Johnson's demand to "have his cake and eat it" drones ever on... If it was so valuable, why did you leave. If it was so useless, why do you want it back. This isn't "British exceptionalism". It's duplicity and hypocricy. And it's grown very tedious. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/23/uk-making-impossible-demands-over-europol-database-in-eu-talks?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Tweet

There is an important parallel here between Johnson Government's handling of Brexit and its approach to the virus crisis: a refusal to take responsibility for the actual consequences of one's own choices & actions; instead trying to manipulate public with false promises & hopes.

Though question remains (beyond my skills set to answer): just as in Trump's USA, why do such a substantial proportion of population consciously & actively enjoy & support being lied to by such politicians? Often in same breath as cursing the rest for "corruption & dishonesty".

Risk is: just when we need "trust" the most, to maintain public confidence in measures necessary to combat pandemic, such crucial issue becomes framed primarily in terms of trust in *Johnson & his Gov* (doomed to fail) rather than in the State as a whole, science and each other.