The Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak has shocked the world. We don’t know how this will end. With luck it will be soon and with decreasing numbers being taken from us day by day.

We’ve all witnessed the shocking daily announcements; from school closures, working at home (if you can), the self-isolating and social distancing measures, the grim daily tally of the recently deceased, hospital footage or the announcement that the Prime Minister had been admitted to intensive care.

One thing is certain and that is the widespread recognition that the world can never be the same again.

The weekly stepping out of our front doors to applaud key workers in the NHS, social care, transport, retail and all the sectors where people have had to carry on to keep society functioning has inspired everyone. The world has changed.

John Lennon famously said “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”. The very recent history of our approach to dealing with this outbreak and the recent history of the last decade have taught us this truth.

Notably, that proactive government involvement in our society is essential for protecting life, livelihood and wellbeing. The government’s interventions to save the economy in the wake of the financial crash in 2008 is another example of how the proactive state is a necessity. Two enormous examples in ten years. That’s a trend in anyone’s eyes.

This month also saw the conclusion of the Labour Party leadership contest. It is interesting to wonder how the departing Jeremy Corbyn might regard the “more Corbyn than Corbyn” government actions arising from the pandemic, particularly in the wake of the December election. My money’s on a wry smile, watching our politicians catch up with recognising the need for their own involvement in our world.

  • Matt Turmaine is a Labour councillor for Watford Holywell