Coronavirus exposes Britain's independence struggles

Boris Johnson with Nicola Sturgeon (Image: The Herald)

If you look at the situation in most countries around the world, coronavirus (Covid-19) is largely controlled and a sense of normality is returning (with some magic social distancing sawdust sprinkled on top). In Germany and South Korea, football is back, followed by other countries over the coming weeks. Across the Mediterranean, borders are opening so people can consider going on holiday without needing to quarantine afterwards. And China has opened its factories once more. Of course, the virus is still around and, as I write this, the Americas, as well as parts of Asia and Africa are suffering pretty badly, notably the United States and Brazil.

Another country that is still enduring this virus to a catastrophic effect is the UK. The country has been in an official lockdown since mid-March, and while there are some signs of a decrease in the daily number of cases and deaths, plans for the next steps are proving to be a real problem. This is laid bare thanks to the complicated, confusing and conflicting messaging from Westminster, exposing the country to a situation which didn't need to be this sticky.

But I truly believe the UK government's response to Covid-19 is (mainly) sticky because it is fixated by the urge of being different to what other European countries are doing. This pandemic is the first big challenge Britain has faced since leaving the European Union in January, and the Conservatives want to do all it can to convince a divided nation that it can handle anything alone. Even though it has been made evident how EU members have worked effectively, hand-in-hand, and now see light at the end of a very long tunnel, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his cabinet opted against following workable strategies and imposed a lockdown later, mass testing later and are allowing the economy to influence scientific judgement.

I sympathise with the predicament Johnson's government is facing when it comes to the economy. First post-Brexit impressions are vital in his eyes, and there is a sense of competitiveness with the rest of Europe in terms of who gets out of this crisis with the least number of bruises. No longer does Chancellor Rishi Sunak and his team want over seven million workers relying on the well-received furlough scheme. No longer does it want more people signing up for Universal Credit because so many have lost their jobs. And no longer does it want to lose another 2% in the economy in the next quarter, nor see huge dips in levels of productivity and retail sales, as we've seen in recent weeks.

Johnson clapping for key workers (Image: The Times)

I understand and appreciate the importance of the economy moving and the willingness to see the positives. And you can see the desire Johnson has shown in trying to handle this crisis by spending so much time praising people doing social distancing and gushing over the NHS enough for us to be applauding nurses and other key workers every Thursday evening. He can also talk all day about how amazing it is that there are hundreds and thousands of tests available, even though they are not all truly accounted for.

These are plausible reasons to feel hopeful and thankful in these difficult circumstances, and we want to feel rather bouncy too. But the Prime Minister cannot justify his positivity when currently, literally hundreds of Britons are dying every single day because of the virus. Covid-19 hit France, Italy and Spain to the point they were getting more than a thousand passing away at one point. But these figures now go down to a much smaller handful a day. When I read The Times, which highlight the top ten of most new cases, the only European nation to be in there constantly in recent weeks - other than the UK - is Russia. This cannot be left ignored.

Unfortunately, when Johnson speaks, it appears only relevant to the welfare of those living in England. Due to devolution, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are setting their own lockdown rules, which are of varying levels. If you follow the Welsh news for example, the Senedd has announced that the lockdown easing will be determined by a traffic light system. Scotland's Holyrood has implemented a 'phasing' system. These are a contrast to what Boris Johnson unveiled on the 10th May and because of this you can see the strengthened desire from the devolved governments to be completely independent from what is decided in Westminster. Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, who doesn't hide her feelings on Scotland's future in the UK, must be relishing this opportunity to show the country can go it alone.

To say I'm frustrated with the whole situation is an understatement. It is clear to me that none of the British nations want to work together and form a 'one nation' approach Boris Johnson insists he's implementing. And there is little desire from Westminster to allow knowledge and learnings to be given by other countries who are reaching the other side with far fewer casualties. And in the same breath we cannot allow ourselves to blame Covid-19 on the World Health Organization (WHO) who warned us about the virus impacting the globe since January, when China started getting cases - while I'm here, there's little point blaming China either.

I must confess that I, like many other Brits, underestimated the virus. At the start of March, when other countries were closing schools and shops, I was ignorant enough to believe UK wouldn't be impacted as bad as China had at the time. By the end of February, I attended a pop concert and I know people in their thousands who went to various sporting events. But we only went by the limited and expert-light guidelines Westminster plucked up in thin air.

Cheltenham Races drew in big crowds (Image: The Telegraph)

With that in mind, we cannot allow ourselves to blame the 150,000 horse racing enthusiasts for flocking to Cheltenham Races days before lockdown was confirmed, nor should we allow ourselves to blame UEFA for allowing Atletico Madrid fans travel to Liverpool just as when the Spanish government was considering a lockdown. And I don't wish to point fingers at Westminster for acting late, however, it did take until the first few deaths for Johnson to take Covid-19 seriously when every other government took it seriously as the first 'positive' case was confirmed in their respected countries.

The government can recover from this, and I hope it does. As lockdown looks to ease over the coming weeks, one major challenge for Westminster to overcome is the moment when the Prime Minister can buoyantly announce we are able to eat in restaurants, attend concerts or travel abroad (with social distancing measures, I'm sure). How many will go straight to doing these things without an ounce of trepidation? How many will be unemployed and therefore not afford to keep the economy running as we like? How many will have anxieties of going outside for anything more buying a pint of milk (as a spike in mental health-related cases is being predicted due to us staying at home almost all day every day)?

And will these questions be answered differently in the devolved nations, depending on when they decide to ease the lockdown? The trust in government is decreasing by the day and with a vaccine possibly not being found until years from now (some say one may never be found), clear answers to the above questions are vital, so that both wellbeing of the public and economic growth go hand-in-hand.

Where does post-Covid leave devolution? While I have supported the concept of devolution in the past, the virus has tested my patience on it. I feel the governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are abusing their powers and should have put their anti-Westminster agendas to one side, on this vital matter. Trust me, I am not a fan of Johnson's government and how it is handling the crisis either. But for the world to turn in one piece, there are times where you will need to work closely with associates that don't hold your views on how the world turns. Your opportunity to leave the UK should come after the crisis, and not played with during.

What all UK nations have ignored is the notion that everyone is going through the same global pandemic - 'global' being the keyword here. It will be a calamity to go your own way during a major crisis like this again, simply because you can. And I sincerely hope Johnson realises that just because UK isn't an EU member any more, it doesn't mean he cannot go to them for help and advice. Without global cooperation to a global crisis, why bother? Don't want to listen to me, then at least listen to former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who has been there when it comes to combating a global crisis.