LONDON, U.K. -- And so, who do you think is the most trusted person in the United Kingdom right now, setting aside Her Majesty the Queen, who would win hands down. Make that, hands up, washed and disinfected.
By the way, I have learned鈥攐r rather, been informed鈥攖hat a squirt of gel sanitizer does not necessarily guarantee full protection. You should also wash your hands because it鈥檚 possible you missed a tiny, vaporous droplet of death.
I trust the source on this one. She let me put hot dogs on the grocery delivery list.
Anyway, the person most trusted in the U.K. to handle coronavirus, according to a poll by Sky News, is the man who鈥檚 been delivering a steady stream of bad news for weeks on end.
Call the doctor.
That would be Prof. Chris Whitty, , praised for his calm, measured advice to the nation鈥攚hen mass hysteria seemed entirely possible.
It earned him the nickname, 鈥淕eek-in-Chief.鈥 I suspect he鈥檒l get a knighthood when this is all over.
Early on, Prof. Whitty predicted there would be many thousands of deaths, and the health service would be overwhelmed, unless drastic measures were taken鈥攎eaning, a countrywide lockdown.
And he promised to deliver the bad news straight up, which he did often during the government鈥檚 daily, televised briefings.
That inspired one cheeky viewer to upload the following message on social media:
鈥淐ancel the Prime Minister, just show Chris Whitty. We need level heads, not blond idiots.鈥
If he is the most trusted public official, who then, , is among the least trustworthy?
That honour, it would appear, includes Matt Hancock, the Secretary of Health, who has been given a commanding role in the country鈥檚 peacetime war against COVID-19.
You might remember him as the man who banned sunbathing.
The poll also tells us that Britons have become sadder and more anxious since the lockdown began. I can confirm that.
To reduce the stress, they have turned to housework, cooking and gardening. That I can鈥檛 confirm.
If we apply the numbers to the whole country, a solid majority believes it鈥檚 too early to the end the lockdown, even though the lockdown is making them sadder and more anxious.
A massive 67 per cent are in favour people working from home and 72 per cent want to protect the elderly by keeping them indoors.
That tells me fear of getting sick and dying still stalks the land, and it鈥檚 okay if the pubs remain closed.
Out of pure self-interest, and a willingness to face the brutal truth, here is what the poll had to say about me. Well, not just me鈥攁bout my honourable profession in general.
Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed鈥64 per cent鈥攄o not trust TV journalists. Worse, 72 per cent do not trust newspaper journalists.
As Shakespeare darkly penned in Romeo and Juliet: 鈥淎 plague on both your houses!鈥
How appropriate.
