Steve McGookinGovernment sticks to May vaccine target
In light of questions this week over the efficacy of the Oxford/Astra Zeneca vaccine in dealing with the South African variant of Covid-19, the UK government said it was optimistic that everyone in the country over 50 years old would be offered their initial vaccination by May. More than 12m people in the UK have already been given their first injection.
In Northern Ireland, about one-in-five of the total adult population has received a first dose, including 90 per cent of those over 80, while a similar percentage of care home residents have received their second dose.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to lay out plans for a “roadmap out of lockdown” on February 22nd, including the possibility that pubs could re-open in April if they don’t sell alcohol.
The UK will begin compulsory hotel quarantine for many arriving travelers from February 15th, but there has been criticism that the plans are too little, too late.
Capt Sir Tom Moore died this week after testing positive for Covid-19.
See Also:
Leaders Need To Lead: The Executive and Covid-19
Life Is Harder Right Now. We Should Be Kinder To Ourselves
The Covid-19 Vaccine Explained
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Trump impeachment trial set to begin
Against a backdrop of continuing debate over President Joe Biden’s Covid relief bill, his predecessor’s historic Senate trial on charges of inciting insurrection is set to get under way on Tuesday.
A narrow majority of Americans say that Donald Trump should be convicted and barred from holding public office again – a higher number than supported his impeachment the first time round – but of course they won’t be the ones deciding. Most Republican Senators have already voted to say the impeachment is unconstitutional and so are unlikely to be convinced to convict, in spite of impassioned pleas from Congressional Democrats this week for them to remember the seriousness of what happened on January 6th.
Whatever the outcome, however, the future of the Republican party in a post-Trump world is going to be fascinating to watch as different factions, some more tethered to reality than others, jostle for power.
Voting technology company Smartmatic filed a $2.7 billion lawsuit against Fox News and a number of pro-Trump personalities over a “disinformation campaign” which the company said had falsely made it “the villain” of the 2020 election narrative.
The following day, one of those named in the suit, Fox host Lou Dobbs, was dropped by the network.
For President Biden, meanwhile, probably the easiest decision he will make in his first 100 days will be to prevent Donald Trump from having access to classified security and intelligence briefings.
Former Secretary of State George Shultz passed away on Saturday, aged 100.
See Also:
From The Big Lie To A Great Undoing
‘Celtic’ Biden’s Call To Irish-America
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Protests against military coup in Myanmar
Thousands of people joined protests on the streets of Myanmar against last week’s military crackdown and the detention of the nation’s elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, citing unsubstantiated claims of election fraud.
Famously, the start of the coup last Monday unfolded in the background of a video by an unwitting aerobics instructor.
The demonstrations towards the end of the week took place despite a communications blackout and restrictions on the internet across the country, and perhaps indicates a generational shift from previous periods of military rule.
In India, meanwhile, farmers have been mounting protests for the past few weeks over proposed agriculture reforms.
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Brexit fallout deepens
One month into Brexit, and there is no shortage of stories of “teething problems” as well as anger at the government over changes to business arrangements and new trading rules which have come at the worst possible time – during a global pandemic.
And there are warnings of worse to come…
In an editorial, The Observer wrote: “People have spent their lives painstakingly building up a livelihood, only to find it wiped out almost overnight by a government that has eagerly embraced new barriers to trade. They are existing in a warped reality, where it suits neither the government nor the opposition to acknowledge the gravity of their situation. And so, even as jobs disappear and incomes plummet, there will be little political accountability for the flawed political choices that have brought us here.”
Meanwhile, here in Northern Ireland, the political row inevitably continues over implementation of the Protocol.
There were also questions this week about consistency of policing and the role of the PSNI. Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill warned of a “crisis of confidence” in the police among nationalists and said she would be meeting on Monday morning with Chief Constable Simon Byrne.
As Brexit continues to prompt a broad discussion of all aspects of the constitutional future of the United Kingdom, Downing Street this week apparently came up with a sure-fire way to preserve the union.
The mere thought of such a brilliant intervention was enough to inspire the Scots to capture the Calcutta Cup at Twickenham on Saturday.
See Also:
The Long Way Home – Finding A Way Through The Brexit Debacle?
Northern Irish Parties And Europe
Reinforcing Northern Ireland’s In-Betweenness
Public Opinion and Northern Ireland’s Future – What Does The Latest Polling Tell Us?
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You wanted a return to normality? Tom Brady just won the Super Bowl again
Sunday night saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs to win the 55th Super Bowl. The game didn’t turn out to be the match-up people were expecting, however, as the defending champion Chiefs’ young star Patrick Mahomes could only watch 43-year-old Quarterback Tom Brady win a record 7th championship in his tenth appearance, cementing his position as the greatest player in the history of the sport.
Brady – who is the only QB to win multiple Super Bowls in his 40s – has now won more titles than any team. And he says he’s coming back.
The game was also notable for the Bucs having two women coaches, Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar; while Sarah Thomas became the first female member of an NFL refereeing crew to officiate at a Super Bowl.
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See Also Last Week’s Five Points:
Also published on Medium.
