Finding out your nan has stage three cancer is hard enough. Being told she will have to wait 3 months for a critical operation she desperately needs, while her cancer festers, is even more difficult. Throughout this time, me and my family experienced many emotions: fear, sadness, even anger. This anger was converted to rage when the leader of our country is spotted having parties, drinking and eating a wheel of ******* cheese.
My lack of faith in our political system has been further affirmed throughout lockdown. I ought to be surprised that those in power act this way, but I’m not. Throughout history, this has always happened. Look to novels like ‘Animal Farm’ and how the fat little piggy’s (an unsubtle metaphor for corrupt politicians) enforce rules on others but don’t adhere to them themselves. This perfectly depicts the way in which Boris Johnson, the fat little piggy that he is, created laws so that those who broke his lockdown restrictions could be fined up to £10,000. This is beyond ludicrous. This is full on insanity. Why the people of Britain haven’t revolted against this kind of tyranny is baffling to say the least.
However, it’s all too easy to pin the blame solely on bumbling Boris, in reality Boris Johnson is but a symptom of a far greater disease, political corruption. What about the other MPs that broke lockdown rules? Why is Keir Starmer now publicly ridiculing Boris Johnson over Partygate, when he too has been seen himself breaking lockdown restrictions? Because it is convenient. Just as how it was convenient for other politicians to attack Dominic Cummings, Matt Hancock and others when their reprehensible actions were exposed.
All of the scandals that have come to light prove that the government needs complete transparency, if not total reform. Lord Acton once said that ‘Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely’ and truer words have never been spoken.
While my Nan braces for the inevitable, we need to be considering the state of the country we live in. A country in were ordinary people suffer under the rule of those in power. Individually we do not possess the power to achieve the reforms we desperately need. But together we are many, and when the many come together in unison of a common goal they can change the world.
By Alfie Smith
