Partygate, profiteering and the pandemic
by Ian Linden, The Article:
Irrespective of political affiliation, commentators see “Partygate” as a breakthrough moment. The word has taken on a particular meaning: that moment when political events causes a seismic reaction from the public, instead of being absorbed or dismissed as only to be expected of politicians. The Westminster bubble has burst, sending a toxic spray over people who don’t normally follow politics closely.
A political breakthrough departs from the despairing refrain “all politicians are the same”. Focussed attention is given to a particular group of politicians and their party and refuses to go away. And the nation’s moral compass — followed by the opinion polls — suddenly starts swinging.
But why Partygate not any other scandal? After all, the message from Government is that what went on in the premises of 10 Downing Street was implicitly (a newly load-bearing adverb) just a few tired office workers sharing refreshments with a kindly boss. A mistake, of course, given what was required of everyone else in the country, but we all make mistakes, don’t we? Well, no. Not mistakes with such resonances and consequences.
[…] The public recognised the heroic sacrifices of front-line medical staff in hospitals. Government cleverly encouraged the weekly public applause for NHS staff. We knew the low salaries of essential workers like bus drivers who gave their lives. The profiteers laughed all the way to the bank. They knew how to hide their profits. Their financial advisers brought years of practice in the art of concealment. But there were none of the pictures which aroused public indignation in Partygate, no leaked photographs of corruption and profiteering, no evidence which touched the public nerve, nothing they felt they could verify for themselves.
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