Covid-19 - Shit Just Got Very Real

Today has brought yet another broadside from the quote generator wielded by Brendan O’Neill of Spiked, so called because it should have been long ago. He attempts - with even less success than usual - to pin hatred of the elderly on a variety of groups, but not on the likes of the loathsome Toby Young for suggesting their sacrifice.

This, he declared, was down to “the Remainer liberal elites and millennial socialist set … the liberal elite and millennial agitators … a Remainer extremist … ceaseless Remoaner marches … the anti-democratic elites … millennial agitators (again) … Corbynista set … millennial hatred … cult of youth … exacting millennial revenge”. But enough.

There is one good reason that Bren is making so much noise right now, and that is that shit just got very real indeed, real enough to make his ceaseless championing of ending the lockdown, which he asserts has been caused by “Corona-hysterics”, look even more stupid than the stupid he keeps claiming his enemies call those he defends.

Yes Bren, it's your P45. You're welcome

Up to March 25th, no day had brought 100 Covid-19 deaths in the UK. But then the numbers began to climb, with 115 on the 26th, then 181, 260, 209 and 180 on the following four days. But maybe the worst was over? No it wasn’t: March 31st brought 381 more deaths, and today has brought the “ramping up” no-one wanted to see, to 563.

Ed Conway of Sky News observed “Following [Dept of Health and Social Care] update that UK #COVID19 death toll has now reached 2,352, here is an update of various countries' trajectories - UK line rising at same rate as US; growth rate slightly steeper than Italy's at similar stage of outbreak - Most EU states on similar trajectory”. In addition, Germany has now announced an extension of its lockdown until April 19th.

The UK could even be catching up on Italy, and even Spain, where another day of well over 800 deaths passed yesterday. Meanwhile, as Sky News’ own Twitter feed has pointed out, “Heads of Britain’s health and social care unions have warned ministers that lack of personal protective equipment for NHS and social care workers is a ‘crisis within a crisis’ and has called on the government to increase the supply urgently”.

That was what caused an increasingly restless media class to get irritable yesterday, after Michael “Oiky” Gove had given one creative reply too many in response to persistent questioning over the lack of protective equipment - and testing for the Coronavirus.

Meanwhile, Max Roser from the University of Oxford (that’s the same University that was being quoted with such approval by Toby Young when it suited his purpose) added another note of concern. “The UK government (finally) states clearly what is counted as a death due to COVID-19 … (2,352 deaths until now) … It is only those that tested positive and who died in the hospital”. So the death toll may be even higher.

On top of that, markets across the globe are once again sliding today, as realisation takes hold that the much hoped-for return to some kind of normal is not going to happen for several weeks yet. Which puts Brendan O’Neill’s puerile and ineffective attempt to divert attention from reality into perspective. Like it is, as he is, irrelevant.

This crisis is too important to listen to self-promoting nonentities. Bye bye Brendan.

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