Bournbrook Live
Our commentary on the news as it comes in.
If you would like to contribute to Live, please email us at live@bournbrookmag.com
Foreign tourists welcome – but Brits can’t holiday abroad
Posted at 1.45 pm.
Posted 1.45pm UK time
Border Force staff have pointed out that, while rules on travelling abroad have recently been made tougher by the Government, thousands of foreign tourists are arriving in Britain every day (hundreds of these are doing so on tourist visas issued by the Home Office).
The Times reports that ‘one visa was granted to a tourist from Peru who said on their application form that the reason for their trip to the UK was to ‘visit Big Ben’.’
Painful hypocrisy for those in Britain who are currently unable to visit their family and friends abroad. And, of course, for those who just want (and deserve) a holiday!
Still, as so often, it’s hard not to laugh…
I have reported on this for Lockdown Sceptics here.
800 million children across the world still not fully back in classes
Posted 11.50 am.
Posted 11.50am UK time
While the British Government’s lockdowns have pushed us closer to the point of being a nation of illiterates, the same measures elsewhere have had even more dire consequences.
There are still over 90 countries in which schools are either closed or are only offering a mix of remote and in-person learning, according to Unicef. In some of them, children are being sent off to work to earn money for their families (perhaps their parents have been forced out of their jobs). In others, children are being married off.
I report on this for Lockdown Sceptics here.
Morality matters
Posted 10.40 am.
Posted 10.30am UK time
Are there any conservatives left who will publicly state that morality matters?
Following recent gossip about ‘Boris’ Johnson’s ‘love’ life, a number of right-wing columnists have written that the PM’s philandering ‘doesn’t really make a difference’ (Rod Liddle, Sunday Times), that virtue doesn’t matter in such a position, and that Johnson ‘looks positively saintly’ compared to some of our past PMs anyway (Dominic Sandbrook, UnHerd).
Even if more commentators took the opposite view, I doubt the papers would publish them. The Mail, Times and Telegraph are about all that conservatives have left in the world of journalism, and they’ve all gone to the dogs. Why, for example, should the Telegraph even have a section with all this… nonsense:
Not to mention the Mail’s schoolboy-like ‘sidebar of shame’!
That’s not to say that every paper should be filled with editorials about how flawed or dishonest the PM is – the same arguments could be made (though, admittedly, to lesser degrees) about all of us. But surely the point should be put to print that Johnson’s actions prove he is anything but conservative.
Hitchens put it well following the Tory election win in 2019:
Mr Johnson’s mind is not conservative. He is a North London bohemian, a social liberal who can barely understand the arguments for lifelong marriage.
He might not understand the arguments for lifelong marriage, but he (and the party he represents) touts the importance of the family at every election.
His lax moral life acts, in this sense, as an indication of ‘Boris’s’ anti-conservative nature more generally. His approach to, say, patriotism mirrors that to morality. He speaks of its importance, stands in front of the flag, and even urges us to ‘buy British’, yet at the same time sees no problem with globalised free trade and uncontrolled borders.
So even if society is to insist that morality itself doesn’t matter, it can at the least be used – in extreme circumstances such as this one – as a window into the mind – a conservative litmus test. On this basis, ‘Boris’ fails.
MPs to get vote on vaccine passports
Posted 8.45 am.
My Daily News Digest for The Conservative Woman can be read here.
Posted at 11:55 UK time
Hello, and welcome to this week’s coverage of PMQ’s. I’m S.D. Wickett, and I will be taking you through the session, set to commence in five minutes.
Chris Elmore, Labour MP:
Asks the PM about economic funding in his constituency, accusing him of lying about investments in the town.
Johnson reiterates billions of pounds in Welsh economic investment.
Dave Doogan, SNP MP:
Asks the PM about cuts to veterans support.
Johnson cites previous protections provided by the Tories, throwing another jab at the SNP.
Philip Davies, Tory MP:
Asks the PM if his liberty-oriented views still make him a conservative. ‘Yes.’ replies Johnson. Bizarre.
Dawn Butler, Labour MP:
Asks the PM about a proposed alteration to the Coronavirus bill. Johnson briefly confirms that he is willing to cooperate.
Kelly Tolhurst, Tory MP:
Asks the PM about the closure of docks in Kent and the role of docks in the economy.
Johnson cites defence spending and pledges support for the docks.
Emma Lewell-Buck, Labour MP:
Asks the PM about a constituent unable to receive treatment after suffering an aneurysm, and if the PM can guarantee the necessary support.
Johnson thanks the question, and pledges to provide support.
Andrew Jones, Tory MP:
Asks the PM about allowing fans of lower-league teams to attend a game at Wembley, scheduled for just before the lifting of social distancing.
Johnson expresses hope that the FA will cooperate.
Afzal Khan, Labour MP:
Asks the PM about the human suffering of the pandemic, and calls for a public inquiry.
Johnson expresses his sympathies, before committing to the public inquiry
John Lamont, Tory MP:
Asks the PM to invest in support for sufferers of Motor Neurone Disease.
Johnson cites previous investments and promises more.
Allan Dorans, SNP MP:
Asks about the rights of the Scottish parliament to call an independence referendum.
Johnson uses the SNP’s own rhetoric and the pandemic to dismiss the notion.
Sir Ed Davey, Lib Dem MP:
Asks the PM to drop the policing and Coronavirus acts, citing their impact on civil liberties.
Johnson uses the roadmap to justify the continuity of restrictions.
Miriam Cates, Tory MP:
Asks the PM about the steel industry, if the PM what assurances he can give to workers.
Johnson pledges a £500m relief package before reiterating the infrastructure projects that rely on steel.
Ian Blackford, SNP MP:
Asks the PM to order the Scottish Tory leader to resign his seat after pursuing a seat in Holyrood.
Johnson says his Scottish counterpart is doing an ‘excellent job’, before throwing a few jabs at the SNP.
Blackford accuses the PM of failing to answer the question, before going after the Scottish Tories, asking if the PM has confidence in their leader. Johnson accuses the SNP of being ‘devoid of imagination’ as Blackford shakes his head. He then cites the latest independence polling. Weak showing from Blackford.
Robin Millar, Tory MP:
Asks the PM about the plight of young people under lockdown.
Johnson expresses gratitude for young people before referring to a £2b ‘kickstart’ scheme.