The battle between elected and unelected figures has defined political debate over the past few years. Whether it’s members of the European Commission or anonymous civil servants, discussions over who holds control within the British political system have been at the forefront of social debates. Even now we’ve left the EU, conflict between long term civil servants and the actions of ministers has come under scrutiny. Who do we want to ultimately make decisions? Are we happy for individuals that never face public accountability via elections to wield such influence in our lives?
This is indirectly taking place with the coronavirus outbreak. While my initial reaction is to feel emotional despair and sadness for the over 4,000 people who have died, the focus must now be on preventing more people from catching the virus. Over 500 cases have been confirmed in the UK alone, with over 100,000 people globally having caught the disease. For a virus that was only discovered last Christmas, that is remarkable and terrifying in equal nature. The elected UK government have adopted less authoritarian measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus than other nations. Our fellow European states of France, Ireland, Belgium and Portugal have shut schools and universities while Italy remains on lockdown. President Trump has imposed a 30 day travel ban for citizens within the Schengen area. Yet, while the UK government have moved from a containment to delay phase, Boris Johnson has been remarkably libertarian in his approach. It could be argued he is almost relaxed and lacklustre towards the virus. Our delayed responding to the virus could be wise. Apparently, the number of cases are not expected to peak for a number of months. Though the government want to delay that peak until the summer so there is less strain on the NHS, structural action is clearly lacking. Thanks to a complete lockdown of the Hubei province in China, where the coronavirus first originated, the number of new cases has drastically fallen each day. Though the nation has suffered the vast majority of deaths, the pandemic’s effects are no longer being felt as severely in China compared to others nations. The medical advice clearly seems to be that the government need to do more. Whether this is through wider testing, banning large gatherings and trying to act against coronavirus, the fairly benign response from the UK government, so far, is frightening. While Boris Johnson is sadly correct that individuals will lose loved ones, that is no reassurance if it is *our* loved one. Schools and universities remain open, with the government arguing to close them will create more damage in the long term. Though I understand that parents, who, for example, work in the NHS, taking time off work is costly, I don't feel reassured. Even on a personal level, I pass hundreds of people each day. Only one of those has to have the virus, then fail to wash their hands properly and it is passed on. Criticism has emerged of the government not only from medical experts but politicians like Jeremy Hunt and Rory Stewart who believe the government aren’t responding quickly enough. The current issue of coronavirus can be linked back to historic values of civil liberties. Are we willing to sacrifice civil liberties in the short term to benefit us all in the long term? That has been the case in China and Italy, the worst affected nations by far, not that the individuals have had much of a say. That is surely what an executive, a government is for. We elect a government for five years to make decisions on our behalf. The electorate is aware that ministers rapidly have to respond to changing events. While I believe the mantra of ‘something must be done’ for the sake of it is populist, simplistic and can lead to poor legislation, surely the continued allowance of large crowds and open schools isn’t desirable. While talk of shutting Parliament down hasn’t come to pass - justified through MPs being super spreaders - a number of MPs are already having to cancel surgeries and self isolate. Coronavirus has the potential to affect us all, regardless of age or wealth. However, there are clearly certain groups who will be more affected. This inherently highlights the need for medical experts. While MPs and ministers are elected to cover a broad range of issues, it is only thanks to specialist civil servants and those experts that we objectively understand what is taking place. It is without doubt that older individuals and people with other health conditions are far more likely to suffer. We are reliant on that knowledge of experts telling us what to do: whether it’s washing hands, self isolating or maintaining caution. Individuals should celebrate that advice to try and improve the situation. While young people like myself are unlikely to suffer, I know I have a duty to prevent more mature and elderly generations from catching the disease. Coronavirus is not going to disappear any time soon. We are very much in the early stages of this outbreak. As all the reports show, the UK peak outbreak isn’t going to be reached for quite some time. The homepage of every news organisation has been devoted to coronavirus for weeks, there is no sign of that changing. An individual response is taking place and continuing; each of us must take responsibility to try and avoid catching the virus. If we do catch it, we have an even greater responsibility to prevent passing it to others. A more structural response is also vital. Medical advice on the virus and its developments is welcome and necessary, given so many of us aren’t experts whatsoever on this pandemic. Politicians must listen and then decide on their political response. Are schools going to be shut? Will large gatherings be a thing of the past? Indeed, the one benefit of this crisis might be the discussions it creates about globalisation and the future of work, whether related to health, travelling to an office or the future of education. Politicians should make these decisions not on a whim, but on the advice they receive and what they genuinely believe to be best for the nation. That, after all, is what we the people elected them to do.
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Author:Noah enjoys writing a blog and drinking tea Archives
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