People slam MSM bootlicking as Johnson changes coronavirus tactics

Boris Johnson outside number 10


Support us and go ad-free

People have criticised the mainstream media in recent days for largely failing to hold Boris Johnson to account over his controversial response to the coronavirus crisis. And with his government now changing tactics following widespread scientific criticism, this media fail is all the more apparent.

Ordinary people were right. Media hacks were wrong.

There’ve been many calls recently for politicians and activists not to ‘politicise‘ the government’s approach to dealing with the new coronavirus (Covid-19).

That didn’t stop critics from holding the government to account, though, even while establishment UK journalists failed to do so:

But following a “change in pace and policy” from the government, many felt that they’d been right to challenge its very dodgy response. And while some tried to defend the mainstream media, others slammed its dangerously timid approach:

Meanwhile, some journalists did hold the government to account:

Opposition politicians doing their jobs

With one poll showing that only 36% of people trusted the government’s approach, its official opposition had a responsibility to hold it to account. And it did. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, for example, openly criticised the government’s response while calling for further action to support people affected by coronavirus:

He also wrote to party members asking them to ‘support vulnerable people in their communities’. And many thought it was highly appropriate for him to criticise Johnson’s approach:

Labour politicians also called for coronavirus tests and proper protection for NHS staff, while highlighting the impact of severe underfunding of the NHS by successive Tory governments. And amid numerous concerns that Johnson’s government might try to exploit the coronavirus crisis to further elite interests, they criticised government plans to spend millions of pounds renting private-sector hospital beds (where other countries took steps to nationalise such resources in the public interest):

They also called for transparency to see why the government was “taking such a different path” to other countries. And they asked Johnson to “show some international leadership” while undertaking “a big intervention” at home to protect ordinary people:

‘Life is political’

Holding the government to account and advocating for better approaches is the right thing to do. People’s lives are literally at stake – so there’s no excuse for not debating what to do. It’s not about scoring cheap political points, though. It’s about challenging the behaviour of unscrupulous actors while trying to ensure everyone’s wellbeing as much as possible. This is a battle that’s already raging – and it’s highly political:

Billionaires have dominated the UK’s media environment for too long. They’ve consistently fought to stop progress for ordinary people and protect the interests of the rich and powerful. And now, in the middle of a major crisis, they’d love for us to just shut up and give their government allies a green light to prioritise elite interests while putting ordinary people’s lives at risk. Fortunately, we don’t have to listen to them or do what they say. Together, we have power – and when we all fight for what’s right, no government can ignore us.

Featured image via YouTube

We know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support

The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.

The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.

So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.

Support us
  • Show Comments

    1. Well the Government Propaganda machine also known as the Mainstream Media are once again, defending the indefensible and adopting the old “anything Corbyn/ Labour says is wrong” trope even when it is proper, common sense and the best solution to preserve jobs, business and the economy. Once again, the British Sheeples just soak up the idiocy.

      What is significantly absent is clear, factual information in this country. The MSM are seriously over-hyping the risk and causing mass hysteria – it is a deliberate strategy. However, an impartial look at the statistics actually show it is not much of a killer virus is it? The unknown factor is that it is a new virus which has no treatment – that’s the issue – the number of deaths world wide and the number of cases for a world population of over 8bn are tiny in number. A senior medical official at the WHO said the following: We are not just fighting an epidemic we are also fighting an infodemic which is spreading much faster and is far more dangerous than the virus itself”. Oh so true and rational also. I am sick and tired of this pathetic British mentality of panic buying, of hysteria of believing fake and false information. A cursory look at the data on the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (and they give daily worldwide updates) show a very low death rate. Johnson, the buffoon, is milking this for everything it is worth but it is quite obvious that he hasn’t got a clue what he is doing but he is enjoying being centre stage in his own dreamworld every day. As usual, our MSM cover up his appalling conduct.

      Let’s get some proper, factual information out there, some perspective as to the small number of worldwide deaths and the fact that the spread is not growing at an exponential rate with many countries around the world barely experiencing the virus at all. As of today, China has now virtually eliminated the virus and have closed the last of their virus hospitals.

      I’m also going to throw in a controversial but I believe worth serious consideration and some serious investigative journalism that 1 mile from the Wuhan area where the virus started is a WHO specialist bio lab. There are stories about a group of Canadian scientists smuggling the virus into that Lab but so far, evidence for this is not forthcoming. A group of Japanese and Taiwanese scientists, hoping to discredit China, did a lot of research on Covid 19 and found the ‘virus’ was developed in the USA. A group of Indian Scientists research the SARS virus found a Covid virus present in their research. I say a Covid virus because it might not or might be the current Covid 19. Now, it is a well known fact the USA view China as the biggest threat to their world domination. Factor in a recent statement by a Chinese Foreign Office official about the virus being disseminated by the USA and the still on-going war of words between China and the USA, there is clearly knowledge and information out there that us, the sheep like mentality minded British people are not willing to consider. What we have here, I believe having looked at what information is available around the world, is not a virus disseminated at a Chinese live animal market but a biological, man made virus, originated in the USA and strangely enough, takes hold in the USA’s greatest foe China. The evidence for this is that this alleged virus was not out there at all until it’s breakout 1 mile from a WHO specialist bio lab and there is no treatment for it. Are we in fact, looking at covert USA biological warfare? I think so, whether we will ever find out the truth is highly unlikely, but the UK MSM has produced such a mass hysteria, fake news and misinformation (with a notable lack of course of proper factual information which can be obtained on WHO website, EDC website and indeed, websites of many countries around the world) but based on hysteria. misdirection, misinformation and a notable lack of actual statistics and evidence the latter being eschewed for supposition, projections, likelihoods and other hysteria inducing mind boggling pseudo-information.

      Come clean someone!

      Report comment

      1. You know Tom74, I think you are right about that. Looking at the measures I believe Bojo and Javid actually said they were going to slash business rates and corporation tax so this is it, through the back door.

        Report comment

    Leave a Reply

    Join the conversation

    Please read our comment moderation policy here.

Related articles