Covid 19 and the Myth of British Exceptionalism

Myths are part of our culture. Perhaps they contain a kernel of truth. Then they become legends, which are great stories and entertain, and they don’t harm us. But modern myths can-if somebody really wants to believe in advance that they are true.

‘British Exceptionalism’ is one such myth. This myth suggests that narrow-minded ‘populists’ voted for Brexit, led the Leave campaign, and now govern the country. Blinded by ‘British Exceptionalism’ these ‘populists’ allegedly ignored scientific advice regarding Covid-19 to pursue an overconfident approach totally different to other countries. Belief in this myth comes straight out of the Guardian, the New Staesman and those-especially in universities, who share those publications' world-view. So, its coverage of Brexit, Black Lives Matters and Covid-19 involves reading a fantasy which tells us much more about the writer than about the issues.

Believers in this myth don’t interrogate the evidence critically. They project their existing viewpoint on to it. There has been narrative of earlier lock-down seen in this letters page and from Professor Ferguson. But we can check this from the SAGE meeting minutes and the prof’s own words. Both show his claim to be false and that he and other scientists did not support early lockdown and that the politicians closely followed the scientific advice.

We can understand a leading and somewhat controversial figure wanting to defend his reputation, especially given the questions around the Imperial College model. But we shouldn’t swallow it wholesale. In a year’s time we will have a lot more information and will probably have changed our minds about many things. To do that we need an open mind and critical thinking, not reliance on myth.