COVID memorial day?

[Fambo Number Mive]

What do you think about these plans?

The below is from the Telegraph

Covid "poppies" should be created to help families commemorate the pandemic, a former military chief behind a series of war memorials has said.

General Sir Lord Dannatt, an ex-head of the army, is spearheading a drive to make March 23 an annual "Covid Memorial Day", with a minute's silence held in schools, workplaces and public venues.

The campaign, backed by 50 MPs and peers from a range of parties, is also calling on the Government to fund a Covid monument in every town, as well as a national memorial in Whitehall.

Lord Dannatt told The Telegraph that a fresh emblem, similar in purpose to the poppy, should be created to help families mark the pandemic each year.

He threw his backing behind a design for a glass pillar that refracts light in the spectrum of the rainbow, in a nod to the colourful symbol associated with the NHS.

The pillars could be sold to raise money for charity and displayed in the window of homes and community buildings every March 23, he suggested.

The peer said ministers should allocate £50 million to fund local monuments, saying: "There are war memorials in every city, town and village. Most communities have been affected in one way or another by the pandemic, so perhaps we should do the same.

"They would be about remembering all those who have lost their lives, but also celebrating those people in frontline roles - emergency workers, NHS staff and all those in the community who have served during the pandemic."

Lord Dannatt helped lead the planning to mark the centenary of the First World War, including the installation of almost 900,000 ceramic poppies at the Tower of London, and is also a trustee of the Normandy Memorial Trust that is set to stage a soft opening later this year.

Former Tory health minister Dan Poulter is among MPs and peers backing the cross-party campaign for an annual memorial day and local monuments across the land.

It is being coordinated by March for Change, a citizen campaigning organisation, and is also supported by the Local Government Association, the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing.

So far the Prime Minister has promised that the "whole period" of the pandemic will be commemorated "at the right moment" through a "permanent and fitting memorial".

The location, design, timetable and cost have not yet been set out, however.

Local memorials are a nice idea but not enough. I think the best way of remembering them though would be to campaign for changes in society so we don't have such a massive death toll for the next pandemic, such as better funding for the NHS and properly paid NHS staff.

Having people display a glass pillar in their window once a year seems a way to continue the divisive need to make everyone act in a certain way that the weekly clap did.

I think a minute's silence would be a good idea but I'm concerned that the plans for this day could overshadow the examination of the decisions taken by those in charge. I do think that we need to find ways to make sure that people never forget about the COVID pandemic, those who died and those whose health was badly damaged, the venal actions taken by those in charge and the actions of the COVID deniers.

We should have a Roll of Shame for the people mentioned in the "worst responses thread". I've made mistakes over the past year e.g. not always distanced as well as I should have done but when you look at people like the "White Rose" COVID deniers and Bolsonaro, it's disgusting.

[bgmnts]

No. For the same reason any other empty sentiment at the expense of any actual progress is utter shit.

[Fambo Number Mive]

It's interesting the details for this Memorial Day were reported in the Telegraph, a paper which has continually tried to play down the risks of COVID, criticise the scientists (including the cartoons of "Bob" and generally push for a Bolsonaro type approach.

It does seem bizarre that so many Telegraph readers are happy to buy a paper which wants them to be put at heightened risk of COVID. 

[EOLAN]

No. Feels like a way for the government to take Control of memorialisation of COVID.
More focus on who is wearing a COVID style poppy, who is seen not being silent or clapping. At bare minimum should be an inquiry held to learn lessons from event and maybe though it may overly hopeful to expose people who deliberately took advantage of the pandemic for their bank account when they were knowingly unworthy of contracts offered.

[DrGreggles]

Obviously a fucking stupid idea, but why 23rd March?

[BlodwynPig]

Obviously a fucking stupid idea, but why 23rd March?

1st COBRA meeting that Boris attended on the pandemic

[DrGreggles]

Strange choice of anniversary considering we were already locked down by then.

[JamesTC]

Give us a Bank Holiday you shits.

[Zetetic]

Obviously a fucking stupid idea, but why 23rd March?

First day that "General" "Sir" "Lord" "Dannatt [sic]" had to put down a serf, I believe.

He lists his leisure interests as shooting, fishing, shooting and shooting.

[Kankurette]

No. Feels like a way for the government to take Control of memorialisation of COVID.
More focus on who is wearing a COVID style poppy, who is seen not being silent or clapping. At bare minimum should be an inquiry held to learn lessons from event and maybe though it may overly hopeful to expose people who deliberately took advantage of the pandemic for their bank account when they were knowingly unworthy of contracts offered.

This, and the fact it's the Telegraph pushing it makes it even worse.

[hamfist]

silhouettes of grannies on ventilators vinyled to the side of plumber's vans

[idunnosomename]

put someone who refused to clap in a big wicker captain tom every 23rd march

good days are ycumen in

[Icehaven]

I like the idea of a glass pillar that refracts light and burns your house down.

[jobotic]

I'd like it to represent the tiny glass prison cell that Johnson is to be kept in for the rest of his life, for mass murder.

[Icehaven]

I'd like it to represent the tiny glass prison cell that Johnson is to be kept in for the rest of his life, for mass murder.

[MojoJojo]

I think something to for all the people who've died and couldn't have a normal funeral would be good, but don't know if a national thing is the right thing for that.

[Chedney Honks]

Big bonfire of 125k mannequins to really hammer reality home to the total cunts of this country.