Prioritising ideological purity over lives
I quote from a summary of the Downing St lobby briefing this morning (apologies for the bold text, which I can't change):
The spokesman dismissed suggestions that it was hard to understand why the government was not participating in the EU-wide procurement scheme for ventilators. Asked why the government was not doing this, he replied: “We are no longer members of the EU.” In fact, because the UK is in the post-Brexit transition period, the UK would have been able to participate. When it was put to him that people would find it hard to understand this decision, particularly in the light of the fact that the PM has called for international cooperation in the fight against coronavirus, the spokesman said: “I’m not sure that it is.” He also stressed that the UK was making its own efforts to procure ventilators. He said:
'You can see the efforts that we are making to secure ventilators.....We are working hard to ensure that we get extra ventilators into the NHS as far as possible.'
This seems unforgiveably, indeed callously, stupid to distance the UK from the 27 at this time of great shared threat to life. It is the Guardian's take, so one should allow for some anti-Brexit bias in the reporting, but on the face of it, it's a very hard-faced decision. However, this is the same government that was prepared to sacrifice the older generation, whilst "herd immunity" was built up, rather than have to shut down the economy.
Robert Fish ● 2422d36 Comments ● 2391d