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[Thread] On day 1 of Lockdown 2.0 in the UK, it's worth reflecting on the ways in which the UK government responds to crises, and the ways in which it evokes ideas around 'values' in response.
Since 9/11, acts of political violence by non-state actors have been presented as posing an existential threat to society. The claim accompanying these acts has been that rights must be curtailed for the safety of all.
Prof Marc Sageman uses a Bayesian probability analysis to show the threat posed by Muslims living in the West amounts to under 1 in every million Muslim per year. It must be acknowledged that 1 person can inflict severe harm, but the risk posed to our collective existence is low
Despite the low probability, we’ve had an almost endless series of changes to our collective liberties, with the claim that these changes are necessary, even though violent offences are largely prosecuted through pre-9/11 legislation.
Juxtaposed with another risk to our collective lives, the COVID-19 pandemic, then there is absolutely no doubt that the sheer volume of loss of life is incomparable. This is exacerbated by the notion that anyone can contract or carry the virus, we are all part of a matrix of risk
With conservative numbers estimating that almost 50,000 people have died from contracting COVID-19, you would assume that the UK government would consider these severe losses are presenting an existential threat - as lives are literally being lost in mass numbers
Except, we don’t see the same response. Rather, Boris Johnson and the Tories have sought to evoke a notion of British freedoms as an explanation of why they do not want to take strict measures to save lives.
How to explain this disparity? I would argue it is two things: 1. racism, and 2. economics. With the former, there is no loss of privilege for those unaffected by counter-terrorism legislation and policy, they suffer little consequence from the loss of liberty
So, the whole of society can agree that profiling stops are airports are fine, because they know that this will be predominantly used against people of colour, they bear no cost.
Similarly, the majority know they will never have their citizenships revoked, be stopped or searched in the same way that young black men are, or a whole host of other measures. They know they don’t bear the same cost
With COVID-19, the loss of liberty is equally shared, and this is where we see the vapidness of the Tories. They place the needs of the economy over the protection of human lives. Entertainment, dining out, etc, are placed above making sacrifices to protect others
The response of the government to COVID-19 is revealing in that it utilises notions of freedom to its advantage when it wants the economy to move, but will restrict freedoms when it is about marginalising the already disenfranchised, by playing on the fears of the majority
