Monday 16th March 2020
8 of us were present. 7 sent their apologies. At least four people identified the corona virus crisis as being the reason for not attending.
Writing these notes just five days since this meeting, it seems as though the situation has changed much in those days. But this is what we discussed five days ago:
WE commented that there were some positive consequences of the corona virus: reduced carbon footprint; lower pollution levels; and a greater spirit of collaboration in places, (and the we didn’t have to talk about BREXIT). But there were, of course, many negative consequences (apart from health): Trump’s attempts to purchase vaccine research from Germany was a disgrace; hoarding food from shops the worst kind of selfishness; and groups being singled out and blamed (eg Chinese).
We also noted that ministers were now appearing on radio and TV for the first time since the election, when Johnson insisted on ministers not speaking. Was this a real movement towards openness, or simply the government making use of the opportunity to ‘show leadership’?
But on the whole we felt that Johnson was not behaving like Trump and were pleased that scientists were playing a predominant role. Would the same happen when (If??) the government addresses climate change? Also, would the demands of the situation lead to real changes in thinking about the economy? There was some scepticism about this.
We shared our more personal feelings about the corona crisis and were aware that it may be the growth and development of such ‘feelings’ (eg of co-opertion, support, care) amongst the public that may be a greater determinant of future directions than actual policy. We made comparisons with WWII and with The Black Death, both of which led to significant economic change.
We reflected on the possibility that the crisis could either lead to the ending of the Johnson era, or alternatively to its making. We were sorry that, often, the press had the effect of creating anxiety by deliberately expressing this in dramatic terms.
We did also share our different views about the Labour leadership election.
As far as the next meeting was concerned, we considered that individuals should make there own choice to attend.
Events since then make it clear that there will be no meeting of Whats Left at The Anglers in April. I will let you know when any further meeting I planned.