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!
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