Though now giving way to a familiar nightmare, that fantasy seems to have pervaded the country for some time. Two of the most watched broadcasts in British history, both of which took place during his tenure. The first was Mr Johnson’s speech to the nation on 23 March 2020, announcing a nationwide shutdown. The second is the Euro 2020 final, in which England stand a chance of winning over Italy, on 11 July 2021. Both broadcasts, watched by tens of millions of people, are succinctly summed up. moment of national unity. Both represent the normal suspension in the name of a nationalist struggle, vaguely linked to folk memories of the Second World War.
The eerie quiet of the confinement, with its deserted streets, visits from wild animals and clapping ceremony for the essential workers, to be matched with the frenzy of the drunken, drunken, and delirious mobs of the crowds that roam the deserted commercial streets and enthusiastically chant, “Coming soon. home!” These are clearly nationalist moments, but they are not exactly the same. One nationalism is top-down, the other is grassroots. One is “British”, established nationalism, the other is “British”, with more proletarian accents. However, together they created a national sensation in a short time.
Of course, it was hardly a period of national idleness. Tens of thousands of older Britons unnecessary died in an overcrowded hospital because delay in declaring the lockdown. Food bank usage has increased by one all time highest, with more than 2.5 million package recipients. By the end of 2020, nine out of 10 low-income families had experienced severe recession on their income and the proportion of those reporting clinically significant depression and anxiety tripled, increased from 17 percent to 52 percent. Even so, the precarious national unity project, supported by huge public spending to manage the pandemic, was short-lived: The Tories led the way in the polls, free of scandal and discontent.
In September of last year, things started to shake. Fuel shortages, caused by a shortage of truck drivers, are beginning to eat away at Mr Johnson’s support. In December, the first accounts of illegal partying at 10 Downing Street, the prime minister’s official residence, emerged. By February, energy prices had increased forced living standards and the food bank is overwhelmed by the skyrocketing demand. Hospitals, overinvested and underfunded, struggle with the backlog around six million patient, and The airport is understaffed flights are cancelled. In Westminster, the crisis sweeping the country has been transformed into a growing crisis aimed at getting rid of Mr Johnson. He held on for a while, but by mid-summer it was all over.
