For many of those who have been experiencing lockdowns since the start of 2020, the UK’s process for deliberating and delivering our nation’s COVID safety regulations has been detrimental to mental health, and through this, physical health. Not only this, since the beginning of the process there have been concerns about the complexities of the laws, considering that complex laws are difficult to follow – those that may want to stay within rules and regulations may still break them by accident. The UK has nonetheless continued to allow irregularities throughout every part of their (apparently) democratically-led decision making process. This has meant that cultural events, that not only bring together the community but have been and continue to be proven to be good for the health of the public, are banned, whereas clearly non-safe events (like Reading festival, where positive Lateral Flow tests were a normal part of the litter left over[1]) are allowed to continue as normal.
Regardless of whether they have been following hardline policies or simply been inconsistent, it is clear that in the eyes of a liberal, the government has continuously done its job of protecting the British people poorly. The inadequacies of its approach have truly been outstanding over the past 18 months especially, proven by the statistic of 2000 deaths for every million people in the UK,[2] one of the highest in the world. Although the regulation contradictions have not been solely responsible for this high number, they have certainly been one of, if not the biggest factor with regards to this death count. To counteract this heart-wrenching failure, Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised an April 2022 enquiry into the UK’s handling of COVID19. Although to some this may seem like the sensible option, although to me seems too little too late, this enquiry will very likely not come to fruition until after he is reelected as PM. It is clear that Johnson himself and his senior cabinet are far more than aware of their many defects during this pandemic, and this is just another attempt to improve his appearance to the public. As opposed to, of course, actually acting in benefit to the public.
The first inconsistency of the UK government’s ‘War against COVID’ is one that many seem to have forgotten about. Boris Johnson’s initial speech during March 2020, which may be the most memorable from the line of ‘many of you will lose loved ones before their time’[3]. This speech was essentially to inform the public that the outbreak was bad, and that although other countries are going into lockdown (as per scientific advice), the UK would not. Not even ten days later, after a huge backlash, he swiftly plunged the country into a nine-week lockdown. This was simply a setting of the scene for all his reactive measures during the pandemic.
More recently, the clubbing scene in the UK has opened up again. This has caused an economic and cultural boost, especially for various industries that are particularly affecting young people. Those working as mixers will have started the first work they’ve had the opportunity for since March 2020, bar tenders are back and security guards are needed more than ever. Saying this, it seems that once again the cabinet are simply making decisions to adhere to the public’s will, as opposed to doing anything in the benefit of the people or listening to scientific evidence and advice. For context, at the beginning of the first lockdown, the councils were informed that they would be able to make decisions about what is best for the health of their county themselves. This, of course, didn’t happen until at least the end of the January 2021 lockdown, nearly a year too late. So, there was an uproar and a fall in the levels of trust that grassroots politicians and key workers had in the government (once again). So now, it seems that the government has made the decision to open clubs, a scene where it is not only incredibly easy to spread COVID, but also where there is no standardized compulsion for people to prove negative for COVID before going clubbing or to be vaccinated. This in turn has put pressure on councils to protect their people to the best of their ability, and meant that many cancelled Bonfire night[4] for the second year in a row. Please see the source for more context if you are unfamiliar, but in basic terms, Bonfire night is a UK event with significant cultural and social implications. It is an outside event, with fewer attendees than most clubs, and the guests much further apart. However, although it is upsetting for it to be cancelled, it is made clear through this action that individual councils care far more about their people’s welfare than the national government does.
Professor Susan Michie (a UCL Psychology & Language Sciences professor) has been quoted to say ‘rules which seem inconsistent carry less weight with people, and a shift towards a risk assessment and management system is needed to ensure people obey lockdown rules over the Christmas period’. Furthermore, especially during late September 2020 (when most university students in the UK began, hence there was a rise in young people moving across the country), there was continuous bashing and blaming of university students from Boris Johnson during his many COVID briefings. From personal experience, I found that most people were furious with the beginning of this particular speech, as it was entirely obvious that he was simply trying to pass on the shame of his party’s failings onto young people in university.
In conclusion the government is acting in a way that is repeatedly inconsistent with their own previous actions and comments, but also in a way that is purely beneficial for themselves. There is no real, human care for the people negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no real, human care at all.
[1] https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/reading-festival-covid-lateral-flow-positive-b1912958.html
[2] https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/19-mistakes-uk-government-made-21320843
[3] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-51862282
[4] https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/oct/25/english-councils-cancel-bonfire-night-displays-amid-high-covid-rates