Boris in lockdown: Thank goodness Johnson is an instinctive liberal – Reaction

Boris Johnson has tested positive for Coronavirus and isself-isolating. Perhapsthis is auseful momenttoreflect onhis handling of the crisis. There has been persistentcriticism coming from some quarters in recent week.

Critics of Johnson have always insisted that he has no convictions. They said he was an empty vessel with no principles. They have been proven wrong by his response to the coronavirus pandemic. His obvious discomfort at the prospect of imposing draconian measures on the British people, and handing police powers ordinarily reserved for a tyranny, was plain to see.

For days he resisted imposing restrictions on our freedom, partly because it violated his liberal instincts. When he announced the lockdown, he said it he didntwantto do it and he has never looked so sincere. His reluctance was criticised by those seeking a far stricter approach. Well, I say we should be proud to have a prime minister who so loathed to take away our liberty.

We shouldwanta leader who is reluctant to impose measures that confine us to our homes, restricts our freedom of movement and dictates to us the approved reasons for which we can leave our houses. Any leader of a liberal democracy should bedeeplyuncomfortable about wielding such power, however necessary it may be to protect public health. Living in a lockdown is going to be extremely difficult for most people and for many it will be catastrophic for their wellbeing.

By way of contrast, I cannot help noticing how quickly other European countries such as Italy, France and Spain were able to effectively convert into police states overnight. Repressive enforcement has been quickly implemented. In this context, the prime minister hesitating before introducing authoritarianism to our shores is laudable.

In nations where ID cards and police demanding papers are the norm, this all appears to come naturally. The lockdown conditions fundamentally alter the relationship between the citizen, the police and the government, and I do hope that when they are lifted, we Britons cherish our freedom just a little bit more.

The government has public support for the steps it has taken but it is imperative that we ensure that these extraordinary measures do not permanently increase the power of the state. Other governments will certainly grasp this opportunity to erode individual liberty it mustnt happen in Britain.

It was right for the government to place a sunset clause to the Coronavirus Bill imposing the lockdown restrictions, meaning it must be reviewed after six months have passed. It bodes well that Boris was so reluctant to implement illiberal policies, because it suggests that he will be enthusiastic about repealing them when it is safe to do so.

Already we can see the unpleasant side effects of the lockdown. There was a fine example yesterday from theDerbyshire Police, recording people on a drone and then shaming them on Twitter for driving to the Peak District to go for a walk. This was despite there being absolutely no evidence that they were breaking any rules of violating social distancing advice. North Yorkshire police are introducing road checkpoints.

This is creeping authoritarianism afterjust a few days.Obviously, I understand the context, but it still makes me feel uncomfortable.

Across the country British people are informing on each other, with encouragement from the police. On social media they post photos of people disobeying the lockdown and tagging in the police.

Yes, I know obeying the rules is essential for public safety and people are trying to be good citizens. Nonetheless, its quite astonishing how quickly we snoop and snitch on each other as if were suddenly in Soviet Russia. Its deeply creepy how quickly totalitarian measures create a culture of suspicion and snitching. It is a small sample of dystopia.

We will find out soon whether the lockdown is effective and the right thing to do. The conclusion may well be that stricter measures should have been implemented earlier, or we may find it was an overzealous response to the virus. South Korea and Singapore did not confine everyone to their homes, but both appear to have successfully managed the coronavirus outbreak via widespread testing and targeted isolation.

When the crisis ends the government must launch an inquiry to determine how successful our response has been and what needs to be different next time. We can only hope that this does not happen again for a very long time, but the government must begin planning for the next pandemic immediately. We will surely not be able to bail out the economy and place the population under house arrest every time one takes place.

As things stand, we are witnessing tragic death rates in Italy and Spain and Britain is waiting with trepidation. While makeshift morgues and field hospitals are being prepared, and the whole country is being mobilised to prevent the collapse of the NHS, liberty seems like a trivial issue to be concerned about. But one day the crisis will end, and the issue of liberty will be vital.

The government response so far has been reasonable, proportionate and based on the evidence. But as soon as it is safe to do so, the government must surrender its powers and liberty must be restored. Surely then there will be no one criticising the prime ministers instinctive liberalism.

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Boris in lockdown: Thank goodness Johnson is an instinctive liberal - Reaction