Tag: COVID-19

Rats Leaving the Sinking Ship (But that “Ship” is the British Government!)

July 6th, 2022 / Leave Feedback / nezuppal

Why are we celebrating? Well, because last night Rishi Sunak (the Govermment’s Chancellor of the Exchequer) and Sajid Javid (Health Secretary), amongst others, handed in their official resignations as members of the cabinet. I suppose we all knew this would come at some point – it had too.

Here’s a quick list of the Ministers (different to being in the cabinet) who have also resigned:

  • Will Quince, Education Minister
  • Alex Chalk, Solicitor General
  • Robin Walker, Education Minister
  • John Glen, Treasury Minister
  • Victoria Atkins, Justice Minister
  • Jo Churchill, Environment Minister
  • Stuart Andrew, Housing Minister

But what is more interesting is the specific cabinet ministers who have resigned. And I expect more to come.

After 2 years of Covid lockdowns, restriction, changing financial policies and record-breaking cases of deaths we now have no Chancellor of the Exchequer or Health Secretary. Yes, Nadhim Zahawi will become the new Chancellor; there are even rumours that he was threatening to also resign if he was not given the Chancellor role.

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. 

Steve Barclay will become the new Health Secretary. I hear you ask “who”? Good question. Well, after being elected he previously served as “Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union” from 2018 to 2020 and that went um … well. Essentially, they’re seat fillers, looking to get ahead and siding with the PM to make it seem as if Boris was prepared for this.

And to be fair, throughout his career Boris has always been a step ahead of the game. He plays the buffoon, the “loveable” (I use that word because I have heard others refer to him in such a manner) clown. But let’s not forget he was a very talented journalist. He then moved into politics at the exact right time, defeating Ken Livingstone in 2008. Ken Livingston was actually the first Mayor of London, elected in 2000, and was responsible for winning the UK’s bid for the 2012 Olympics. As well as implementing ride-and-go bikes for people to get around the city easier. They’re now called “Boris Bikes”.

During the Brexit referendum Boris chose the side of “leave” which I think shocked many because, if he were to tell the truth (highly unlikely in any circumstance), he would probably admit that he is not a Brexiteer. But he saw that through, eventually winning. Then, he allowed Theresa May to immediately take over and take the brunt of the Brexit anger. It was only after this had, to some extent, settled down that Boris saw his opportunity to reach the position of Prime Minister, something which he told his dad he was going to be when he was 9 years old.

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

So, as the cost-of-living crisis increases, COVID cases continue to rise and the UK is stuck with an unbelievable amount of debt, matched only by record levels of inflation and a recession which technically hasn’t begun yet if you follow the strict definition of what a “recession” is. But everyone knows it’s coming and they’re batting down the hatches.

Rishi probably had his resignation letter prepared as soon as the tax-dodging, non-domicile news about his wife was leaked. You cannot be Chancellor and a tax dodger. Although, there used to be a time when we would not have a convicted criminal as a Prime Minister and yet here, we are.

And I agree, I think it is no coincidence that these two Ministers in particular resigned. Because what can they do? Apart from leave it to the next guy to sort. Remember David Cameron after the Brexit Referendum? Cut. And. Run.

But what’s more pertinent, relevant, and perhaps scary in my eyes is that we are celebrating the collapse of our own government. This is madness, surely. Yes, they should all resign. But these are ministers and MPs who have backed Boris Johnson all the way; they were all biding their time and I feel like the Pincher scandal was the opportunity that they all seized. The Pincher scandal is disgusting. The man is disgusting. But the Tory Cabinet is disgusting too. Whilst you were in lockdown, doing those annoying Zoom quizzes with family you hadn’t seen in years, they were partying and lying and laughing at you. And me. Us.

But the celebrations that Boris may finally disappear need to be quick and then we need to focus back on politics. Our cabinet is resigning. Our PM is a liar, cheat, narcissist, and a criminal. I recently wrote an article on how Democracy is failing. Our government is failing. Whatever happens in the USA tends to happen in Britain 5/10 years later (if not sooner). Democracy is failing in this country. We can see it crumbling in front of us!

So, these celebrations must be quick, but then we must act to preserve the nature of democracy in this country. We cannot have a cabinet filled with criminals. We cannot have a Prime Minister who invites Sue Gray (the investigator of the “party-gate” claims) to his office to tell her not to produce the report. Then say she was never invited. Then suddenly remember she was. A liar through and through.

But much like how Boris has seen and picked his moments throughout his career – Starmer and Labour or The Liberal Democrats must see this as their chance to hammer the final nail in the coffin. They cannot be weak. They must strike at PMQs, they have to be on the streets. Now is not the time to watch the world burn, as Labour seem to have been doing over the last few years. The time is now for Starmer to prove his worth and prove that he is a better politician, leader, and human being than Boris.

For the sake of the country. Don’t screw this up.

Covid-19 Vaccine

December 10th, 2020 / Leave Feedback / nezuppal

This will not be a long article because there is no argument. There simply is not. And I will really easily take you through some of the anti-vaxxers’ arguments. Firstly, let me just start by saying that the discovery and development of vaccines was potentially the biggest leap forward in medical science in the 19th century – you may disagree that’s really not the point.

One argument is that vaccines can cause autism in babies. This is false. This has been proven false. The ‘Doctor’ who first developed this idea (which as I mentioned is false) is named Andrew Wakefield. Feel free to google him. Essentially, he is a British former physician and academic who was struck off due to his involvement in the Lancet MMR autism fraud, a 1998 study that falsely claimed a link between the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism. It goes without saying that there is no link. There never was a link; but you can understand how if a respected doctor says a vaccine can cause autism you’d naturally be afraid of vaccines. There is no evidence for this.

The second argument is that this vaccine has been developed very quickly. Suspicious for some. What people do not realise is that in times of crisis technology, medicine, weaponry etc. all make great leaps forward. Prior to World War 1 aerial flight was virtually impossible, especially for combat situations. By the end of the war not only were aerial raids a common use of aeroplanes but the allies had also developed tanks which helped them to cross ‘no man’s land’ and end trench warfare. When people face life-or-death situations the pressure is on. The speed of the vaccine impresses me rather than scares me.

The final argument is that Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos (I don’t really know who) want to use this vaccine to insert a microchip inside people so they can track them whenever and wherever they like. This is my favourite one because it is so ridiculous. You are all on Facebook, use Whatsapp, Instagram – if Mark Zuckerberg wants to find out what you had for dinner two days ago trust me he can. Also, if you have a smartphone those companies can track your movements, as well as listen to your conversations constantly, and these companies can sell this data to anyone.

Normally, I would not care if people choose not to take their vaccines. In my eyes it’s the closest thing we have to natural selection these days. But not with this vaccine. EVERYONE needs to take this vaccine for two reasons. Firstly, I want things to go back to normal. Do you let people who don’t have the vaccine into the same places as people who do? That’s a tough question. Also, vaccines only work if they are given to a critical mass of the population – if enough people don’t take this vaccine it won’t have the necessary effect.

Not getting this vaccine doesn’t mean you’ve gone “off the grid”. One, every single thing you do these days is tracked and a vaccine won’t change that. Second, how big is your ego that you think people care about your Whatsapp conversations? (The person you’re talking to doesn’t even care)