Of all the things I could take Matt Hancock to task over, his decision to participate in the light entertainment programme ‘I’m a Celebrity…’ would be bottom of a fairly lengthy list.
He was an ultra-lock downer, presided over a catastrophic transfer of infected COVID patients from hospitals into care homes – with devastating consequences – and broke the rules he and his government had set by groping one of his members of staff
Having been caught on camera as far as that particular indiscretion was concerned, it is perhaps somewhat baffling that he wants to be front-and-centre of a 24/7 CCTV experience. But, hey, it takes all sorts.
The reaction to his decision to join the loveable national treasures that are Ant & Dec in the jungle has been as over the top as Hancock’s performance as a Health Minister was underwhelming.
The idea that three to six weeks out of his constituency will leave the thousands of people he represents in distress is crackers.
MPs employ a team of people to deal with constituents matters – do you really think that cabinet Ministers have the necessary time to devote to constituency casework – or that when MPs go on holiday, there is no one in place to deal with their day job responsibilities?
And, if we are demanding that our MPs should not be leaving the country for any other reason than a holiday – then why has Boris Johnson, who been on the missing list since he was deposed as PM three months ago not suffered from similar criticism? (He did come back for a quick trip home to sus out if he could get his old job back of course). Are the good folk of West Sussex more needy than those of Uxbridge and South Ruislip?
The more we focus on the trivial bollocks some of our politicians get up to, the less attention we give to what they do in areas that really matter. That Hancock’s ordeal of eating Kangaroos testicles will more likely get more column inches than the inquiry into his performance as Health Secretary during the pandemic explains why that old adage – ‘we get the politicians we deserve’ – has never been truer.
