The 2020s have been a dismal decade. Five years ago, when the first reports emerged of a new virus that had its origins in the Chinese city of Wuhan, it was hard to imagine that Covid-19 would have such a devastating impact. Yet within months, the UK was in lockdown, the global economy was in a chokehold, trade flows had dried up and governments were spending freely to prevent deep recessions turning into something even more catastrophic.
A second Great Depression was avoided, but half a decade on, the long-term effects of the pandemic are still being felt. Predictions that the development of new vaccines to combat the virus would prove the catalyst for a new “roaring 20s” have proved wide of the mark. The second half of the decade should be an improvement on the first half – but that’s not saying much. The good news is that a few green shoots have started to emerge.
