Political lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic

The second and third lesson is in the N.Y.Times statement “The two countries, led by ideological opposites, are converging on an extraordinary goal: eliminating the virus. Their non-political approach is restoring trust in democracy.”

It is arguable that the two countries are ideological opposites. True, New Zealand has a Labour Government in power and Australia has a conservative coalition of the Liberal and National Parties. The term liberal in a party classified as conservative, needs some explanation. It is a carry-over from the founding of the party by Robert Menzies in November 1944. In a speech The Forgotten People in 1942, Menzies outlined his philosophies and of his forthcoming Liberal Party. Menzies assembled a coalition of anti-Labor Party groups to form his party. He spoke of the middle class as the "backbone of Australia", as having been "taken for granted" by political parties; of being effectively powerless.

Elements of right-wing fundamentalism are still within the governing coalition, from both sides, but possible more from the National side. The first steps in introducing a location app for mobile phones, advocated by the Prime Minister, received its strongest objection by the previous leader of the National Party. The Liberal side of the coalition does have its conservative right wingers, but it would also hold a significant percentage of small ‘l’ liberals. The previous coalition Prime Minister. Malcolm Turnbull, would be a strong example (although he was ousted in a coup launched by a conservative right winger, Peter Dutton)

The third lesson is “restoring trust in democracy.” This is possibly the most vital need we face after beating the Covid-19 pandemic.  Particularly in America  which appears to be split into an intractable left /right battle. But the multitude of conflicts we face, and which seem to be divided along left-right party lines world-wide, have eroded our trust in our systems of government.  There are conflicts that we cannot agree on - gay marriage, abortion, gun control in the US, climate change, the death penalty, even when to end the Covid -19 lockdowns, would all be more easily resolved without the confrontations of political parties. Democracies, where all elected representatives were working cooperatively to identifying the solution that best suited the majority, seem to have been lost in recent years. The examples of Australia and New Zealand, as seen by the New York Times, restores our hopes that they will return.