Sunday Blog 5: March 9 2020

C-Virus

This now dominates the media at every level. It has wrought havoc in global markets and is now seriously affecting all manner of business and social activities. Many businesses are threatened by the economic backlash. Even the Budget is set to be governed by the mounting drama, much of which is yet to unfold. The government has been accused of being slow off the mark, but I am not sure that is fair. More recently its response has been measured and coherent, unlike the fumbling about in the United States.

There things seem to be on something of a knife edge. We must hope a late start will be remedied by a bumper catch-up. Pence hardly seems the dynamic leader of the hour, although he heads the Federal response. There is a lot at stake for the Vice President and his boss. If things turn bad and the death toll balloons, Trump will stand accused of costing American lives. All hope of a second term will be gone.

Meanwhile it now seems inevitable that in the West a generation which has never had to face major international disruption from some uncontrollable event, will find itself challenged in more ways than one. When the emergency has passed, or perhaps we learn to live with an annual renewal of the C-Virus, we can be sure of one thing. Things will not return to the way they were before. They never do after something like this. People emerge with different priorities and values. That is where the biggest change will be. The terms pre-corona and post-corona will be part of the everyday conversation. They will infect almost every collective decision.

That may be a very good thing.