Democracy and Covid-19

Democratic government in the UK can only prosper when the country’s institutions are strong and functioning well. A healthy institutional life prevents ambitious individuals from gaining excessive personal power. Many of our most important institutions are closely connected to the Government itself – Parliament, the Civil Service, the Judiciary, the Police, Local Councils. It is vital, in the interests of democracy, that they have independent identities and clearly understood and defined responsibilities. Other institutions are more detached from Government. Some have a national role, like the BBC, the NHS, leading charities and Trades Unions, but most are more limited in scope. They are nonetheless important in maintaining a social structure within which democracy can operate.

Two processes are undermining these institutions. One is globalism, which has resulted in the creation of world-wide corporations beyond the political control of the UK, or any national government, other, perhaps, than China and the USA. Their financial muscle and their ability to shape opinion are huge and expanding. The other process is political opposition, which has the effect of a steady decline in respect and trust for these institutions. They are often depicted as wasteful, enemies of the interests of ordinary people and bastions of a minority’s self-interests.  Financial penalties follow.

There may be truth in some of these accusations, and reforms may need to be made. The overall effect of such “populist” attacks, however, is a fragmentation of society, which means that those who seek power can appeal unhindered directly to the people. This endangers true democracy. Sometimes a measure of delay and inefficiency is a price that has to be paid to avoid an unhealthy centralisation of power.

One effect of Covid-19 has been a sudden and unprecedented centralisation of power, at least in peace time. This has been necessary, for a while, in order to save lives. But the disease has also highlighted the vital importance of public institutions. The NHS, the BBC, the Police, the Civil Service and Local Authorities are all absolutely vital to tackling it.

Hopefully, when it has all calmed down, the country’s debt to these organisations, and to a multitude of others, including religious and charitable ones, will result in a greater respect for their social role and an increased willingness to provide them with the money they need to do their job well. In view of the global nature of the threat, like others we face, there will hopefully also be a increased desire for more international co-operation among the world’s democracies. Part of the benefit of this could be to achieve some measure of political control over ever-more powerful international business.

There is a danger, of course, that once Government has taken increased power, it will be reluctant to give it up. It is not hard to imagine the plea being made that today’s challenges need strong leadership, action not debate, and that losing personal and institutional freedoms are sacrifices worth making if they get in the way of decisive and effective action. That way lies autocracy, and must be resisted. Another danger is a continued retreat into a narrow nationalism, in which problems are blamed on outsiders and barriers are thrown up in order to protect ourselves from the alien other.

We need to hope and pray that we learn the right lessons from Covid-19, that democratic Government survives in good health and that the world unites in confronting whatever challenges lie in the years and generations to come.

Covid-19

It feels like someone has just pressed the world’s reset button. One minute life jogs along pretty much as usual. The next, we have to start thinking in new ways about everything. The repercussions reverberate in every direction – work, health, politics, family, finance, leisure, etc. etc.. On a personal front, last week we visited a museum, went out for a family meal, did our regular volunteering with a charity and walked with our walking group; I sang at my choir’s weekly rehearsal, led a Bible study at church, attended my art group and led a funeral service. Now, none of it would be possible. In every area of life – politics, economics, business, sport – both within the UK and internationally, the same radical disruption has occurred.  Crisis deliberations are taking place, and far-reaching decisions are being made, at every level of society.

The practicalities of working out how to cope with Covid-19 are huge, but it also highlights other underlying issues. As a global pandemic, it reminds us of the unity of humanity, respecting neither national boundaries or other ethnic, cultural or religious differences that divide us. It was already becoming clear that we need to work together globally to meet the environmental and other challenges humanity faces, and this virus powerfully forces us to face up to this reality. Organizations that facilitate international co-operation, such as the United Nations, should receive the support and resources they need to do their job, and every country, even the wealthiest ones, need to recognize they cannot stand alone.

The virus is no respecter of persons in terms of who it infects, but as with many other threats to people’s welfare, it will be the poor and vulnerable who stand to suffer most. Those in insecure employment or accommodation, or on benefits, let alone any caught up in the epidemic in refugee camps or war zones, will find coping with it – even surviving it – most difficult. It shows up the damaging inequalities that divide us, and the duty of care on the part of the most privileged, both between and within nations.

The current situation dramatically demonstrates the folly of putting our whole confidence in our own achievements and abilities. An organism too small to be seen and one of the simplest forms of life explodes the myth of humanity’s self-sufficiency and our capacity to find technological solutions to all life’s problems. Science is an immensely powerful tool to improve human life, but today we have to humbly acknowledge that we are not the masters of our destiny that we might have thought. On a personal level, the virus reveals our mortality, something we accept intellectually, but are slow to acknowledge in practice. Politically, it demonstrates the limitations of those in power.

The imposed inactivity and resulting financial crisis is a huge worry to many individuals and businesses. A few will inevitably seek to take advantage of it for personal gain. But also, for those not in immediate and critical need, it provides an opportunity for reflection. As the routines of work and leisure have been removed, many of us face what is in effect a forced sabbatical or retreat, providing time for a reassessment of our priorities. What difference this will make in the long run, both personally and politically, remains to be seen, but there is a possibility, once the pandemic is over, of lessons to be learned and changes made for the better.