Under pressure from the state premiers, the Prime Minister has articulated a four-stage strategy for Australia to exit out of COVID-19. However, he stopped short of putting any timelines on when we might achieve any of the four stages.
After his announcement, a video from the British sitcom Yes Minister went viral and ridiculed the Prime Minister's four-stage strategy. In the video, two civil servants discuss how they might advise the Prime Minister when a political problem arises.
Sir Humphrey Appleby: "Then we follow the four-stage strategy."
Minister: "What's that?"
Sir Richard Wharton: "In stage one, we say nothing is going to happen."
Sir Humphrey Appleby: "Stage two, we say something may be going to happen, but we should do nothing about it."
Sir Richard Wharton: "In stage three we say, that maybe we should do something about it, but there is nothing we can do."
Sir Humphrey Appleby: "In stage four, we say, maybe there was something we could have done, but it's too late now."
This hilarious scene from the British sitcom bears worrying similarities to real life. It made me laugh out loud. I can't see myself taking the Prime Minister's four-stage strategy seriously now. From now on, every time it is mentioned, I will be thinking about these words.