‘Go to the cinema’ says Johnson. Fool me twice, shame on… who?
Not the cinema announcement: but the caption behind Boris Johnson (that I made for a previous story) is also appropriate to this one.
I know it’s just a coincidence, but shortly after This Site published an article criticising the Johnson government for jeopardising the arts and entertainment in the UK during the Covid crisis, BoJob himself made a pronouncement about it.
He got it all wrong, of course.
Johnson should have announced financial help for venues and businesses – for the duration of the Covid crisis, while his restrictions make it impossible for them to break even, and in addition to any schemes already in place that clearly aren’t doing enough.*
You see, I’d rather be able to go to the pictures, even if the auditorium is practically empty by order of the government, than for the cinema to be closed – possibly for ever.
Instead, BoJob passed the buck to us – as usual.
“Go to the cinema,” he told us – just as he told us to go to the pub and the restaurant back in the summer.
And what happened?
There was a huge spike in Covid-19 infections and Johnson blamed us.
Fool us once, BoJob, shame on you. Fool us twice – shame on us.
What will you do if we go and there’s another increase in Covid infections? Blame us for your mistake again?
What will you do if we don’t, and lots of cinemas go out of business? Blame us again?
I think it’s best if we just ignore Johnson as an incompetent nincompoop and make a rule that any unhappy consequence is his concern, not ours.
Oh, and this will make it easier: the film he wants us to go and see? It’s the new James Bond, No Time To Die.
And its release has just been delayed until April next year.
And also: Cineworld is closing its 120 UK cinemas anyway.
So we can happily stay away for the time being, and still say we were following Johnson’s instructions.
And in the meantime, we can demand to know what he’s going to do about the economic crisis he caused.
Here are comments from just a few people who feel as I do:
Stay in.
Go out.
Work at home.
Go to work.
Get out to help out.
No, that probably led to more Covid-19 cases.
Go to the cinema.
Boris Johnson knows he's on his way out, he's just taking the p*ss now. https://t.co/17CWZCbBIF
— Prof Gayle Letherby 💙 #PeaceAndJustice (@gletherby) October 5, 2020
BBC News – Boris Johnson urges people to ‘go to the cinema’ https://t.co/qDCzTPt5P2 Go the cinema, use their cafe, visit the ub but 5000 socially distanced fans not allowed in a 50,000 seater stadium. Complete madness
— sussexfox (@sussexfox1) October 5, 2020
BBC News – Boris Johnson urges people to ‘go to the cinema’ https://t.co/W14TczIIsI
… but you can only watch half the film! 🤣
— _Noddy (@NoddyD) October 5, 2020
BBC News – Boris Johnson urges people to ‘go to the cinema’ https://t.co/B9kWHcMHV6
Don't do it! Look what happened when he told all to go out for dinner.— David Benady (@davidbenady) October 5, 2020
BBC News – Boris Johnson urges people to ‘go to the cinema’ https://t.co/RFW3FpXV7H @BBCNews Make up your damned mind, Boris…do you want us in close proximity to each other or not ?!
— C8H10N4O2 (@daveswales) October 5, 2020
https://twitter.com/JulietEMcKenna/status/1313098001431384064
Oh great, so PM will encourage people to go to the cinema? But he won't support people returning to the theatre? Mixed messages here! Many more jobs set to be lost across live theatre and art.
BBC News – Boris Johnson urges people to ‘go to the cinema’https://t.co/z5FksPXThc
— Ben R. Atkinson (@BenRAtkinson) October 5, 2020
Let me make sure I understand this. The man who is blaming the public for rising cases after having followed his advice to "eat out to help out" now wants us to go to the cinema……. Err NO BBC News – Boris Johnson urges people to ‘go to the cinema’ https://t.co/f53L8Sdj1n
— Julian Chronicle (@julianchronicle) October 5, 2020
So indoors in a small cinema fine, outdoors in a large football stadium for probably the same amount of time, not fine? BBC News – Boris Johnson urges people to ‘go to the cinema’ https://t.co/5fhG5nq9oc
— Simon Wilding (@SJWilding) October 5, 2020
https://twitter.com/Daviemoo/status/1313102952329031681
He's at it again! I assume we will see a reversed headline in a month or so describing the reckless activity of the public of going to the cinema which has led to a rise in infections:
BBC News – Boris Johnson urges people to ‘go to the cinema’ https://t.co/adD9XlLSIj
— David Howe (@Flashywhiskers) October 5, 2020
Please don't!
Much as I love cinemas, sitting in a crowd, in a confined space for a prolonged time is the most effective way to transmit Covid. Unless that is part of the plan of course!BBC News – Boris Johnson urges people to ‘go to the cinema’ https://t.co/FIwxGIsBxM
— Joydeep Grover (@JoydeepGrover) October 5, 2020
BBC NEWS-Boris Johnson urges people to ‘go to the cinema’ while in the same breath tells people to stay at home as much as possible
No wonder people in England have no idea if they are coming or going with Boris Johnson— THE BLACK SALTIRE#FBSI (@80_mcswan) October 5, 2020
*It seems this is unlikely to happen because Johnson and his government haven’t actually started any of these schemes. Here’s @RussInCheshire with The Week In Tory:
7. But thankfully Work and Pensions Minister Thérèse Coffey was on hand to reassuringly tell them they can all become Care Workers with "very little training" (I'm sure nursing is a doddle)
8. Slight problem: in June the govt froze millions in funding for training care workers
— Russ Jones (@RussInCheshire) October 5, 2020
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