Editorial: Victims

The collapse of the world’s oldest tourism company, Thomas Cook, does not simply demonstrate the fragile economic environment.

It reminds us of the interdependence of economies, states, and people.

There are hundreds of thousands of trapped tourists globally and photos from tourist destinations such as Corfu where 3,000 Britons do not know how and when they will return to the UK bear incontrovertible witness to the magnitude of the problem.

The UK will have to conduct one of the greatest repatriation operations in its history.

One must also note that the bankruptcy of this tourism giant did not come out of the blue.

Before Thomas Cook collapsed with a bang it had requested stated assistance but the doors were closed by a government that is preoccupied with the danger of a collapse due to a disorderly Brexit.

The collapse of a great enterprise and the potential collapse of a great country remind us that major events have a direct impact on people’s lives.

Nothing happens in a vacuum. Whether in social or economic terms, there is always a cost.

This must be understood by people who are unconnected to ongoing events and bear no responsibilities.

One must not forget that aside from those behind events actions have victims, innocent victims.