Sign in - post apocalyptic notes July 2020

It could just be because it's a Monday

Or because the world is appearing particularly fuckish today. Stories of heartache and conflict and climate disaster.

So, it's good when a new zine drops in the Inbox, followed by new funding opportunities for the not-faint-hearted, undeterred by rhyme/reason, coping with post-apocalyptic terminology writer. It's SO hot off the press it's not even digitally online yet, so here's just a tease of the cover. Until such time as I can share it more generously.

https://utoprozine.com/

New plan, old plan, no plan - Lockdown 2020

I am used to functioning with no plan. I am a mother of three. But this government is taking 'winging it' to a whole new level.

Times when winging it is good (from personal experience): 

When you forget your lines for the Cheshunt Comprehensive  School play (points for original context)
When you run out of Italian truffles in a Nigella recipe and use Asda meatballs instead
When your neighbour asks if you used that macrame pattern they gave you

Times when winging it is NOT so good:

At a NATO peacekeeping conference
To resussitate the school gerbil you brought home for the holidays
During a global pandemic (Note to Govt.)

The original context, I hear you ask? Well, the writer Phillip Godfrey described it in 1933 in his book about contemporary English Theatre as "He must give a performance by 'winging it' - that is, by refreshing his memory for each scene in the wings before he goes on to play it."

Uha, okay, got that. Not a way to stumble through life then.

So, I think it is abundantly clear that anything in a global context, relating to health, safety or the welfare of a whole population (maybe even species), is when you Woman UP and make a To Do List, at the very least. Ideally you have previously prepared oh, I dunno, a pre-emptive plan in the event of any global crisis? Something that is now known as having a 'Jacinta Ardern strategy'.

But this is all well and good with hindsight, but what do we do now? 

Does anyone think we need a global body to make the big decisions? A group that specifically does NOT include politicians, but rather the scientists, educators, strategists, humanists and world healthcare providers? People with vision and compassion?

Let's save 'winging it' for the comedians, eh?