SANDRA CHAPMAN writes: ‘Covid takes a back seat as Boris takes on the Russians’

I belong to the former and the political comings and goings have been quite exciting since Boris Johnson came on board as Prime Minister.

Not a day goes past that I don’t browse a newspaper to get the detailed stories because television news is always tailored to fit a time leaving a lot of the interesting stuff out.

Boris may or may not survive to continue as Prime Minister but whichever way it goes we are hardly likely to forget him and this particular moment in history with the Russians itching to invade Ukraine is nail-biting to say the least.

Russia is a country rich in gas, a commodity the rest of the leading countries in the world are short of.

Some don’t have any so Putin can threaten invasion almost wherever he wants, though in the current scenario he is facing severe punishment if he goes ahead.

Yes, he would love to own Ukraine and maybe he picked a good time to have a go, given the problems Boris and other leaders have created for themselves.

Boris, as we all know, forgot about the rules he had created for the rest of us and allowed free-for-all parties at No. 10 during the Covid crisis when we were forced to cower in our homes, only going out masked to the eyeballs and keeping a good distance from anyone we met.

Remember when we couldn’t go to the pub or have a dinner out?

Yes, I doubt I will ever forget it.

Being marooned at home sounds OK until you’ve had a week of it without visitors or callers of any kind.

The Prime Minister admits to very little during the worst of the lockdown period when his staff were living it up and he, no doubt, was getting to know his new born child. Now the police are involved and Boris and the No.10 staff are well and truly in the doghouse.

But not everyone agrees they broke the rules.

In fact judging by some of the readers’ letters in the various newspapers people were kicking up a fuss about nothing.

Who didn’t know someone or others also ignoring the rules determined to have a good time as they normally do?

Alas, the families burying their dead, struck down by the evil virus were in a different world.

It’s only now they are raising their voices and some of their stories are heart-breaking.

Politicians will move on though it is clear some are still in there wanting their voices to be heard because there could be an election soon and goodness they don’t want to lose their generous salaries.

But all wrong-doing has its day. And would you believe it, by the middle of this week the whole Covid episode was dropped from the front pages of some dailies.

The official report on the No. 10 shenanigans lasted just two days in the papers.

In fact the more serious situation for Ukraine was barely getting a mention before Page three. How many of us could point the country out on a map?

Must confess I wasn’t sure myself.