Boris launches binge but forgets hangovers

BY the time you read this, Super Saturday will be over and we will be in What the heck just happened? Sunday.

It could have gone one of two ways. People could have gone out in their socially approved groups, drank for their allotted time then gone went home.

Or the other way – months of pent-up carnage released in an alcoholic frenzy.

Now we see pictures like those from the 18th century warning about the evils of drink. As decisions go, it was always a strange one.

Why would Mr Johnson decide to open pubs again on a Saturday? Surely a weekday would have been sensible.

People would have had time to ease back, landlords could have tested the systems.

Instead he created the perfect storm for drink-fuelled mayhem. Despite warnings from the police, medics and even the majority of the public, he just ploughed ahead.

I’m not arguing against the pubs opening. That would break the habit of a lifetime.

I’ve been shooed away from my local for having my nose pressed up against the glass.

But it could have been done a lot more wisely.

The Government’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said: “None of us believe this is a risk-free next step. It is absolutely not. That is why we have to be really serious about it.” And we’ve been far from serious. The PM seems to make decisions with an eye on the headlines.

The picture in his mind has him dressed up like the Statue of Liberty, holding a pint of Theakston’s proudly over his head.

Then when it dawned on him what would happen he tried to put the genie back in the bottle by telling people not to “overdo it”.

Mr Johnson is specialising in mixed messages.

Even some Tories I speak to tell me they are worried the PM is starting to look like a “good times” operator – and that the public are tiring of his clown act.

Boris always scored highly on the old “Which politician would you like to have a pint with?” But the way things are going, I don’t think we care about that any more.

We’d prefer stability and competence to a bloke who is (alleged) good company but a terrible leader.

And he is looking to be increasingly out of step with the public. Dominic Cummings still being in a job is living proof.

Meantime, Keir Starmer this week kept up the pressure for an inquiry into the handling of the pandemic crisis. An independent look at the decisions made and how closely Mr Johnson “followed the science” sounds sensible. I can’t see circumstances where it ends well for Mr Johnson. But that is a way off. This weekend marked the 72nd anniversary of our NHS.

There’s a clap planned for later and some buildings, including Downing Street, will be lit up in blue as a mark of respect.

Better would have been Mr Johnson finally agreeing to pay staff properly, maybe coming on TV to pay tribute to them, and taking decisions designed to help them – rather than score cheap popularity points.

He’s done none of that. Mr Johnson’s anniversary gift to the NHS has been to put a lot of extra business their way.

Maybe next year he should just send a card.