The Cummings handbook

The "premature rush", as your editorial states, to relaxing the lockdown rules is the "real problem", not the "tightening of restrictions", but there is one other factor also causing so many lives to be endangered, but not mentioned (The real problem is the government`s acceleration, not its use of brakes, 01/08/20). By claiming that there are signs of a "second wave" of the pandemic in Europe, and that it could possibly spread to the UK, Johnson and Cummings are giving the false impression that the first "wave" here is under control. With "one in 1500 people now having Covid-19", it is clear that it is not, and failing to admit it is another reason for trust in this administration to decrease further. Informing the public of the true situation would improve positive reaction to government announcements, and make a full-blown resurgence of the coronavirus less likely. It would also entail, however, an admission of failure through wrong or belated decisions, so will not happen. Instead there is now a "whiff of the government blaming the public" for failing to follow the guidance, and, of course, yet more criticism of European countries. Accepting responsibility and admitting culpability clearly are not in the Cummings handbook for advising prime ministers; attributing deaths to a "second wave" from Europe evidently is!