I have always tried to use an expanded vocabulary. While I don’t like to be pretentious, and dislike snobs as much as the next person, I try not to repeat the same phrases and words that so dominate the public discourse. Perhaps there has always been a part of me that doesn’t like going along with the crowd. I have always preferred not to stick out but to deviate from the conventional wisdom wherever possible. That being said, in these strangest of times, it is impossible not to repeat the same kind of phrases.
You’ll have heard them before: ‘stay safe’, ‘I hope you’re keeping well’, ‘I just want life to return to normal.’ I mean all these phrases most genuinely whenever I say them. I want people to stay well, adhere to the lockdown rules (even when those rules discomfort me) and for life to go back to how it was. I imagine that is how many others feel. Despite the dreaded commute many faced, awkward office meetings and chaotic school run, people want a return to how things were. When events that were a staple part of the year - the Cambridge v Oxford Boat Race for example - weren’t cancelled. When individuals could walk freely outside, no worry in the world that they might be passing someone with the virus. Yet I don’t believe this latter phase will now happen. Thinking about it, I’m not sure life will ever return to complete normality. Even after the UK gradually phases out of the lockdown, the time after coronavirus is going to feel very strange. Those commutes may return, but everything that had become the conventional wisdom about how our lives are lived will have turned upside down. We have all been affected - to different extents - by the coronavirus. It is a truly global phenomenon. The most important factor will of course be the death toll. Whether or not those who passed away were already the elderly who had lived long lives, every death should be regarded as tragic. The families of victims of the virus should have access to all the help and support they require in dealing with this grief and coping for the future. But beyond this, we need to look towards the future. And the future picture is not an optimistic one, especially economically. It doesn't take a genius to work out the UK is heading into a severe recession, if not a depression. The lack of people working and purchasing will inevitably mean GDP falls quite dramatically, as will be reflected around the world. This comes at the same time as the government spends billions ensuring businesses don’t go bust and workers are retained. All this money, which is being added to our national debt, will have to be repaid eventually. The UK is indeed £2 trillion in debt. The only ways this can happen is more austerity or higher taxation. While we may be pleased at the government’s support now, the economic forecast for the future can only be bleak. Assuming people are able to return to work, what sort of work will they value? I wouldn’t be surprised if more people decided to work from home on a permanent basis. If it saves a tiresome commute, there is every reason to understand why people may prefer working from home. Through this may seem positive, I worry what it means for those who rely on public transport for getting around and fulfilling their employment role. People will always need transport. If it isn’t used, the services will naturally be cut. That will help neither the old nor the young. Online learning is no bad thing. I have long thought schools should utilise the power of the internet to the best advantage, ensuring people had the ability to learn more information and engage properly with the internet world. Of course, this is easy enough to do at school. Provided the internet system is working effectively, this is no bother. At home, it is far harder. The access to internet is more difficult, parents are struggling with their own work and other domestic chores. The same priorities are simply not present, the situation is far harder and worrying for others. People are individually trying to cope with the virus. I do so dislike the comparisons to wartime. While the enemy is coronavirus, it can be defeated eventually. Language of fighters and tackling against the herd is also wearisome and offers little contribution to the debate. However, it does feel like we have entered some form of rationing. While there are no official guidelines from the government, it is clear supermarkets are prioritising certain foods and products. Though I have wanted to take up baking, the resources sometimes simply aren’t in place for cooking to take place. Rightly, the essentials have been prioritised. It does make me question the future of supply chains, how much food we import from abroad and our dependence on other nations for products. I’m no expert, but everyone needs food, that’s for certain. Much of the attention and discussion has rightly focused on health experts and pressing issues. Whether it’s NHS staff having the correct protective equipment or the number of tests being conducted, funding is clearly necessary to ensure the resources are there. This is on top of ensuring staff are paid well. We have clapped for carers, but I would quite happily pay more tax as an adult if it meant workers were paid well and funding was being directed to the correct resources. Given the number of coronavirus cases is on the rise in care homes, it is clear that older people are likely to suffer more. We have to consider what an effective end to life means. It has been pleasing, nonetheless, to see scientists alongside government ministers at daily press conferences. The UK’s approach should surely be guided by the science. However, accountability and the final decision making process must rest with politicians. I fear that some leaders, wishing to avoid responsibility for whatever goes wrong, could all too easily hand over decision making processes or announcements to scientists, allowing them to take the hit for errors. This can’t be allowed to happen. It is politicians who have been elected towards the highest role of governing our country and being accountable. They must take responsibility for what goes right or wrong. Coronavirus is not something that can or should be depoliticised. There are clear roles in place for the opposition parties: they must scrutinise the government’s actions. That is why it is right Parliament will virtually return next week so the government can be held accountable. I don’t want party political scoring points. I do however want constructive disagreement and attention towards the government’s overarching powers, not least related to our civil liberties. We need an awareness of the government’s exit strategy through allowing people to return to work. Similarly, the government’s approach should be scrutinised as events are developed. Whatever reduces the number of deaths has to be welcomed. Easter has just passed. There, the timings are BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini). Now, the times will be Before Coronavirus and After Coronavirus. It is something that students will come to learn about in centuries afterwards as a revolutionary period of time. How did the world response? Which nations followed the correct approach? So far, the UK’s response has hardly been effective. Compared to somewhere like New Zealand (which granted has a small population), which has managed to overcome the virus, the UK looks set to have one of the worst death tolls. After coronavirus, life will never go back to normal for any of us.
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