Learning from the coronavirus crisis

Developments in Greece from the coronavirus epidemic are so far encouraging. If we remain disciplined, heed the government's instructions and resist the urge to flout restrictions at Easter, we may be able to slowly start getting some of our freedoms back. This pandemic has given everyone pause, and we will come out of it all the wiser.

The first lesson we have learned is that not only does populism come at a heavy cost (like with Brexit or the 2015-19 SYRIZA government in Greece), it can also result in death on a massive scale. Politicians like Donald Trump and Boris Johnson who have become accustomed to ruling with brazen lies, devastating populism and aggressive demagoguery, have turned out to be, quite literally, criminals. Their refusal to face scientific facts and their incompetent failure to display any semblance of gravitas and foresight in dealing with the...