We’ve now got a clear picture of the Government’s response to the Strait of Hormuz inflation crisis. It is defined by muddle, illiteracy, circular reasoning, cowardice and moral failure.
The news came in hot this week, one item after another: cancellation of the fuel duty rise, plans to cap supermarket prices, sanctions relief for Russia. Each instance was obviously intended to address rising prices. And each instance did so in the most cack-handed way imaginable.
The most severe failure by far concerns Russia. Ukrainians have just been through their worst winter since the war began. Russian strikes have targeted substations, power plants and the electricity network, depriving Ukrainians of energy. Bitter cold rolled in behind the missiles. With wind chill, the temperature outside hit -19°C. Inside people’s homes, the temperature was around 5°C. Residents would try to insulate by sealing their bedroom with bubble wrap or create warmth by heating building bricks on a gas stove.
The impact of persistent cold, like hunger, is to extract the human capacity for determination. When your bodily needs are challenged in this way, you are reduced to need and little else. And yet somehow, Ukrainians have remained utterly committed to the battle for their homeland.
