SO the kids are returning to schools. Not in the single “big bang” Prime Minister Boris Johnson wanted but with some staggering at least.

Those on the ground, especially in secondary schools which also have tests to administer, know this makes sense.

Mercifully, Johnson had the sense not to try to enforce all returning at once on March 8 so there was at least some mitigation — though hardly enough.

The government has sought to cast doubt, but all educators have always wanted full-time safe schooling for all our children within their schools.

What has Johnson’s and the government’s strategy been? Apart from the huge scale vaccination — thank goodness we had left the EU or we would have been mired in their abject vaccine failure — it has been wrong at every turn; at the start, the middle and now.

There is no need to recount the numerous and disastrous delays and U-turns that catapulted us into that dishonourable elite only those with the highest deaths per million in the world are admitted to, or to recount the number of countries that have by the indisputable fact of their very low death rates shown there was a better way.

The Morning Star has covered this well, as have numerous books: The Covid-19 Catastrophe by Richard Horton, Blinded by Corona by John Ashton and Covid-19: The Pandemic That Never Should Have Happened and How To Stop the Next One by Debora MacKenzie.

Now we have the current strategy, which Johnson and the medics and scientists advising him have admitted will likely increase the R rate and result in a further 30,000 deaths.

Epidemiology teaches us that the way to minimise and then end an epidemic or pandemic is to take action to keep reducing the R rate, not to increase it — even if it is hoped that it will be temporary.

A temporary increase “blip” cannot be guaranteed to be temporary. Not the least of reasons being the possibility of more mutations.

Their strategy is clear. After more than a year of Tory incompetence and dereliction of good governance, the economy must fully reopen.

We must accept more deaths and of course the debilitating illnesses associated with “long Covid” — and yet further the many deaths of those not receiving appropriate treatment due to hospitals having to concentrate on those with the virus.

Their only concern is not the more and unnecessary deaths, but to stop the NHS being overwhelmed.

What always was and is still needed is a consistent strategy to keep lowering the R rate — a zero-Covid strategy.

The economies and, even in some cases, the schools of those countries that have adopted this strategy have been kept open, for example, Taiwan.

But what of their strategy and our country’s future and even more importantly, what of ours? In war as in chess, strategy comes first and tactics second.

If you get a tactic wrong, you can still win. If you get your strategy wrong, defeat looms.

Because we are in a war. As Warren Buffett, one of the richest men in the world, said: “There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.”

The billionaire also said that he pays a lower tax rate than his cleaner.

Our enemy is immensely powerful. They have immense resources, capital beyond the dreams of the avaricious.

Our overwhelming asset is our number. As Shelley wrote in his poem The Mask of Anarchy, “Ye [we] are many, they are few.”

There are numerous quotes about crises. The right-wing neoliberal economist Milton Friedman observed that “only a crisis — actual or perceived — produces real change.”

He is quoted expounding “disaster capitalism” in Naomi Klein’s book, The Shock Doctrine.

Three months after Hurricane Katrina, free-market fanatic Friedman wrote in the Wall Street Journal: “Most New Orleans schools are in ruins, as are the homes of the children who have attended them. The children are now scattered all over the country. This is an opportunity to radically change the education system.”

The change he meant was privatising their management — which is precisely what they did.

The education sector, which I am in, has learned and demonstrated the power that comes with increasing your numbers. I was involved in the negotiations between the NUT and ATL which created the NEU.

While seeking to work with other unions, our number, now over 450,000, and greater workplace density has enabled us to limit, on occasion, damage to education and to our wider society.

For example, forcing Boris Johnson and Gavin Williamson to U-turn into closing the schools after one day back following their relaxation of Covid-19 rules during the Christmas holiday. Even this one day led to a surge in cases.

I believe we must seek to unite all who can be united. This is not just to get more joint union positions and, if possible, action, but to build on the success of our NUT-ATL amalgamation by uniting further — extending this process to other education unions.

This will not be easy, but nor was the NUT-ATL amalgamation. However, the situation demands it.

What is in store for education and the rest of the workers in the country?

You don’t have to guess now. As the Chancellor said, it will take us “decades to pay back the Covid debt” — ie austerity will continue.

Williamson has called for teachers and support staff to have a longer working year, shorter summer holidays and longer working days.

We are in a crisis, with even worse to come: the worst economic slump in 300 years combined with an environmental catastrophe of life-threatening proportions and the danger of war as US imperialism targets China.

Johnson has shown his hand with his offer to nurses — a de facto pay cut. Our demand should be not “no return to austerity” — we’ve never left it — but to go forward.

Advance to build a new trade union movement, a new and better country and a safer and better world. Uniting all who can be united.

We must not allow them to use this crisis to further impoverish the working class and increase the wealth of the super-rich yet further — to allow them to further privatise the NHS and education.

By establishing a £35 million strike fund, the nurses have indicated the way forward — but it will need more from all of us and building greater organisational unity will be key.

Hank Roberts is a member of the NEU executive and writes in a personal capacity.