"We are world leaders in reality denial": James O'Brien on why Covid guidelines aren't followed
7 October 2020, 11:05
James O'Brien: "We don't follow guidance as we don't trust anyone"
James O'Brien theorises that the reason why people in the UK don't follow coronavirus guidelines enshrined in law because no one trusts anyone anymore - instead "Britain has become the world leader in reality denial."
Ministers have been accused of putting the high street above public health after the business department warned council leaders against enforcing mask-wearing in supermarkets.
James reflected that even if this was enforced, the British people would not follow coronavirus guidelines because no one "trusts anyone anymore."
For Sweden, where there is generally a lot more trust in the Government, people are going to do what they are politely advised to do - yet this would not work in the UK which has "weaponised reality denial."
"Not only have we weaponised reality denial we have a Government that is built entirely upon one massive lie about one massive and obvious issue,' James said, pointing out that the problem with reality denial in one area means that "everything breaks."
James theorised that "we don't follow the guidance even when it is enshrined in law because we don't trust anyone anymore.
He said he'd trace this attitude back to climate change and the anti-vaxxer movement which was born in Britain and exported around the world.
"Then there was the massive exercise in reality denial of Brexit where pretty much every single thing we were told by the people who are now in charge just turned out not to be true," James said.
He reflected that we have a curious conundrum in where Britain has become the world leader in "what I call reality denial and you, if you're currently denying reality, would call health skepticism."
