You’ve probably heard the rage that was upset by today’s rebellion in Greater Manchester mayor and “king of the North,” Andy Burnham, a prominent Labour MP, refusing to implement tier-3 restrictions on his hometown. Why is he doing that? Well, he’s probably measuring the lack of popularity of the second lockdown in his area. But how does he justify it, and why should we care?
Well, instinctive responses are economic justification. During the lack of clarity about how long the limit will be. Unable to plan for unexpected overhead. All fluctuating levels of financial support from the government (et al.) contributes to the sense that another wave of restrictions may be a major burden for many.
Not only are residents worried about their work, but the lockdown policy flip-flops and the prime minister’s strings of purse are trying to ask local businesses about their long-term viability. Unemployment and business closures are not harmful not only to the economy, but also to the structure of the community.
The second reason is that, although not fully discussed, a good will turns into indifference. Many support blockades in spirit, but there is no sign of great rewards at the expense of themselves. Certainly, you may know that lockdowns protect your life, but the ultimate goal is to buy time. Specifically, it is the time when the vaccine is developed.
Between Donald Trump’s half-witted and handy ramblings about the vaccine being prepared by November and the delay to AstraZenica’s vaccine trials, there really doesn’t seem to be any good news about the vaccine front. It may seem like a somewhat abstract argument, but you may have no end in front of you and have a clear goal for your goal, but like in lockdowns, it can be unpleasant and uncomfortable to give up on ghosts.
Thirdly, and Burnham would have been keenly aware of this from this. The North Korean disparity story has been a powerful weapon since the 1980s. Boris Johnson has called for cities in northern England to become pioneering the most stringent lockdown restrictions, so Burnham decided it was time to light up political touchpapers.
Lamenting “one rule in the south and another rule in the north,” the mayor of Greater Manchester challenged the PM platform as the “normal” people’s champion. And whether it’s true or not – given the current restrictions in place in London, framing Boris as an out-of-touch Southern is the last thing the PM needs to do in question about the total payments to test and track operators.
Excellent intervention from Andy Burnham. What you get from the voting labor in Manchester, Liverpool and Wales are those who stop you from being used in the vast eugenic experiments of the DOM against working class people 👇https://t.co/gwyonf5y3f
– Paul Mason (@PaulMasononnews) October 15th, 2020
But what’s very important about these recent breakthroughs is that Burnham can test Johnson’s already shy working class support by crowning himself as the “king of the North” or simply crowning him.
Importantly, he may challenge Boris’ position in the “red wall” seat, where he will be very decisive in 2019. To regain the favor of northern cities such as Manchester, the PM will either fail to convince them of his way of doing things, or recognize that it is likely to oppose even more around the country.
