I just had that conversation with a colleague. The people on the ground are not nearly as alarmed as you all are in your Twitter outrage bubble. For better or worse, they want their political campaign in the way that they’re used to.

My cousin alighted from a motorcade, ran into my yard, I stopped him in his tracks and asked him where is your mask, boss? His response? "Wha kinda mask, cuzzo? Road wi a do!" I gave him a surgical mask, he stuffed it into his pocket & ran right back into the sea of orange.

He was completely unbothered by my protestations.

Another interesting perspective is that seeing the respective political leaders in person really energises folks. A girl told me "yuh wudda affi deh deh fi feel the niceness." They simply get their motivation from seeing and hearing from their leaders in person.

We can ban the motorcades, but what will that do to voter energy and participation? I suspect it will significantly suppress it. And since you lot are just in it for the outrage, and not actually to participate, what happens to the democracy if voter turn out plunges?

Maybe if more of #SubstanceTwitter was keen on participating in the process, we could confidently advocate for an entirely issues based, virtual campaign; but you’re not. The poor politicians have to go where the voters are, and unfortunately use the channels those voters know.

I keep saying the lot of you have given politicians no real reason to actually change anything. If the sum of your participation is sending out tweets to express shock and awe, why should they care? Why should they change anything? Your tweets don’t move the needle.

Until you convert the shock and awe into action, politicians can keep appealing to their core constituency and they’ll be just fine, your tweets not withstanding.

Then there are those of you who are criticising people for engaging in the democratic process, despite the risks, but you have friends who are carelessly ignoring the protocols and you say nothing to them, but yet you’re outraged at Shelly from Central Manchester. How?

Come September 4, you all will move on and be upset about something else. Likely parties and tourists. In the wake of it will likely be the lowest voter turn out in our history, and none of you will care, because something else will be there to be mad about.

Voting is no more dangerous than going to the supermarket or even being in the office with a wide cross section of people from all over. Don’t allow the democracy to go to hell in a hand basket. Go out, wear yuh mask, carry sanitiser, and vote.

I feel like forming a civil society group to counter voter apathy. I feel so strongly that people should participate in the electoral process.

The EOJ has also put anti-covid measures in place for election day.

• Wear a mask.
• Your hands will be sanitised.
• Each elector will use a new pencil.

Just keep your distance in line and keep the mask on. Go vote.