Last Week in Politics with Cllr Liz Townsend

Last week in politics….

After facing a furore on Twitter Sajid Javid deleted his tweet which stated that people had to learn to live with Covid rather than 'cower' from the virus. This is one of the most dangerous and ill-informed tweets I've seen from a serving government minister and the health minister at that! The backlash was swift and powerful from the Twitterati and Javid had to issue a quick apology. However, the damage and hurt have been done to the many families and friends who have lost loved ones and for those who are immunocompromised and continue to live with the fear of growing Covid numbers, together with those who are living with long Covid. Whilst the insensitivity of the tweet was clear for all to see, what was equally concerning was the bravado with which it was delivered, belittling the efforts of all those who have done the right thing, who have followed the rules and who continue to choose to protect themselves and others by wearing masks and keeping their distance. This throwaway comment branded them as cowards and Javid might do well to remember that whilst his tweet and all those who responded to it may be gone, it is certainly not forgotten.

This tweet also has to be seen in the context of the demonstration branded as a Worldwide Rally for freedom on Saturday in Trafalgar Square. This ill-judged tweet fans the flames of conspiracy theories and anti-vax sentiments. Former nurse Kate Shemirani, who has been struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and whose own son says she has gone too far and is dangerous, likened NHS staff to the Nazis at the rally and stated, "At the Nuremberg trials, the doctors and nurses stood trial and the hung." As the mum of a junior doctor, this attempt to demonise all those who have worked tirelessly to protect us from the virus and who have had to see too many people die alone, including many of their colleagues, makes me feel sick and also worried for the impact on NHS staff who are experiencing growing attacks. We all have a responsibility as local politicians to challenge this school of thought and to challenge our MPs who don't immediately come out and condemn this.

Whilst fake news is now ever present, with a free press we do get the good, the bad, and the downright ugly, without the interference of an overreaching state, and we should not take this for granted. This is now clearly under threat, and by a government led by an ex-hack. I never thought that I would be witnessing an attempt by a UK government to launch a direct attack against the free press. The changes to the Official Secrets Act which are currently being consulted on could see our journalists put on an equal par as spies and the unauthorised disclosure of information treated the same as espionage. As well as putting press freedom at risk, it also removes the ability of individuals and whistle-blowers to hold organisations, including the government, when there are serious allegations of wrongdoing. The changes remove any right to a public interest disclosure, as only the government ae deemed able to judge this. I don't have to tell you where this is going, a state who controls the press is a dictatorship. Is this what sovereignty looks like?

HGV drivers have also hit the headlines this week with the crisis over a reported shortage of 100,000 HGV drivers. This is having an impact on deliveries to our supermarkets and to the already badly hit hospitality industry. Shelves even in my local supermarket have been hit by delayed deliveries and this could be about to get worse with nearly 3,000 HGV drivers threatening to strike for a day on 23 August to highlight low pay and poor working conditions. A reported void of 25,000 truckers who had returned back home to the EU after Brexit was already putting stress on the system. This has now been exacerbated by Covid and latterly the pingdemic, the proposed stay at home day could see long lasting effects on the fragile supply chain and take many months to recover from.

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