CLap for our carers tonight at 8pm

Melanie123, I think we have to be careful not to think of every good deed as virtue signalling.
Whatever has motivated people it’s great to see that as a nation we can come together.
I bet many rifts and squabbles have been healed, friendships cemented and conceived during this grim time.

I work for the NHS, and am frontline but not with known covid patients.
Once was nice but honestly it feels disconcerting how a lot of my neighbours are enjoying posting videos of themselves clapping in the streets. It’s more about them and how they appear to their friends and neighbours than about the care givers and other essential workers.
It would mean more to me certainly for people to pull together and help others....and to continue once this plague has abated.

This morning on my daily walk round the park, the refuge collectors were doing their tour down the street. I stopped to thank them for the work they're doing and saw there's only two men on - the driver and the poor guy running after the van grabbing bins on the way.

They are stars in my eyes but I wonder how long they'll be able to keep going. My bin bags were gone at 7.00am this morning

SirChenjin ?

suziewoozie I did too isn’t it funny I opened my door as the bin men came and shouted loudly ‘Thank you’ I got a gruff ‘ok’ back if I could get to the shops I buy them some biscuits and sellotape on the bin
We all need to say thank you more often and get a thank you back in recognition It gets lost in every day life and if nothing else it has brought the community together to express their feelings and that has got to be worth something
To those that think it cringeworthy forget YOUR feelings and think of theirs I have key workers (NHS) in my immediate family and they were touched by it

There is a huge amount of waste - but that’s not all down to NHS mismanagement, a lot has to do with the ever shifting political goalposts. Procurement is a problem e.g if I want to prefer a chair I have to go with what’s available through the national contract even though I can buy a better, cheaper one at Ikea and don’t even start me on the pharma companies.
Of course, if we really wanted to do our bit we could all make sure that we don’t smoke, we don’t take drugs, we don’t drink to excess, we keep our weight in the healthy bracket, we exercise regularly, we eat a good diet and we don’t utilise services we don’t need, and Govts could invest heavily in areas which have massive impact on improving public health and social justice. That could save the NHS many, many millions.

Greymar, I take your point. Someone in the NHS recently said to my daughter “ the NHS doesn’t need more money, it needs to learn how to manage it” One of this persons huge bugbears is the procurement process and of course the waste.

I find it sad that Doodle ‘s posts attributes such mean minded petty reasons to those of us going out to applaud. Maybe such negative views of humanity explain not knowing neighbours and feeling part of the community. This morning I glanced up and saw the bin lorry so went on my doorstep and clapped them. Just me, not feeling pressured or showing my sanctimonious nature - just a spontaneous action that I didn’t actually stop to critically analyse. I got cheery smiles and waves. And yes, I always acknowledge them throughout the year if I see them, I follow all the rules in putting out my rubbish and give them a tip at Christmas.

We went out to applaud all keyworkers at 8pm and will do so each week.Our younger daughter and both son in laws are keyworkers.DD was arriving home from work last night at 8pm and said it was like coming home to a standing ovation.Really gave her a much needed boost.
In our close of 11 houses,4 came out to applaud,one neighbour came out to ask what all the noise was about?It was a lovely five minutes all shouting to each other from our driveways.

Exactly BradfordLass - so many essential front line workers to be applauded. As I mentioned upthread, the SuperSol staff across the road came out too at 8pm wearing their masks and their appearance raised a huge rallying cheer!
?

Lest we forget, the appalling mess we are in. The people who have run down and devalued the NHS, the people who have sat in their management positions while those at the bottom of the pile, cleaned for low wages,the fat cats on their huge salaries,the inadequate equipment, the corruption , the lies.

I will get battered on here for this but so be it.

Wonderful words thank you for posting grannyactivist
You must be very proud and worried for your daughter at the same time. Such mixed emotions we have to deal with
I wish I knew who the author was?

Very moving ga

That is wonderful ga, I shall pass this on to others. Shame, though, that the author only refers to the medics, as the ‘army’ is so much more than them.

That’s brilliant grannyactivist thanks for sharing

I have a daughter who is an Intensive Care/Ecmo nurse in New Zealand - and she appreciates the gesture very much. So I'll be outside clapping for as many weeks as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, lab workers, shop workers, truck drivers, farmers, posties and refuse collectors carry on doing the jobs they do to keep us all in food, safety and comfort. (I will have missed someone I know, but I am truly grateful that whilst I'm hiding away they are out there doing their jobs.)

I saw this today and can't attribute it as I don't know the author, but I suspect it was written by someone from the Manchester area:

I'll tell you a tale, that's been recently written,
Of a powerful army, so Great it saved Britain,
They didn't have bombs and they didn't have planes,
They fought with their hearts and they fought with their brains,
They didn't have bullets, armed just with a mask,
We sent them to war, with one simple task,
To show us the way, to lead and inspire us,
To protect us from harm and fight off the virus,
It couldn't be stopped by our bullet proof vests,
An invisible enemy, invaded our chests,
So we called on our weapon, our soldiers in Blue,
"All Doctors, All Nurses, Your Country needs you"
We clapped on our streets, hearts bursting with pride,
As they went off to war, while we stayed inside,
They struggled at first, as they searched for supplies,
But they stared down the virus, in the whites of its eyes,
They leaped from the trenches and didn't think twice,
Some never came back, the ultimate price,
So tired, so weary, yet still they fought on,
As the virus was beaten and the battle was won,
The many of us, owe so much, to so few,
The brave and the bold, our heroes in Blue,
So let's line the streets and remember our debt
We love you, our heroes,
Lest we forget.

We went out tonight and just as we were clapping a Morrisons van came up the street to deliver to one of my neighbours and they all clapped him as well!

Soda pop you think I was being sarcastic if that makes you feel better. I was actually disgusted at the attitude of some on here who were basically saying they couldn’t be bothered. Your daughter may have been embarrassed because she hadn’t expected it on a personal level but I hope she appreciated the thought behind it. I’ll be doing it every Thursday you do as you like but don’t call me sarcastic just because you don’t like what I say.

Our long straight road hadn't many out last week, but tonight was another matter. Lots of us were there clapping vigorously and banging pot lids. A neighbourhood group has been started this week and we also have a WhatsAp group on the go.

And don't forget to applaud the many checkout staff who are being breathed upon and yet still risk all that to help us.

BlueBelle I wholeheartedly agree with your post @ 19.11. So typical of the British to let their inhibitions stop them from putting themselves out there and cheering on our amazing front line workers. Just do it, for heaven's sake! A couple of minutes at your front door/window/balcony to express your gratitude to the army of people who are keeping this ship afloat. Surely you can manage your embarrassment, your cringing for just two minutes a week?

Great support round here. It shouldn’t need saying, that our NHS and care services should be better funded. That shouldn’t be used as a reason not to show support in this way.
It does bring peopke together, creates the feeling that we are indeed all in this together.

Twiceasnice it was my daughter who was embarrassed, she is a mental health community nurse. Maybe you should read the posts more carefully before responding sarcastically.

Somebody has just commented on my wife's WhatsApp group, that when this is all over this country will have a completely different perception of who really matters in this life and who does not.

By example, once again the banking industry is showing they do not care about any other industry or profession than themselves.

paddyann I agree. Showing solidarity is one thing but not if you don't fight for what is right. I'm not sure how to at the moment but we shouldn't forget that the Tories laughed in 2017 when they turned down a pay rise for the nurses.
People have to stop saying that this isn't political. It is all political. From the cancellation of pandemic preparations to cuts to the NHS to just in time supply policies.
This is more important that the trivial things the media covers at election time.