Jorj Ozbōrn dstroid Britn’z seftinet. Ɖ Covid inqîri śd śem him intu sîḷns
(Transcription of an Guardian article of 1 June 2023)
Hiz iniqiṭs osteṛtiprogram left ɖ popyleśn sic, vulnṛbl, n unpriperd fr a pandemic
Ʈrzde 1 Jūn 2023
Ɖ belz told at 4pm tde, ɖ dedlîn ẃn evri śred v evidns wd b handd ovr bî lw t Heɖr Halit, ɖ rtîrd hîcort juj. Ɖ guvnmnt set p ɖ Covid inqîri, ordend its wîd rīmit, gev its ćer līgl pǎrz t cmand ẃtvr evidns ś dīmz nesṣri, bt ɖen bōlct at obeyñ it.
Public atnśn wl foc̣s on ɖ contents v ɖoz WotsAps n not-bcs. Ẃt wr ministrz n ofiślz seyñ t ć uɖr? Z Doṃnic Cumñz rît ɖt Boris Jonsn sd “let ɖ bodiz pîl hî?” Uɖr formz v caḷs siṇsizm me b xpozd f w dscuvr ɖt ministrz ń “īt ǎt t hlp ǎt” wz a plegspredr n pt ɖ icoṇmi bfr sefti. Mor wl b rvild abt fast-tráct meġcontracts fr croniz, n abt ɖoz hu wr hiroz amñ ɖ gd sayntists n doctrz. Ministrz’ ton wl set ɖ contxt fr ol ɖe dd, az b’rivd faṃliz woć hōc-aid evri step v ɖ we. Ɖs batl ovr admisbl evidns n blac-ñc rdax́nz z onli ɖ frst strugl amñ poḷtiśnz hopñ t prizrv ɖer repyteśnz. Bî ɖ fînl rec̣nñz, ẃtvr ɖ blem n prêz, ɖz actrz wl hv left ɖ p’liticl stej.
Ɖ inqîri z dvîdd intu ʈri modylz: bfr, jrñ n aftr ɖ pandemic. Vîtl lésnz wl b lrnt – practicl, tecnicl, sạntific n administṛtiv – abt lînz v cmand n spīd v rspons. Têlz v hymn streñʈs, stypidtiz, briłns n felñz wl b abzorbñ. Bt bî far ɖ dīpist p’liticl lésn rzǎndñ intu ɖ fyćr wl cm fṛm modyl wn, “Rziłns n priperidnis”. Ɖs wl “lc intu ɖ priperidnis fr ɖ pandemic” n ases “f ɖ pandemic wz proprli pland fr n ẃɖr ɖ YC wz adiqtli redi fr ɖt ivnćuaḷti”. W nǒ ɖ ansr olrdi.
Amñ ɖoz sumnd t gv evidns fr ɖs modyl, t b hŕd fṛm 13 Jūn, r tū men hu hd loñ left pǎr bî ɖ tîm Covid blù in. Yt Devid Camṛn n Jorj Ozbōrn me hv most t ansr fr. Bî 2020 ɖ cndiśn v ɖ cuntri hd bn larjli set bî Ozbōrn, ɖ pǎrhǎs bhnd ɖ fruntman. Camṛn hd bn ɖ cuvr, adpt at sīmñ rīzṇbl, no glīm v ɖ îdịlog in hiz î az h hugd husciz n sumnd a big ssayti v cḿṇti ax́n. Ɖ Brexitrz, hūm h cōld “frūtcecs”, wr ɖ xtrimists hu alaud ɖz tū t sīm lîc moḍrets, ɖer copiz v Hîec n Frīdmn hidn in ɖer bac pocits.
Ɖ devsteśn ɖe cōzd fṛm ɖer frst, Jūn 2010, bujit set ɖ pes fr a pirịd v osteṛti mor savij ɖn enʈñ atmtd bî Marġrit Ʈaćr, huz fes hd adornd ɖer wōlz az stydnts. Ɖe tîtnd ʈumscruz in bujit aftr bujit, stripñ ɖ public relm n spẹrñ nʈñ in ɖer psyt v an evr-smōlr stet. Ɖ six ćanslrz hu foloud Ozbōrn wr cut fṛm ɖ sem stet-śrincñ cloʈ, n psyd hiz osteṛti program wɖ īql zīl.
Ɖ naśnl unpriperidnis Ozbōrn left in hiz wec starts wɖ ɖ NHS itslf, ẃć ɖ Cnsrṿtivz inheṛtd at pīc pformns in 2010 aftr yirz v jenṛs fînans. Bî ɖ plegyir v 2020, its fundñ p’ hed hd bn ẃitld dǎn fr mor ɖn a deced, dspt a fast-rîzñ n eldrli popyleśn. Sali Woṛn, d’rectr v poḷsi at ɖ Cñ’z Fund hlʈ ʈnctanc, woćt it hapn fṛm wɖn guvnmnt: ś pônts t fywr bedz, trenñcuts, b’lūnñ stāfvec̣nsiz, śorṭjz v iqipmnt n téc s’port, n ɖ axñ v capitl fr rperz.
Bt bynd ɖs incrisñli ʈredbér NHS, Woṛn tld m ɖt Covid hd torn ʈru a vulnṛbl popyleśn in a dtirịretñ stet v hlʈ. “Tù mni ppl’z rziłns wz wìcnd. Impruvmnts in lîf xpctnsi stōld in ɖ 2010z n Covid md ɖ wìcist ilr.” Ɖs wz dy t “lac v rli dạgnosis”, bt olso “ɖ stet v hǎzñ, erqoḷti, ppl’z dayt. Yr incm, yr invîrnmnt, yr xpoźr t advtîzñ n lac v fizicl activti afctd rziłns.” Ɖ guvnmnt’s fełr t ćalinj fūdmańfacćrrz ovr sōlt n śŭgr hlpt incris ćîld’biṣti. NHS cḿṇtisrṿsz wr drend n fundz rīdirectd t cīp akt srṿsz gwñ, ś sd.
Covid atact a sic popyleśn n a wìcnd hlʈ n sośl cer srvis. Ozbōrn wz ruʈlis in hiz beṇfitcuts, ispeṣ́li ɖoz afctñ ćildṛn, plunjñ ɖm frɖr b’lo sośl-s’kṛti levlz in similr cuntriz. Hǎ wr ɖ lǒist peid s’pozd t ste hom on sicpe ɖt z stl ɖ lǒist in ɖ OICD? Lo pe, inṣkr jobz, rîzñ rents n sm v ɖ most oṿcrǎdd hǎzñ in wstn Yṛp ol cntribytd t ɖ mortaḷti tol. Sins ɖ pandemic, 25% mor ppl hv bn of wrc, rportñ loñ-trm ilnis.
Nn v ɖz unḍlayñ vulnṛbiḷtiz bgan in 2020 ẃn Covid struc. V ol ɖ lésnz lrnt at ɖ end v ɖs inqîri, ɖ most importnt wn fr votrz wl b ɖs: nvr agn cn w fōl fr ɖ smōl-stet, lo-tax proṃsz ɖt līv evrwn vulnṛbl, wɖt ɖ s’kṛti v gd guvnmnt or ɖ pṛtx́n v gd public srṿsz. Camṛn z olrdi śemd intu sîḷns bî hiz Grīnsil grīd. Az fr Ozbōrn, h dzrvz ɖ sort v public condmneśn in ɖ fînl rport ɖt śd si him stript v ol ɖ undizrvd rwordz śǎrd on him sins līvñ parḷmnt. Ledi Halit hz startd ǎt splendidli rzistnt t p’liticl śiceṇri: hr rport cd b a nvr-agn landmarc on ɖ nīd fr a rziłnt ssayti.
