Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised that, once the coronavirus crisis is over, he intends to “build back better” for future generations.
James Delingpole
It’s a catchy, fine-sounding, optimistic phrase but it’s not one he invented himself. And its meaning, unfortunately, is a far cry from what you might hope to hear from a Conservative prime minister rebuilding a wrecked economy.
Many of the people who voted for Boris in the belief that he was a conservative might hope that “build back better” meant things like aesthetic beauty, durability, cost-effectiveness, less clumsy statism and more private entrepreneurialism, lower taxes, and more liberty.
Unfortunately the phrase means pretty much the exact opposite.
“Build back better” is actually a United Nations invented phrase and what it actually means is more world government, more green taxes and regulation, more expensive energy, more identity politics, more corporatism — and, of course, less freedom and entrepreneurialism.
...Dennis Ambler has been keeping tabs on how often this mantra is being used. It’s everywhere and it’s frightening.
Here are some recent examples:
Building Back Better: why we must think of the next generation.
…how the banking sector can ensure financial inclusion is not forgotten as economies recover from the crisis and build back better.
We Mean Business Coalition. Global companies join the bandwagon.
They list ‘The businesses urging governments to build back better from COVID-19′
Local government authorities join in. Press release from Invest in Manchester.
This week, in partnership with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, The Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership has launched the ‘Build Back Better’ campaign – an initiative which sets out to build back the economy and create a better opportunity for a strong and successful recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Governments and others will spend trillions of dollars responding to the effects of the coronavirus. Rebuilding the old-fashioned way — by investing in fossil fuel-driven growth that threatens human health and exacerbates inequality — is a dangerous proposition. Future prosperity demands that countries build back better. To build back better, countries must harness low-carbon investment opportunities to reboot economies while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution that jeopardize lives.
“How Australia can ‘build back better’ after coronavirus”
“EU Council: Governments must act together to ‘build back better'”
Africa can build back better after Covid-19. Our guiding frameworks for a better, more sustainable recovery are the Sustainable Development Agenda and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
The phrase has been knocking around for a while. Here is the UN using it in 2017 in the context of disaster recovery:
Disaster impacted countries and communities are oftentimes much better equipped to Build Back Better during the extended period of recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction when they have taken actions to strengthen recovery capacity and decision-making effectiveness prior to the onset of disaster.
Apparently it now also embraces identity politics – and a feminist green new deal.
“Building back better requires building back differently. We need a ‘rainbow recovery’.”
Here’s the BBC, in a report accompanied by solar panels stretching as far as the eye can see, with a link that says, somewhat ironically, “Our Planet Matters”.
“The Covid-19 lockdown has cut climate change emissions – for now. But some governments want to go further by harnessing their economic recovery plans to boost low-carbon industries. Their slogan is “Build Back Better”, but can they succeed?”
If you thought the nightmare was going to end once the coronavirus scare passed, think again: it’s only just beginning...
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