"Why are we destroying the economy for people who will die anyway soon?" former UK prime minister Boris Johnson said to have asked at the start of the Covid pandemic - Feddit
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The claim, branded “horrific” by bereaved families, emerged from notebooks kept by Imran Shafi, Johnson’s private secretary for public service, during the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, an investigation that has been set up to examine the UK’s response to and impact of the pandemic. The inquiry heard that Johnson had earlier said the “biggest damage [from Covid will be] done by overreaction” during a meeting on 28 February 2020 where lockdown restrictions were discussed. Shafi said under questioning that Johnson “definitely did not want a lockdown” in March 2020, despite being aware that the worst case scenario of hundreds of thousands of deaths was becoming increasingly likely. But he agreed by 2 March 2020 that “control had been lost” and that “nothing short of a lockdown would suffice”. It would be another three weeks before a UK-wide lockdown would be announced.
  • serennis@lemmy.worldEnglish
    7·
    8 months ago

    Chimes with the ‘people will die’ speech he gave right at the start, doesn’t it?

  • Mac@mander.xyzEnglish
    5·
    8 months ago

    Yes, i agree! Rich, old assholes are soon to die anyway. Take what they have, distribute it, and eat them!

    • BruceTwarzen@kbin.social
      3·
      8 months ago

      Qhen i first read it, instead of economy, i read something like eco system. And thought: but he’s right, why are we destroying the planet for old rich assholes who die soon. But yeah, whatever he said i guess.

  • HaunchesTV@feddit.ukEnglish
    3·
    8 months ago

    Man who would have access to the best healthcare in the UK despite being a major part of pushing the NHS beyond breaking point asks, “Would herd immunity be so bad?”

  • Hogger85@feddit.ukEnglish
    2·
    8 months ago

    He does have a point if the old had isolated and the fitter could have kept things going

  • FastAndBulbous@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    8 months ago

    To play devil’s advocate, isn’t it always the case that the government is balancing on the right rope between keeping the economy going and keeping people alive, even without a pandemic? With NHS funding, welfare and all sorts of things government has to decide where to draw the line.

    Obviously Johnson handled this crisis horrificly though, but in terms of this quote he just said the quiet part loud.

  • tankplanker@lemmy.worldEnglish
    21·
    8 months ago

    “Johnson’s claim that the real hero of Jaws was the mayor who kept the beaches open when there was a shark risk” - Did he even watch Jaws as its a pretty unique take on the films message