I am
not, it must be said, a fan of the Blond Buffoon, so I probably did not come to
the viewing of PMQs with an open heart and a forgiving attitude. Be that as it may, I have to say that I have
rarely seen a more cringe worthy performance than that of our Prime Minister
(sic.) answering questions from the Leader of the Opposition.
Johnson’s bumbling waffle was an
embarrassment, and it was all the more telling because he was bereft of the
usual Tory baying to cover up his lazy emptiness. He is an indolent man, and his shallowness was on
pitiful display in this exhibition of his fatuousness. Starmer destroyed him with the sort of
questions to which there is no answer, unless the proven liar changes the habits
of a wasted lifetime and actually finds a modicum of veracity and admits guilt
for the catastrophe of the management of the Covid crisis.
It seems almost redundant to say that the
number of deaths in the UK is now over 30,000.
30,000 lost lives. 30,000 people
dead. And we are told that we should not
jump to international comparisons, even though the government itself produces
those comparisons. We now have more
deaths from Covid-19 than Italy. We are paramount in
Europe with the number of deaths. Are we
supposed to forget that we were told that “deaths under 20k would be a good
result”, so we must assume that 30k deaths is a disgusting catastrophe.
One can go on listing the disasters that
this government has ‘managed’: the non-provision of PPE; the whole question of
Care Homes; the provision, number, and quality of tests; the lies we have been
told; the lack of transparency; the lack of an exit strategy; the slowness of
the initial response; the criminal irresponsibility of Johnson in failing to take
distancing seriously; the provision of masks for the general population and on,
and on.
It is obvious that we need an independent
inquiry now so that this disaster is not repeated. The process needs to be started immediately
and the evidence needs to be gathered as a matter of urgency. Thirty thousand people have died and it is
inevitable that even more will follow them if we do not learn the lessons that
can prevent the growth of fatalities.
The UK is being reported in foreign
newspapers with a mixture of astonishment and sorrow and Johnson is regarded as
the wrong leader in the wrong place at the wrong time – a watered down version
of Trump – and with a cabinet of inadequates: a perfect storm of negatives at
the time when the crisis demands the very best.
I
continue to go for my bike rides and am joined each time by a whole variety of
people who have broken out bikes to take part in our daily Paseo. There is a certain determination in the
exercise that we are taking and few people look as though they are enjoying the
experience!
I miss my daily swim – it gives a shape to
my day and it starts it ‘properly’ as I swim at 7 am, then my cup of tea and
making notes. It’s a good start. I could start my bike ride at 6 am, as our
time slot is from 6 to 10, but I am disinclined to do that. There are limits to my desire to exercise!
Our
Catalan lessons have developed, in so far as there is another lesson this
Friday in the morning and via Google Meet.
I have not found this system to be one that I get on with, but I am
going to try a change of computer and hope for the best for the next attempt!
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