Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2020 11:58am
I do not underestimate the effect on the economy. Quite the opposite, I taught economics and social policy in university.
I am fully aware of the effect on all the population not just the arbitrary 80% (?) you mention. The economy in Spain and UK was very very flawed for very different reasons. I won't go into the economic theories of the creation of wealth or indeed the circulation of wealth, this is very different to an 'economy' of a country . 15000 (and this is under reported) deaths represents 15000 families devastated. No-one knows if it is going to mutate.
In lockdown the government are providing subsidies for lost wages, people are using that money for food and in some cases in the UK other goods and services. If money is circulating that is what keeps an economy going. Some people are actually doing quite well from this disaster and so shows that the economy can return and let's hope to a better state than it was in.
It is astonishing that people do not realise that some governments and and countries appear to be run for the 'economy' or wealth(y) not the citizens and when people like Trump , who says such things as 'if we come out of this with only 200,000 we have done a good job). When figures are expressed as only, and so many percent % of the population you are negating the people who have died.
A governments priority is to keep its nation safe, healthy and free from threat, after all that is why US and UK spend billions and billions of tax payers money on nuclear deterrent, for a possible threat , that might happen in the future . If nuclear war happened the world would be utterly destroyed so expenditure of all those billions would have been for nothing that should have been spent on services.
My children and grand child are going to be very badly effected by this lockdown financially, but they are doing it willingly and making plans to come back fighting because they are grateful that front line workers are putting their lives on the line to protect and save those vulnerable to the virus who ever they are, this group of people is becoming bigger all the time, men, overweight , over 50 being a particularly susceptible category at the moment.
Don't patronise me please.