It's all your fault Matt Hancock or is it?

 It's all your Matt Hancock or is it?

Throughout Covid 19 most of us had to get used to both confinement, self isolation, fear, suspicion and terror when it seemed to blow over us and then leave us once and for all. Then we experienced feelings of utter grief, a worrying estrangement from all of our loved ones, both friends and families. For months on end, the Tory government, headed by the well intentioned if eccentric Boris Johnson, were cruelly exposed to almost constant ridicule and derision, hatred and then resentment. 

Now all of those virus restrictions and financial constraints are, more or less, ancient history. The general consensus is that we can do everything that we were banned from doing for just over two and a half years  and human relationships have been restored to their right and proper level. Of course the cynics will continue to wear those cold and clinical looking masks just in case somebody should be stricken and the rest of the global population goes down with the same, dreaded illness.

But now that the coast is clear and the last remnants of the disease have vanished, the post mortems are particularly painful. The inquests and recriminations, the accusations and counter accusations will probably rumble on for a considerable amount of time. In fact certain people may have to look at themselves at the mirror at some length, reluctantly admitting their guilt and shame before shuffling off to their holiday home in the Caribbean. The accusations will becoming increasingly more heated and personal. But whose fault is that? Not me governor. You were just breaking every law in the land.

Now the man in the spotlight is one Matt Hancock. Hancock was the one man who just stood there glumly, sombrely and apologetically as if all the troubles of the world had made his job almost unbearable at times. He looked into the TV cameras and came out with so many statements of the obvious that it almost felt as if he was deliberately undermining our intelligence and patronising most of Great Britain with heartfelt apologies, reminding us of the severity of Covid 19. But why on earth is everybody blaming Hancock? He did nothing to jeopardise the welfare of the United Kingdom. His hands were clean and the nation should hold somebody else to account rather than him.

Those familiar themes of accountability and transparency have almost got completely lost in the general messy aftermath of  Covid 19. First there were the wild, debauched parties that were totally illegitimate and forbidden. There was Boris Johnson's birthday party which was a minor rave, the raised glasses of champagne, the cheese and wine gatherings in Downing Street when most of the public who had voted for them were shut up in our homes, clattering their frying pans together, clapping and acknowledging the huge and memorable contribution the NHS had so unceasingly made.

Then poor old Matt Hancock was caught kissing and canoodling his lady friend and colleague while his wife was boiling with incandescent rage. Oh what a circus! Then, and quite understandably, Hancock conveniently drew a veil over his obvious indiscretions and tried to deny that anything untoward or unsavoury had taken place. But then he found he hadn't spotted any close circuit camera in the middle of his passionate clinch. So how could anybody prove anything without any circumstantial evidence?

The gist of this sorry tale is that the first touchpaper has been lit here. An inquisitive and industrious Times journalist Isobel Oakeshott, has simply followed her leads and tip offs in the political hot house and Hancock has been caught in the headlights. Oakeshott has defended herself to the hilt, rightly pointing out that she was just doing her job and nothing else. Those who take an almost sadistic pleasure in the downfall of our politicians must have been rubbing their proverbial hands together with unashamed glee.

This morning Sunday Telegraph readers woke up this morning convinced that Matt Hancock was just a red blooded male looking hungrily for an illicit relationship. Regrettably the Tory party have now become synonymous with sex and scandal, front page tabloid stories. The moral majority have probably spat out their toast and Corn Flakes, incensed at yet more governmental controversy. You'd have thought the dust had settled by now but outrage has now become almost common currency on a daily basis when the Conservative party take residence at 10 Downing Street.

And yet the world will continue to spin around because it always has done so. The current news agenda is probably no more different to the one we've been so much an integral part of during the last three years or so. Politicians do like to preen and posture when a TV or radio microphone is pointed at them. Publicity invariably follows them like a bad smell and some of us have now reached the point of complete indifference. For those who may be searching for something much more light hearted and frivolous you might be interested to know that the Eurovision Song Contest, to be held in Liverpool, is not that far away. Now that's something to positively look forward to. It could be another night to remember.