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House of Commons – PA Images via Getty Images
As an Italian still living through the pandemic in London, Boris Johnson’s comment on the differences between the British and the Italians was unpleasant but not surprising. Each town has its own characteristics and each leader takes them into account when choosing the strategy to follow.
While Johnson’s comment is also dictated by growing desperation, the idea that it is more difficult to impose a blockade on the British has some truth.
The accusation is now known. Responding to a question from Labor Ben Bradshaw, who asked in Parliament why the UK handled the pandemic worse than Italy or Germany, Prime Minister Johnson replied that “there is an important difference between ours and other countries in the world. That ours is a country that loves freedom. ”
Before we get into the matter, we would do well to remember that it is easier for Johnson to invoke the liberal spirit of the British than to explain why there are still not enough tampons available (the fault of those who request them without having severe symptoms, said the Health Minister ); because the first national tracking application has only been available since yesterday, 6 months after the start of the blockade; because the masks are not yet ubiquitous; why the numbers are increasing worryingly; because the government after pressuring employees to return to work, has now decided that those who can do smart work; because in recent days new restrictions have been imposed that could last six months.
Too many difficult questions. It is better to appeal to the nationalistic spirit of a “free” people. But if we look beyond Johnson’s opportunism, the basis of his speech, which is more difficult to impose restrictions on the British than others, is not entirely unfounded. Certainly, there is a strong sense of individualism in Anglo-Saxon culture. This is mainly noted in the approach to professional competence. This is not necessarily a bad feature. Before Covid (and Brexit) hundreds of thousands of Italians moved to the UK, often citing an appreciation for this aspect of British culture, which still manages to avoid the excesses of their American cousins.
Perhaps Johnson appealed to the famous phrase of his predecessor, Margaret Thatcher, who in an interview in 1987 said “Society does not exist. There are individuals and families. And no government can do anything except through the people. “But Johnson seems to have forgotten the end of that sentence:” It is our duty to take care of ourselves, and then also to take care of our neighbors. “
In addition to individualism, in the UK the civic and ‘fair play’ sense of obeying the rules is equally strong. And this is where Johnson’s reasoning falls. Because the first to break the rules were members of his entourage, starting with his key adviser, Dominic Cummings, who was captured 250 miles from his home in a total lockdown in March.
Boris Johnson is right. It is more difficult to impose restrictions on the British, but freedom has not so much to do with the mismanagement of the crisis that has caused the government to lose the credibility it needs to continue imposing sacrifices on the people.
There is also another factor that separates the English from the Italian mentality regarding Covid. From a psychological rather than an ideological point of view, the English have not suffered the same impact as the Italians. Although more numerous, the British deaths were not concentrated in one region as was the case in northern Italy. The healthcare system has never been overwhelmed, thanks to a couple of weeks ahead of Italy.
British audiences have never seen such devastating national images on their screens as the line of army trucks moving coffins in Bergamo. Italians follow the rules because they have experienced pain and fear of the unknown in a brutal way. No government order can have the same impact.
As an Italian, I am not offended by Johnson’s comments, nor am I particularly affirmed by the praise of our homeland that rained down from the world’s most prestigious publications, from the Financial Times to Foreign Policy magazine.
I was in Sardinia and Milan in the last weeks and I don’t need foreign recognition. I can personally compare the Italian seriousness in managing Covid, and everyone sees the results. Foreign Policy, which titled its article ‘How Italy tore health from the jaws of death’ explains the first weeks of March 2020 thus: “The global impact on the tragic destiny of Italy revealed a sense of superiority: disorganized Italians were mishandling the crisis, sure, but the rest of us will know what to do. “
I still remember the acquaintance in London who insinuated in early March that Lombardy was severely beaten “because Italians don’t wash their hands much.” No need to comment. I prefer to refer to President Mattarella’s forceful and elegant response, that Italians also love freedom, but we also love security.
Returning to the UK, the sharpest comment comes from politician Ben Bradshaw, who after posing the fateful question to Johnson found that, in fact, “Germans and Italians enjoy much more freedom than the British at this time given that they have more or less back to normal… The British love freedom, but they understand that if they want to be free to live normally again, they have to deal with Covid. “
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