James Campbell: Daniel Andrews snap lockdown report card

This snap lockdown only created crisis, uncertainty and fear in the community and made Dan look like the great protector.

It looks as though — fingers crossed — we have avoided disaster.

Barring an unforeseen surge in cases overnight Victoria will return to what we are encouraged to call COVID normal.

Was the whole thing necessary?

Fans of the government will claim the situation last Friday looked so dangerous authorities had no choice but to throw us into lockdown to prevent third wave.

Critics will say it was an over-reaction. If things are unlocked again at midnight, Dan supporters will say it shows the lockdown worked. Detractors will say it shows authorities panicked.

Neither side will give up their position because both of them are unprovable.

What we do know for certain is the last five days have had a cost.

Premier Daniel Andrews. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

Calculating the lost money is the easy bit, starting with the losses from Victoria’s cancelled Valentine’s Day.

As everyone knows, this is easily the biggest trading day for florists and one of the busiest for restaurants.

Every one of these businesses will have lost thousands of dollars, some tens of thousands.

The losses to the building industry, retail, accommodation — the list is endless — can also be added up.

Harder to quantify is how much the loss of confidence has damaged the state going forward.

After last year some of us had — foolishly perhaps — dared to believe the Victorian Government would be reluctant to return to lockdown.

Sign of the times? How many more times will we be at the mercy of these snaplockdowns, asks James Campbell.

The risks, not least the political risks, were simply too high. We know better now.

The last five days have been a sharp reminder to anyone who wants to trade with, invest in or

travel to Victoria that they will need to factor in the price of the uncertainty of our government’s behaviour.

I suspect it is this uncertainty, more than the lockdown itself, that is behind the surge in demand for mental health services that has been reported in the past few days.

Once we know what is in store for us human beings are pretty good at finding ways to cope with things.

What many of us struggle with is the fear of the unknown.

The government’s defenders will no doubt say that the premier’s daily press conferences alongside his familiar cast of sidekicks has been designed to keep people as up-do-date as possible.

But the long term effect has been to heighten the sense of crisis as we all tune in each morning to see what the latest is that our rulers have in store for us.

Crisis and uncertainty creates fear. Fear in a population creates the need for a leader who can protect.

Lockdown protesters in front of the Rod Lavern Arena after Victoria was plunged into a five day lockdown. Picture: Getty Images.

It’s easy to mock the #istandwithdan crowd as a bunch union trolls but there is no doubt there are many people who feel genuinely grateful to have a strong man like the dear leader to take care of them.

Those of us who are immune to his charms find this incomprehensible but it isn’t that difficult to understand when you remember that what we have just endured is only a small taste of the rolling crisis that Melbourne went through last year.

Let’s hope and pray it is all coming to an end.

This time.

Unfortunately until the vaccine is rolled out we remain at their mercy.

Originally published as James Campbell: Daniel Andrews snap lockdown report card