Europe’s invisible divides: How Covid-19 is polarising European politics
ecfr.eu
ecfr.eu
- The lived experience of the covid-19 pandemic has split Europe just as the euro and refugee crises did, with the south and the east feeling much more badly affected than the north and the west.
- Some people were affected directly by illness, some only experienced economic consequences, while others feel untouched by covid-19. The economic victims are more likely than others to say that restrictions have been too severe, and they tend to be more sceptical about their governments’ intentions behind lockdowns.
- Europeans are divided over what they believe to be governments’ motivations behind restrictions: the Trustful have faith in governments; the Suspicious believe rulers want to cover up failings; the Accusers think governments are trying to increase their control over people.
- Splits are appearing between those who believe that, in the context of the pandemic, the biggest threat to their freedom comes from governments, on the one hand, and those who fear the behaviour of their fellow citizens, on the other.
- There is a major generational divide, with the young more likely than the old to blame governments for the ongoing impact; the young also feel more badly affected.
- Poland, Germany, and France could each be emerging as archetypes for post-pandemic politics.
Because, sadly they are.
Problem is that there are groups in the population that overplay enforcement of rules without for different reason and they continue to demand more restrictions and it becomes a political liability to change course.
You won't find many interior ministers that don't advertise increased surveillance. Doesn't mean they are autocrats but it also doesn't mean you should listen to them.
Covid is a serious disease but it gladly isn't that deadly like other plagues humanity had to face before. I don't think lockdowns are appropriate anymore. And people demanding absolute protection against risk of infection need to be brought back to reality. Their fears aren't reason enough to shut down life as much as it is now.
It is also the reality of life that some people die of respiratory diseases. We develop immunity or resistance against diseases like the cold and we probably have to do the same with covid.
sidenote: Wording in this article is not fitting in my opinion. An accuser demands consequences but that is not true for the group that was described. Skeptics would fit better.
I don't think the definitions of groups is too accurate but if we take those as defined, I think the most important attribute is age and not nationality. So demographics explain the difference between nations better than locality.