Small beer

Nothing like a drink after work. The pubs are all closed but we have our supplies of the good stuff …

The aftermath of the Capitol insurrection dominated today. I get most of my news from from Radio 4 and The Guardian, both of which covered it in detail, although by lunchtime I was getting a little jaded from hearing the same analysis - “this has been a long time coming” - spoken by every political insider they could lay their hands on. 

Anne Applebaum was good, I read her book Twilight Of Democracy last year and she knows what she is talking about. She is uniquely well placed to compare American, British and Eastern European authoritarianism and has lived and observed it through the last three decades. Her analysis of the impact around the world was telling. “America’s enemies said less but surely enjoyed the images more. After the riot at the Capitol, all of them will feel more confident.”

As to the rest a routine day in the home office. I did manage a walk. As I was nearly home I stepped off the narrow pavement and adjusted my face mask as there was a guy coming towards me. He eyed me up and said angrily "brother you believe in all this coronavirus shit? It’s a lie, they’re trying to suffocate us." I waved him away and carried on walking as he yelled after me "it’s all a conspiracy". Arse. I can’t stand these deniers and conspiracy theorists.

Everyone is tired and / or under the weather at the moment except Strider who is nearly always in rude health. I’m not sure how much of it is physical and how much of it is emotional … but the end result is the same.