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The UK media is mostly right-wing and supportive of our right-wing government so it's interesting to see how other countries have covered how we have dealt with the coronavirus.
Germany
German broadcaster ZDF describes the UK’s response as a "fatal failure", summarising: "The only thing that is constant: the prime minister’s boasting of sentences like: 'We will have the world’s best tracing system' or 'I am proud of what we have achieved' or 'We lead the world in our response on Corona'."
The USA
Over in the United States, The New York Times tells its readers that "England’s ‘world beating’ system to track the virus is anything but". Explaining the UK government’s failures, it says: "As with much of the government’s response to the pandemic... the results have fallen short of the promises, jeopardising the reopening of Britain’s hobbled economy and risking a second wave of death in one of the countries most debilitated by the virus."
The Washington Post wrote: "The British government’s response to the coronavirus has been a disaster". It argues that the British strategy was "flawed" and that the government was only belatedly realising it had made a mistake.
Australia
In Australia, The Age newspaper was asking as early as May: "Where did Britain go wrong?" and described the UK response as "the biggest failure in a generation".
New Zealand
The New Zealand Herald meanwhile describes scenes of crowded beaches in the UK, encouraged by Boris Johnson this week, in Britain as "unbelievable".
France
French newspaper Liberation coverage of a press conference by Boris Johnson noted that "The contrast between his joviality and the grey faces of the scientific advisers standing by his side was striking."
Japan
Japan’s Asahi Shumbun newspaper informed readers that the UK’s high death toll is explained by: "The UK was late in imposing a lockdown, with limited action compared to European countries where the spread of infection spreads earlier"
Italy
Italy’s Repubblica newspaper asked whether the Dominic Cummings scandal will have an effect on compliance with the test and trace system. "How will citizens behave now after the scandal of Dominic Cummings, Boris’s 'Rasputin’'?" and noted that Boris Johnson "has defended him strenuously" despite breaking lockdown rules. "The risk of 'anarchist' behaviour is increasingly widespread," it stated.
Clearly, the British government's failures during the coronavirus crisis have not gone unnoticed by the world's media. They are right to point out how disastrously we have handled the situation.
Germany
German broadcaster ZDF describes the UK’s response as a "fatal failure", summarising: "The only thing that is constant: the prime minister’s boasting of sentences like: 'We will have the world’s best tracing system' or 'I am proud of what we have achieved' or 'We lead the world in our response on Corona'."
The USA
Over in the United States, The New York Times tells its readers that "England’s ‘world beating’ system to track the virus is anything but". Explaining the UK government’s failures, it says: "As with much of the government’s response to the pandemic... the results have fallen short of the promises, jeopardising the reopening of Britain’s hobbled economy and risking a second wave of death in one of the countries most debilitated by the virus."
The Washington Post wrote: "The British government’s response to the coronavirus has been a disaster". It argues that the British strategy was "flawed" and that the government was only belatedly realising it had made a mistake.
Australia
In Australia, The Age newspaper was asking as early as May: "Where did Britain go wrong?" and described the UK response as "the biggest failure in a generation".
New Zealand
The New Zealand Herald meanwhile describes scenes of crowded beaches in the UK, encouraged by Boris Johnson this week, in Britain as "unbelievable".
France
French newspaper Liberation coverage of a press conference by Boris Johnson noted that "The contrast between his joviality and the grey faces of the scientific advisers standing by his side was striking."
Japan
Japan’s Asahi Shumbun newspaper informed readers that the UK’s high death toll is explained by: "The UK was late in imposing a lockdown, with limited action compared to European countries where the spread of infection spreads earlier"
Italy
Italy’s Repubblica newspaper asked whether the Dominic Cummings scandal will have an effect on compliance with the test and trace system. "How will citizens behave now after the scandal of Dominic Cummings, Boris’s 'Rasputin’'?" and noted that Boris Johnson "has defended him strenuously" despite breaking lockdown rules. "The risk of 'anarchist' behaviour is increasingly widespread," it stated.
Clearly, the British government's failures during the coronavirus crisis have not gone unnoticed by the world's media. They are right to point out how disastrously we have handled the situation.
