Closed Pubs, Boris Johnson, John Wilkes & the Freeborn Englishman, a Year on
On Friday March 20th 2020 Boris Johnson ordered all pubs to close as a measure to try and control COVID-19 better.
In my view then as an inveterate pub goer if it saves lived, and it very probably did, it was worth it, particularly as the incomes of pub workers were, for at least some, now protected by furlough (more was needed and year on still is for those on zero hours contracts such as a minimum basic income).
Civil libertarians (of which broadly I’m one) might say that it is the dream of all authoritarian Governments to try and do something like a closure of pubs. Indeed Foucault argued this has been the case since the Middle Ages.
On the other hand in March 2020 right-wing libertarian Brendan O’Neill claimed that Johnson’s action made Britain look like North Korea (Spectator)-which would still be preferable to any society O’Neill had a say in.
There was a problem a year ago though and it was called Boris Johnson. It is tempting to think that Johnson is a charlatan who doesn’t believe in anything much except himself and that I think is true. Except that this means that one of his great heroes is a former Mayor of London, John Wilkes (1727-1795). He undoubtedly fitted the Johnsonian characteristics noted above but his slogan was ‘Wilkes and Liberty’ and it was far from being without substance.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wilkes
At the St Georges Fields Massacre on 10th May 1768 his followers protesting at the jailing of Wilkes raised the cry of No Liberty, No King. Troops opened fire killing seven and injuring fifteen
E P Thompson noted how Wilkes ideas led to Cobbett’s Freeborn Englishman
The champion defending his individual rights passed imperceptibly into the free-born citizen challenging King and Ministers and claiming rights for which there was no precedent
Johnson had other reasons for lionising Wilkes, he was a member of the Hellfire Club of sexual libertines, but his support for the liberties of the Englishman was also key. This was echoed in his comments on 20th March 2020 about closing pubs. He had clearly been reluctant to do so and delayed too long.
Fortunately ‘experts’ eventually prevailed.
A year on has Johnson ditched his Wilkes-ite beliefs? It’s not clear. He remains eternally optimistic, known now as ‘boosterism’ which is ok if there are things to be optimistic about but much less so if reality indicates caution.
He mentioned pubs again in a press conference this week- few other Ministers do.
There remain issues here. Firstly its become clear that Johnson’s idea of a pub and that held, for example, by many reading this, is likely to differ. The idea of ‘wet’ (drink) led pubs where proletarians gather is a world of which Johnson has no conception.
Secondly a year ago it was poorly understood how pubs might lead or not to COVID infections or what might be done to minimise this. A year on neither of those is true.
That means while a year ago it made sense in the context of rising infections and lack of knowledge to shut pubs it makes much less sense to keep them closed now-at least any longer than other places.
Perhaps we could try a few Pubs, Wilkes & Liberty virtual protests…
Leave a Reply