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So that was 2020... roll on 2021!
Goodbye to bad rubbish!
There can’t be many years where there is
a unanimous response to the question
‘so, how was your year...?’, but 2020
pulled off that remarkable feat with 12
months of pretty much undiluted misery,
stress and sadness that sucked the joy
out of life and left the vast majority of the
public on their knees.
Even those people who used their
lockdowns wisely and learnt a new skill,
relaxed, enjoyed more time with close
family or managed to keep working
through, can’t have got away unscathed,
as they mourned lost loved ones or
friends... or were simply left wondering
what the long-time impact the pandemic
was going to have on the nation’s
finances. Big tax rises and spending cuts,
anyone?
But we’re through it now, and with
vaccines making their way through the
most vulnerable, let’s hope 2021 will be
a marked improvement on the year we’ve
left behind. Let’s face it, it can’t be much
worse... can it?
We asked a few MSA GB committee
members for their views on the year that
has been and the year ahead, from both
a personal view and a professional one.
See if their responses chime with yours.
Take the hint, 2020
Cartoon by Amy Beswick
What did you learn about yourself in
2020?
Colin Lilly, MSA Western: Over a
working life of almost 60 years I had
been unemployed for three weeks – until
March this year, that was. Since then I
have been struggling with the decision,
should I retire now or not? I still keep
coming back to ‘I don’t feel ready to
retire’.
Guy Annan, MSA Western: I learned
that I want to retire! Never thought about
it before because I really love the job, but
I enjoyed lockdown so much it got me
thinking, I not due to retire for another
seven years...
John Lomas, MSA North West: I
learned that, while I can withstand 1m
distancing for a short time, I prefer the
2m distance as my personal space.
Karen MacLeod, MSA Scotland: I
learned that work wasn’t everything and I
really enjoyed not doing it!
Mike Yeomans, MSA North East:
Resilience and being positive despite the
constant bombardment of the media
negativity – and the value of friends.
Paul Harmes, MSA Eastern: Sorry, this
is going to sound boring and clichéd, but
the importance of family and friends, and
my admiration for the everyday folk who
worked continuously throughout this
year. My own wife and son were among
them. We saw who supports the country
and keeps us going in these dire times. A
big slap on the back to you all.
I also missed interaction with others;
Zoom can only do so much.
I have become very good at sudoku,
completing most puzzles in under 20
minutes ... and I’ve finally built my man
cave after years of talking about it!
Rod Came, MSA South East: ‘God give
me patience, to reconcile with what I am
not able to change. Give me strength to
change what I can, and give me wisdom
to distinguish one from another.’
I have yet to receive this wisdom.
Russell Jones, MSA East Midlands:
No matter how tough life was for learner
drivers there were still enough of them
willing to pay ‘top dollar’ for lessons, and
with just a little initiative it was easy to
find them.
Terry Pearce, MSA West Midlands: I
had the resilience and willpower to
overcome problems.
What’s the one thing that cheered you
up in 2020 – your beacon of hope?
Colin Lilly: A Lilly family funeral is a
time when we reflect on the happier
times involving the individual. My uncle’s
funeral in June followed a similar format.
The coffin was moved to the crematorium
to the strains of the Ying-Tong
Song by the Goons; even the undertaker
and crematorium staff were amused. It
told me that even in the midst of a
pandemic, a sense of humour can be
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NEWSLINK n JANUARY 2021