If a week is a long time in politics then just how much can we achieve in ten, twenty, thirty years? We live in an age of dynamic short-term changes in the political landscape; even the events of (the comparatively recent year of) 2019 already seem to emerge out of the murky fog of history. This is, however, not only a time of short-term change but also an era where geography, demography and culture is changing profoundly and at an ever-increasing pace.

The EU and the UK have—at last—successfully concluded negotiations. From the Brexit referendum that took place on the 23rd June 2016 to the announcement of the “EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement” on Christmas Eve, four years, six months and one day passed. It is very easy to look back upon these last four-and-a-half years, gasp at the events that took place and sigh about their consequences; to see this new agreement as the coup de grace of the relationship between the EU and the UK.

The Covid-19 crisis has thrown into sharp relief the effects of sustained cuts to essential services, particularly within health and social care. 10 years of austerity has placed services, such as the NHS, in an exceptionally difficult position, now that they are faced with battling a serious health crisis. Alongside the profound health impacts that Covid-19 has brought to the UK, the economic impact has been record-breaking. The shock brought about by the drop in consumer confidence and the government lockdown caused GDP to fall by 24.