From this chaos can come good if we take the opportunity to exact overdue reform

With our public sector standing still in a rapidly changing world and wealthy business owners having their cake and eating it, the coronavirus crisis should give ministers the spur they’ve been seeking to change things, writes Chris Blackhurst

Our news bulletins are filled with complaints about a lack of PPE (AFP via Getty Images)

Once this crisis is deemed to be over, we can expect inquiries galore.

There will be reviews into what the government knew or didn’t know, how quickly it reacted, what mistakes were made, the preparedness of hospitals regionally and nationally, care homes and how they fared, the measures that worked and those that didn’t work, and so on. There will even be a study into why the Cheltenham Festival went ahead.

We’re going to get years of this. A whole coronavirus fallout industry will grow up. Lawyers and public relations advisors will be able to replace the fees they’ve missed because of the collapse in normal business by advising clients on how best to position themselves in the giant postmortem.

As a nation we’re good at dragging out public scrutinies. The probing into the causes and lessons from the Grenfell disaster barely seems to have started; the Saville inquiry into the Bloody Sunday shootings in Northern Ireland lasted 12 years; Leveson part one dragged on – so much so that there’s little appetite for a Leveson part two.

Let’s be positive. Much good could result in the reshaping of our system of healthcare, in attitudes towards the NHS, and in our treatment of the elderly and infirm.

It would be a pity, though, if that was the limit. For years, we have known that there are significant underlying health issues affecting our society and economy. In the current daily drama, they have come to the fore again. It would be a dreadful mistake to put them back in the box as soon as the all-clear is given, and ignore this opportunity to finally right them.

In a world that is capable, thanks to technology, of moving at breakneck speed, it’s as if our public sector specialises in standing still. This is bad for dealing with the coronavirus

Every so often there has been a change in government, when a new leader rides in with a promise of change. Elected by a popular mandate, they quickly reach... inertia. It does not matter that they’re politically different – that is not the issue. But whether it’s Tony Blair or Boris Johnson, they’ve found it difficult – nigh impossible – to achieve the wholesale shift required.

To be fair to Johnson, he has barely begun his term in office, but the writing is nevertheless on the wall. Perhaps he can use the pandemic to exact transformation. Of what, exactly? Behaviour – in taking an administrative centre and making it think in terms of “can do” rather than “can’t”.

We’re seeing this prevailing mindset writ large day after day as our news bulletins are filled with complaints about a lack of PPE and testing kits. Further analysis reveals that businesses which are able and willing to switch to making the much-needed equipment are being required to fill in forms online, and then receive an acknowledgement weeks later – by which time they could have had production lines up and running and be rushing out supplies.

It’s been like this for far too long. In 1992, the then prime minister, John Major, charged the president of the Board of Trade, Michael Heseltine, with “hacking back the jungle of red tape”. Talk to any business in Britain today about what holds them back, however, and the myriad regulations will be high, if not top, of their list. It’s not just the rules, though; it’s also a question of attitude. As is evident from the Covid-19 response, our public servants are not willing to side with business, to grease the wheels for enterprise, and move at the same speed as the private sector.

Instead of bending over backwards to accommodate, to make things happen, the prevailing official view is one of suspicion and distrust. Manufacturers are primed and willing to change their factories in order to make PPE. Have they been given the go-ahead? No. Instead, we’re ordering it from Turkey.

In a world that is capable, thanks to technology, of moving at breakneck speed, it’s as if our public sector specialises in standing still. This is bad for dealing with the coronavirus. It’s also terrible in normal times, when our businesses are having to battle with globalisation and hugely increased competition. We’re sending them into battle with one arm tied behind their backs and a leg in plaster.

Occupying a similar position in the litany of common complaint is tax avoidance. For as long as commerce has been railing against petty procedure and officials who prefer to say “no” rather than “yes”, we have been accusing those who do their utmost to lessen their contribution. As far back as 1994, the then shadow chancellor, Gordon Brown, told the Labour conference he would make everyone pay their fair share.

He duly got into government and little happened. Successive Tory administrations have made similar pledges; not much has altered.

The coronavirus fight has highlighted yet again the inequity of allowing wealthy business owners to register offshore while enjoying benefits, paid for by taxpayers, from the government. In short, they’re having their cake and eating it. There’s also a colloquial expression about extracting urine. Whatever: it’s wrong and enshrines inequality; coronavirus in 2020 really should give ministers a spur to action.

Our lives have been beset by never-experienced emotions; some have endured intense personal tragedy and loss; and for all of us, our faith in permanence and invulnerability has been badly shaken. From this chaos, however, can come good. We now have the opportunity to exact overdue reform. These are just two examples; there are others. No ifs or buts, no excuses.