UKvirus (BORIS-19)

The idea behind the title of this post is, hopefully, crystal clear. The suffixed '19,' maybe, could also represent the number of lies that 'our' Prime Minister relays, or seeks to hide behind, in the course of a month, a week, a day?

The internet is flooded with fake news! Undoubtedly it is! Perhaps the internet is more flooded with falsehood, than the UK has been flooded by the 'unseasonal' rains? A subject for another more than deserving post.

We shouldn't be surprised about the sheer weight of these falsehoods. With so many, many people posting angry comments, gleaned from so many, many angry (disingenuous) broadcasters, the internet is quite awash with hatred and misinformation. But, it is also generously furnished with inadequately-informed or poorly researched yet ostensibly-well-intentioned commentary. I try my best not to fall too heavily into the latter category, moreso the "poorly researched' aspect, but may accidentally lapse into doing so from time to time. With regards to the former category of 'emotive misinformation,' I often find myself angry, and do 'rarely' permit a degree of contempt to spill into the occasional comment. But then, often such spoken or written contempt is duly warranted, more than likely it is long overdue. I endeavour always to steer more towards the well-considered commentary, and I do also seek to back this up with, hopefully, reliably sourced information, although it is not always linked, or otherwise attributed.

Of course, the floods of misinformation have swollen up and flourished in a highly-conducive climate of political-untruthfulness, brought to fruition under the auspices of, significantly, the UK government and 'free press.' Formerly the 'misinformation' was perhaps more along the lines of 'selective evasion,' but this has now 'blossomed' into a surfeit of fully fledged political lies. Oh so many political commentators have traced this worsening climate back, four decades, to the ill-conceived election of Thatcher. Experience and much reading has unearthed nothing to contradict such a hypothesis.  

With all of this in mind, it is best if I here seek to avoid the many pitfalls strewn across my pathway, through any conveyance of medical misinformation, misunderstanding and or ignorance. Of course, I have no medical training (as of yet), but then neither is any apparent in the UK's current, nodding dog, Minister for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock.

So, this post does not seek to promote Coronavirus related medical advice.

More, this posting looks only to address this Conservative Government's response to the aforementioned pandemic. So, where better to start than with Rishi Sunak's March Budget? This 'statement,' at least presents the mask that 'our' current government wishes, albeit momentarily- and in the context of a highly dynamic viral world- to offer to the nation.

In the face of what has quickly become a global pandemic, the man really almost, almost, had no alternative, other than to set aside political divide. Indeed, he kicked off with as much, setting out his stall with the contention that multiple deaths on such a scale were to be regarded as an, "issue above party," that the House must, "put aside politics and come together." New to the task of facing down such an immense crisis- identified by even the likes of May as inadequate for any cabinet role- the nation may have been 'prepared' to overlook the novice's early hiccup, when he momentarily set aside the pandemic, in order to commit to delivering upon, "economic promises to the electorate," by which he naturally meant, 'big business interests.'

Indeed, we were several minutes in before, over his right shoulder, those nodding prompts from his master became that tiny bit more assertive. On cue, Skin-deep Priti's sneer twitched such that the venom momentarily burst free to dribble down her chin, and the Chancellor was off! Matt Hancock was perhaps unaware- amongst oh-so-many other things- that the TV cameras had drifted away from the now battle-clad mighty knight, to hunt out the current Health Secretary's vacuous stare, empty eyes and nodding Churchillian (the car ornament, not the man) response.

'Magically,' we were momentarily transported onward, to a future world where 2.5% projected economic growth is no longer dictated by the meagre resources of a finite globe. Onward and upward we were ferried to, well, essentially the same cling-filmed world, that has embraced the cutting to the bone of the NHS- post virus, deaths aside, absolutely nothing proudly learned!

But I diverge, the Budget! "The gig economy is going to get (well not quite) all the help it needs... " Priti audibly sneered at this juncture- I felt as if an invisible claw had grasped at my throat, did anyone else feel it? "Whatever extra resources the NHS needs... ", it was almost as if we'd woken from two decades of nightmare! There was absolutely no mention of Priti's 'economically idle.' "Public services (which ones are those?) are well prepared!" Bring it on!

Prouder in the spotlight than the nation's shiniest cardboard policeman, anti-theft deterrent, Sunak was off the leash. The 'hands across the house,' sentiment was ceremonially shredded upon the floor! "Getting things done!" Johnson's, no Sunak's, voice briefly squeaked with adolescent devilment, before rising to a triumphant crescendo!

"This Budget gets it done!"
"This budget gets it done!"
"This budget gets it done!"
"This budget gets it done!"
"This budget gets it done!"
"This budget gets it done!"

At which point either Johnson, or else Priti- at Johnson's instruction- kicked the turntable, and we were effectively done! There were those on the benches- Mark Francois, Jacob Rees-Mogg- who whooped as if the nation had already unilaterally, globally administered the vaccine, presumably in some sort of last minute, 'health for profit' deal! Priti may even have shed an acidic tear- Johnson quickly slid his right toe out of the line of fire ('Alien' reference)- at the thought of so many of the 'economically idle' being spared.

The budget then turned out to have been far more about 'oil,' than it was about 'oil upon troubled waters.'

So then, given that the nation now (almost) instantly requires, how many intensive care beds? how many doctors? how many nurses? how many respirators and ventilators? how many intensive care wards conjured within hospitals that are already full-and-a-half? quite where is it proposed that we collectively turn? Will we be poaching 'economically idle' staff from other nations, in order to somehow and miraculously plug that unacknowledged medical black hole? Will the UK, in a matter of weeks (months?) be expecting to rebuild an NHS, that it has spent the previous two decades dismantling? Perhaps those necessary (mysteriously origin-non-specific) nurses and doctors- those who cannot be arm-wrestled back into a profession that caused them to retire early, maybe on ill health, working under the same culpable government- perhaps they will be encouraged to migrate here, Windrush style upon a fleet of Saga-recommissioned ocean liners, from that second and secret Earth, the one from which we are hoping to source our future eternal economic growth? Surprise!

If we should deign to shed a tear for shiny Rishi- and we really shouldn't- we might reflect upon the concerning likelihood that, even if his budget had ticked every (available) medical box, even if it had genuinely reached across the House, even if he'd rushed across the floor and hugged Jonathan Ashworth, Shadow Secretary of State for Health, perhaps shed a tear, even if health had honestly been prioritised over profit, even under these circumstances, it is likely that this budget would have fallen woefully short of the required mark! Because the NHS is not  "prepared." The funding was needed twenty years ago, and it's been needed ever since, moreso year on year!

Decades of neoliberal deceit have left nothing in reserve. Even though some of the electorate were foolish, stupid, or distracted enough ('reasoning' varies) to have given Boris his magic majority, the levels of faith in the man and his unholy cabal this same electorate has may, more openly, be reflected upon the supermarket's empty shelves. Some of the UK's hospitals have now had to start locking away their hand-sanitiser gel, because visitors are stealing the bottles from the foot of the bed that is perhaps accommodating their loved one. Dominic Cummings has been rumoured to have 'observed' that, "If the ball curve is already out of sight, who's to say we're behind it?" More superforecasting?

If the UK's rationale is quite so scientifically derived, why is it that all of those other scientists, those WHO doctors and scientists living beyond the shoreline, are so up in arms? Is it, perhaps, the case that, the evolving global scientific hypotheses are being filtered and sorted specifically to endorse predetermined UK government conclusions? "Will all of those who arrived at conclusion 'A' please stand over there. There is no conclusion B. Just the two of you, then? The exits are here, here and here!" If our government non-scientifically filters out scientific thinking that does not endorse the government's economic agenda then that's not really a science derived approach, is it?

The thinking part of the UK very early on realised that the UK's Brexit mentality- that angry, misinformed and uninformed shrinking minority- would not take long to highlight the error. But very few could possibly have predicted quite how soon those very English chickens would come home to roost. A pandemic that yields to unilateral actions- many of them, entirely uncoordinated- how likely is that? Scientific theories on a post card, please? Remember not to lick the stamp!

In some sort of parallel UK, if we'd planned instead not to accept homelessness as a necessary consequence, if we'd thought to consider child poverty as a failure of an aspiring civilised society, if we'd planned to reduce rather than to enhance inequality, if we'd realised that any healthy society needs to aspire to a healthy whole population, if we'd properly funded our NHS, if we'd recognised housing as a human right rather than an investment opportunity... ? But, 'we' didn't!  

I wonder if it is not still the case that there are some in the UK cabinet who secretly harbour the hope that the pandemic will work its natural course, at minimal medical outlay and manageable costs to the economy- hoping to be 'first out of the starting blocks,' as it were!

Are there unspoken plans afoot, whereby food-banks magically pick up the slack and provide the necessary meals, should schools suddenly have to close and free school meals provision for the 4 million school-age children who are living in poverty suddenly stop? Those over 70 to self-isolate for how long? Maybe now they'll have time to wait for an answer if they phone 111, something to pass the time.

Unprecedented times! Maybe self-isolation is the way forward, but will it work under such neoliberal constraints? If the (hugely voluntary) social care dries up- maybe instead repurposed into child-minding?- will we even know where some of these people are, when the doors are again flung open to the elements? "Bring out your dead?" Go, Matt go! 

In the spirit of Dominic Cummings's superforecasting ideology, may I humbly be one of the first to volunteer one potential and highly-suitable candidate for the growing death toll? Bet 365? Bet Fred? Ladbrokes? Sky Bet? Take your pick, but I'm currently favouring the former.

"British society is ready!" Rishi trumpeted to 'his' public. And the fictitious Lord alone knows that vast swathes of ordinary peoples are already up and running, throwing full weight behind this most worthy of causes. What else is the choice? Many of those 'running on empty' have yet again managed to refuel- thank the heavens- surely through nothing so much as osmosis. So, there's at the very least one huge segment of British society that has unilaterally recognised this pandemic for the whole-societal crisis that it surely is- pulling together in the toughest of times- but we already know (and it's not through the mystery of fortune telling or magic) that those work-shy hands across the growing divide will once again revert to the tight battle-fists that they usually are, the very first second that this virus appears beaten into retreat.

The monied spokespeople may currently sound like they're just plucking non-ideas from the aether, but Cummings is there, buried deep in the fabric. Calculatingly, 'our' government still chooses its words with a surgical precision. They're not yet closing theatres, pubs and restaurants, but they're strongly urging people not to partake, because then, if the small business 'chooses' to close, it's the choice of the business and compensation maybe won't be so forthcoming. "Oh, and by the way, if you (venue) do go ahead with your event, you're very much on your own! Your choice! We're just offering our best touchy-feely advice." Lovely!

Is there abdication afoot? We already know who the losers stand to be, but who're going to be the beneficiaries? The banks, excepting the minions, of course, are often key. Likely the pharmaceuticals, the larger loan companies, HMRC, the most combative of the supermarkets?

Johnson's 'scientifically derived' plan to see the UK's expendables (or Priti's 'economically idle') assist in achieving super-race herd immunity- seen to send shivers down the spine of the WHO- seems to rely upon more than an element of 'thinning out,' one whereby said immunity is shared by precisely what percentage? Oops, we forgot to test! Except we didn't forget, we just allowed the economics to dictate the health provision.

Trump has tweeted that the UK is doing a good job, a very good job, "a very very good job!" But, even this isn't seen as warning enough! So, there's somewhere in the world that's consistently further behind 'the ball curve' than is the UK? Those thinking globally, about this 'pandemic'- the clue's in the word- have been given due cause to worry about the Muppet President, as he attempts to steal Germany's anti-virus efforts, and continues not to understand that partial population testing and/or vaccination may not hold any of his sought for neoliberal solutions. Whisper it, "It's because they're not there, Don!"

"We've fought two world wars!" the old British grit reminds us. But we haven't! Chances are, that if someone's just shouted this at you, then they won't have been around to have fought in either of them. If they fought in WW II then they'll be at least 88, if they lied about their age in 1949. What's more, they'll likely be breaking their curfew.

Crossing one's fingers doesn't usually work, but the UK Coronavirus Combat Team are rumoured to have just endorsed the practice.

All government policies, at time of publication, endorsed according to the UK's "Independent fiscal institutions." Unless Johnson and Cummings are in the process of hand-picking their replacements.


* With reference to an earlier Faerie Son post, 'A Global Coup?' (18/02/2020), I feel that I should draw attention to recent events in the US. Joe Biden seems likely to gain the Democratic nomination to run in the upcoming Presidential Election. In so far as some sort of conspiracy, or coup, is likely to have been concerned, it is of interest (alarm!) to note quite how this turn of events has come about.

Of course, Biden has not at all secured the confidence of everyday Democratic supporters, instead the dark US state of million-and-billionaires has really manipulated the results. After an early positive start for the people's candidate, Bernie Sanders, the lagging support for Biden was crudely bolstered on the eve of Super Tuesday, when all of the other Democratic candidates 'magically' just dropped out, to instead 'endorse; Biden.

Many Democratic supporters have expressed anger and frustration at this, significant numbers saying that they will not yet again be railroaded into supporting the least worse candidate in the upcoming US elections. If Biden (unlikely now) does not get the nomination we are likely, also, to see AIPAC again seeking to play their anti-semite card.