Emlyn Pearce
Coronavirus has revealed painful political truths in a way that nothing in our lifetimes has done before.
We were told that care workers were ‘unskilled’, that we didn’t need them in the way we need bankers or doctors.
Now we see that they are one of our most important lines of defence in a global health crisis.
We were told we could divide our country from other countries and thrive in splendid isolation.
Now we discover that we are intrinsically connected to our neighbours, and that if a vaccination is developed we will need the cooperation of other countries to access it as quickly as possible.
We were told that a zero hours, gig-based economy where workers must continue to be productive even if they are ill would be to the benefit of all of us.
Now we see that putting work before health costs lives.
We were told that refugees and migrants would bring disease into our country.
Now we discover that wealthy travellers are much more mobile, and therefore much more likely to fuel epidemics.
We were told that our National Health Service could be whittled away and dismantled in the name of money.
Now we discover that without the NHS, we will have no money.
Nothing reveals truth as powerfully as vulnerability.
Whereas the right likes to think that we can build elaborate ivory towers and separate ourselves from others, the left has now been proven correct in its belief that - whether we like it or not - our fate is always bound up in the fate of other people, even if they live on the other side of the world.
Human beings are not separate from each other, we ARE each other.
Human beings are not separate from the economy, we ARE the economy.
A robust public health service is not a luxury that we pay for if we can, it is the very foundation of wealth and security.
Unfortunately, these lessons may have come too late to save us.
We were told we could divide our country from other countries and thrive in splendid isolation.
Now we discover that we are intrinsically connected to our neighbours, and that if a vaccination is developed we will need the cooperation of other countries to access it as quickly as possible.
We were told that a zero hours, gig-based economy where workers must continue to be productive even if they are ill would be to the benefit of all of us.
Now we see that putting work before health costs lives.
We were told that refugees and migrants would bring disease into our country.
Now we discover that wealthy travellers are much more mobile, and therefore much more likely to fuel epidemics.
We were told that our National Health Service could be whittled away and dismantled in the name of money.
Now we discover that without the NHS, we will have no money.
Nothing reveals truth as powerfully as vulnerability.
Whereas the right likes to think that we can build elaborate ivory towers and separate ourselves from others, the left has now been proven correct in its belief that - whether we like it or not - our fate is always bound up in the fate of other people, even if they live on the other side of the world.
Human beings are not separate from each other, we ARE each other.
Human beings are not separate from the economy, we ARE the economy.
A robust public health service is not a luxury that we pay for if we can, it is the very foundation of wealth and security.
Unfortunately, these lessons may have come too late to save us.
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