Sadly, I suspect the #SundayTimes indictment of Johnson will have very little impact. I don’t see him resigning - what’s a few thousand ‘unnecessary deaths’ to him, or the ministers chosen for their ability to suck up to him, or his supporters, or the people who voted for him?
The Sunday Times piece makes it clear that austerity and Brexit both undermined our response to the coronavirus. Millions voted for Tory governments without batting an eyelid about the human costs of austerity or the ‘unnecessary deaths’ it caused.
Millions supported a no deal Brexit regardless of the economic and social damage it was likely to cause or the absence of any coherent preparations for it, or the stream of lies emanating from Brexiters. Why would they be bothered by our failure to prepare for a pandemic?
Truth, morality, decency, the common good, wise and humane governance, accountability, concern for the vulnerable, competence - all these virtues are entirely alien to the sadopopulist mindset, which is steeped in callousness, cruelty, exceptionalism, rage & fanaticism.
It’s a mindset which chooses the leaders who best reflect these qualities, who are able to ‘steal the impression of people’s fantasies’. So revelations of character flaws, incompetence, etc even in the midst of a lethal pandemic don’t have the impact you might expect them to.
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