Express & Star

Andy Richardson: 'Should rights of the selfish come before lives of others?'

Boris has lost a stone. Well done, Mr Prime Minister.

Published

Losing weight is no easy task and he deserves credit for taking his pet pooch for a jog each morning and cutting out the pork pies.

His tone is encouraging rather than hectoring.

As with most policy shifts, however, there’s a fabulous mixed message from his Government.

On the one hand, Boris’s near-death experience at the hands of Covid-19 has prompted a realisation that the nation is too fat.

On the other hand, we are about to give people half price fast food to help keep restaurants afloat. Confused? You will be.

Rumours that the Government will be handing out condoms on maternity wards are definitely not true.

Dominic Cummings has come up with a new wheeze ahead of the summer recess.

In a manoeuvre not spotted by most, he’s decided to take control of all Government data.

What could possibly go wrong.

Powerful

The Barnard Castle safari-er has told the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport that they’re no longer in charge – he is, instead. It follows an advertisement earlier this month for a new £135,000 job to lead up a data science unit at Number 10.

The man who promised he’d be gone in six months after infuriating the nation has suddenly become a whole lot more powerful.

The sacrifices made by rank and file individuals become increasingly apparent, tributes have been paid to five London bus drivers who died during the pandemic, four of whom died on consecutive days. The drivers were aged 20 to 65, were from BAME backgrounds, and had no choice but to go to work. Not only did they want to keep the capital city moving, they also needed the money to provide for themselves and their families.

Against that backdrop, it should be no surprise that the UK’s pantomime-villain-in-chief, Ann Widdecombe, should come up with a preposterous proposal to stop people wearing masks. She wants a mask-free hour in shops for ‘mask dissenters’.

There are those who believe any policy that is the opposite of an Ann Widdecombbe idea is likely to be a good one.

Masks slow down the spread of the disease, it’s as simple as that. And in light of the report on bus drivers, it’s interesting to ask Ms Widdecombe whether the rights of the selfish come before the lives of others?

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