14/04/2020
The internet is awash with memes alleging that Boris Johnson and the UK government have made catastrophic errors in their handling, here at home, of the crisis seeping across the world.
I'm pretty sure, when we look back on this pandemic and the reactions of governments across the world in the years to come, there will be criticism of almost every nation's response. Some might fare better than others, but for the most part there will be plenty of condemnation aimed at everyone; everyone, that is, aside from the health professionals and other 'front line' workers.
Almost all of that criticism will be undeserved.
No country had a play book already set up for this situation. No nation knew exactly what steps were needed to minimise the impact of the coronavirus, or how best to safeguard their citizens.
The infographic below shows the daily rate for new coronavirus cases in the UK and the top 14 EU countries (with regards to this pandemic). If you click on the graph, you will be whisked away to the Politico website where you can access the interactive graph providing more data.
There are lots of graphs available that provide data that might help you understand the reality of the situation, and help you determine what 'facts' are actually being falsified to paint an alternative narrative.
The mainstream media seem to be as bad as many of the social media 'experts' at the moment; sharing stories without balance or accuracy, just because it helps them sell copy.
Above data is two weeks out of date, but used to show the situation at the end of March.
The UK was slower than some of its European neighbours to order a shutdown, but there has been a lack of consistency in how the shutdown was implemented. The table below shows how many days it took the UK and certain EU countries to take certain actions.
As can be seen, Germany has not seen it necessary to close non-essential shops, whilst Sweden have refused to close anything; all they have done is suspend events. Sweden's confirmed coronavirus cases have remained low in comparison to other countries, especially France, Germany, Italy and the UK.
Sweden had their third confirmed death just one week after the UK, but their daily infection rate for the period 31 March to 14 April has varied between 312 and 726, with a total number infected during hat period of 7,417. By comparison, The UK's daily infection rate for the same period was at its lowest on 31 March, with 3,028 cases, and its peak on 10 April with 8,733 cases. The cumulative total for the UK in that period was 72,369. The UK's population is about six times that of Sweden, but our infection rate for this period is almost ten times that of Sweden.
Much of the criticism of the UK government has been how slow they were in ordering the lockdown, something that Sweden still hasn't implemented.
Is it fair, on that basis, to blame the government for being slow in imposing the lockdown, and implying that this was the reason for too many infections and deaths?
There are of course other areas where the government has been criticised, some of it undoubtedly with just cause. However, if we look at these issues, the same criticisms are being laid at the doors of governments in almost all countries. The UK government has performed well in some aspects and less well in others. I don't think the UK is the worst performer in any single issue, especially when you include America in the assessment.
I do want to make it clear that, whilst I am to some extent defending this government against some unfair criticism over their handling of this crisis, I am in know way suggesting that I support the government for anything outside of their response to COVID-19. Moreover, I am still of the opinion that Boris Johnson should - eventually - face proper challenge and, hopefully, prosecution for his misconduct during the referendum campaign and in the years that followed.
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