UK: Bieler (Univ. of Nottingham) to SIR, “disastrous management of COVID crisis. Johnson wants to retain power. Brexit deal needed”.

(London) “A disastrous management of the coronavirus crisis, not only because the government failed to prepare for the autumn with an adequate testing, tracking and tracing capacity, preferring private hospitals over the public health service, but first and foremost because the prime minister does not even know the details of the decrees issued by his government, and therefore confuses citizens”. Andreas Bieler, Professor of Political Economy at the University of Nottingham, commented on Boris Johnson’s health policy, highlighting that his messages are so confusing that now people no longer know what to do and stopped following the rules. “The power of the prime minister is, right now, enormous and untouchable with a majority of eighty MPs”, the expert explained. “Johnson is ready to ignore important principles, such as respect for the law, in order to preserve his power. There are rumours that even on Brexit he does not have a personal stance, but he just wants to follow the path that will make its position stronger. The Conservative Party and Parliament are backing him now, even for the decision not to respect important parts of the Withdrawal Agreement signed with the EU”. “I believe, however, that a deal with the EU will eventually be reached, maybe at the very last minute”, Bieler concluded, “but I do not really see a solution for Northern Ireland which is stuck between the UK and the EU”.
Valentina Bombelli