A famous England win and the usual politicians bringing it home

Ten years ago today, the United Kingdom began a summer romance – with, of course, itself. A few Olympic opening-ceremony nods to the NHS – naturally, featuring more than one patient to a bed – and suddenly, austerity and the hostile environment disappeared, structural racism, sexism and classism vanishing with them. In a surge of collective ecstasy, the nation came together as one, sharing a memorable fortnight of peace, love and unity. And though ticket-pricing made the actual competition inaccessible to almost everyone, happily, the post-Games era of unaffordable homes, worsening poverty and an ailing healthcare system is far more democratic.

Consequently, it was no great surprise to see David Cameron emerge from post-Brexit hiding to trumpet himself on social media disgrace Twitter – and Boris Johnson was there too, congratulating England’s women on their brilliant thrashing of Sweden. These two missives, apparently unrelated, are in fact connected because both feature failed leaders seeking to harness the joy of sport while, at the same time, inadvertently misdirecting from policy disasters that are its precise antithesis: Cameron’s Brexit referendum legitimised and exacerbated racial tensions and economic inequality; Johnson has repeatedly advocated for laws that harm women in disproportionate manner and his government has binned promises to clamp down on sexual harassment and workplace misogyny in its flagship employment bill. Consequently, the response of Liz Truss, minister for women and equalities, is far more telling, so for the benefit of the uninitiated, here it is, in full:

All of which is to say that, although the point of football is simple pleasure, its lessons of teamwork, equality and love must not be