Sir, –Regarding the UK approach to handling the coronavirus pandemic, your London editor, Denis Staunton, never a fan of British prime minister Boris Johnson, reports that his "bumbling, jokey persona is poorly suited to a crisis of this nature and he has struggled to rise to the occasion over the past two weeks" ("Boris Johnson is gambling with the health of his citizens", Analysis, March 21st).
This would seem at odds with a YouGov poll published at the weekend which showed that a majority of Brits are confident that Mr Johnson is making the right decisions on the crisis. And his approval ratings far outstrip those of the media darlings SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon and London mayor Sadiq Khan. This follows an earlier Ipsos/Mori poll giving the Tories their highest approval ratings since the days of Margaret Thatcher and a clear 22 points ahead of the dysfunctional Labour Party.
Interestingly there is no room in Denis Staunton’s piece for news of the UK government’s unprecedented financial intervention guaranteeing 80 per cent of the salaries of people unable to work because of Covid-19. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.
Surely The Irish Times could rise to the occasion by putting aside its Brit-bashing partisanship, if only for the duration of this global crisis ? – Yours, etc,
KEN ANDREW.
Cobh, Co Cork.