Opinion

Political focus must be on saving lives

While it was clear there were differences around the executive table over the handling of the coronavirus outbreak, those tensions have now been fully exposed and will cause deep public dismay at what is a time of unprecedented crisis.

People will understand that politicians will differ on policy. It happens within parties and that is magnified when there is a coalition of several parties which hold diametrically opposing views on a range of issues.

It will also be acknowledged that this is a relatively fledgling executive, which has come together after three years of hiatus, a period during which there was no devolved administration at Stormont and little meeting of minds among senior political figures.

It is worth bearing in mind that the structures were only restored in January when the most pressing problem was resolving the industrial action by healthcare staff, something that was achieved in short order.

The focus then was on maintaining and delivering public services in a time of financial constraint.

However, all that changed as Northern Ireland and of course the rest of the world faced a pandemic that is unparalleled in living memory.

We are in an emergency situation like no other with people experiencing not only unprecedented restrictions on daily life but also intense fear and anxiety about themselves and their families.

The vast majority of people are acting responsibly, staying at home and observing social distancing because they understand it is the right thing to do to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

But they also place an enormous amount of trust in those in positions of authority, the scientists and medical experts providing crucial advice, and those in government, who make the key decisions that in the current circumstances are literally a matter of life and death.

We should not underestimate the monumental challenges facing politicians at this time, who are under immense pressure to do what is best for the entire population.

The public, for their part, are willing them to make the right choices, to put political differences to one side to work together for the common good.

In recent days we have seen fissures opening up in the executive although yesterday there were clear attempts to present a more united front.

Disagreements will happen but when they spill out into the open as they have done this week, they threaten to undermine public confidence.

As the peak of this epidemic approaches, everyone's attention must be on equipping our health service staff and saving lives.