I have tended to say little about the current pandemic in this blog, partly because I’m sure that you have heard it all anyway, and partly because my primary aim on these occasions is to think about the link between my art and the rest of life. Tonight, however, I am making an exception.
An extremely widely repeated slogan in the UK, used in connection with the virus outbreak, is the phrase, “We’re all in this together.” The intention to build up a sense of social solidarity is evident. I was reminded earlier this evening, however, of the need to challenge this innocuous-sounding phrase. Of course it sounds quite unexceptionable at first hearing. Of course we are “all in it together”, aren’t we? This virus is no respecter of persons, witness the fact that our Prime Minister has gone down with it. Wait minute, however, and ask yourself who are the people who are most exposed to risk, and who are bearing the greatest burden of keeping the rest of us safe and well.
The answer to that question seems to be those groups of people who supply most of our immediate, necessary services, including not only health workers (evidently in the front line) but also workers in transport, refuse collection, retail supply and similar occupations. These are people who do not have the privilege of being able to work at home, or in some other way ensure their distance from infection. The group also includes those who have no choice but to continue to work because they are in other services such as education (in Britain schools are not completely closed) and “front line” workers for the municipality. As it happens, these are often the categories of employee who are paid less than a good salary, whose hours are long or anti-social.
I wonder whether at some point in this crisis somebody will actually correlate the statistics for infection by this disease and income, or employment status. I have to recognise that as a retired person with a good occupational pension the current crisis really is not a tremendous burden for me, and even brings with it some advantages. Many, however, are far less fortunate.
The point was made last night, I gather, with tremendous effect by a newsreader called Emily Maitless, on our Newsnight programme. It should be given much wider circulation, and for that reason I’m trying to do my bit. Well done, Emily! Indeed, we are not “all in it together.”