Corbyn vs Boris: Why Corbyn was the only 2019 General Election leader who was capable of handling the COVID-19 pandemic
Photo Credit: (Middle East Eye/Google Images)
Written by: Ruhi Rizvi
Supporters of Boris Johnson view his actions to control COVID-19 as appropriate under current circumstances. However, since the beginning of March critics have viewed measures being put in place, to be far too delayed and costing lives of Health professionals and patients who contracted the virus which may have otherwise been saved. To date, more than 129 000 confirmed cases and 17 000 deaths have been recorded caused by COVID-19.
A series of noticeable blunders have already occurred as a result of lacking strategy and consistency in guidelines, which includes the data of positive results and figures for the death rate. Today, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, faced a call for an inquiry into his government’s handling of the Coronavirus crisis after failing to fully explain partial death data, limited testing or the lack of equipment for hospitals (Reuters).
At this time, many politicians are more than likely in shock horror over government’s handling of the corona virus crisis, whilst asking themselves, could they have done a better job? So would the situation be any different under the leadership of the Labour party?
Just weeks into Sir Keir Starmer taking his newly elected position as Labour leader and opposition party, media headlines have been keen to introduce Sir Keir as the new face.
In his first speech as Labour leader Keir Starmer vowed to work with PM Boris Johnson, “in the national interest” to guide Britain through the Corona Virus outbreak, and that he would “not provide opposition for oppositions sake” but he would ‘call out’ the government over its strategy’’.
Recent published data reveals Sir Keir received a handsome donation of £50,000 from pro-Israel lobbyist Trevor Chinn which he kept from disclosing. Other contenders in the political race for leadership position were open about funds they had received.
Keir Starmer, newly elected Labour leader, according to Times of Israel has stated ,“if the definition of ‘zionist’ is someone who believes in the state of Israel, in that sense i’m a zionist.” He took immediate action to pledge his allegiance to the Friends of Israel with a letter he wrote, apologising on his party’s behalf over previous issues (which saw Jeremy Corbyn accused of anti-Semitism), declaring his party as loyalists and allies of Israel. While this all may not seem relevant and unrelated to the current pandemic, it is specific virtues of a leader that stand out and makes them trustworthy in the eyes of the public.
What could have been expected under Jeremy Corbyn perhaps may have been distinct due to his compassion for people and openness. Dubbed as the ‘peoples Person’, renowned for his socialism and putting peoples first, it would be very difficult to even imagine the Jeremy Corbyn would risk lives by opting for a delay phase or generally being ignorant of essential provisions for the NHS.
Jeremy Corbyn during the general election campaign fought hard to preserve the value of the National Health Service (NHS) and brought to attention that Boris Johnson was intending to privatise much of NHS with a deal he had struck with Donald Trump. The fact that Mr Corbyn emphasised that he had viewed the paperwork , was a solid statement that spelled out misadventure on Boris Johnson's part. Today, Independent news report confirms worst fears for thousands of service users across Britain, that newly appointed health secretary Matt Hancock received £32,000 in donations from the chairman of a think tank that wants to “abolish the NHS”.
EU Commision chief Jean-Claude Juncker, in an exclusive interview with German magazine’ Der Spiegal’ relating to the EU referendum campaign said, “so many lies were told, including by current prime minister Boris Johnson, that there needed to be a voice to counter them”. He went on to blame former Labour leader Tony Blair for seeing EU as an economic project and not political union, stating that, “if you stick to a narrative for 40 years, it should not come as a surprise when people remember it during the referendum”. These lies were manufactured as truths to secure overall majority votes at the EU referendum polls; spiced up with immigrant and racial hatred, easing the path to Brexit. Corbyn’s call for another vote on EU referendum fell on deaf ears.
Prior to Keir Starmer stepping in as Leader of Labour party, Jeremy Corbyn in his last days as Labour leader, wrote a letter to Boris Johnson putting in several requests just as Covid -19 began to spread and death rates began to climb. Jeremy suggesting a plan for “immediate action to improve the safety of NHS workers with full PPE and testing for the protection of themselves and the public.”
It must be reminded that Jeremy's campaign was heavily attacked throughout, not only by the opposition party but his own Senior Labour MPs alleging Jeremy. Only a handful of allies stood by him.
Last week an 851 pages leaked report highlighting some Labour party’s senior members plans to ensure damage to the 2017 election campaign, in which open hostility, internal factionalism played a critical role. The document alluded to a series of whattsapp messages and emails exchanged between members, in which they deliberately undermined the chances of Jeremy Corbyn winning the by- elections and demonstrate their disappointment on his win. During the course of conversations held between each other, Corbyn and his loyal members are referred to by various demeaning names.
The socialist campaign group supporting Jeremy on twitter emphasised the necessity and importance of the report being made official and classed actions against Jeremy Corbyn as, bullying, racism, sexism and harassment. Sir Keir Starmer is under pressure from many MPs to officially produce the document, while as many as 20 members are submitting their claims under the Data Protection Act. It is thought that claims could bankrupt Labour party as lawyers begin to handle the individual cases.
Many measures which have threatened the lives of medical staff include: UK failing to join a European Union ventilator scheme, failure to get health workers enough protective equipment. Matt Hancock, Health secretary has declined to apologise to nurses who are forced to choose whether to work without PPE kits at a time where concerns over nurse shortages and claims of having to reuse the PPE kits puts both the patients and medical staff at huge risk.
Millions of pounds worth of PPE equipment being provided for medical staff has been rejected after weeks, carers, nurses and doctors in Birmingham and across the region have been clamouring for more personal protective equipment - the masks, gloves and other kit they need to do their jobs safely. Daily telegraph reported that Veenaks International Ltd who have warehouses in London and Birmingham shipped off the equipment to EU after they were ignored.
Jeremy Corbyn continues to tweet messages of request by speaking out on behalf of NHS staff as well as for those affected by COVID-19. Just five days ago he tweeted:
Two days ago Guardian newspaper reported Jeremy Corbyn’s tweet:
Corbyn supporters and well wishers know full well the extent to which Jeremy would go, to not only protect the medical frontline staff but national health service users in this pandemic. Corbyn’s tweets indicate that the government has not taken adequate steps to protect and preserve lives of health professionals and the patients.
Jeremy Corbyn has also been pushing for suspension of private costs to migrants who have been avoiding checks and treatment because they cannot simply afford to pay for using the health service. Deaths occurring as a result of this would add to the already high numbers, but may not be on the radar as they would not have been tested.
Fitting into Jeremy Corbyn’s shoes for the most part, may prove to be a difficult task for Sir Keir Starmer, as they are two very different people with very different mindsets and backgrounds. It would be interesting to know how this crisis would have been handled by the current Labour leader.
During this pandemic, UK government under Boris Johnson's leadership have made a catalogue of unforgivable errors which has put the health professionals, their families and patients lives at risk and has cost far too many lives.
The mishandling of COVID-19 sees clear public disapproval. Nevertheless, it is this blind following of leadership that is also an indiscreet form of complicity, resulting as a contributing factor to this crisis. British elections may never be the same with left wing moving across to the right slowly as witnessed during the Blairite era, will undoubtedly lead to a one party state as Keir Starmer leader of Labour Party is not a socialist or deemed as a peoples person unlike Jeremy Corbyn.
The choices made by British public to elect Boris Johnson as their government leader will affect millions of people in U.K. not just at this very critical time but also with other national and foreign policies it puts forward. In 1954, a French sociologist, Maurice Duverger wrote: “A dominant party is that which public opinion believes to be dominant”. So it's not so much as 'making Britain Great again" as reiterated by Boris Johnson throughout his election campaign but restoring trust in British leadership which millions of people will never be able to do in the future.
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