Lessons from the first wave

Neglecting certain sectors of society and proving wholly inadequate, the response of the political class to the effects of the pandemic must be recalibrated.

Image from Flickr.

In June, three months into the UK’s battle with coronavirus, I wrote a short piece documenting how Chancellor Rishi Sunak could potentially pave the way for a more just and equal society once the pandemic is over. Some half a year on, potentially staring down the barrel of two months or more spent indoors,  it is imperative that we assess where we are, what lessons we may have learnt in time for the roll-out of a vaccine and how our economy will be shaped going forward. News this week reported that the UK government has reneged on its “everyone in” policy that housed the homeless in the first lockdown, which is hugely symbolic of an economic system that is failing to provide for its citizens, especially with cases still at an alarming level. Given the events of the last nine months, it might be time to dampen expectations for 2021. 

With the polls suggesting that Rishi Sunak is the most popular political figure in the UK, and BBC News revering him quite literally as a superhero in July, you would be forgiven for thinking that the UK had not suffered over 80,000 Covid-related deaths and that Sunak had not presided over the most severe immediate economic downturn of any country in the G7. In fact, his encouragement for workers to return to the office as early as August to revive the economy was near-callous, and a reflection of the country’s mindless sleepwalking into a deadly second wave, despite the warnings of epidemiologists. Where this, along with his reported reluctance for lockdown measures, can go down as a clear failure of judgement, other potential errors are less obvious and should be investigated.

Worldwide, government spending is at record highs in response to the huge negative shock of the coronavirus pandemic which is reassuring, signalling that governments are committed to offsetting pandemic-induced economic pain. The UK’s borrowing has been almost identically mapped by increases in money “printing,” demonstrating the Bank of England’s willingness to support such stabilising measures. However, the government has rightfully come under criticism for potentially misusing public money, with a reported £1.5 billion being given to firms linked to Conservative party donors, some of which had no expertise in the areas in which they were contracted for. You would be justified for being outraged that a country that relies on a century-old veteran to fund its vital state services could be so reckless in dishing out billions of pounds worth of contracts to their wealthy friends. 

Furthermore, for a country that has recently not been too familiar with state spending, as has been parroted by pundits assuring us there is no “magic money tree,” one would expect that the money the government does decide to hand out would go to those who need it. However, with the furlough scheme still not covering millions of excluded workers, and redundancies increasing dramatically in anticipation of the end of the now-extended furlough scheme, the absence of attentiveness from the chancellor is distressing. The lack of high-profile support for these people is all the more troublesome, with the leader of the opposition, Keir Starmer, failing to mention such inadequacies when he told BBC News that there was “nothing” missing from the new lockdown plans. As firms and workers alike continue to teeter on a knife-edge this winter, they will be crying out for some backing. It is still the case that individuals claiming statutory sick pay receive less than £100 a week, so do not be surprised that Covid-19 has spread in places of work when employees simply cannot afford to self-isolate.

Unfortunately, this lack of support is a damning indictment of the failure of the political class in recognising those most affected by the pandemic. The National Education Union published demands back in June ensuring a safe return to work, but these were ignored and met with a “no ifs, no buts” approach to opening schools again from the Labour party, who would traditionally support them. With some teachers estimated to be over three times more likely to have Covid-19 than the general population, we can be thankful that they are finally able to work safely this half-term. Worrisome still, is that many students still have no access to Wi-Fi or a computer, something that could easily have been addressed and paid for in summer, when the government chose to subsidise Nandos instead. Thankfully, many children are at least being provided free-school meals in this lockdown, something passionately campaigned for by footballer Marcus Rashford last year, even if some of these provisions are woefully inadequate, and furthermore, not due to be provided during February half term, raising fresh concerns.

There are so many things that we should be attuned to in this round of new measures, and we must make sure things do not slip under the radar. Students, plunged into thousands of pounds of debt and advised not to return to university are at the epicentre of Covid-related disruption, and must not forget the carelessness that they, along with many others, have been treated with in the last few months. The road to normality seems less hazy than before, and there is light at the end of the tunnel in the form of mass-vaccination. But for some, their “normal” entails pain and anguish, and they should be looked after, and more importantly, fought for.

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