Don't worry about government
making U turns.
Worry when they don't.
September 8th 2020.
The demand we all seem to make that government must act perfectly, that each decision must be the right one and that any alteration of course or reversal of a previous decision is a sign of weakness and incompetence is, to my mind, a form of collective madness.
I'm referring of course to the current pandemic, and how a series of statements and decisions have been variously retracted, amended or reversed in the light of new information or overwhelming industry or public pressure. There have been eleven such 'U Turns' since March, and government has come under sustained and heavy fire for each one.
Obviously such events are problematic. We all get geared up for the consequences of a decision and then it's actually 'no – we're doing this instead'. It is frustrating and annoying. AFfer all, surely any responsible government worthy of the name would know how to deal with a global pandemic without having to inconvenience us all the time.
Take for example all the poor souls who have booked their fortnights in Spain or Greece, only to find out that the government has suddenly announce that you've got to stay home for a further fortnight when you get back. I know people are falling ill and dying all over the world and all that, but really! Why should that impact me and my two weeks away? The government has to get a grip on this!
Personally, I am somewhat reassured when a spokesman appears and says something such as we should now wear facemasks in public because contrary to the advice we received earlier, the latest scientific information is that they are offering some protection after all – as happened in May.
Consider the opposite scenario for a moment. Government tells us that facemasks are a waste of time, and is later told that new evidence finds that they do in fact work after all. They bury it, because to announce the new findings would be a U turn, and that would look weak.
Would you rather they kept us informed and altered course when things change – even if some sections of the media and the opposition make capital from it - or that they keep quiet about anything that might make them look indecisive or uninformed, even if it's for the national good.
There's a pandemic. Nobody knows what to do for the best, apart from those who don't actually have to make any decisions of course, but who have the luxury of constantly carping from the sidelines.
So don't worry about U turns, but worry if they start ignoring the scientific consensus.