Hello and welcome to Spectator Out Loud. Every week a few of our favourite writers read out their articles from the latest issue.

First up this week we'll have Katie Balls, the Spectator's deputy political editor about how the government's COVID optimism is fading fast.

Then we'll be hearing from Douglas Murray, the Spectator's associate editor about how the 2020s will be boring, not roaring.

And finally, Nigel fendell sheds light on the uncomfortable truth about Nazis and the

Olympics. First up, it's Katie Bors. When the news broke on Sunday morning that Boris Johnson and Rishi

Sunak planned to skip self-isolation, availing themselves of a loophole, the reaction was as much

disbelief as fury. Could the Prime Minister

and Chancellor even for a second think it right to excuse themselves from the test and trace

regime that they have imposed on millions? They changed their minds after just a few hours,

but raised wider concerns in the party. What enough are they thinking? And is this typical

of the quality of decision-making we can expect ahead of a tricky few weeks?

Of course, they both had other plans in mind for so-called Freedom Day.

By this point on the roadmap, the hope was that the virus would be in retreat and the UK heading towards a great British summer.

Ministers were counting down to their holidays, while Johnson had spent the past few weeks

focused on returning to his post-COVID domestic agenda, with an underwhelming leveling up speech,

along with plans for his social care announcement to mark his two-year anniversary as Prime Minister.

Now that has been delayed, likely until autumn. Perhaps later, the COVID crisis has not gone away. A lot of people

in government are bored of the pandemic now, but we don't have a choice, says one minister.

Neither will the 4.5 million people forecast to be pinged between now and 16 August, when the

double jab will be exempt from self-isolation. It adds up to a sum of political dysfunction.

There is unease in Westminsterstow about the next few months

and whether Johnson's team is up to the task.

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