Read on Twitter
What's the takeaway from today?
The government thinks it can get away with post-truth (lies) on a subject that the entire public understands, which has affected them, which if undermined could kill members of their own family. That's a pretty long way from Kansas.
The government thinks it can get away with post-truth (lies) on a subject that the entire public understands, which has affected them, which if undermined could kill members of their own family. That's a pretty long way from Kansas.
And: it's not only a subject everybody understands which affects them, which could now result in unenforceable lockdowns from a second wave actually created by this gaslighting in broad daylight, it's an issue which cuts to their core support base. Not lefties: but libertarians.
It's the libertarian right who found the lockdown hardest to stomach. They blanched at a government controlling their time outside of their house. They railed at the pubs being shut.
I'm generalising here but liberals and the left can stomach lockdown better because they believe in collectivism. The right are typically individualists. For them, lockdown was a big ask.
Why do something which impinges on one's personal freedom for the good of some nameless collective whole? "There is no such thing as society", remember?
Further, the government is pitching itself as being populist: it owes its 80 seat majority to populism. The branding is "the people's government"
But Cummings and the government first lying about what Cummings actually did, then claiming he did nothing wrong, then doubling down on lies, and then refusing to apologise is not populist. The people were baying for blood. They got nothing. Just more deceit.
This administration, this vote leave team, has got away with more so far than even a cynic like me thought possible, so maybe this will blow over, but surely they are stretching the limits of what populism can get away with?
And what's the cost? the real cost? I don't mean the cost to the reputation of the Tory party or the government, I mean the cost in lives. I can't help think that failing to sack Cummings, that sending the message that the government need not abide by its own rules...
...has triggered the open flouting of all social distancing rules. The "people" will no longer take a second lockdown request seriously. (Lockdown fatigue actually happened during the "Spanish" flu in the US)
For the likes of 80 somethings like my father, I honestly feel like Johnson's backing of Cummings signed my father's death warrant.There was a chance of suppressing this virus in Europe. Not now. It's not about Cummings, it's about the government having any moral authority at all
BTW this is a great tweet: the reason this time it's different is because the government's actions have finally impinged on their own base: https://twitter.com/zatapatique/status/1264600492602163201
Cummings (and Johnson, and Gove) made their names lying to the "people" http://infacts.org/vote-leave-lying-facebook-ads-look-even-worse-2-years-on/
They branched out to lying to their own MP's https://twitter.com/Simon_Nixon/status/1264467691362017280
Perhaps to Johnson and Cummings, they feel they can apply the same playbook because it's always worked in the past.
Get caught lying by people personally affected, personally affronted? Just stare down the barrel of the camera and lie. "It always worked before, it'll work now."
Get caught lying by people personally affected, personally affronted? Just stare down the barrel of the camera and lie. "It always worked before, it'll work now."
"So what, if this is right in the pain-point of our core voters. The next election is years ago and we've got an 80 seat majority.
Screw the Daily Mail, we don't need them."
Screw the Daily Mail, we don't need them."
