All the King’s Horses and All the King’s Men … 

It’s been a funny old week on Plague Island. The mainstream news is full of ire for Boris Johnson, for the first time in what feels like forever.

It appears that Johnson might well be a liar. Well, well, well, who knew?

We are a little embarrassed to admit that we have taken great delight in watching bloated King Boris falter. No amount of saying, ‘Get your booster’, ‘We’re all in this together’, or accusing Keir Starmer of ‘Playing politics’ or even the news that ‘Carrie has had the baby’ seem to be working for him right now. Suddenly, all the lies we’ve all seen are coming back to haunt him.

However, for all of our amusement at watching Johnson getting roasted, it is of course tinged with much sorrow because this country is properly in a mess. Inequality continues to worsen. Covid is a curse that won’t quit; we’re back into restrictions, including mask wearing, which should have never gone away in the first place. Utility and food bills have skyrocketed, affecting everyone and especially those who were struggling before the price rises. The NHS is at breaking point and millions of people can’t get the treatment they are in need of. To be clear, Covid hasn’t created these situations. It has instead exacerbated problems caused by 11 years of the Tories and their crippling austerity policies.

And then there was PMQs this week, where our amusement turned to anger when member after member of the opposition read stories from their constituents about loved ones dying alone whilst the government partied and played parlour games.

Now there’s an investigation into not only one, but SEVEN (as of 10/12/21) Christmas parties held at Downing Street last Christmas.

There are rumours that Johnson attended some of them. Think about what you did, or rather, didn’t do last festive season. Think about all the people you missed, all the sacrifices you made, and the things you might have done to make a very frightening time feel more like normal times for your family. Think more broadly about all of sacrifices we’ve all made throughout the pandemic, both big and small, and then think of the people who were directly affected by Covid. Then think of the very people who made the rules partying into the early hours in the Court of King Boris: boozy, raucous and thoroughly not giving a shit about ordinary people.

Let’s face it, dear Plague Islanders – these parties are just the tip of the iceberg. The rules have never mattered to them, be it procurement rules around who gets contracts via public money, to who gets jobs in the cabinet, to lockdowns and Covid rules. None of it has ever mattered to this most abnormal, right-wing populist government. It’s rules for us – the plebs – and no rules for them. Authoritarianism for us/Libertarianism for them.

It does feel like the storm is breaking though, at least in terms of who governs the country. All on to next week.

A little hope always,

~ L&A 10.12.21 ~