'Coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the unjust working circumstances of so many people'

‘I’ve cracked open the world of rare plants’, proclaimed my good friend in San Francisco, amidst the apocalypse of wildfires raging around him.

To be fair, he is a professional gardener and so seeking solace online in ordering variegated Swiss cheese plants as the world burns down (even though Donald Trump has mystifyingly insisted that the world is cooling) is more than understandable.

More so than my Covid-19 lockdown dabble with antique clocks. I bought one on Etsy and a kindly historian friend with a superior interest lent me his anthology of books on the Smiths (the clock business, not the band).

Several months later it intermittently chimes 60 times on the hour and every half hour. I realise my passion for horology was a short-lived enthusiasm; a distraction from what is happening in real-time.

If you are a local clock repair expert, please do get in touch!

If we ever do get to a safe and sane future, there will no doubt be a number of historians specialising in 2020 alone. As we loom into autumn of that same year, I wonder what we could make up for in the late second half to present ourselves better as humankind.

There are some simple steps that collectively would give a bit of polish to a dark and difficult period: wearing a mask because you care about other people’s wellbeing and not throwing used or unusable ones on the pavement would be a start.

I note in my recent visits to Abington Park in Northampton, actual signs have had to be erected to remind visitors to dispose of their rubbish in a nearby bin.

If you have been blessed with the evolutionary advantage of opposable thumbs, then please do make full use of them by not defacing parks and streets with litter. In fact, please do make full use of the waste collection service that we pay public taxes for at all times.

Or how about joining a trade union and helping to protect the welfare and safety of yourself and fellow workers during the pandemic.

I think my current local hero is Nicolae Macari, who is branch secretary of the Bakers and Allied Food Workers Union branch at Greencore (Moulton Park) in Northampton. He has been working very hard to represent his workmates to ensure they stay protected and safe by negotiating with management.

Or how about when the Government told me to clap for our NHS and heroic key workers – who have kept the infrastructure of the country going for the last several months during this public health crisis – I wrote to my MP to ensure that the now defunct Thursday rounds of applauding was followed up by a meaningful reward in a living wage and the banning of zero hour contracts.

The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the unjust working circumstances of so many folk (also see above: join a trade union).

Writing to your MP also applies when they are at risk of breaking international treaties and putting our national and economic security at risk. Your vote matters and your current MP will be knocking on your door when the time comes, so make sure that it’s a two-way relationship.

Lastly, support your local charitable sector and if you can afford the time – and it’s safe for you to do so – get involved with the local voluntary action taking place on our doorstep.

Northamptonshire, like many counties across the UK, is blessed with amazing and inspiring people doing extraordinary work to make life better for so many.

Margaret Mead, a famous anthropologist, once said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.

“Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” And with that in mind, I shall wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.