Bill Harvey: I’m no clown, I won’t back down

As of this week, anyone testing positive for Covid-19 will no longer have to self-isolate and support payments for those choosing to self-isolate will end. From April 1, there will no longer be access to free lateral flow tests. Is this reason to cheer?

Surely, this depends on whom you ask. A millionaire chancellor, eyeing future support from big business for his political aspirations, might shout ‘yes’. A head of government, looking for further distance from accusations that historically would have sunk any career, might whisper ‘yes’; while perhaps not realising his choice of April 1 for a major policy change continues to promote a certain image. A tired, mostly vaccinated, population will likely offer a cautious ‘yes’.