To think some people are complete hypocrites about the Tories?

[Circumlocutious]

Especially right-leaning people who claim to prize their personal rights and liberties.

The last year has seen the government introduce sweeping restrictions on our movements, things like the right to a private and family life. There’s renewed talk of vaccine passports and mandatory vaccinations for certain sectors eg care homes.

But when people criticise these things, or protest. they rarely blame the actual government. It’s as if these aren’t political decisions made by a specific political party, but just an uncomfortable reality that’s out of anyone’s control: ‘how scary that this is how happening in our country’, as though it’s happening of its own accord.

AIBU to think that the Tories get away with murder because anything that happens under their governance is shrugged away and seen as some kind of unfortunate inevitability with no one to blame for it.

There is definitely a strange disconnect between people who claim to love freedom, and law and order, and yet a lack of accountability for politicians who’ll play fast and lose with rules and who like to enact legislation that restricts freedom.

But then ask yourself why the message has clearly gone around the Tory party to create talking points and culture war flare ups around the Union Flag.

We’re at a point where the decisions of the Tory Party have left us much closer to the break up of the actual Union. We’re also a culture that has traditionally been suspicious of flag waving and have often mocked it. Yet this pointless topic is being brought up again and again by Tory politicians, just as statues were - a cheap way of appealing to the righteous indignation of a certain type of Tory voter.

Far better to get everyone frothing about flags rather than asking serious questions about the future and direction of our country. What is our actual vision? What do our economics look like following the impact of COVID, Brexit and an ageing population? Why were we hit so badly by COVID and what will be done differently next time?

There has been a wholesale embracing of tactics used by Republican politicians in the US, particularly post Trump. Never ending culture war as political theatre, either enrage people or fill them with despair at the pointlessness of it all, either way they’re likely to stop holding you too much to account for what you’re really doing.

...but Corbyn !!!!

Don't be ridiculous. There is a constant stream of criticism directed at the government. Not a day goes by without people blaming them for the lockdown being too strict/too lax/too long/too short. Whatever they do will be wrong.

I doubt the idiots torching police vans in Bristol or putting officers in hospital are dyed in the wool Tory voters.

"Why were we hit so badly by Covid?" For a start, because the government knew that extreme policies like closing borders would not be stomached by a large, loud part of the population. If they had closed borders last January they would have got a hammering - at least until the scale of the problem was known.

Ha! I blame the Tory party for most things but I actually agree wetter them on most of the covid regulations.

@skirk64

Don't be ridiculous. There is a constant stream of criticism directed at the government. Not a day goes by without people blaming them for the lockdown being too strict/too lax/too long/too short. Whatever they do will be wrong.

I doubt the idiots torching police vans in Bristol or putting officers in hospital are dyed in the wool Tory voters.

"Why were we hit so badly by Covid?" For a start, because the government knew that extreme policies like closing borders would not be stomached by a large, loud part of the population. If they had closed borders last January they would have got a hammering - at least until the scale of the problem was known.

But in future, will these be seen as distinctly Tory failings or not?

We know that Labour has accrued reputations for things like financial irresponsibility, being lax on borders etc, that will stick regardless of which PM is in power. And will be very very hard to dislodge.

I can’t see this being the case here.

Don’t get me started on people who decry the regulations then speak fondly of ‘Boris’ like he’s their mate.

Our tolerance for incompetence in this country is incredible. Decisions that would see a company tank if made by a business, or which would or get an individual fired are just brushed off and tolerated.

Our expectation of politicians’ ability is just so low now. I guess we get the ones we deserve.

You really think labour would have done differently?

Let’s be honest, no government has got this pandemic right, simply because it was unprecedented.

The only countries where things have been brought under quicker control are those countries who have essentially removed all civil liberties. And incidentally it’s those countries who are now calling for vaccination passports if people from here want to travel there.

People complained enough here about what was essentially a soft lockdown. Do you really think that the country would have been happy with all the borders being closed and people having to report there whereabouts when leaving their houses such as happened in some of the European countries?