[ad_1]
Not long to go now. The jet has taxied to the runway, the engines are twirling at high revs and the boys up in the control tower have confirmed we are ‘good to go, over.’
All that’s keeping this glistening machine from blasting off into uncharted skies is the parking brake. Or in this case, Boris Johnson.
The Prime Minister arrived at yesterday’s Downing Street press conference a bundle of flustered energy. The movement in those flat feet of his was heavy and hesitant, his eyeballs darting about like a dog watching the volleyball.
Last time he was here, of course, he suffered a pre-flight panic attack and missed his take-off window. Now, gripping those podgy paws around his notes, he gritted his teeth and announced that on July 19 he was pulling back the throttle. Finally, it was time for us to get airborne.
The Prime Minister arrived at yesterday’s Downing Street press conference a bundle of flustered energy. The movement in those flat feet of his was heavy and hesitant, his eyeballs darting about like a dog watching the volleyball
One by one, he announced all those irritating restrictions were heading for the chop. No more limits on gatherings, no more dreaded one-metre rule. Best of all, no more entering details into that ruddy NHS app when going to the pub. Not that I would recommend Boris entering his local anytime soon. Most publicans I’ve spoken to lately want to clatter him.
Best of all, face masks would no longer be compulsory. Confusingly, the PM later admitted he’d probably still wear one indoors.
He admitted infections could spiral to as many as 50,000 a day by Freedom Day. Deaths, too, would increase. ‘But if we can’t reopen our society in the next few weeks then we must ask ourselves – when will we be able to return to normal?’ he asked.
Any jitteriness was understandable. Think of all those bickering scientists niggling away at him these last few days. Judging by his frazzled mood, I expect there’s been a few choice exchanges down in the Downing Street bunker lately.
Speaking of which, los dos amigos Whitty and Vallance were there, their usual sepulchral presence floating behind the lecterns.
As for Chris Whitty, he might as well have walked in with a dark rain cloud over his head. Negativity just swirled around him
From the moment Sir Patrick racked up his first slide, it became apparent that neither shared the Prime Minister’s eagerness to get the country moving again.
As for Whitty, he might as well have walked in with a dark rain cloud over his head. Negativity just swirled around him.
He bore the look of a restaurant hygiene inspector who expected to catch a whiff of a soggy sardine behind a refrigerator. At any moment, you thought he’d slap the lectern and shut us all down again until further notice.
Soon, we were on to questions from the media. Incidentally, there’s no reason journalists shouldn’t be invited to the next of these briefings in person. Judging by Downing Street’s relations with Her Majesty’s lizards of late though, I’m not counting my chickens.
The broadcast lot were depressingly dove-ish. The BBC’s Vicki Young wanted to know if the boffins were confident hospitals would be able to cope come autumn.
Whitty was initially upbeat. His models suggested all would be tickety-boo. ‘But with modelling there is always some uncertainty,’ he cautioned. Indeed. These things are nearly always overly cautious. Boris had already estimated that come July 19, two thirds of adults will have been offered both doses of the vaccine.
Romilly Weeks from ITV asked why we couldn’t wait until all adults had been double jabbed before we unlocked fully. ‘Decisions are made by ministers not scientific advisers,’ shrugged Whitty. Translation: that’s exactly what I would have done.
Sky News’s Beth Rigby accused Boris of being ‘reckless’ for abandoning so many restrictions while infections were on the rise. Yes, that’ll be the same naughty Beth who was suspended for recklessly breaking restrictions just as the second wave hit, by attending a non Covid compliant birthday event with anchor Kay Burley.
She asked whether unlocking now would make restrictions less likely in the autumn. Whitty spooned more ladles of gloom into the pot by pointing out other respiratory viruses would be starting to flare up by then.
‘This coming winter may be very difficult for the NHS,’ he intoned. When isn’t it?
After 40 minutes, Boris marched off back to No 10. Clearly plenty of turbulence ahead. But we can’t stay on this tarmac forever. We need to have lift off.
[ad_2]
Source link
