Homesick Australians puzzled by Hopkins trip
IT can be surprising how different countries are responding to Covid19, with Britain now relaxing most restrictions – a very silly move – , some countries just hoping or praying and some, such as North Korea, denying that it is real.
Australia, where I am writing from, is perhaps lucky that, as an island, it can have more control over its borders and restrict who comes here unless they are important or a TV star.
The British so-called VIP, Katie Hopkins, is who the Australian government allowed to come here as a contestant on the Big Brother show.
There are over 30,000 Australians stuck overseas, some for over a year, and they want to come home. I am sure they would all be willing to suffer the indignity of ‘starring’ on Big Brother in order to get back home earlier rather than waiting for the government to do something serious.
It seems that she was a separate entry from the 3,000 currently allowed weekly, but if extra people are allowed, why can’t Australians come home?
The reports in our papers are not flattering of her and even Twitter banned her in 2018 for ‘violations of our hateful conduct policy’.
From the TV ads I see, as I don’t watch it, Big Brother seems to attract a range of characters, some good but many loud, obnoxious and self-promoting. I am sure some of the 30,000 citizens waiting could easily fill those roles.
This is a time of great social upheaval and worry and so we all need to come together and support each other.
As a final point, the TV channel who organised this has now dumped her after all of the negative feedback. DENNIS FITZGERALD,
Melbourne.
Economy trumps Covid
THERE is no doubt that optics now appears to be everything in politics.
This was certainly proven when the UK prime minister Boris Johnson did a quick u-turn on his decision not to self isolate after he was deemed to have been a close contact of the Health Secretary Sajid Javid who recently tested positive for Covid-19.
Ostensibly, Johnson and the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak were both in close contact with Javid and initially tried to circumvent the rules of going into self-isolation by coming up with their own strategy in avoiding same. It seems both men backtracked when they got found out.
It’s rather galling when one learns that Boris, Rishi et al appear to be repudiating their position as role models in this pandemic. The inference here is that it could be now perceived as one rule for the Conservatives and apparently another rule for everyone else in the UK
Last year, Johnson’s chief adviser Dominic Cummings breached government lockdown rules after he was seen 264 miles from his London home, despite having had symptoms of the coronavirus.
Recently, the former Health Secretary Matt Hancock had to resign for breaching social distancing guidelines after he was accused of having an affair with an adviser.
It is clear to me that the Tories are fed up with Covid-19 and wish it would go away. It’s all about the economy and the desperate pursuit of trade deals.
I would like to remind Boris that you can’t wriggle out of your government’s culpability for 152,000 deaths in the UK.
The strategy of the Tories at this time is to deflect attention from their lack of political strategy and morally vacuous ministerial behaviour.
In essence, this Conservative government has essentially betrayed its citizens. JOHN O’BRIEN,
Co. Kilkenny.
‘Boomerang’ adults
SO, young adults with jobs who aspired to own their own homes are returning to live with their parents because house prices continue to soar beyond reason.
The Government needs to adjust the scale of thinking to the scale of the problem and implement a national plan to eradicate the housing crisis.
This pandemic should not distract the Government from the housing crisis that could dwarf Covid in years to come. PAT O’CALLAGHAN,
Mallow, Co. Cork.
Keep watching the skies
FOR some joy and excitement tomorrow at 11.37pm, go outside and look west ten degrees above the horizon. The International Space Station will be passing overhead for seven minutes.
If you haven’t done so yet, it is truly amazing. There are seven astronauts in the station. No binoculars are needed. For further information, about future sightings search ‘Spot the Station’. KEVIN DEVITTE,
Co. Mayo.