Humanity

Nadine Dorries was the first MP to go down with Covid-19. She was a not-too-bright Brexiteer who had spent the previous three years eagerly demonstrating a complete ignorance for what the EU is and what part we play in it. She was a pretty contemptible character. 

Yet I felt no joy, smugness or satisfaction in hearing that she’d gotten sick. Quite the opposite. I wished her a speedy recovery. Most Brits did, no matter what side of the Brexit divide they resided. The same applied to Matt Hancock when he went down with the lurgy. And to Boris Johnson. 

I don’t wish them well because of who they are, what they do or their place in society, although some people and some papers are pushing this angle. That’s entirely wrong, because their profession is a separate matter and some of them may yet need to be called to account for gross negligence for their part in the UK response to the Coronavirus. Getting ill is not a Get Out Of Jail Free card.

I wish them well because they’re human, they have families and because I’m not, I hope, a nasty piece of work. But there has to be an exception, doesn’t there? There always is. I’m very much against capital punishment. Yet I felt perfectly ok with the news that Saddam Hussein was sent on his way through the trap door with a rope around his neck. I wouldn’t have passed such a sentence, I wouldn’t have pulled the lever, but I didn’t condemn those who did.

The exception is Tim Martin. Sure, I don’t wish this illness on him. I won’t object to him recovering if he does become infected. And yet, I don’t think I’ll have an awful lot of sympathy for the chap if he does bite the dust. He’s utterly despicable and always has been. The worst type of capitalist. His insistence that he’d keep his pubs open and packed throughout the pandemic. And then when forced to close them, his big ‘f**k off’ video to his staff sealed the deal. 

Tim Martin has no redeemable features. My biggest hope for the future is that Boris, Nadine and co do have redeemable features. I hope Boris emerges from his experience and bounces back as soon as possible. And I truly hope the experience has a positive effect on the way he views this country, the people and what is important to us.

Boris is currently in an NHS hospital, his life in the hands of the true heroes of our society. We all, each and everyone of us, depend on the NHS. It is one of the finest institutions in this country. It has not been treated well at the hands of the Tories over the last several decades. I hope Boris has a new found appreciation for the responsibility he has in ensuring that the NHS is given the funding, the equipment and the staffing that it needs.