ElaineRI55
Captain Tom was a courageous and inspirational man who definitely helped to raise people's spirits.
I do think, however, that some of the media attention was used to attempt to engender a "wartime camaraderie/we're all in this together" feeling to deflect from the government's mishandling of the Covid pandemic.
I think any tribute by Boris is fairly hypocritical, given his cavalier attitude, desire to privatise the NHS, and lack of repect shown to everyone ( including via his deliberately messed up hair).
I'll now go and hide behind the barracades!
This isn't the first time Mr Johnson has tried to use what was an appropriate and heartfelt act at the time, started (and ended) by a member of the public. I wish he would stop the jumping on bandwagons. I do not want to be told to clap by a politician. I will find my own way to think about Captain Tom, thank you very much. If anyone is interested in another way this is the address of the Captain Tom Foundation captaintom.org/
Equally both politicians and the media have, as you commented ElaineRI55, tried to jump on the war-time record of that generation. This is not a war. We are not standing up against an immoral regime. The key workers deserve every bit of praise but there job has not been made more difficult by other people trying to kill them but by a virus and a government and it's supporters not believing in the greater good and running down the public services. The post war mixed economy has been swung back to a market centric economy by the Conservatives for years, noticeably since Thatcher, and that is what has made this crisis - not war - so difficult to tackle.
