2nd December 2020
Boris is waxing lyrical in his COVID briefing today, because the MHRA has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Apparently, the scientists have: "used the virus itself to perform a kind of biological jiu-jitsu, to turn the virus on itself in the form of a vaccine from an idea that was pioneered in this country by Edward Jenner in 1796." Yes, Boris, of course it's all down to British scientist Edward Jenner, who used cow pox inoculation to immunise people against smallpox back in the days of the British Empire. It couldn't have anything to do with the Turkish immigrant to Germany who actually developed this vaccine, could it?
On a more personal level, infection rates continue to rise in the South East and Oxford Crown Court is falling further behind its schedules; which means that the trial of the Butler brothers has been put off yet again. It's not expected until the New Year now. Let's hope that the plans for a "Christmas truce" (as if the virus is just waiting to have a game of football and sing carols in no-man's land like WW1 soldiers!) don't close the courts down altogether!