Has Matt Hancock just had a good idea?
Spectator (UK)Jul 03, 2023
The Facts
On Thursday, the UK's National Security Risk Assessment was declassified revealing that there's a one-in-four chance the European nation could face a "catastrophic" pandemic within the next five years.
The analysis, conducted by the UK government, looked at nearly 90 vulnerabilities to determine which posed the most severe threat and would deliver significant impacts. In addition to a major outbreak, the assessment identified artificial intelligence (AI) drone attacks on key infrastructure and energy disruption as other major risks.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
While governments including the UK suffered under the heavy burden of the COVID response, there is good news. If governments apply lessons learned from the recent pandemic, the chances of seeing another are reduced by as much as 71%. Having a strong implementation strategy for rapid vaccine rollout, vaccine distribution infrastructure, and other preparedness and mitigation measures can tamp down the likelihood of seeing another COVID situation or worse.
Establishment-critical narrative
The UK is no better prepared for a pandemic today than they were for COVID in 2020. The government has repeatedly stated that another pandemic is inevitable but at the same time, agencies are dismantling public services and repurposing funding for research that could help to prevent and ultimately manage the next global disease outbreak. Early on in the COVID outbreak, the UK showed impressive resilience and dedication to public health. Sadly, since then, London has failed miserably to act on lessons learned.
