One of the fascinating aspects of living abroad is the insight it gives you into how politics work in different countries.

You view your own country’s system in a different light as you get older, but watching it from afar and listening to commentary from journalists local to where you are living adds an incredible dimension to that view.

This weekend a Dutch journalist commented that the Brits were not only a bit slow to realise the oncoming threat of corona, but seemed to display the opinion that the threat would stop at Calais.

Eavesdropping is a very revealing pastime. In this case, I can completely understand the comment. It is completely in line with the still widely held feeling in the UK that Europe is a separate entity. Very little news about what happens on the mainland of Europe reaches Brits, and when it does, a lot of people are not really interested.

Most ex-pats will experience sooner or later that they no longer feel completely comfortable sharing their experiences of living abroad with Brits back home. Although many Brits like their continental holidays, a two or three week stay in a Spanish resort hardly endues them with a feeling of being European.

Corona marched across the globe from China to Europe, with mini explosions in Italy and Austria. When other neighbouring countries were already preparing and announcing measures to curb the spread, the UK was only mildly interested in this successor to the Spanish Flu, as they regarded it. A leading British scientist has also pointed to the delay in cancelling certain large sporting events as having been responsible for an increased spread of the new virus in those areas. The Cheltenham Festival (horse racing) and Liverpool’s Champions League match against Atletico Madrid went ahead even when other countries were already cancelling such mass gatherings.

Today (25th May 2020), one of the Prime Minister’s chief advisers, Dominic Cummings went on record to say he did not regret disregarding travel advice introduced by the British government he advises to drive his wife and child over 500 km to be closer to family that could help look after said child.

Mr Cummings is widely disliked by the British public already. He is regarded as ruthless and cares nothing for normal conventions. He arrives at 10 Downing Street by the front door dressed in jeans and scruffy shirts when all the other visitors dress to reflect their roles in the nation’s affairs.

His apology today was not an apology at all. He accepts that some will disagree with his actions (read: many!) but is quite shameless with regard to his behaviour. The press in the UK is making much of the choices made by this little-liked adviser who was also known as the architect behind the Brexit campaign and Boris Johnson’s leadership bid.

Governments have a vested interest in maintaining public support for distancing measures which from a legal point of view were hastily cobbled together in a way that could later be challenged in the courts. Without such support, the number of people ignoring such common sense rules could make like difficult and more risky for others that have little choice than to remain careful until medical interventions and preventions are widely available.

There is now a somewhat predictable movement against the social distancing measures introduced not only by the Dutch government but across the board in the EU.

The tension arises between those wanting to be able to go back to their jobs and those needing to be cautious because they are extra vulnerable to the effects of Covid-19.

The hospitality industry is making their pitch for increased freedom at the expense of those who have done their best to avoid contracting Covid-19 by following the advice from the government.

My beef is with the hospitality industry, both tourism and local. People that choose to ignore social distancing on holiday or when simply going out risk infecting others like me that try and limit their exposure to the corona virus by staying at home, working from home, and being ultra careful when going shopping.

I cannot avoid the feeling that it is the lining of the pockets of those owning the hospitality industry that is being voiced. A question of lobbying.

Much of the manufacturing and service industry can be re-started while implementing social-distancing. The hospitality industry relies on concentrated groups of people congregating, lingering, and spending more than they should. The effect on the spread of the corona virus is reasonably predictable.

We are reaching the point that profit is being stacked up against the health of those more vulnerable to Covid-19 – people that have no alternative way of protecting themselves. There is no vaccine available yet, and considering that the very existence of this virus is only less than 5 months old, the profit motive must not prevail.

When you start a business, you begin by analysing the market. Should the market change later, that is a risk that an entrepreneur has to take into account. Corona has upset the market in that social distancing rules has limited profitability in certain sectors. There is a limit to the amount of financial support the government should provide, and a definite limit to the amount of freedom (at the expense of vulnerable citizens) the government allows.

Money should not talk here. It is not fair on those who risk death if they become infected with the corona virus.