Guess who I just ran into on my way to the forum?

'Hi I'm Rish!'

I just had a quick promenade into my local city to get my steps in and take advantage of sunshine (serotonin, vitamin D et al ;-) ).

As i approached the periphery of the high street I became aware of a heavy police prescence and wondered what was going on.

I looked to where people were holding phones up and to my surprise my gaze came upon our Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, out for a walk with my email buddy MP Steve Brine.

Winchester is my local city (not by birth as I am a northerner) and it traditionally is a Tory stronghold, so it makes sense if you have had a tough week to return to your roots (Rish! is alumni of Winchester College) and seek comfort with your people.

As an observational researcher what I can tell you is this. There was a lot of apathy at the PM being on a walkabout on Winchester High Street. I saw no hecklers, but I also saw no avid supporters either, unless you count the sycophant Steve Brine.

I would be concerned if I was a political strategist at the lack of excitement surrounding what should be a high pofile visit from the PM to his roots.

I was also interested in my own visceral reaction to the scene that I had happened upon.

Here he was - the leader of the governing party, the PM of our land, and what did I say?

Nothing.

Zilch.

Nada.

I mean where do you actually start?

After you get the ‘Hi I’m Rish!’ (overheard in Winchester), what can you actually say?

‘Hi I’m Dr Rachel, Steve knows me well from my constant email trail through the covid debacle, however, where do I actually start?’

I was really shaky with my stress response, I felt I had let myself down, but what could I have done?

It was a shock to see the PM.

It was a total shock to realise that I actually did not have the time or language to even begin to articulate my dismay at what is happening in the UK.

I think Danny Kruger MP said it well when he said that the country is “sadder, less united and less conservative” than when the Tory’s came to power.

I am more interested in the sadness and the polarisation than the politics.

Human beings need human beings.

We need to be valued, respected and supported to be the best that we can be.

So on reflection, now I have had a cup of tea and calmed my nervous system down, this is what I would have liked to have said to our PM.

‘Hi Rish! Dr Rachel here, I think you should focus on getting our people together again, increase our wellbeing and value the fabric of our country, not just the powerful who are increasingly tearing us apart’.

“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”