The Tortoise Weekly Newsletter

Good afternoon. Welcome back to the Tortoise Weekly newsletter. 

Let’s all give ourselves a pat on the back. We got through April and it appears as though, in Britain at least, we’ve passed the peak of this health crisis. It’s been the bravery of individuals working in our hospitals, supermarkets, food banks, mortuaries and transport services that has kept us all going, so as we mark another month, to them I’d like to say – thank you, you’ve inspired us.

I personally needed inspiration this week when I came up against what marathon runners call “the wall”. It’s that point, around 20 miles in, when energy stored in the muscles gets depleted and the runner slows to a walk. This lockdown certainly feels like a marathon. For me that hurdle was yet another dreaded week of homeschooling coupled with a 10-day forecast of rain. 

Summoning the mental strength to continue comes from different places for different people. But for many, marathon runners included, it’s having a charitable cause that propels you forward. It makes you feel proud of yourself and the team you represent. It gives you the feeling of belonging in those moments when there’s no one else around.

1. Giving as belonging

In June last year we launched the Tortoise Network – I tweeted that it was the proudest moment in my career to date. Building a different kind of newsroom requires new models, new thinking, new partners – and sometimes just doing what feels right. So in that spirit, and as a small thank you, we are giving out free memberships to key workers. If you are one of the people on the frontline of this crisis, we want you to have a seat in our newsroom. 

Just go to: https://www.tortoisemedia.com/activate/network/ and use the code THANKYOU to join. 

A reminder: we don’t have to be Bill Gates to give. Send letters to relatives and their co-residents in care homes. Buy your sister a three-month curry-via-the-door subscription (lets see how that goes). It's little gifts through the letterbox that let people know they’re not alone.

2. The power of simplicity

“We are fiendishly complicated creatures and yet... we can’t remember even seven things at once.”

Julia Hobsbawm, social philosopher and author of the Simplicity Principle, has always advocated the benefits of doing less. Now that coronavirus has made it clear that the complexity of the modern world carries risks, simplicity has that much more appeal. Do have a listen to this excellent ThinkIn we held with Julia below, or sign up for a Tortoise free trial and watch this, and many other ThinkIns, in our app.

3. Til freedom do us part

There’s no doubt that Covid-19 is reshaping our family lives and relationships. The question is how? For the Tortoise file this week we examined some of the data.

Many adults in lockdown are behaving as you might expect:

Meanwhile, those who were planning weddings have had to postpone:

But it remains to be seen whether the post-WW2 spike in divorces will be repeated...

You can read the full story in our Tortoise file here.

4. Together apart

All of the usual rituals of life that bring us together are changing. As Gillian Tett notes in the FT, maybe some of these new lockdown rituals could stay a part of culture for good. How does this pandemic change how we celebrate a kids birthday party? How do teachers connect with their students? How, if you’re Boris Johnson, do you celebrate the birth of your 4th (5th? 6th?) child at a moment like this?

This podcast series Together Apart from the New York Times provides some practical answers to those questions.

5. And finally...

Sport is not my forte, but I can totally understand the bereavement many feel when they can't see their team play at home. 

If you’re looking for alternative entertainment, Andrew Cotter’s running commentary of the battle between sporting foes Olive and Mable is making me cry with laughter:

I hope you’re enjoying this newsletter, please do subscribe or share it with any friends, family or colleagues. And if you’ve got an evening spare do join us for ThinkIns in the next few weeks. We’ll be hosting David Miliband, Bill Browder, Claudia Hammond, Thomasina Miers, Stuart Maconie and more. All you need to do to join is take a free trial as my guest.

Thanks for reading and stay well,

Katie