In the latest instalment of the Tory blame game, the government has blamed individual airports for the shocking scenes at Heathrow. Meanwhile, home secretary Priti Patel has blamed scientists and partygoers for the UK’s world-leading coronavirus (Covid-19) death rate. This corrupt, negligent government has consistently dodged accountability for its appalling handling of the pandemic – so we must keep holding it to account for its devastating failures.
The Tory blame game
A year after the world’s first coronavirus lockdown started in Wuhan, the UK is once again in a nationwide lockdown, with ever-increasing daily death tolls. This is a direct result of the government’s reckless failure to implement appropriate measures and provide the support that the nation needed to navigate the pandemic. In spite of this, the Tories continue to blame the public, treating us like insolent children.
Over the course of the pandemic, the Conservative government has blamed care homes, students, pub-goers, overweight people,and young people for the UK’s coronavirus death toll. Health secretary Matt Hancock blamed the public for ordering too many coronavirus tests. Education secretary Gavin Williamson claimed Ofqual was to blame for this summer’s A-level shambles. Muslim and BAME communities – among the worst hit by coronavirus deaths due to systemic inequality – were apparently to blame for not taking lockdown measures seriously enough. And lest we forget the draconian policing of the pandemic, which took place while the prime minister’s chief adviser Dominic Cummings unabashedly flouted lockdown rules. And now, while headlines focus on weddings and parties, millions are out at work every day due to the government’s “flexible” rules.
As Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy stated, “blame is just another thing to be outsourced for this Government”. We can’t let the government’s negligence and finger pointing go unchecked. The Tory government is responsible for everyone who has gone out to work through this pandemic. And for workplaces that fail to meet basic health and safety needs. And for those who can’t afford to self-isolate. Also, let’s not forget how the government’s consistent flip–flopping has cost lives and livelihoods.
Holding the government to account
We must hold the government to account and work to build a strong, unified socialist movement. The left needs to unite urgently to resist the government’s transparent divide and conquer tactics. It’s important that we support grassroots movements and leaders whose experiences exist beyond the manicured lawns of Eton and Oxbridge. It’s also vital that we demand policies that put people before profit.
We must continue to support workers and unions and fight for sufficient financial support for everyone. We must continue to campaign for a fair benefit system. We must write to our MPs, continuing to demand an end to the privatisation of public services and corrupt government outsourcing. We must challenge the media narratives that scapegoat poor people and immigrants. Ultimately, we must ensure that the Tories don’t get in at the next election.
In the words of Priti Patel herself, we can’t “stand by while a small number of individuals put others at risk”. This government has blood on its hands. We can’t let them get away with it.
Featured image via The Independent/YouTube
