Politics in Quarantine
| Author | Peter Geoghegan |
| Published date | 01 June 2020 |
| Date | 01 June 2020 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/2041905820933377 |
JUNE 2020 • POLITICAL INSIGHT 3
Politics in
Quarantine
‘In the worst hour of the worst season/
of the worst year of a whole people.’ So
begins the opening lines of ‘Quarantine’,
Irish poet Eavan Boland’s most famous
poem.
Boland’s words came to mind in April, when
news broke of her death, following a stroke at
the age of 75. A professor of poetry and English
at Stanford University, Boland had a glittering
career but her 20-line-poem about love and
loss during the Irish famine seemed particularly
apt in the current, uncertain moment.
Few lives have remained untouched by the
COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of writing,
in early May, more than a quarter of a million
people around the world have died from the
virus. Millions have been infected.
Cities that never sleep have been reduced
to a standstill. Businesses that proudly never
closed their doors are shuttered. Employees are
furloughed or, worse, left jobless and without
an income.
A pandemic is not just a public health
emergency. It is a political emergency, too.
Decisions must be taken, often on limited
information. To lockdown? To open up? These
are all ercely political choices.
Of course, when politicians make hard
choices, they open themselves up to the one
thing that they fear most: blame. But what
happens in a major crisis, when some level of
policy failure is unavoidable?
In the UK there has been talk of an
‘inevitable’ public inquiry into the Conservative
government’s pandemic response. Across
the Atlantic, Donald Trump has been roundly
criticised, even by some of his political allies.
In this issue, Matthew Flinders examines
the politics of blame during the COVID-19
pandemic and comes to the conclusion that
while public accountability is crucial for a
healthy democracy, there is such a thing as
having too much of a good thing.
The pandemic has not just changed
government policies, it has changed
how politics functions. Around the world,
parliaments have been forced to nd new ways
to scrutinise governments.
In our regular Last Word slot, Andy
Williamson from the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s
Centre for Innovation in Parliament examines
how legislatures across the globe are trying to
use technology to continue to function in the
age of COVID-19. Benjamin D. Hennig plots the
spread of the pandemic in its rst four months.
Elsewhere, Elena Bergia oers a personal
reection on her experience of life in Northern
Italy. The epicentre for the outbreak in Europe,
Northern Italy has suered tremendously in
recent months, but it also has much to teach us
about responsibility, entitlement and the need
for global solutions to global problems.
Although it might not often feel like it,
politics is still going on despite the pandemic.
In the UK, Brexit remains a very live issue, with
the British government maintaining that there
will be no extension to the transition period for
leaving the European Union at the end of 2020.
Whatever the outcome of the Brexit
negotiations, Europe is likely to remain a major
faultline in British politics. Far from ending,
Euroscepticism has become the dominant
mode of thinking within Boris Johnson’s
cabinet, argues Simon Usherwood.
Looking from the other side of the English
Channel, Simona Guerra investigates the
impact of Brexit on the European Union – and
nds that Britain’s departure has increased
internal cohesion within the blog. But will this
newfound spirit of unity persist?
And what will Britain look like after Brexit?
Boris Johnson has promised radical change –
but what does Johnsonian mean in practice?
Tim Heppell examines the evidence and nds
that the Prime Minister represents a new brand
of populist Conservatism.
Many column inches have been dedicated
to the dierent responses from male and
female leaders to the pandemic, with New
Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern and Germany’s
Angela Merkel often singled out for praise. But
despite such high-prole examples, women
are still under-represented in politics. Emilia
Belknap, Laura Shaw and Meryl Kenny examine
why gender equality remains a hope rather
than a reality.
Alex Waddan assesses President Trump’s
position and his prospects ahead of
November’s election, while Paula Keaveny
looks at the history of a great British political
institution: the party conference.
Wyn Grant and Angelia Wilson look back
at the developments and achievements of
the Political Studies Association on its 70th
anniversary. Reecting on a rather dierent
anniversary, Chris Hanretty examines the British
Supreme Court’s changing role in British public
life as it celebrates a decade in existence.
The political uncertainty unleashed by
COVID-19 seems set to intensify in the
coming months. It is too early to tell what the
repercussions will be, but the only constant is
likely to be change.
Political Insight will be here throughout
another tumultuous political year, providing
authoritative analysis and cutting-edge
research on the latest developments.
If you would like to join the debates or
contribute to Political Insight get in touch or
visit www.psa.ac.uk/insight-plus.
Peter Geoghegan
Editor
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