Today, I joined the Samuel Johnson Society. A prolific literary critic, poet and playwright, Dr Johnson was best known for the publication of Johnson’s Dictionary (1755); the first comprehensive lexicon of its kind.
…Boris Johnson has demonstrated a remarkable lack of moral understanding through his handling of the coronavirus.
Christopher J. Wilkinson
The meanings of words are of great importance, and none more so than the words of the government. I note that unlike the late doctor who was renowned for his moral consistency, Boris Johnson has demonstrated a remarkable lack of moral understanding through his handling of the coronavirus. He has reverted back to the ‘stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives’ message after spending all summer telling us to ‘eat out to help out’, turning a blind eye to the non-COVID carnage he’s inflicting on the economy and social life.
How is it possible to trust a Prime Minister who can’t keep his word on a single thing he does?
Christopher J. Wilkinson
The use of the words ‘pandemic’ and ‘epidemic’ have been used interchangeably in the daily briefings given by Patrick Vallance and Chris Whitty, despite their very different definitions. The lockdown in March was overturned in favour of tiers which were said to be more effective at stopping the virus, before the tiers were overturned in favour of a lockdown in November as they were said to be more effective at stopping the virus. ‘Freedom’ and ‘liberty’ are now becoming synonyms for ‘oppression’ and ‘tyranny’. How is it possible to trust a Prime Minister who can’t keep his word on a single thing he does?
Christopher J. Wilkinson 