Is It Tomorrow Yet? (Ivan Krastev)

Ivan Krastev

Is It Tomorrow Yet?* Paradoxes of the Pandemic

A very topical essay on how the current Covid-19 pandemic may, or may not, fundamentally change the way that we live from a political perspective. Whether regimes will become more democratic or more tyrannical, how the population will respond through nationalism or embracing others, whether democratic regimes will force more decisions through the executive rather than through parliaments and how the European experiment will fare area all intelligently explored. Of course we don't know the answers as yet and although likely scenarios are covered the author does state that the roads we travel down are as yet unknown. An interesting angle is that whilst despotic regimes, if not all in power, like a bit of chaos to whip up public opinion in their favour it's usually manufactured or at least stage managed to ensure more power goes to those already in power. Give or take a political party but no revolutionary upheavals certainly in Europe. But the pandemic is different as it blind sided nearly everyone and all countries responses were broadly similar for fear of getting it wrong and being seen to have endangered many lives whilst it was obvious that we should be doing what other countries are. Which is why so much of the world is now under more stringent attacks on civil liberties that anyone could have imagined 12 months ago. Three quarters of the population of England are in Tier 4 as I write meaning that we are not allowed to leave our houses except for specific reasons including going to work in essential services, school or for limited exercise. It is illegal to be outside without a good reason. I'm sure that re-reading that in 5 years will seem incredible. As an aside the UK has left the EU as of 1st January 2020 and the transition period ends tomorrow (31/12/20). The EU nations showed their lack of commitment to their experiment by closing country borders in response to the pandemic and keeping all equipment including personal protection equipment (PPE) inside their borders indeed refusing to send any to the first affected countries such as Italy who were desperate. As per the Great Recession of 2008 the richer EU nations such as Germany and France have shown their scorn for the other EU nations and made it clear that they are only in the EU to further their economic interests. The pandemic has shone a spotlight on many areas of political and economic life across the world and as Krastev suggests may lead to de-globalisation (countries need to be able to resource themselves) whilst also paradoxically leading to de-localisation (as we see our neighbours less than those far from us through the media and video links). A thought provoking read.