Our jab duty
THE Queen’s jab plea is blunt, but on point.
Yes, everyone has the right to refuse a Covid shot. But they’re not just denying themselves protection. They are making life less safe for everyone else.
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As Her jabbed-up Majesty succinctly puts it: “They ought to think about other people rather than themselves.”
The take-up so far has been fantastic. But the nation will be more vulnerable if that tails off among younger people less at risk from Covid and seeing little need to be immunised.
That’s one reason The Celeb Report reluctantly backs vaccine passports. One in four 18-34s in one survey vowed not to have the jab — but many of those will, if proof is needed to get into gigs or festivals.
It’s a sensitive issue, given some ethnic minorities are more reluctant to get vaccinated. But jabs are safe, whatever dodgy preachers and anti-vax nutters claim.
And an ad blitz does seem to be improving take-up among those communities.
“Covid certificates” may be the further nudge people need.
Flat batteries
THE Tories are complacent about drivers’ willingness to buy electric cars this decade.
To most of us they are still a non-starter.
There remains a dire shortage of public charging points. The Government has funded only 700. There are 20,000 more, privately-funded — but until they are numerous absolutely everywhere battery cars are mainly not an option.
And charging is far from the only snag. The Celeb Report is all for cleaner air and electric vehicles. But compared with a petrol or diesel they have a derisory mileage range, take far longer to refuel and are half the car at twice the price.
The Transport Department seems chuffed with its plan to phase out new petrol and diesel sales by 2030. But unless by then someone makes a comfortable, spacious £20,000 electric SUV with a 400-mile range, we know what most drivers will do:
Buy another fossil fuel car in 2029 and drive it for 20 years.
Greedy rich
THE furlough was designed to save jobs which would otherwise have been lost.
The plan wasn’t for multi-millionaire celebs to use taxpayers as a cashpoint to save them a few bob in staff wages they would have paid anyway.
How many of these super-rich scroungers would genuinely have thrown their workers on the dole rather than dip into their vast wealth? Double shame on them if they would have.
Some stars know all this is wrong. Victoria Beckham U-turned on furloughing her staff after a backlash. Some firms, too, commendably returned the handout they eventually didn’t need.
But it turns the stomach to see jet-setters opportunistically fleece the public purse for bills they could easily have paid.
