By Rab Bruce’s Spider

There are lots of things you can criticise both the Scottish and UK Governments for in their handling of the Corona Virus crisis. Whether through lack of information, poor scientific advice or simply misjudgement, many mistakes have been made. It’s easy to criticise, but hindsight certainly helps us see the errors that have been made.

One thing, however, was not an error. The UK Government made a deliberate decision to downgrade Covid-19 so that it was not classed as a High Consequence Infectious disease. By removing it from this classification, they were able to advise health staff that the highest standard of Personal Protective Equipment was not required. It is now claimed that the reason they did this was because they knew they did not have sufficient supplies of PPE to protect NHS and Social Care staff. It was, therefore, a deliberate decision made to cover up a Government blunder, and was made in the knowledge that it would result in deaths because Covid-19 most certainly should be classified as an HCID. If nothing else does, this single decision should tell everyone all they need to know about the UK Government’s total disregard for the safety of its citizens. (Sorry, that should be subjects, since people eligible for a UK passport don’t qualify for the exalted status of citizens; they are mere subjects of a more elevated personage).

The Tories retain a lot of support in England, along with a hard core of voters in Scotland who prize their precious Union above all else. That seemingly includes hearing about thousands of unnecessary deaths due to failures in Government policy.

But perhaps we can hope that some people who have voted Tory out of habit without realising just how extremist their elected representatives have become, might be thinking twice about their decision. If there are any such people, then it is incumbent on the rest of us to encourage them to change their minds. Giving them abuse and trying to make them feel guilty for the deaths that have resulted from the Tories’ reign is not likely to help them support a change of Government. Those of us who use social media to seek out alternative sources of information and opinion can sometimes forget just how pervasive the mainstream media influence can be. People who rely on mainstream TV and print media often hear no dissenting voices, so their opinions are shaped the way the Tories require.

If you did vote Tory, then please don’t feel guilty. Instead, you should feel angry. You were lied to. It may have taken a bit longer for you to realise that than it took others to see through the lies, but if you have seen them now, then please let that anger grow. And next time you get a chance at the ballot box, make sure you don’t vote Tory again. They are still lying to you, and they still don’t care about you in the slightest.