This is LBC from Global, leading Britain's conversation with James O'Brien.

It's three minutes after ten you're listening to James O'Brien on LBC.

Very good morning to you. I hope that you're well and God, it's a funny

old life, isn't it? I'm not going to win any prizes for that observation at the top of the

programme, but if you are like me feeling some green shoots of optimism at the fact that

the Prime Minister, the current Prime Minister, appears finally to have adopted a path that bears at least some resemblance to the one

that he absolutely, categorically and irrefutably, should have adopted 12 months ago,

then the minute that little, what did he say yesterday, can't help himself, can he?

The minute that crocus of optimism pokes through the frost of, well, he didn't say,

tens of thousands of avoidable deaths that are absolutely his responsibility.

The minute you feel that crocus of optimism poke through the frost of the carnage, you remember the numbers, don't you?

You know, it feels wrong almost.

I can't come on the radio.

I've bored you with this little personal problem far too many times, but I can't come on the

radio every single morning, railing and shouting and indeed braying about the fact that we have seen

the worst response in the world in countries with a population of over 20 million.

The worst response in the world, the highest death rate per million of population on the

entire blooming planet. With the caveat of the 20 million population and, of course on the entire blooming planet.

With the caveat of the 20 million population and of course the fact that numbering, measuring,

counting in other countries may not have been as reliable as ours.

But I mean, how do you square that?

That's the human condition, I think, isn't it?

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