There is all this talk of "defeating the virus", declaring war, etc.

War has been declared to defeat terrorism. War has been declared to achieve peace. Terrorism has increased manyfold since war was declared after 9/11.

Viruses carrying pathogens will do the same. Then we need more ammunition, more weapons, more drugs and vaccines, more spreading of fear to enforce restrictions and get compliance.

Has war ever achieved anything else but destruction and death?Instead, we need to find out how viruses work, how they are an integral part of our existence. They carry pathogens only where we have transgressed, when we have taken away or reduced the living space of animals, for example, where we have used poison in agriculture, where we have kept animals in factories.

Study the virus. It is fascinating to get to know this minutest of minute particle which holds such power. No materialistic science could ever really explain how this is possible.

Viruses have a great talent: to mutate, to change. This is why a vaccine would be totally counterproductive. We just would need more and more with every year.

We can see its power to change us! Either for the worse or the better, but change we must. ITS UP TO US WHICH WAY IT GOES. It is we who need to change our ways, to learn to live in harmony with nature and with each other.

While we are in lockdown, this government, whose advice we are asked to trust, allows ancient forest to be cut to force through its plan for HS2, puts up 5G masts on school buildings without us being consulted, and still does not protect the health care workers adequately. Who has allowed the dismantling of our NHS in the last 10 years? The same government which is asking us now to make those sacrifices to safe our NHS. The same government who thinks that food banks are a great idea (because it lets them off the hook).

Do we really want to trust those who have given themselves a generous pay rise while the rest of us are left to see how we will manage?

Karin Jarman

Stroud

--