I am very surprised that the Conservatives are handling this crisis so badly, considering what's at stake for them personally. Worst case scenario: a vaccine doesn't come out over the next few...
I am very surprised that the Conservatives are handling this crisis so badly, considering what's at stake for them personally.
Worst case scenario: a vaccine doesn't come out over the next few months and Britain achieves herd immunity. Around 40,000,000 people end up infected and millions die, many of which would be in the 60+ range that is particularly susceptible to the virus. Not to mention that a lot of over 70s will undoubtedly defy the government order to self-isolate and expose themselves to a greater risk of infection.
In Britain there is a clear generational divide between left and right wing voters with boomers far likelier to vote Conservative, Brexit Party, UKIP, BNP, etc. It's so polarizing that one pollster found that if only 18-25 year olds could vote in the 2017 General Election, Labour would have around 600 seats and the Conservatives would not have a single one in Parliament.
Should herd immunity be achieved by our government, it would lead the Conservative Party into an existential crisis, not only because a lot of old people who traditionally vote for the party would die from COVID-19 infections, but because anybody who has had a loved one die from coronavirus would be disgusted by how the Tories have handled this crisis, and rightly so.
What the article should be saying is that they've walked back from publicly saying "these measures are to drive herd immunity". There haven't been any actual changes to the policies. Vulnerable...
What the article should be saying is that they've walked back from publicly saying "these measures are to drive herd immunity". There haven't been any actual changes to the policies. Vulnerable people were always going to be "cocooned"; social distancing was always going to be implemented much later in the UK than elsewhere (and it still hasn't been put in place); they're still limiting social isolation advice to people with new persistent cough or fever; they've reduced testing so now they're only testing some people admitted to hospital, etc.
This government, especially with Dom Cummings, is all about presentation.
The United Kingdom is previewing a new self-isolation plan for all people over 70 to address the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country, following backlash over a proposal to promote immunity by allowing up to 60 percent of its population to become infected.
[...]
[O]n Sunday, Matt Hancock, the UK secretary of state for health and social care, stressed that achieving herd immunity to Covid-19 is not a stated policy. Instead, he said that “in the coming weeks,” people over the age of 70 will be told to self-isolate. This stands in contrast with World Health Organization guidelines, which recommend that everyone, regardless of age, practice social distancing.
[...]
Chris Whitty, the UK’s chief medical officer for England, said Thursday that holding off on recommending the sort of social distancing other countries have encouraged was a strategic decision, arguing that imposing it “too early” would cause people to become exhausted and stop participating in it.
But Johnson has since said that he will ban large gatherings in the coming week, in the face of pushback and a rising number of confirmed infections.
I am very surprised that the Conservatives are handling this crisis so badly, considering what's at stake for them personally.
Worst case scenario: a vaccine doesn't come out over the next few months and Britain achieves herd immunity. Around 40,000,000 people end up infected and millions die, many of which would be in the 60+ range that is particularly susceptible to the virus. Not to mention that a lot of over 70s will undoubtedly defy the government order to self-isolate and expose themselves to a greater risk of infection.
In Britain there is a clear generational divide between left and right wing voters with boomers far likelier to vote Conservative, Brexit Party, UKIP, BNP, etc. It's so polarizing that one pollster found that if only 18-25 year olds could vote in the 2017 General Election, Labour would have around 600 seats and the Conservatives would not have a single one in Parliament.
Should herd immunity be achieved by our government, it would lead the Conservative Party into an existential crisis, not only because a lot of old people who traditionally vote for the party would die from COVID-19 infections, but because anybody who has had a loved one die from coronavirus would be disgusted by how the Tories have handled this crisis, and rightly so.
What the article should be saying is that they've walked back from publicly saying "these measures are to drive herd immunity". There haven't been any actual changes to the policies. Vulnerable people were always going to be "cocooned"; social distancing was always going to be implemented much later in the UK than elsewhere (and it still hasn't been put in place); they're still limiting social isolation advice to people with new persistent cough or fever; they've reduced testing so now they're only testing some people admitted to hospital, etc.
This government, especially with Dom Cummings, is all about presentation.
From the article:
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