It’s hard to know what will remain of the Liberal Party at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. As an organisation it will continue on, it will have representatives in the Commonwealth and state parliaments, and the Liberal-National Coalition might even win the next federal election. However, whether the Liberals will exist in anything more than name is uncertain.

Under Scott Morrison, the Liberals have given up any pretence to fiscal responsibility. The government has made great play that in a crisis “pragmatism trumps ideology”, as if there was no alternative. But equally, a different conclusion could be reached, namely that in a crisis the principles that guide action and decide choices between alternatives become more important than ever.