I too hope for the best for Boris, and indeed everyone else.
Personally, I believe Boris to be a completely self serving, but charismatic individual who I wouldn't trust to do my shopping. But, when he is advised correctly, he has stood up and shown himself to be a great leader.
What we seem not to understand in this country is that for years Boris and his wealthy chums have been systematically dismantling anything remotely socialist, and replacing it with a capitalist model. Thus the very rich run everything to maximise profit, while those with nothing are ignored as they are not relevant in a capitalist model. That is reflected in an underfunded, over stressed health service that is short staffed and unable to recruit due to low wages. Collapsing public transport. Underfunded councils leading to little social responsibility for waste management, increased homelessness, growing dependence on charity, etc.
Suddenly it is realised that investment in the NHS is needed, and money is available to do so. I can't help but see hypocrisy when I see right wing politicians clapping support for the NHS on these Thursday evening displays of gratitude. Rather than us being humbled by the caring and giving work ethic of the employees, we could be feeling proud of a service and infrastructure fit for purpose, had investment not dwindled in the last decade or two. Pity the extra £350m per week (or whatever the number was) promised for the NHS by voting for Brexit never turned up.
Boris, like Churchill (and Hitler) appear to be great leaders when the nation needs strength and can unite people in a single direction. But in normal times we would be better off without the grandstanding and single issue focus. I hope this is recognised next election - but that said, there are not many politicians that are any better, and the public seem to have short memories. Also, sadly, it seems most people are too thick to think things through themselves and rely on a newspaper headline to focus their mind on the latest outrage or scandal. Not many think what the agenda of the headline writer, and their paymasters may be.
The US is worse off than the UK in my opinion. Trump knows that things don't need to be true for people to take notice. And he is self serving enough (or just plainly too thick and deluded?) to throw everyone else under the bus to protect his ego. This current diversionary spat with the WHO, blaming them for his unwillingness to take big (expensive) decisions to save lives at the expense of shaving a few percent off the net worth of the economic elite, could end up with consequences for global relationships that will have long term damaging effects. How can his supporters not see that his actions and delay will have killed thousands of citizens who could have been saved? How can they accept his rhetoric of "..doing a tremendous job.." when you can so easily see the U-turns and changes he has been forced to do when he eventually listens to those he is now trying to blame?
Sorry for the rant. Seem to have time on my hands
. Stay well everyone.
