Response to Corona virus marks the first time people have been put ahead of profit

The outbreak of the Corona virus has and will raise fundamental questions over the way society is run and what really matters.

The disproportionate number of the elderly and vulnerable who have become the victims says something.

This group will always be the most vulnerable to illness and need most care but are they really valued? It is interesting that in Germany this group has not been so severely hit, so does that mean Germany values older and vulnerable people more? Does Germany just care more about people than profits?

For a long time in this country, there seems to have been a devaluation in the concept of the sanctity of life. Life has been increasingly evaluated according to how useful an individual is to the economic system. The less valuable elements of society in terms of their use to the economic wheel have been increasingly regarded as second-class citizens.

So the elderly have been penalised, with reduced pensions, the extension of retirement age and though not acknowledged officially, in some instances, second class health care.

This attitude has been fuelled over recent years with a narrative in the media that because the older generation have it all, younger generations are missing out. The construct is wholly untrue, as poverty knows no age boundaries.

What has been needed is intergenerational solidarity, the cuts imposed due to austerity have hit young and old alike. The two groups are reliant on each other. The elderly do a huge amount of unpaid childcare for their grandchildren. This service has been exposed during the Corona virus, with the two generations having to be kept apart.

The Corona virus has brought a real wake up call. Initially, it appeared some sort of weird eugenic inspired thinking was going on, that said let the virus run, with the weak and vulnerable going to the wall.

Fortunately, this was quickly rejected, with health and well-being given priority over all else. For the first time since the Second World War, the health and welfare of all people has been put ahead of economic consideration.

The massive response from the public coming out selflessly to support neighbours in this crisis has been something to behold. It has marked the triumph of community over individualism. This huge outpouring has helped push the humanitarian over economic based response.

When the crisis is over, we must not forget exactly what was done to confront it. The reconnection of community must not be lost. There will be a whole new canvass for dealing with other problems such as climate change, world poverty and inequality. There must be no return to the austerity based policies that reduced the resource of our public services at a critical time. The mobilisation for the Corona virus proves what can be done to deal with life threatening problems if the political will is there.