Originally Posted by DaveW
We do have a few Blighty bashers on TM.


Very emotive use of language there, Dave.

Let's look at what's happened.

1. Most countries badly affected by COVID-19 adopted a suppression strategy

2. The UK, guided by its scientific advisers, adopted a mitigation strategy

3. Other scientists thought this strategy was wrong and said so. Many other people agreed with them and said so.

4. The government, again guided by its scientific advisers, recognised that the emerging data indicated some potentially undesirable outcomes and changed to a more suppressive strategy.

Does this really count as "Blighty bashing"? Was it wrong for people to identify the weaknesses in policy and draw attention to them?

I am a massive patriot, I think the UK is a wonderful place to live and I owe my allegiance absolutely 100% to our country and my community. But patriotism is not the same as Exceptionalism - or even worse, Nationalism.

I don't think that because I love the UK so much it makes us automatically better than anyone else, and it's precisely because I care so much than when I believe we are making mistakes I call them out.

I want us to be as good as we can be, and I firmly believe that this is best achieved by working and co-operating with the international community rather than dismissing their skills and expertise as being somehow inferior to ours.



Tim H.
1986 4/4 VVTi Sport, 2002 LR Defender, 2022 Mini Cooper SE