THIS will be the last time I write before Christmas so I would like to take the opportunity to wish everyone as happy a festive period as possible.
Despite the PM's announcement yesterday about new tier changes in London, the South East and East of England, it does not affect us as we are in Tier Two.
So, as said, I wish the people of Trowbridge to ‘have yourself a happy little Christmas’ with the ‘little’ underscored several times.
Like most things this year, Christmas will be very different.
Whereas we, in Wiltshire, were previously able to form a Christmas bubble between December 23 and 27 with up to three households, now you can only meet up in a bubble of two households on Christmas Day itself December 25.
(For more information on this, go to the Government's website by clicking here.)
However, many will this year be limiting themselves further depending on their individual circumstances and perception of risk. My family is.
Especially since a good percentage of coronavirus cases are asymptomatic, I would advise exercising caution and questioning the necessity of travelling to friends or families; particularly if you are forming a bubble with seniors or otherwise vulnerable people. The gov.uk website has all the details particularly concerning the new regulations announced yesterday (Saturday).
Fortunately, this will likely be a one-off Christmas. Our exit strategy – the vaccine – is being carried out, with over 137,000 Britons having received their first dose, including stars Sir Ian McKellen and Bake Off’s Prue Leith. When my turn comes, I will accept the vaccine in a heartbeat.
We are still the only western country to have started inoculating and this hopefully will mean we will be first to start on the road to recovery. All eyes now on the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab.
This will all add to our admirable vaccine history starting with Gloucestershire GP Edward Jenner and his cowpox jab that spelt, ultimately, curtains for the only infectious disease to have been completely wiped out - smallpox.
Intertwined with our recovery from Covid, is Brexit. I’m sitting here as rain sweeps over Wiltshire fields ready to travel to London to help pass emergency legislation on a trade deal with the EU if such a deal is struck over the next few days.
As ever, the issues are fishing and level playing field rules. There have been ebbs and flows over the past week, but sources inform me that the auguries are looking good. Perhaps “it is the moment of truth” in Mr Barnier’s words.
It’s worth remembering that although fishing is a touchstone issue for an island nation - one by one the fishing boats in the town I grew up in disappeared in the 1960s and 70s - we don’t have the capacity to harvest all the useable fish in our massive sea areas right now.
It seems perverse to beggar our neighbours if we can allocate them a quota for a finite number of years whilst we regrow our fishing fleet.
Similarly, I have no practical issues with a so-called level playing field and no-regression as long as we retain the ability to diverge going forward, are not tied in to any new EU rules that may arise and have a fair adjudication process that isn’t the ECJ.
Those who say we shouldn’t give an inch have clearly never been party to a negotiation. You only go into a negotiation if you’re prepared to compromise. I have every confidence that our negotiators will find a way of honouring the referendum and minimising trade friction as we tip into 2021.
Happy Christmas everyone, except 2020 - I say, good riddance!