Corona: Boris “Grinch” Johnson stole Christmas from the British

How Boris “Grinch” Johnson Stole Christmas From The Brits

Many Brits have a rather sad Christmas this year. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is criticized for his full promises in the crown crisis.

Boris Johnson had good news on Monday: In Britain, more than 500,000 people have already been vaccinated against the coronavirus. “That is cause for hope and confidence,” Johnson told a news conference. But that was it. For many Brits, there is little to celebrate this Christmas.

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The reason is the mutated variant of the coronavirus. It is not more dangerous than previously known, but it is much more contagious, as confirmed by the first studies. This means an additional risk for health systems in some countries, including Switzerland, which are already heavily affected. They stopped traveling to the kingdom.

The trade of merchandise through the English Channel also paralyzed. Hamster purchases took place in British supermarkets, because the island nation mainly buys fresh fruits and vegetables from mainland Europe at this time of year. What is really difficult, however, is level 4 “superblock” in the south-east of England with the capital London.

“Inhuman” comes true

Not only does it mean the closure of all businesses except those for daily necessities and most public facilities. People in the Level 4 zone are unable to leave the zone, so many fled in panic following Saturday’s announcement. And above all, Christmas only happens in their own home.

For some Brits, Boris Johnson must appear as the “Grinch” who steals Christmas from them as in the popular American children’s book. Last Wednesday, during question time in the House of Commons, the prime minister said that canceling Christmas would be “inhumane.” Well, almost exactly that has happened.

The conservative government’s crisis management is judged correspondingly deficient. In a Yougov poll, nearly half of those polled support the new level 4 rule, but 61 percent think the government’s handling of vacation measures is bad. 38 percent even describe it as very bad and only 7 percent as very good.

Boris Johnson himself has been behind Labor leader Keir Starmer for months on the question of who would be the best head of government for the country. About a year ago, he led the Conservatives to an overwhelming electoral victory. 2020 would be a “fantastic year for Britain,” promised the former London mayor.

Lock instead of trend reversal

The first climax followed on January 31 with the departure – political – from the European Union. But then Corona came along, and since then more and more of Her Majesty’s subjects have wondered if their Prime Minister is more than a loudmouth populist. Because in dealing with the crisis, he made big promises that he couldn’t keep.

On March 19, Johnson stated that “within the next twelve weeks” the trend would reverse. Four days later, he imposed the blockade on the island, about a week after most other countries on the continent. According to experts, the kingdom had lost valuable time fighting the virus.

“Normal” until Christmas

In early April, Johnson fell ill with Covid-19 itself. He was admitted to the intensive care unit of a London hospital and received oxygen. As soon as he had half recovered, Johnson promised on May 20 that a “world-class” test and trace system would be available starting June 1. As soon as the number of cases increased again in October, the system reached its limit.

Boris Johnson is not pursuing any claims like the July 17 claim that “a significant return to normalcy” could be allowed for Christmas. He held this illusion for a long time. In mid-October, he turned down Keir Starmer’s request for a second lockdown. The four-week breaker started on November 5.

Mutation as a pretext for level 4?

The number of cases fell, but less than in spring. As in Germany or Austria, a weary population of the crown had little desire to follow the restrictions. Therefore, critics assume the head of government that the mutated virus is a pretext for him to impose strict level 4 closure.

In fact, the “English virus”, as the Italian newspaper “La Repubblica” calls the new variant, according to The Guardian, appeared in Kent County in September. But after that he spent a lot of time under the radar. It was only when the number of cases rose significantly a week ago that the government was informed of the mutation.

Now it should be Easter

As the number of cases increases, there is a growing fear that level 4 could spread to other parts of the country. After all, a solution is emerging with France for the movement of goods. And also in the negotiations on the final Brexit on December 31, the British government presented on Monday a new compromise proposal on fisheries.

The pandemic has so far claimed more than 67,000 deaths in Britain. There is constant speculation about the future of Boris Johnson at 10 Downing Street. Blasphemers claim he can only hold out because no one else wants the thankless job these days. But conservatives have never been scrupulous in dealing with unloved prime ministers.

On Monday, Johnson made another great promise. Thanks to vaccines, one can “look forward to a whole new world since Easter.” So everything should improve in early April. Perhaps the prime minister will get a break until then.