Aarthee Parimelalaghan
Welcome to the Opinion Section’s weekly contributors react! Every week we will be taking one of the top news stories and getting our contributors reactions and opinions on it. This week the topic is the revelations of the number of parties held at No.10 in 2020 and 2021, against COVID-19 restrictions at the time.
If you’re not yet caught up, it has been revealed that two leaving parties at 10 Downing Street took place on 16 April 2021, the night before Prince Philip’s funeral, and went on until the early hours. Elsewhere in the building, there was another party for the PM’s photographers which later merged with the former parties and continued after midnight in the Downing Street garden. These came days after the PM apologised for attending a drinks party in the Downing Street garden, during the first lockdown in the spring of 2020.
The PM has since apologised to the Queen for the parties on the 16th but has so far only acknowledged the anger from the public but is largely leaving commenting on the matter until after the inquiry into illegal activity being conducted currently overseen by the senior civil servant Sue Gray. Many are calling for the PM to resign, whilst others insist there are more pressing issues to be dealing with at the moment, such as the steady rise in Omicron cases. Here’s what our contributors had to say:
‘Frustrating Disappointing and yet entirely predictable’
Yet another week goes by where we discover more and more of the antics going on behind the scenes at Downing Street. It’s disappointing but expected at this point. Throughout the pandemic, we’ve seen disobedient MPs and powerful figures removed, so why aren’t we holding everyone to the same standard? Apologising to the Queen isn’t enough. What about the thousands of other grieving families? An apology doesn’t even mean they’re going to change their ways either. It will be impossible for this government to implement any new restrictions after their own law-breaking was revealed. The whole situation is frustrating, disappointing and yet entirely predictable. Ella Gilbert Tweet to @ellagilbertx
I can’t say that I’m surprised by the recent news that Downing Street almost definitely hosted several parties over lockdown. It is very consistent with the level of corruption that we have seen from this government throughout the pandemic, dating right back to Dominic Cummings’ questionable ‘drives’ to test his eyesight in spring 2020. The uncovering of these parties only serves to further the divide between those in power and those who are forced to follow their rules; the phrase ‘do as I say, not as I do’ springs to mind. The whole thing just reeks of privilege and, quite honestly, it has made me incredibly angry, despite somewhat expecting something like this to happen. How dare the government tell BAME communities that they’re the problem during Eid, while simultaneously having a jolly with their friends over cheese and wine? Eva Bailey Tweet to @evabailey24
Is Boris a leader fit for purpose?
The Downing Street parties over lockdown are just a reflection of what we already knew. It’s one rule for the class above and another for everyone else. This wasn’t just a one-off. It happened multiple times, and probably far more than we know of. Thankfully I didn’t lose anyone to covid. But to everyone who did, and to everyone who followed the rules to prevent others from losing loved ones, this is the ultimate form of disrespect. The Prime Minister needs to acknowledge just how deeply this affected the entire country, not only the Queen, and extend the apology by resigning. There’s no way for him to come back from this. We need a leader willing to protect us and work in our best interests – especially in times like these. Faye Minton Tweet to @fayecharltte
“In true British fashion, it is only right that booze should be the main catalyst for his resignation.”
This week’s revelations of yet even more Downing Street parties being held throughout the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 has been the final nail in the coffin for the public. It is absolutely absurd for Boris Johnson to grant a ‘heartfelt apology’ to the nation, and expect us to accept it. Boris and his government plain and simply broke the law. The government is not above the law, either. Even if they were, why did they not stick to the rules at a time when they were so rigorously enforced? When people were separated from loved ones? When a tragically huge number of people were dying? We are constantly told in all aspects of our life to lead by example. Therefore, there can be absolutely no expectation that the public should listen to anything that passes the lips of Johnson’s mouth anymore. With the government’s physical handling of the pandemic already being despised by many, Boris has now lost his moral authority to lead too. In true British fashion, it is only right that booze should be the main catalyst for his resignation. Emily Bell Tweet to @emilyyrbell
Featured Image courtesy of Jordhan Madec on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
Aarthee Pari
Aarthee is a second-year PPEist at The University of Oxford. She is passionate about social affairs and sharing the stories of the marginalised. Aside from politics, Aarthee is a keen musician, playing both piano and saxophone and harbours a secret dream to play the saxophone solo in Miss Saigon’s ‘Last Night of the World’.