This has been a difficult comment to write, not because of writer’s block but because of the difficulty of deciding what to leave out.
So much is happening in the UK that I will try and give a view on the undercurrents rather than what has been directly reported in the MSM.
Dominic Cummings has been noticeable by his absence from the media. He is under instructions to stop twittering and to keep his mouth shut. Although what Boris Johnson will do if he doesn’t depends on internal Conservative party pressure from his MPs and donors. The facts of his circumstances have been admitted and agreed and every man and his dog from the left have exploited this to the full.
The George Floyd death in the USA gave the same sector a huge opportunity to build on the anti-Cummings feelings and come out in force. The mobilisation of the left against Cummings continued with the demonstrations. Even given that the vast majority in the country abhor the death of George Floyd at the hands of the US police, it has opened up major divisions in the UK. Surprisingly, this is not along racial lines, but between the classes.
A close look at the attendees at the demonstrations show a preponderance of young, activists and older, retired types (eg Jeremy Corbyn’s brother). As always, we had the fringe supporters who were there for a bit of fun, mayhem and one-way violence. This resulted in a mounted police officer having a bicycle thrown at her horse which unseated her and caused the horse to bolt. This injured a demonstrator and caused the female police officer to suffer a collapsed lung, broken collar bone and fractured ribs. This being the UK, the MSM were happy to report that the horse, although terrified, managed to make its way back to barracks safely and unaided.
The working class, who have been stood down on furlough, had their rights curtailed and willingly made social and personal sacrifices to save the NHS, stop the virus and help the country, are up in arms at this two fingered response from the usual rent-a-mob types. The demonstrators have taken a cause which gained sympathy from most of the country and turned it into a source of division and hostility. Instead of being sympathetic, these people are now feeling bad, unequally treated and resentful. (How’s that for irony?).
The problem now is this. If the government clamp down and go in hard against the demonstrators, will they get a fair hearing in the MSM? If they don’t then they will lose the support that they gained in the 2019 elections from Labour and kiss goodbye to their Northern seats. If they don’t go in hard, what impact will that have on their COVID-19 policy? It will be lacking in public support, especially if there is a second wave and another lockdown is needed.
Boris Johnson has his hands full now, and it is becoming clear he is nowhere near fully fit. His attention span and grasp of detail has never been his strong point and it is obvious that this has not been restored to even that low standard.
His cabinet has been exposed as lacking talent (he appointed on Brexit support rather than ability and consigned talent either out of the party or to the back benches), and this is resulting in poor decisions. It has also bred conflict within the government. Ministers have been briefing and outlining policies in conflict with other ministry’s policies.
The introduction of 14 days’ quarantine for visitors to the UK would kill the tourist season for 12 months. This came (as most odd decisions seem to in the UK) from the Home Office, run by Priti Patel. This was at odds with advice to the government by the Chancellor on Friday. In an earlier meeting between the Prime Minister and the business secretary, Alok Sharma revealed that if the lockdown continued it would result in the loss of 3.5 million jobs in the hospitality sector and countless business failures and bankruptcies amongst restaurants and pubs. Boris Johnson had a one word response “Christ” and went into full panic mode. As a result, the Chancellor is recommending speeding up the easing of the lockdown.
This is now putting the government in conflict with its scientific advisors. Matt Hancock the Health Secretary has always relied on THE SCIENCE (my emphasis on the use of the definite article) but, under pressure today, revealed that it is now a consensus of scientists whose advice has been taken. He is ducking for cover and has supported less relaxation of the lockdown.
Boris Johnson is under severe internal pressure and is trying to strengthen support within the Government. Look out for him producing an inner circle (or Cabal) of say 6 staunch supporters and strong-arming the rest of the cabinet.
There are rumblings of dissatisfaction with his leadership and ability to make decisions quickly and successfully. Watch this space.
All the above leaves me with a few thoughts and questions.
In the reporting there is often reference to the far right. I have never seen reference to the far left. Is there such a thing and if not why not?
Is it right to show my support for the rights of the Black Lives Matter movement if that infringes on the rights of everyone else to be preserved from COVID-19?
What monetary value is the Government putting on human lives when balanced against economic destruction? Is there a trade off and what is it?
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