There’s an apt and vivid phrase which Boris Johnson uses in private to describe a mood that has engulfed much of the country. He says we must beware of ‘morbid funk’. He appears to mean there is a risk of the nation being so obsessed with Covid-19, and so fearful of its consequences, that we’ll avoid … Read more
Has the BBC finally given up any pretence of impartiality, and become the official mouthpiece of the Black Lives Matter protest movement, which has been mounting demonstrations around the country over the past week? Sunday was tumultuous. A mob in Bristol tore down the statue of Edward Colston, a slave trader and philanthropist who died … Read more
This country faces its worst crisis since World War II. Tens of thousands have died, and although the pandemic is being brought under control there will be many more deaths. Our economy is in freefall, and even the most optimistic observers believe we face years of pain and slog just to get back to where … Read more
Follow the science. It has become a mantra for Boris Johnson and senior ministers throughout this crisis. There are variations. One of them is: ‘We are guided by the science.’ Sometimes it’s ‘the best scientific advice’. Rather as in the Star Wars movies when the goodies constantly say ‘May the force be with you’ to … Read more
‘Sorry Anthony, it’s part of the job’: Glover Teixeira pauses for a moment to APOLOGISE to his startled opponent WHILE he’s pummelling him during their UFC clash in Florida Usually UFC opponents trash talk each other but Glover Teixeira was polite He took the bizarre decision to apologise to Anthony Smith on Wednesday night Brazilian … Read more
On Sunday morning I awoke with a headache, slight temperature and stomach pain. I also had a sore throat, which started several days earlier. I would normally have assumed I had picked up a bug. But in the present climate I naturally wondered whether I had been struck by Covid-19. Though the symptoms weren’t severe, … Read more
The other day I learnt that an old friend had died. But although I can accept this as a matter of fact, I can’t really take it in because there has been no shared recognition among those who knew her that her life is over. There hasn’t been a funeral. Tens of thousands of people … Read more
Yesterday morning we awoke to the usual fusillade of disturbing news in what is the worst crisis this country has experienced since the end of the Second World War. The shortage of personal protection equipment for our courageous medical staff is worsening. The testing fiasco continues, and the Government seems unlikely to meet its self-imposed … Read more
When did the authorities first become aware that this country would face a deadly contagion that would cost the lives of many thousands? It must be at least two months back. Six weeks ago on Tuesday, Boris Johnson delivered what then seemed a shocking statement in which he warned of a serious pandemic. At that stage, … Read more
Let us be honest. The fact that Boris Johnson has been taken into intensive care suggests that he is gravely ill. We must pray for him. I certainly am. His plight is confirmation, if any were needed, that this is a very serious disease that can leave even patients it spares in a debilitated and … Read more