Opinion

Tom Kelly: Now is not the time for holding officials and politicians to account - that will come later

Tom Kelly

Tom Kelly

Tom Kelly is an Irish News columnist with a background in politics and public relations. He is also a former member of the Policing Board.

Coronavirus: we are in uncharted territory
Coronavirus: we are in uncharted territory Coronavirus: we are in uncharted territory

As many Irish News readers may know, for three years I presented a weekly chat programme for Q radio.

I made a deliberate choice that whilst the content would be topical, sometimes challenging, the programme would be about celebrating what is best about life, the uplifting, the inspiring and the heroic. Community heroes. Stories from the people who live in your street.

Some celebrities appeared now and again but mostly it was about local people. Hidden gems about bravery like Rostrevor’s 90-year-old D Day veteran; families who showed remarkable courage when dealing with rare diseases and conditions. Folk of amazing self taught abilities. There was loads of music and storytelling. And of course, my own quite distinctive laugh. I am a great believer in the restorative value of a hearty laugh.

In these sombre days it is sometimes difficult to see the horizon, let alone smile.

My father once told me, when as a young carpenter left with three children to bring up, that he lay awake at night unable to sleep, worrying as to how he would cope. As he lay in darkness, waiting for his work van to arrive at 5.30am, shards of light would stream through the room.

Another day had arrived. And it too passed. And then another day. Day by day, he did cope. Mind you there quite a few domestic and culinary disasters along the way. Throughout it all Dad always looked for a laugh. He still does, even in self isolation.

On Thursday past, we joined our neighbours at 8pm to applaud the NHS. It was quite emotional and made more poignant knowing my father and aunt, a few miles away, were in their garden doing the same thing. My nonagenarian father-in-law marked it too. He spent part of his life firing the boilers at Daisy Hill Hospital.

It is impossible not to be worried for those we cannot visit.

But Thursday night gave a feeling of oneness - not just with our own family but with all families. It was not just a salute but a celebration as people shouted, whooped and clapped. It was an uplifting moment. A glimmer of hope.

As Martin Luther King once said: “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope”.

Whilst trying to enforce stricter discipline amongst the wider population, we must find many stones of hope to cling onto.

Flashes of good news stories tagged onto the end of media programmes are inadequate.

More disturbing is media output which appears both dispiriting and maybe even demoralising.

Inflaming fear, when we need calm. Constant badgering and baiting of politicians in a time of an unprecedented crisis actually undermines public confidence not just in the politicians but also in the tactics being deployed to fight Covid-19.

There will come a time for holding health experts to account but it is not now. There will be other days when politicians will be challenged for the decisions they did or did not make but it is not now.

To be frank, we are in uncharted territory and advice evolves and tactics change accordingly. Practitioners are literally learning on the job. There will be mistakes made. This virus knows no borders but reinforcing fears of key workers will not help. Businesses trying to survive are not the enemy. Politicians have no silver bullet solutions. They are acutely aware of their limitations.

We need to plan for the future. A future with jobs. Having grown up in a town with nearly 27 per cent unemployment contemplating anything else is bleak.

The prime minister has now tested positive for the virus. He has a pregnant partner. The worries he now faces are shared by thousands of other families.

Shards of light are coming through. 0ver 600,000 citizens have volunteered to help the NHS.

As each day passes we too will discover the courage to cope.