The COVID-19 complacency of Johnson & Trump
Boris Johnson had COVID-19 and Donald Trump now has it. I’m no fan of either man but there is a wider point here.
Namely that, just as with nineteenth century epidemics, disease may well hit primarily the poor, but the rich and powerful are not immune, despite what they might think.
That led often to attempts to address issues like public health and housing- too little and too late as we might now say-but an understanding that if the issue of the poor and disease was not at least acknowledged then revolt might follow.
For Johnson and Trump the poor and disadvantaged are mostly the people they don’t know exist. The phrase was used by an aide to George W Bush over the impact of Katrina.
Johnson has now in the broadest terms noticed the less well off and decided that it is their complacency that has led to a new rise in COVID-19 infections.
Johnson is of course the King of Bluster but that is going too far.
He is the Prime Minister who locked down too late in March. He also handed out contracts to vital track and trace systems to the Tories mates rather than making sure the public sector had the investment to make them work. He also is the PM who hasn’t done enough in terms of financial support to allow those who may have come into contact with COVID-19 sufferers but are not ill themselves to isolate and stay off work. Then there was the question of trying to re-open schools unsafely in June and allowing the whole thing to happen again in September but with Universities added in too.
I wont comment in detail on Trump’s record which is one of neglect, golfing and bizarre statements.
One hopes though that any complacency about the need for regime change in Britain and the US is fading fast.
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