it seems governments, not just the UK, but worldwide, dont want small businesses, they want everyone working for large corps as theyre easier to collect tax from, less paperwork. its all about controlling the masses better IMO. Covid is just a smoke screen for governments to get people in line and easier to control. Sheep.
I agree, some of the grief the cops have been subjected to is pretty bad - I've heard about cases of people spitting on the cops and they've come down with the virus. Hopefully these powers are just keeping the piss takers in line.
That certainly seems to be the American model. I don't know what is really going on with the government, maybe we are just an easy target - but the government simply cannot be oblivious to the fact that they are killing off small business.
I just think with the way the world has been heading towards a more online system than walking the streets, most of these small businesses were heading for closure soon enough anyway. The only issue with the accelerated process that the pandemic has brought on us is that these small businesses haven't had the chance to adapt leaving your Amazons etc in a position to capitalize. I just don't know that keeping small businesses afloat would have eased this problem tho, it would have just delayed it. The high street has been dying at an accelerating rate for a while now, rent and rates in most towns now is completely unaffordable for a small business to operate at a profit on. In our shopping centre if you want a cart sized stall (same size as those hot dog stands you see) you are looking at a few thousand a month, it's not even a small shop, just a one man cart selling random tat for a few quid a pop... they come and go all the time, very few stay in business beyond their first contract