of exploiting the sick and vulnerable.  
• There is another minority comprised of decent people who can see beyond the liberal individualist mindset - these people are socialists in spirit, whether they are ideologically socialist or not, for they are taking action to help their countrymen.  Examples of the socialist principle in action include individuals looking after their elderly neighbours by donating toilet rolls, soap etc and keeping in touch to make sure they are ok, going shopping for people who cannot go themselves, putting together food parcels for those in need, doing what is decent and right in any way possible without any thought of personal gain.

There are ways in which we can make a difference to people in need. It shouldn't take a health crisis to make us into decent human beings though (or to prompt us to have a wash!), we should be considerate and compassionate at all times.  Things we can do to help others can be as simple as asking what they need and making the effort to fulfil their needs where we can.  We need to be as self-sufficient as possible ourselves, and to help others to become so also.

In practical terms, we can beat the panic buyers by creating our own products.  These are a few things we can make ourselves:

1. Disinfectant - 1 part water, 1 part white vinegar;
2. Alternative disinfectant - 900ml hot water, 50ml white vinegar, 25g bicarbinate of soda, half lemon squeezed, grated zest - sieved then put into an old spray bottle;
3. Pasta - its really simple to make (tricky but simple). Plain flour and eggs are all you need. A pasta machine helps, but isn't necessary. Pasta machines can be bought online for around £14. Recipes and instructional videos are readily available online.
4. Bread - you can use an ordinary cooking tray. The ingredients are flour, yeast, salt, sugar, oil and water (other ingredients to suit your own taste). Recipes online.
5. Look online!!! You have the internet. Use it as a tool to educate yourself in how to create items you need from ingredients you can get hold of when the finished product is scarce.

We can also educate ourselves into not joining the panic mindset.  It is possible that Corona virus could be a massive killer. It is also possible that it might not be.  The frail and elderly are susceptible to all manner of sickness which can kill them simply because their immune systems are weak.  Be wary of this at all times and take care to not put them in danger. Don't be a dirty bugger! Personal hygiene such as washing, changing your clothes, not spitting, go a long way to stopping the spread of germs, so be clean! Its simple and shouldn't need spelling out.  The panic buying of soap does suggest that to a lot of people, cleanliness is something alien and only to be indulged in in times of crisis.




To put some perspective on the similarities of Corona Virus (2020) and Swine Flu H1N1 (2009), have a look at the old posts written at the time, reposted at this link:
https://socialistmotherlandparty.blogspot.com/2020/03/corona-virus-2020-vs-swine-flu-2009.html