(Transcription of an editorial published in the Observer on 15 January 2022)
Wɖ hiz lîz n hipocṛsi, ɖ prim̦inistr hz c’ruptd n dgredd ɖ Tori parti fṛm ɖ hîist ofis
Saṭde, 15 Jańri 2022
A litl ovr a munʈ ago, ɖ prim̦inistr tld ɖ Hǎs v Comnz ɖt h śerd ɖ angr v a neśn at siyñ a vidio v hiz Numbr 10 staf mcñ lît v locdǎn meźrz n jocñ abt Crisṃs partiz. W wr s’pozd t b’liv ɖt a culćr v impyṇti n disrigard fr rūlz at ɖ hart v guvnmnt hd abṣlutli nʈñ t d wɖ Boris Jonsn; ɖt h wz az śoct bî ɖ hipocṛsi az ɖ rest v s. It wz olwz a lūdicṛs cntnśn ɖt ɖ prim̦inistr hd no îdīa ẃt wz gwñ on in hiz ǒn ofis, part v ɖ sem complex az hiz ǒn rezidns. N in ɖ last wīc ɖ fl xtnt v ɖ śir gōl v a līdr priperd t ʈro hiz staf undr a bus t ived acǎntbiḷti fr ɖ wrst sort v p’liticl hipocṛsi hz bn xpozd.
Reṿleśn aftr reṿleśn hz imrjd sins ɖ start v ɖ yir – az Jonsn mst hv noun ɖe inevitbli wd – ɖt ruḅśz ɖt stetmnt h md t MPz last munʈ. W nǎ nǒ ɖt in Me 2020, Jonsn wz gvñ a spīć at a sośl gaɖ̇rñ, wɖ drinc n fūd, in ɖ Dǎnñ Strīt gardn ɖ vri sem īvnñ ministrz wr wornñ ɖ public at a presconfṛns ɖt ɖe cd onli mīt wn uɖr prsn ǎtsd. Ɖt hiz staf wr ʈrowñ nt wn, bt tū, rōc̣s partiz ɖt rportidli left îtmz in ɖ gardn damijd ɖ nît bfr Prins Filip’s fynṛl. N ɖt Dǎnñ Strīt staf reğlrli hld drincspartiz on Frîdez ɖt Jonsn wd ofn drop intu, gvñ ɖm ɖ prim̦iṇstirịl sìl v apruvl.
Cntmt fr parḷmnt n public
Ɖ Obzrvr hz loñ b’livd Jonsn t b a man v litl integṛti, bt īvn so, it z hard nt t b śoct at ɖ levl v cntmt in ẃć h so clirli holdz parḷmnt n ɖ public. Imajin ɖ consiqnsz f h hd msléd a cort undr oʈ in ɖs we. Bt t him, it z jst ɖ Comnz, jst ɖ we h aproćz poḷtics n evri uɖr aspect v hiz pṛfeśnl lîf.
It z clir ɖt ɖ vy v ɖ Covid rūlz az opśnl rɖr ɖn mandetri, az ɖe wr fr evrwn els in ɖ cuntri, dd nt stop at ɖ dorz v Nu 10. Ɖr wr partiz n līvñdrincs at uɖr guvnmnt dpartmnts. Bt ɖr z no dǎt ẃr ɖs culćr eṃnetd fṛm: it startd fṛm ɖ vri top, wɖ ɖ prim̦inistr. It z xtrordnri ɖt ɖoz hu rout ɖ lw n ɖ gîdns flǎtd it, az olmst evrwn els, includñ ɖ Qīn, obzrvd it fr ɖ sec v public hlʈ, īvn ẃl mōrnñ. Fr ɖoz hu dd nt, ɖr wr hefti fainz, īvn fr ppl wɖ far mor simṗʈetic storiz ɖn ɖoz wrcñ in Nu 10. Wn tīnejr wz faind hundṛdz v pǎndz fr orġnîzñ an ǎtdor b’lūn rlis fr hiz frend hu hd daid n hd t g t cort t contest a frɖr £10,000 fîn iśùd in err bî Duṛm cnstabyḷri.
Tū wīcs intu ɖ ny yir, Jonsn’z oʈoṛti hz bn comprihnsivli średd. H canot ste in post. Bt ɖ Cnsrṿtiv parti canot wîp ɖ slet clīn bî ilectñ a ny līdr. Evrʈñ abt Jonsn’z dredfl premịrśp hz bn intîrli pridictbl, a rflex́n v ɖ man h so clirli wz loñ bfr h bcem prim̦inistr. H wz sact fṛm a job in jrṇlizm in ɖ 1980z fr fabṛcetñ qots fr a nyzpepr stori n fṛm ɖ Cnsrṿtiv śado frontbench in ɖ rli 2000z fr layñ abt an afer. Az ćer v ɖ Līv campen, h wz cmplisit in its fōls clemz ɖt līvñ ɖ YY wd fri p £350m a wīc fr ɖ NHS – lêtr rūld a msys v ofiśl sttistics bî ɖ YC Sttisticsoʈoṛti – n ɖt a vot t rmen in ɖ YY wz a vot t śer a bordr wɖ Irac n Siria. Az mẹr v Lundn, h feld t dcler hiz prsnl inṭrests, includñ hiz rleśnśp wɖ Jenifr Arcuri, huz cumṗni rsivd ʈǎzndz v pǎndz v public muni.
It wz petntli obvịs ẃt sort v prim̦inistr h wd b; nwn cd creḍbli argy ɖt ɖr wz a sīńr Tori les wel sūtd t guvn Britn. Yt Cnsrṿtiv MPz stl crǎnd him līdr in 2019. Inuf v ɖm ʈt h cerd tù litl abt ɖ yńn, alawñ him t ruʈlisli psy a hard Brexit n ɖt hiz lūs-wɖ-ɖ-truʈ stîl v campenñ cd win ɖm a jenṛl ilex́n in ɖ sem we it dd ɖ YY reḟrendm. An incompitnt, c’rupt n rotn prim̦inistr wz ɖ bargin ɖe wr priperd t mc, ɖ cost ɖe wr ol tù wilñ t impoz on ɖ hol cuntri.
Ʈǎzndz v avôḍbl deʈs
Ẃt a hevi prîs Britn hz peid. On Covid, ɖ guvnmnt z trayñ t yz ɖ s’xes v ɖ vaxīnprogram t dtract fṛm ɖ growñ p’liticl crîsis in ẃć it fîndz itslf. It z tru ɖt ɖ YC hz hd a mor s’xesfl vaxīn rolǎt ɖn mni uɖr cuntriz, n ɖt ɖ guvnmnt, ptiklrli Cet Bñm, hu ćerd ɖ tascfors, dzrvz credit fr ɖ rli invstmnt in vaxīntecnoḷji. Bt ɖ guvnmnt’s oṿol record on Covid z grim: tîm n agn, jrñ ɖ frst 15 munʈs v ɖ pandemic, Jonsn feld t lrn fṛm prīvịs mstecs n actd t intṛdys rstrix́nz tù slǒli, undǎtidli rzultñ in ʈǎzndz v avôḍbl deʈs n mor ic̣nomic pen.
Frst, ɖ guvnmnt’s haplis aproć t edyceśn jrñ a pandemic mīnz ɖt far tù litl hz bn dn t miṭget its impact on ćildṛn. Ɖ ifcts v ɖs wl b flt loñ intu ɖ fyćr. Secnd, on Brexit, Jonsn aćivd ɖ hard Brexit ɖ îdịlojicl crūsedrz fṛm hiz parti’z rît flanc wontd. Bt it hz cm at a hyj cost: a loñ-trm ic̣nomic cost, ẃć wl dpres Britn’z groʈprospects fr mni yirz t cm, bt olso a periḷs risc t ɖ integṛti v ɖ yńn ɖt canot b meźrd in pǎndz n pns n ẃć me mīn ɖt wɖn a cupl v decedz ɖ Ynîtd Cñdm me no longr īvn xist. Hu cerz f ɖ hardist v Brexits ofrz sucr t ɖ cōz v Scotiś indipndns?
N fest wɖ ɖ irizolṿbl cnundṛm v Brexit – ɖt ɖr cn b no clīn brec fṛm ɖ YY ẃl avôdñ ɖ nīd fr a custmzbordr îɖr on ɖ îḷnd v Îrḷnd or dǎn ɖ Îriś Sì – Jonsn hz ćozn simpli t pritnd ɖs probḷm dz nt xist, rɖr ɖn cnfrunt ɖ fact ɖt h or hiz s’xesr wl hv t ćūz btwn rjctñ reğletri alînmnt btwn ɖ YY n parts v ɖ YC or stbiḷti in Norɖn Îrḷnd. Ɖ disrigard fr ɖ yńn prmiets evrʈñ ɖs guvnmnt dz, xtndñ t ministrz sć az Jecb Rīz-Móg insultñ Scotiś Cnsrṿtivz in a we ɖt onli plez intu ɖ indipndns campen’z handz.
Ʈrd, ol ovr Britn, faṃliz r suḟrñ az a rzult v ɖs guvnmnt’s poḷsiz. Jonsn wún hiz mjoṛti bî proṃsñ nt onli t gt Brexit dn, bt t “levl p” ɖ cuntri. Ɖt wz jst emti reṭric: hiz ćanslr, Riśi Sŭnac, hz cntinyd ɖ aproć v hiz prīdisesrz sins 2010, intṛdysñ ɖ bigist evr wn-of beṇfitcut, on top v ɖ last deced’z tax-credit cuts ɖt hv sìn sm lo-incm peṛnts lūz ʈǎzndz v pǎndz a yir īvn az mor aflụnt faṃliz hv hd ɖer taxbílz rdyst. Refyjīz fliyñ wor zonz n hymn-rîts abysz hv faund ɖmslvz at ɖ śarp end v a culćrwor wɖ Priti Ptel’z Homofis.
Fîṇli, ɖ last fy wīcs v reṿleśnz abt Jonsn’z hipocṛsi on Covid d nt jst damij ɖ Cnsrṿtiv parti. Lîc ɖ xpnsz scandl mor ɖn a deced ago, it unḍmainz public trust in ol poḷtiśnz n ɖ l’jitiṃsi v ǎr deṃcratic insttyśnz. It mcs a moc̣ri v ɖ rūl v lw ẃn ordnri sitiznz r puniśt fr brecñ ɖ lw, bt sīńr poḷtiśnz, p’liticl eidz n sivl srvnts apir t nītli sîdstep ɖ consiqnsz.
Fṛm ilectṛl aset t lạbiḷti
Evri de Jonsn cntinyz az prim̦inistr, ɖ damij h dz groz. Az hiz īvluśn fṛm ilectṛl aset t ilectṛl lạbiḷti dōnz on hiz parti, it z lcñ incrisñli lîcli ɖt ɖe wl nt alǎ him t cntiny in ofis fr mć longr. Bt Britn’z p’liticl crîsis wl nt b ovr. Ɖ ćôs v ɖ nxt prim̦inistr wd fōl t Cnsrṿtiv MPz n partimembrz. Jonsn’z lîcli s’xesrz r ol cmplisit in ɖ guvnmnt’s dredfl tracrecord.
Ɖ onli hop lîz in a rnyd Lebr parti winñ ɖ nxt jenṛl ilex́n. Cir Starmr hz imrjd fṛm rīsnt wīcs az a man v compitns, integṛti n valyz. Lebr stl hz a loñ we t g in adresñ ɖ rīznz ẃ it lost votrz in 2019 n cḿṇcetñ ẃt a Starmr premịrśp wd aćiv fr Britn, bt ɖe r advansñ fṛm ɖ teṛbl dfit Jeṛmi Corbin léd ɖm t ɖen.
Prim̦inistr Boris Jonsn z a crieśn v ɖ modn Cnsrṿtiv parti. Tori MPz pṛpeld ɖs śarḷtn t Nu 10 intîrli bcz it sūtd ɖer naro inṭrests, wɖ no rgard fr ɖ consiqnsz fr ɖ cuntri. It z xtrordnri hǎ litl cntriśn mni v ɖoz hu bact him hv śoun. Jonsn’z reẓgneśn z nt inuf: ɖ Cnsrṿtiv parti itslf mst b hld acǎntbl fr hiz dzastṛs premịrśp.
