WORKING FOR YOU ‘Annihilation’ of public trust

The spread of Covid- 19 is beginning to be controlled and restrictions are slowly but surely being lifted.

However, a greater threat remains for the UK and that is the increasing lack of democratic intent and accountability.

The taint of Dominic Cummings is not simply affecting one man but has spread uncontrollably to every Tory minister that defended him; ironically at a time when things have never been so controlled.

The excuses were frankly laughable; an inane insult to everyone across the country and within this constituency; to those who have abided advice and haven’t seen their families and friends for weeks; to all those who have lost their means of employment for lesser reasons; and to every optician who has spent years providing qualified medical advice only for it to be shunned aside in favour of eye tests en- route to your favourite tourist destination.

Yet, no humility, no regret and not even an inch of contrition was shown by Cummings for his actions.

This was not a victimless crime. Indeed, it is the UK public that are the victims of Cumming’s actions.

And what is the consequence? A complete annihilation of public trust.

Public trust is not simply a political tool at elections, nor a commodity to increase leaders’ approval ratings. In this unprecedented pandemic, the greatest global crisis in the modern era, public trust is the single most important factor for every government around the world.

Public health guidance is merely scientific jargon unless the public act upon it.

We are told time and time again that there is a civic duty upon us all to isolate if we present with symptoms or have been in contact with someone who has tested positive.

Unless you are a government advisor; unless childcare becomes a bit of an issue on your £95,000-plus salary; and unless you haven’t visited the family estate in a while and are worried the hedges haven’t been trimmed.

This message doesn’t quite insinuate the same urgency, does it?

No message from the UK government will ever be effective unless the mouth pieces of those messages stand aside. However, any solution is only partial as a deeper issue lies at the heart of this; the total lack of an effective government.

A government, I may add, that remained utterly silent when thousands protested, and a great number of my own constituents campaigned, for the rights of ethnic minorities in favour of maintaining golfing privileges with an equally rightwing institution across the pond.

If printed petulant lies on a big red bus merely depleted some authority, surely it has now been utterly diminished?

Strong words Mr Bonnar claims “the UK public are the victims of [Dominic] Cumming’s actions” and that the political strategist’s breach of lockdown rules “was not a victimless crime”