951: “Beyond the Pale” takes on a fresh meaning. @josephsternberg, @WSJOpinion
Image: The Pale was a strip of land, centred on Dublin, that became the base of English rule in Ireland. Here: Security fence along the South Africa (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa) –Mozambique (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozambique) border. Joseph Sternberg: @josephsternberg, @WSJOpinion; Political Economics column; WSJ editorial board; in re: Scotland. No travel between Scotland and the rest of Britain. Is this driven by the “new variants”? What’s frightening policy makers is theprospect that, while it's not more deadly, it spreads more quickly, and the NHS will be overwhelmed. We’re in a twilight phase where the vaccine is about to be distributed just as the virus takes a turn for the worse. Matt Hancock, Minister of Health. Still debating rolling out the vaccine for care homes? . . . Press lords tell scary stories: a Christmas party at a medical facility where a caregiver dressed up as a Christmas tree, which had a tiny fan inside that wound up spreading the virus to the whole room. The right is annoyed at the slow rollout of the vaccine; the left is blasé about the slow distribution and approves the bureaucracy.