I can’t remember a time like the present, when the level of public discourse has become so angry.
During the referendum, most of us were either vehemently for or against leaving the EU. On one side of the argument were those who were certain that our future should be tied more closely to Europe. On the other, the view was that we should be free to create our own relationships across the globe. Then came an election, where the nation was exorcised over the choice between a left-wing Labour leader proposing greater state ownership, and a Conservative supporter of western capitalism.
We are still getting hot under the collar as to whether HS2 is a vital addition to our transport infrastructure or an unnecessary vanity project of unimaginable cost.
To many, Huawei is a Chinese tech giant which should be a major provider of the UK’s future 5G network. To others, it’s a danger to our national security. China rears its head again, either as the nation which acted quickly, to largely snuff out a terrible virus that accidentally started in a wet market. Or, its a ruthless dictatorship which created the pandemic in a chemical warfare laboratory.
More recently, Dominic Cummings is either a complete hypocrite of the nation’s lockdown regulations, or a worried father taking reasonable precautions to protect his family. Viewing the recent goings-on across the pond, Donald Trump is the devil incarnate, or a completely different kind of President, doing things his own, unique way.
Twitter has become one of the major forums though which people increasingly debate these things, whilst increasingly hurling insults at each other. Loudly. Whilst it theoretically enables each side to understand the other’s position almost perfectly, instead the level of vitriol between the opposing sides of almost any subject, just seems to increase.
Far from the right answers to any of the above issues being the easy, binary choices purveyed by the keyboard warriors who increasingly shout their opinions in capital letters, enlightened decision-making takes a lot more brainpower. Especially right now. And, especially for governments and employers, where wrong steps can mean the difference between the life or death of an individual, and the survival or collapse of a business.
One half of the twitterati claim that our overwhelming priority during the Covid pandemic, should be to Keep People Safe. To others, it’s The Economy Stupid. In my view, if ever there was a choice that definitely was not binary, it’s this one.
Government ministers and business leaders alike are faced with this continuing dilemma on a daily basis. It’s a balancing act - a sort of ‘we need to do one without damaging the other.’
I agree. So, isn’t it time we gave them all a break right now, during what is, after all, just about the greatest crisis of our lifetime? There is no rulebook. No one will get every decision right every time.
My experience of most politicians is that they are not, in the main, driven mainly by ego. For many of them, there is usually a desire to perform some sort of honest public service. We might not agree with their politics, but they often put in the hard yards as a local councillor or similar, before they even get anywhere near a winnable Westminster seat.
Business owners have their own pressures, all a different shade of grey: should they make redundancies or continue to accept furlough payments for their staff as a means of keeping them off the dole? Should they apply for CBILS loans which they might not be able to repay? Would it be better to withhold rent from their landlord and risk foreclosure, or to pay their other suppliers who also need cashflow?
Maintaining the health of the economy and the health of the nation takes some doing and major decisions like these are inextricably linked. And complicated. Consequently, wouldn’t it be better for us all to tone down the rhetoric just a notch or two? After all, there are more colours in the spectrum than black and white. Life’s not Binary.