Commentary: As coronavirus lockdown eases, Boris Johnson's UK is more isolated than ever
BIRMINGHAM, England: The UK has often appeared out of footstep with the balance of Europe during the coronavirus crisis. Back in early on February, Prime number Minister Boris Johnson was breezily telling his compatriots to stay "confident and calm" in the confront of a potential global pandemic.
Only over two weeks later on, Italy appealed for help as COVID-19 overloaded hospitals in Lombardy prior to implementing an unprecedented national lockdown.
The UK somewhen followed conform, admitting as the last major European land to practise so, with the exception of Sweden, which decided not to lock down.
Ever since, Europeans have detected an ideological strain in Westminster's public health response (UK health policy is a devolved matter then the Britain's nations each have their own say).
Whatever the explanation backside the delay in implementing a lockdown, it is articulate that easing these restrictions is an equally fraught process. The delicate balancing deed between protecting lives and helping the economy recover is a common challenge across Europe.
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What is specially credible from a comparative perspective is not only that the UK has been specially badly hit, simply that information technology has chosen to forge its own path.
Johnson's government spurned the opportunity to employ the EU joint procurement facility to buy personal protective equipment (PPE) in the early on days of the crisis.
Past contrast, 12 countries signed upwards to the scheme. Norway rushed to bring together in March merely was too late to participate in the first tender.
The British culling was to try to tap the nation's innovation potential by promoting new ventilator manufacturing, with disappointing results.
Some other UK specificity is the somewhat idiosyncratic policy on facial coverings. The employ of masks largely became the norm in Europe during lockdown and the subsequent phases of easing.
In the UK, covering one's face is compulsory just when taking public transport or when in a hospital.
BORIS THE Earth BEATER?
One aspect of the UK response stands out in particular when seen from away – Johnson'due south functioning, both in terms of rhetoric and actual policy. The delay in pursuing a lockdown is widely attributed to Johnson'southward initial want to pursue a reckless herd immunity strategy.
When he first announced a plan for easing the lockdown measures European commentators were puzzled past the timing and fuzziness of the proposals.
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Whether at home or away, the buck thus stops with Johnson. His penchant for peppering his speeches about UK policy with the qualifier "world-beating" has prompted a critical reaction from many quarters.
It also does non help to have a seemingly loose grasp of how other countries have tackled the virus.
Simply this week, Labour leader Keir Starmer corrected the prime minister's claim that no state to engagement has developed a successful contact tracing app.
In an exchange retweeted past the German language wellness minister, Starmer pointed out that the recently launched German app already has 12 million downloads.
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The connexion between words and deeds matters a groovy deal when it comes to trust in regime. Johnson said and so himself in an infamous quote during the EU referendum campaign.
He labelled David Cameron's failure to cutting migration, despite repeated policy promises to that effect, as "corrosive of public trust".
Johnson's COVID-19 policy runs precisely the aforementioned risk of being all talk – especially after proclaiming he was taking direct control of strategy.
INTERCONNECTED EUROPE
Still schadenfreude is non the club of the mean solar day amongst the Uk's neighbours and allies. The amount and accuracy of global information on pandemic infections and deaths brand information technology risky to depict comparative lessons at this signal.
However, the pandemic has already highlighted the interconnectedness of European citizens and societies.
Take the source of United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland infections. Many might imagine – given that the pandemic began in Wuhan province – that Chinese travellers helped spread the affliction in the UK.
In reality, the outbreak was fuelled by travel from Europe, notably Spain, France and Italy.
But as Europe'southward internal borders reopen, the Great britain again seems to be going it lone. The 14-twenty-four hours quarantine rule introduced on June 8 for incoming visitors was a unilateral British movement.
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To spur the tourist industry, the European Commission has launched a website and accompanying app to provide upwards-to-date information on rules for visitors in various countries. The UK has not sought to bring together this scheme.
These small acts of unilateralism are trivial in the context of the fight confronting COVID-19. Much more consequential is the question of the Uk'due south future relationship with the EU in the area of wellness security.
The omens do non wait good as the UK has not put forward draft proposals in this area of the electric current Britain-European union negotiations.
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After a haphazard initial response to COVID-xix, the Eu has announced meaning legislative and financial measures to promote public health sovereignty. These notably include joint procurement of medical equipment and stockpiling of PPE.
European countries – many participants in these schemes are non EU members – are thus increasingly pooling their resource, whereas the U.k. is opting out.
This is a bold wager even by Johnson's standards. If the Great britain becomes the sick human of Europe, his career will exist over and the post-Brexit Global Uk brand might be tarnished forever.
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Andrew Glencross is Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Aston University. This commentary first appeared on The Conversation.
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/commentary-coronavirus-lockdown-eases-boris-johnsons-uk-more-isolated-ever-292761
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