Matthew Taylor, who leads the NHS Confederation, rightly points to the consequences of the government’s “living without restrictions” ideology (Covid threat being ignored in England for ideological reasons, say NHS leaders, 11 April). Boris Johnson sympathises with the libertarian ideologues in his party who like to invoke Ayn Rand. Perhaps they should note the warning attributed to her that “we can evade reality, but we cannot evade the consequences of evading reality”.
The insulting response from a No 10 spokesperson to Taylor’s accusation that the NHS feels abandoned shows that Johnson hopes to defy reality, as he has throughout the pandemic. To add further insult, the No 10 spokesperson adds that “we are now able to manage [Covid] as we do with other respiratory infections”, despite the NHS’s daily experience blowing a hole in such Bolsonaro-esque bravado.
Calum Paton
Emeritus professor of public policy, Keele University
