England Expects That Every Man Will Do His Duty

And women too, of course.

So signaled Horatio Nelson from HMS Victory, in what has become one of the most famous moments in our history.  So, where are we at with this?  What duties does England expect now from its people?  And what do we expect back from the state?

If Coronavirus has done anything, I think it's confirmed what we already sort-of knew about British society in the 21st century - that it's become inherently selfish, self-serving, and individualistic.  The notion of pulling together, of battling through as one united nation, of facing down our collective threats together, is dead, isn't it?

Why do you say this Nich?  Well, firstly I know that a lot of good things do go quite unreported in this country, instigated by people with big hearts which are full of compassion.  But we're in the midst of a very unpleasant global pandemic, and all some people seem to have been able to do so far, is try and exclude themselves from our collective responsibility.  Rather like the BMW driver in Torquay last week that cruised up the wrong lane and then tried to push in front of me because they couldn't be bothered to wait in the queue along with everyone else: "Those rules are fine, but surely they don't apply to me."

The BMW driver, by the way, was left floundering in no-mans-land because I stood my ground and refused to let him bully me into submission.  But alas I cannot do the same about the idiots in Nottingham last night, who went out in their huge groups, observed no social distancing rules, got plastered, got off with each other, fought the police officers who had to attend, and generally spread their germs around the city.  Slow hand clap all round.

I should say at this point that I'm generally a fairly conservative human being; I don't believe in big state; I'm not a massive fan of Government intervention; and I think people should be allowed to live a free life, uninhibited by the powers that be.  But you know what, I'm in Nelson's camp with this one - England expects that every man does his duty.  Because these are not normal times - we're at war with a virus, and we have to start pulling together if we have any chance of winning and getting our lives back to normal.  The state's not asking anybody to pick up a gun and jump into the trenches, as our forefathers were made to do.  It's not asking you to parachute out of a skytrain and secure Pegasus Bridge.  It's not asking you to lay down your life for your country, as Nelson did.  So is it really that much of an ask to curb your activity a little bit, for the good of the entire nation?  I'm managing to do it, and so is everyone else that I know, even though some of the things we've lost are of far greater value than the memories of a drunken night out.

To conclude, if you were out in Nottingham last night grappling with police, then you're a moron who should be placed at the back of the queue when it comes to medical assistance.  But you won't be, because even though you've failed to do your duty, you'll still be looked after and given the best care available.  That's the daft and beautiful thing about this country - it will try to look after you regardless.  And maybe that's a lesson that everybody needs to take away from the present, and put into their every day lives.  England's expecting - let's not let it down any more.