Taking us for mugs: the Top Ten

Taking the public for mugs is exactly what every Tory government, at least since the late 19th century, has been doing on a regular basis. From Disraeli`s attempt to forge an alliance with the newly enfranchised working class voters with his mythical  "One nation Conservatism" to Cameron`s nonsense about justifying callous austerity policies by comparing household debts with those of a government, Tories have treated ordinary people with disdain. Even the laughable "Laffer curve" is still being used to explain how the rich cannot be expected to pay over 45% tax on earnings over £150,000! 

This government, however, has taken it to a new level, either with its ridiculous claims which we are expected to believe, or by actions and words which suspend belief in its competency. Who can forget Patel`s car crash of a press briefing when she said there had been "three hundred thousand and thirty four, nine hundred and seventy four thousand" tests for the virus?  Remember how at the start of the lockdown, government comparisons with other European countries were on a daily briefing graph, and how suddenly such comparisons were deemed useless as soon as our death figures started to overtake those of Spain and Italy? Good examples, but not quite worthy of a top ten spot!

In at number 10,  it`s "Led by the science": we are expected to believe this means following scientific advice before making political decisions, but obviously, for this government, only when it suits. The Sage meetings were frequently graced by the presence of a certain Mr Cummings, so who knows what reports Johnson received? The World Health Organisation urged us to "test and test", but that advice was rejected at the time, with the deputy chief medical officer for England, Jenny Harries, saying it was "unnecessary" as the UK has "an extremely well-developed public health system"! One scientific rule for them, one for us?

At number 9, no prizes for guessing! Naturally, the prime mover in the months of confusion, mixed messages and blather, all made much worse by his televised addresses, has to be in the top ten, and with his claims about having a "world-beating" testing regime, and getting antibody tests which would be a "game-changer", Johnson`s place in the chart is a certainty. Dozens more examples of his idiotic claims and outrageous boasts are available!

          Rather than admitting that the purchasing of PPE in bulk through the EU might have been a better option, Johnson and his government chose to provide the British public with this excuse. The UK could not join the EU`s procurement schemes as the emails of invitation had been sent to the wrong email address! Even if true, it meant the 15th March meeting was missed; the one on 19th March was attended , but the one on 25th March, when requirements for future purchases were dealt with, had no UK attendees! Well worthy of its 8th position in the chart. The idiotic promise of a planeload of PPE arriving from Turkey the next day, didn`t, and then the equipment found to be unuseable just missed the top ten!

         Despite ten years of austerity, with massive cuts to education, causing understaffing and pupils going without subject-specialist teachers, and a recruitment crisis in the teaching profession hitting the poorest areas the hardest, the British public was told Johnson`s government was concerned about the effects school closures were having on disadvantaged pupils. So concerned, Gavin Williamson said 200,000 laptops would be distributed. Trouble is, most schools and pupils are still waiting for their arrival!

         Matt Hancock is bound to feature strongly in any list charting how Tories have insulted the public`s intelligence in 2020, and he takes up the next two positions. At number 6 with the surprise announcement of exceeding the 100,000 Covid tests target on the very last day of April, and so keeping the government`s promise. Hancock even had the nerve to call it a "national achievement", with no mention of what emerged later, that the total included 39,000 posted out, with no guarantee of their completion!

     Again to the astonishment of just about everyone, Hancock even claimed to have thrown "a protective ring" around care homes, assuming the public had no knowledge, presumably, of the thousands of deaths in these homes, caused largely by untested patients returning from hospitals, the late lockdown, relaxed government guidance even as late as 25th February, and the lack of PPE for their wonderful staff.

          Tory lockdown rules are clearly not for Tory MPs as the member for the Isle of Wight, Bob Seely, demonstrated by attending a barbecue hosted by the editor of the Spectator. Also there, the Tory-supporting journalist, Isabel Oakeshott, living nearby in her second home! Amusing as ever, she made reference to testing her eyesight. Seely thought he was going to a meeting, which is why, presumably, he took his "girlfriend" with him, and said, later, that he ate only "half a sausage"!

          And so to the top 3: duplicitous Robert Jenrick takes second and third spots with his nonsense about his family, not second you understand, home being in Herefordshire, not London where he and his wife work, and where his children go to school.Of course he didn`t break the "second home" rule, just like he didn`t do anything wrong in benefiting Robert Desmond a mere £50m in taxes by overruling Tower Hamlets council`s decision. Of course, the fact that he was sitting next to Desmond at a Tory fund-raising dinner was done completely "inadvertently"!

          Dominic Cummings has to take top spot. His total disregard for the lockdown rules indicated more than anything the typical Tory attitude to the British people. His excuse for taking a day-out to Barnard Castle beats everything, mostly for its sheer arrogance, but because it also prompted Gove to say that he too had frequently tested his eyesight by driving! Haven`t we all?

     The sad truth is that we could have a top 100 of examples showing how Tories take the British people for fools, and have been doing so for years! With their ridiculous promises, outrageous claims, downright lies and basic incompetence, this has to be the worst British government in modern times!

Speaker and PMQs

Two things became obvious at last week`s PMQs: Johnson can be embarrassed by the Labour leader into revealing his failures, both to cope with details and to scrutinise government reports, and secondly, he will attempt to stage-manage proceedings by asking rather than answering questions. Now that the Office of the Children`s Commissioner for England has ruled that the prime minister "was wrong to claim that there were 400,000 fewer families living in poverty now than in 2010", and that Starmer`s figures were right, and that "600,000 more children live in relative poverty" today, should not today`s proceedings begin with a statement from Johnson or the Speaker to that effect (PM`s claims on child poverty "misled MPs", 23/06/20)? Most certainly, Starmer should not have to use up one of his six questions by mentioning it.

         It is the Speaker`s job to ensure the rules of procedure are followed in the house of Commons, and that must include what happens during PMQs. If Johnson attempts to throw questions back at Starmer, in what obviously is an attempt to avoid answering, and display his ignorance at the same time, the Speaker has to intervene.

Oh how Tory MPs laughed when Johnson during the recent PMQs said that "a great ox had stood" on Starmer`s tongue, implying, of course, that the Leader of the Opposition wasn`t allowed to say whether schools were safe because of union pressure (Star, 18/06/20). Starmer was quick with his retort that if the PM wanted to swap positions Labour was ready, but what really was happening was that Johnson, duplicitous as ever, was employing the only tactic ha has, when faced with questions he can`t answer about government reports he hasn`t read - he waffles on until he hits on something he thinks worthwhile and repeats it. In this case, it was a question to Starmer about school safety. By repeating the question at least three times, he avoided answering questions about the increase in poverty.

   According to the government website, not only does it specifically, and hardly unsurprisingly, say that PMQs is when MPs question the prime minister, it also states that the Leader of the Opposition is the only MP "allowed to come back with further questions". On the Speaker`s role the website is clear; he has "full authority to make sure all MPs follow the rules of the house".

    The conclusion is obvious: if PMQs is not to be turned into a complete farce by a prime minister simply not up to the job, the Speaker has to enforce the rules. If questions are not even attempted to be answered, and Johnson resorts to his avoidance tactics, the Speaker must insist on the rules being followed, even if the session has to overrun. Failing that, is there such a thing as a motion of no confidence in the Speaker?

Does Serco do "tutoring"?

No wonder teaching unions have "reacted cautiously" to government plans for "a year-long national tutoring programme" (Schools to hire private tutors to aid pupils, 18/06/20). It`s clearly yet another example of this government being so out of touch it has to apply "window dressing" to a problem in the hope that the public will be fooled into thinking a solution has been found.

   Rather than develop this "multimillion-pound programme", involving and perhaps creating, thousands of private tutors, would it not be more sensible to give the job to the people who already know the children, have their trust, are aware of their backgrounds, and have vast experience of helping pupils "catch up on lost learning" - the teachers? Far better to give classroom teachers the  massive pay rise they deserve, and allocate a large sum of money, dependent on numbers and location, to each school to be spent on "lost education" projects, with Ofsted, or another government agency, checking on how effectively the money has been spent.

      The government ignored local expertise when introducing its "test and trace" programme, preferring private companies, and it obviously has not learned its lesson. Can we expect, when the true number of tutors needed is revealed, Serco to be given the job?

Jenrick in the top three!

Under a normal government, with a normal prime minister, and in normal times, the activities of Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick would be headline news, and his political career toast. "Approving former press baron Richard Desmond`s development plans" against Tower Hamlets council wishes and clearly a "cash for favours" case benefiting the Tory donor a mere £50 million in saved tax should have ensured either a quick resignation, or sacking (Star,16/06/20). Jenrick`s claim that he "inadvertently" sat next to Desmond at a Tory fund-raising dinner  even rivaled Cummings`s claim about an eye-test which involved driving 60 miles for top spot in the "taking the people for mugs" top 20 chart! As he has even admitted to parliament that he knew his decision would save Desmond all that money, it follows he knew it would deprive the council of much needed funds for education and healthcare. Desmond, meanwhile, donated £12,000 to the Conservative party!

       Jenrick could actually claim two of the top three in these charts as it was he who, against lockdown rules, stayed in his second home in Herefordshire. Not only did he visit his parents, also against the rules, he claimed the house was his "family home". Strange, when the one  in which he, his wife and children were based was in London, where the adults both worked, and the children were schooled! This of course is not counting the house in his constituency!

 No sacking, however, and none demanded, though it is becoming increasingly clear that the Tory party, in danger of losing its reputation, unfounded as it is, as a "safe pair of hands", is beginning to lose patience. That`s the trouble with having a lazy and incompetent prime minister, one who is obviously out of his depth, and has a private life with "history"; it`s difficult for him to sack ministers with similar limitations and perhaps some knowledge of past events which the public might find interesting.

     With no Cabinet office inquiry into Jenrick`s behaviour forthcoming, it is essential Labour keeps up the pressure. It`s bad enough having an incompetent government coinciding with the biggest health crisis in over 100 years, it becomes even worse when ministers during the crisis find the time to abuse their positions so blatantly, and get away with it!

Time to call for an end to this farce

It is patently obvious now that not only cannot the country afford to allow Johnson further time to mishandle this crisis, his own party cannot either. Although based on very dubious grounds and lacking historical justification, the Tory party did have a reputation, of sorts, for competency, with a widely held belief that the economy was safe in their hands. There has been little evidence of any competence whatsoever during recent months, with decisions made too late or early, and with even the supposedly able Rishi Sunak failing to "attach strings" to the lending of £16bn through its Covid corporate financing facility (Business view: business as usual, 05/06/20). Without "any job guarantees from companies", or pledges to reduce their carbon footprints, or even tax promises, this government has been taken for a ride by a business sector intent on putting profits first, at all costs, as it has been doing for the last ten years.

      If the virus related figures are not seen to improve, and the R-rate reduced, Starmer must go for the jugular at PMQs. He might be surprised at the amount of backing from the Tories he gets; demanding the prime minister`s resignation is the only patriotic action left to him! With the country and its government the objects of ridicule throughout the world, and a death rate possibly rising to six figures, Johnson has to go! All talk of delaying criticism of the government`s failures to a commission of inquiry many months in the future is palpable nonsense!

As your editorial states, "the scientific and medical consensus is that the status of the preventative measures should not be downgraded", but for purely economic and political reasons, the relaxation of the lockdown rules is well under way (Star, 05/06/20). With the evidence rising every day, that Britain`s handling of Covid-19 is among the worst in the world, and the prime minister claiming at PMQs to be "proud" of his government`s record, Keir Starmer is right to ramp up the Opposition`s pressure, and break with the period of "constructive" truce. As daily deaths from the virus now exceed the equivalent numbers in all the EU`s 27 states put together, and the government`s policy of taking the British people for fools continues, with data manipulated, targets missed, and contradictory explanations for initiatives, like the forthcoming quarantine regulations, repeatedly given, is it not time for the leader of the Opposition to go for the jugular?.

     In normal times, it would almost be funny to watch the prime minister bluster and squirm his way through 30 minutes of scrutiny every Wednesday, but with so much at stake, and the risk of a second spike still present, Starmer`s plan of attack has to change. If there is no real improvement in the next few days, and the early easing of lockdown restrictions is not accompanied by massively improved results, a vote of no confidence must surely be considered. It obviously would not be passed, and there need be no call for an election during this crisis, but putting this most incompetent of prime ministers under pressure is the duty of the official opposition. It would show that Starmer means business when calling for increased competency, and that it is the most patriotic thing he can do; this mishandling of the pandemic cannot be allowed to continue! It`s time to call time on this farce, and if Starmer and a few colleagues have to join in some form of national emergency government, so be it.  The virus has to be contained, and it`s beginning to look like Johnson, Cummings and co. have lost control of it!

With the evidence mounting, as your editorial states, that "Britain`s handling of Covid-19 is among the worst in the world", and the prime minister claiming at PMQs to be "proud" of his government`s record, Keir Starmer is right to ramp up the Opposition`s pressure, and break with the period of "constructive" truce (Johnson squandered public trust in his coronavirus strategy, 04/06/20). As daily deaths from the virus now exceed the equivalent numbers in all the EU`s 27 states put together, and the government`s policy of taking the British people for fools continues, with data manipulated, targets missed, and contradictory explanations for initiatives, like the forthcoming quarantine regulations, repeatedly given, is it not time for the leader of the Opposition to go for the jugular?.

     In normal times, it would almost be funny to watch the prime minister bluster and squirm his way through 30 minutes of scrutiny, but with so much at stake, and the risk of a second spike still present, Starmer`s "sense of duty" has to take him forward. If there is no real improvement in the next few days, and the early easing of lockdown restrictions is not accompanied by massively improved results, a vote of no confidence must surely be considered. It is the only patriotic thing to do; this mishandling of the pandemic cannot be allowed to continue!

Revision of school curricula

Your editorial rightly says that discovering "how to remember the vicious business of slavery" and the UK`s "imperial project" is "not just a challenge for Bristol" (Bristol`s struggle with its slave-trading past is still far from over, 09/06/20). It`s clear that there are certain aspects of British history which have to be made compulsory in all schools, both in the state and private sectors. Some of the key points, which appear to have become distorted somewhat in recent years have to be given extra emphasis, like the roles of colonial soldiers in both world wars, the wealth gained from the slave trade paying in a large part for the 19th century`s industrial revolution, and details of how colonies were gained, ruled and looted. The effects of the manipulation of our history by all recent governments have to be reversed, and the truth of what actually happened  revealed. The latter point can only be achieved by the opening up to historians of the 1.2 million history files secreted away in Hanslope Park, and a campaign to achieve this end needs to be started by interested journalists and politicians as soon as possible. Facing up to some unpleasant facts about past governments, leaders and heroes may well be difficult, but other countries, notably Germany, have not only achieved it, but benefited from it.

   With the proportion of BAME likely to be a third of the UK`s population by the middle of this century, it is vital that everyone in the UK, not just Bristol, is aware of the hugely important roles played by people of all races and colour in the history of this country.

Taking us for fools; 2 letters

Andrew Rawnsley`s excellent analysis of the "political drama" surrounding Cummings strangely included the statement about British people being prepared "to put up with a lot from their governments", but not "being taken for idiots" (Dominic Cummings took the public for fools. Now they want his head, 31.05.20)."Taking the public for fools" is exactly what every Tory government, at least since the late 19th century, has been doing on a regular basis. From Disraeli`s attempt to forge an alliance with the newly enfranchised working class voters with his mythical  "One nation Conservatism" to Cameron`s nonsense about justifying callous austerity policies by comparing household debts with those of a government, Tories have treated ordinary people with disdain. Even the laughable "Laffer curve" is still being used to explain how the rich cannot be expected to pay over 45% tax on earnings over £150,000!

  Now, not only do we have the on-the-road eye test of the arrogant Cummings, we have Communities Secretary, Robert Jenrick, expecting us to believe that his home in Herefordshire was not his second home, even though he and his wife work in London, where his children are schooled. Daily we are fed graphs purporting to show the government`s success in handling the virus, until the data shows otherwise and the graphs are either removed, or quickly glossed over. The attainment of Hancock`s 100,000 testing target was farcical, as was the recent justification for easing the restrictions, with figures "delayed" and huge disparity with information from the Office for National Statistics.

       Rawnsley`s conclusion, that Johnson`s preference for retaining his adviser to maintaining the government`s credibility "will not readily be forgotten", is based more on hope than fact. Election results throughout modern British history show all too readily the reverse to be true!

A little late, perhaps, but at least the UK Statistics Authority has finally got round to it, and criticised the "inadequacy" of the coronavirus data presented at the daily Downing Street briefings (Star, 02/06/20). Not surprising, really, as they are, in the words of the Authority`s chairman, "far from complete and comprehensible", with the testing figures including those which have been posted out as well as those unsuccessfully completed and having to be repeated. 

 The latter most notably concerns the manner in which Hancock`s target of 100,000 tests a day was apparently "reached" at the end of April, but can also be applied to the way comparisons with  other countries had to be scrapped because the UK`s figures surpassed theirs. All too obviously, with the misuse of some figures, and the refusal to publish others, like the number of people actually tested, this government is simply doing what Tory governments all do - taking us for fools.

In fact, taking the public for mugs is exactly what every Tory government, at least since the late 19th century, has been doing on a regular basis. From Disraeli`s attempt to forge an alliance with the newly enfranchised working class voters with his mythical  "One nation Conservatism" to Cameron`s nonsense about justifying callous austerity policies by comparing household debts with those of a government, Tories have treated ordinary people with disdain. Even the laughable "Laffer curve" is still being used to explain how the rich cannot be expected to pay over 45% tax on earnings over £150,000! It`s as though it was the result of years of research by expert economists, rather than something drawn on a napkin in a restaurant to give President Reagan an excuse to decrease the tax bills for his rich friends!

  Now, not only do we have the unbelievable on-the-road eye test of the arrogant Cummings, we have Communities Secretary, Robert Jenrick, expecting us to believe that his home in Herefordshire was not his second home, even though he and his wife work in London, where his children are schooled. Daily we are fed graphs purporting to show the government`s success in handling the virus, until the data shows otherwise and the graphs are either removed, or quickly glossed over. Quarantine is suddenly an important way to check the spread of the virus, but apparently not in February, March and April when flights from Madrid, Rome and New York arrived every day! Pupils must go back to school because Tories care so much about the disadvantaged, as they proved with  their austerity policies!

      The recent justification for easing the lockdown restrictions, with figures "delayed" and huge disparity with information from the Office for National Statistic is just the latest in the long line of evidence. Taking the people for fools is the Tory modus operandi!  

BBC`s unsurprising inconsistency.

Unsurprisingly, Johnson "rejected calls for Mr Cummings to face an inquiry over his lockdown-breaking trip" (Star, 28/05/20), and similarly, Emily Maitlis was reprimanded by the BBC for her introduction to the same subject on Newsnight. How dare she seem to suggest that Cummings`s excuse for his obviously illegal trip to Barnard Castle, an on-the -road eye test, was laughable, or that the government`s refusal to sack him was undermining government policy, and reducing further any trust people might ever have had in their incompetent prime minister?

          For many years, certainly since 2010, the BBC`s definition of "impartiality" appears to have become massively distorted, equating its meaning with the need to avoid upsetting the government with any justifiable criticism. By stating the obvious fact, accepted by a very large majority of the country, that Cummings "broke the rules", Maitlis was clearly doing her job well, and preparing the viewers for the inevitable discussion and analysis which would follow. 

         Again without any surprise whatsoever, the BBC did not adopt the same stance and reprimand the Newsnight presenter when she obviously breached the BBC`s  impartiality rules interviewing Barry Gardiner just prior to December`s election; Gardiner was barely able to make any points, or even finish sentences, so often and rude were the interruptions, and Maitlis`s criticism of all things Labour harsh, and clearly biased.

       Of course there was no breach of the rules when Cummings`s wife was invited on to the BBC`s Today programme on 25th April, coincidentally the day after her husband was reported in the Guardian as having attended Sage meetings where scientific and supposedly non-political advice on how to deal with the coronavirus crisis is discussed. After reading from her Spectator article, infamous now for its many factual inaccuracies, like not mentioning the Durham trip at all, neither she nor the programme`s presenters believed it necessary to warn listeners that the extract did not constitute even a summary of what actually had happened, and that all the accompanying evidence would be closely examined in the rest of the programme. That`s why Maitlis got into trouble, but the Today presenters and editor didn`t. Who could have guessed that the BBC could be so inconsistent??