The C word
C is for Covid, of Course. There’s also a C in the ongoing Public InCwirey. There are two C’s in Cowardly Cain and another in Mithering MaCnamara, the two uncivil servants who are blaming poor planning for and handling of the pandemic on something called macho-culture, diversity boxes not being ticked, BoJo being hospitalised and, yes folks you read it here first, BoJo Cracking jokes. They’re wailing that BoJo was too jovial. Ahem – some people rely on humour as a Coping strategy when the going gets tough. I should know because I do the same … why Cry when you can laugh?
I feel Cheated. During and post-Covid, I kept rolling my eyes at opportunistic orifice orators who blamed anyone and everyone they normally blamed for everything, including spiders in their bathtub, for what Blighty did wrong and what every other nation did right. “We’re not in full possession of the facts”, I kept admonishing. “You can’t pick and choose which aspects you dissect because it suits your narrative. We need an holistic examination and how we can better prepare for and manage the next pandemic.”
And now that the Inquiry is here? Catastrophe. Posturing. Backstabbing. Fingerpointing. Borisbashing (this should be a new word in the Oxford English Dictionary). There’s more interest in rude words in poorly contextualized WhatsApp messages than the science-in-hindsight. At the end of this fiasco, will we be better prepared for the next pandemic? Will we ’eckers, like. But there will be a couple more nails in Boris’ coffin, and that’s all that matters, i’n’t it.
At one point, so we are told by the Guttural Guardian, BoJo said, “We’re killing the patient to tackle the tumour … why are we destroying the economy for people who will die anyway soon.”
Being PM is all about making difficult choices, thinking the unthinkable and outside the box, pushing the boundaries, deciding between unpalatable options when there are no palatable ones. So, to say what he said, think what he thought, not only demonstrated in that particular case he had the mettle to be PM, but that what he said was perfectly logical and reasonable under the circumstances. Old people in care homes (for example) tend to die if not this year then next. We had similar discussions in our family in the context of, say, domestic abuse victims having a greater chance of not being tortured if there’s no lockdown. The travesty is not that some people got sick and died, some more prematurely than others, it’s that they died alone, away from their families because of lockdown steamrollered through by uncivil servants and backboneless others. The Swedish model appears to have worked better, which is what BoJo preferred. BoJo might have been right on that one, but it’s not fashionable to say so. Yeah well I gave up on fashion a long time ago when I saw the fashionistas in their true light.
Criticising a PM for acting like a PM is bad enough, but making public those exchanges in private Number-10 meetings, and those WhatsApp messages at the highest level (not in terms of quality), is practically subversion. I’ve blogged before that Government should be free to conduct business without fearing that anything could be made public in the comparatively short term, be that because of a malicious leak to the press, or an outrageous demand from an incapable public inquiry chairman. Yes, Hapless Hallett, I’m referring to you. Government can’t function with one hand tied behind its back because of the fear of off-the-cuff remarks, brain-storming, temper tantrums, being exposed. Decision-making would be hampered, release valves blocked, and all for the sake of a bit of bloodletting.
When she was first appointed as inquiry Chair, Halfwit Hallett said, “It's time for facts, not opinions - and I will be resolute in my quest for the truth.”
Cripes. I did better in my Latin ‘O’-level.
I believe that to be PM you have to have guts, a backbone and balls of steel (regardless of your sex), 2 British PMs spring to mind Winston and Maggie ( 1 of each, yey for equality and screw the inbetweenies).
ReplyDeleteWhat about Boris?, yea him too he the steel resolve it took to Stand By His Mandate (with apologies to Tammy Wynette), and for that he's been stabbed in the back and degrades, betrayed made to look like a heartless, hopeless, ditherrer, (nobody turns on their own like vengeful blood seekingTorries), maybe they should make a TV Series about it. Oh sorry, they did, it was called "Yes Minister/Primeminister", hillariously funny but at the same time disturbibg as It shows how those with the power can be manipulated by those they rely on for good council).
Regardless of whether you agree with decision to lock down or not, I agree my Sis disagreees, and I acknowledge the arguements against, but still feel it was the right thing to do. Had we not gone into lockdown our economy would not have have belly flopped from the highest board, associated mental health problems would not have been as accute and Childrens' development would not have been impaired. But what of the casualty factor, how many more would have died, contracted Long Covid, or sought medical attention thereby stretching our NHS even further, potentially too far. This year, having spent 3 stints in A&E and subsequently been admitted on each occasion plus been admitted for a pre-planned operation, the thought of what it must have been like during Covid fills me with horror and disbelief, and so much admiration for our NHS staff.
Boris made his decision, related discussions, arguements, mesages, conversations at the highest level during the decision making period were behind closed doors, to leak details of what was said during those conversations, some of which will sound brutal, to sensationalist media, the likes of BBC and The Mail, is at worst tantamount to Treason and at best spiteful and self serving, but then weare talking about Tory Back Benchers and the Civil Service.