In this post, I want to compare the Dutch handling of the coronavirus with that of other countries, and why I think alternatives to capitalist society are proving themselves neccessary in these times.
Last Tuesday, something that has become a small tradition in the Netherlands, the Rutte government brought new updates about the policies regarding the COVID19 pandemic in the Netherlands.
The government, led by the liberals of the People’s Party of Democracy and Freedom (buzzwords, buzzwords) declared that barbers and other professions that fall under the category of ‘contactberoep’ (the best translation I can find is contact profession) can open up shop again on the 3rd of March. What is notable is that sexworkers don’t fall under these relaxations of the rules.
This is symptomatic for how the neoliberal government keeps operating in the Netherlands. Time and time again the ruling politicians switch back- and forth from reducing the spread of the virus to opening up the economy to keep money flowing, and thereby increasing the number of infections again. This has as effect that the virus keeps lingering on, instead of people going into lockdown for a month or so and making the virus lose its grip on society.
Comparing France with the Netherlands
The following graph show how many people are getting infected throughout the year, beginning at the 27th of February last year:
What you can see here is a bit of a infection rollercoaster, the number of infections reflecting the constant shifting in corona measures.
This is how France is doing, a country that is much more strict in its lockdown:
Basically what these graphs show to me, is that although France and the Netherlands have about the same infection rate in percentages (about 0,04% of the population per day), the French lockdown is able to stabillize the number of infections. In contrast, the inconsistency of the Dutch government results in the infections skyrocketing, before returning to the intensity comparable with France.
Solidarity and Restructuring the Economy
So, you might conclude: We should adopt a strict lockdown and enforce this by giving more power to the police.
This is not however what I am trying to argue. What I want is that people go in lockdown on a voluntary basis, and that there is a strong social movement that upholds the principle of collective solidarity in these times. Because governments focus on dealing with the crisis in a way that upholds a regressive political paradigm: controlling and repressing individual freedom, while simultaneously not doing enough to protect people from the economic disparity brought along by the pandemic.
That last part is also why we need complete restructuring of the economy. We shouldn’t have to worry about people losing their jobs and livelihoods when there is a pandemic. The economy should be able to deal with activity being reduced to the bare essentials, without it collapsing onto itself. I mean, if we lived in a society that wasn’t based on continual economic growth, and everyone being able to live a good and free live without having to worry about losing their jobs, would there be a lot of fuel for the kind of Covid-conspiracies we see today? As far as I can see, the reason why people feel so desperate to believe in the wacky theories about the virus, is that it gives them a (false) way out of the pandemic. That they can return to their jobs and stores so that they can continue to make a living. Ofcourse it’s also because people don’t want to be so obstructed in their social lives, but I think a lockdown would be way easier to sell if it didn’t mean a lot of people would go bankrupt or lose their income.
Such an alternative to capitalism would also put an end to the whole patent debacle between governments and Big Pharma. This could mean massive cooperation between medicine manufacturers and all countries in the world, making vaccines more affordable and readily available.
Conclusion
I think the best answer to this crisis cannot be brought about by the government, since it either completely fails in adequately responding, or increases its authoritarian nature.
We need to fight this crisis together. Solidarity forever!
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