The lesson of #Covid-19 is that its labour that makes our economy work, not capital.

So here we are. The Coronavirus pandemic rumbles on and we haven't reached the peak yet. Our incompetent and malevolent government still hasn't managed to source and distribute to NHS staff the protective gear they need. Daily, we see shocking scenes of NHS staff struggling to cope with improvised masks and gowns. In addition, they still haven't managed to provide any real support for the five million self-employed people in the UK, and the Universal Credit system is in crisis with a backlog of 500,000 applicants. 

Many nonessential workers such as construction workers and workers in call centres are being forced to continue working putting themselves and others at risk.

The latest scandal is that the government, instead of cooperating with other EU states to source ventilators has decided to go it alone and instead of sourcing them from the UK manufacturers has approached Dyson the hoover maker which has decamped to Singapore!

The big news yesterday was that Prince Charles has tested positive for the virus at a time when NHS staff still can't get tested. And so it goes on, a catalogue of failures which is going to cost more lives.

But this crisis has taught us an important lesson. It's not capital or capitalists which makes our economy function its workers - nurses, cleaners, deliverers, postal workers, supermarket workers, care home workers and more. What do all these people have in common? They're all low paid and under-valued.

And that's the nub of it. In the 2008 crash governments bailed out the banks but would we have missed them? No. The government could have nationalised them and let the 'investors' go to the wall. Instead, it made the rest of us pay for the banks' misdeeds through austerity. You can run an economy without private sector banks but you can't run it without workers and consumers.

James Meadway's thoughtful article for Novaramedia is worth reading on this. He says:

"Once people are too sick to work, or forced to self-isolate, the conventional operation of the labour market begins to break down. The division of labour – the secret to capitalism’s immense gains in productivity, as Adam Smith pointed out 250 years ago – itself is called into question: the present allocation of work between different parts of the economy is suddenly and, of necessity, forcibly altered."

What's clear is that, as James says, our economy needs to be fundamentally reworked for the benefit of those that make it work. I'm not as optimistic as he is. I have no doubt that when the crisis has passed the government will work hard to return to Brexit and business as usual - as if nothing happened. It will point the finger in any direction it can to avoid blame and will be supported by propagandists in the BBC and the media.

Whatever the outcome it's clear that thousands will die but it's unlikely that the death toll will exceed the 130,000 victims of Tory austerity.

The war against #COVID19: what we need to do

This is one of the most difficult posts I’ve ever written. I have a vested interest in survival. Because of my age and underlying medical conditions, I am a vulnerable person. I intend to be around for at least a decade yet. But that might not happen now.

We, in the UK, are in the early stages of the Coronavirus pandemic and already things are looking very bleak. The situation is developing rapidly and there are some very worrying developments. Causing the most worry is the predictable criminal negligence of the government in not taking swift action to initiate testing and countering the spread of the virus by means of lockdowns. Couple that with ten years of austerity and the underfunding of the NHS and you have a recipe for disaster. And it really will be a disaster because not only will tens of thousands of people die but our economy could end up in ruins.

In countries like France, Spain, and Italy, governments have taken decisive action, enforcing lockdowns, closing schools and requisitioning private hospitals and hotels for medical care. They have also taken measures to protect workers and the economy freezing rents, mortgages and utility bills and guaranteeing pay and the protection of businesses. What has happened here? Pretty much nothing.

There was a very good post from Richard J Murphy the other day in which is worth quoting at length, he said:

"Our survival experience does, however, depend upon something else, and that is the preservation of the economy.

We will still need jobs later this year.

We will also need key companies (and many more are key than most people appreciate) to still be operating.

We will still need banking.

We will still need people who can afford to spend.

And all those things require that there be enough cash in the system to make sure that this happens.

Critically, there is no shortage to the amount of cash that the government can create to tackle this crisis. Tax is not required for governments to spend. Deep down every government knows that. They do because when they go to war they never ask who is going pay for it, or how: they simply get their central banks to turn on the money and the aggression begins.

Now we need to turn on those money taps." [my italics]

He's right. If the government doesn't take action to support workers and businesses thousands of companies, large and small will go to the wall.

So we have a health crisis and an economic crisis and both are likely to last for some time, at least twelve months, maybe eighteen or until a vaccine has been made. That means the way our society and economy is run is going to need to change. As in a war situation, we are going to have to have more state-led collective arrangements to ensure economic stability and people's well being. We may need rationing and price controls. This is not a crisis that can be solved by the market. This, of course, is a complete anathema to Boris Johnson and his 'free' market fanatic crew and I suspect that only a clamour from the public will force a change in the government's approach. I encourage you to be part of that clamour. We may not be able to protest on the streets but contact your MP and lobby anyone you can to bring about the changes we need.

In the meantime, isolate yourself as much as you can, don't panic buy, support your neighbours and elderly relatives, through mutual aid, get yourself some sunshine and exercise if you can, and don't forget the vitamin D!