A few principles should inform how the Government – any government – responds to what is a devastating act of God that affects all of us. They are:
1) The vulnerable, those who can’t look after themselves, need more help than most.
2) If certain behaviours help to keep all of us safe, they should be incentivised.
3) If vital infrastructure and services are at risk of collapse, and the market cannot bear the cost of restoring them, those costs should be socialised, or shared between all of us, with the wealthy shouldering the lion’s share.
Here I am thinking of the genuine risks that, if, as the Government has said, a fifth of employees will end up self-isolating (and that may be an understatement) maintaining everything from payment systems to broadband will become challenging (I am not being alarmist; business leaders have shared their fears with me about the risk of systemic collapse).
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in