Introduction; Part I. COVID-19 was always a matter of 'when' not 'if'; 1. The extraordinary history of pandemic control; 1.1 An ever-present threat; 1.2 The myth of progress; 1.3 How pandemics spread; 1.4 Pandemics and the changing role of the state: from divine to human responsibility; 1.5 A plague on all our houses – learning to control pandemics; 2. Pandemics are not random 'Black Swans'; 2.1 We were expecting a pandemic, so why was the UK so unprepared?; 2.2 Your money or your life; 2.3 Light at the end of the tunnel; Part II. Why COVID-19 was a perfect storm; 3. The fragile society of a neoliberal state; 3.1 The neoliberal project; 3.2 The capture of democracy; 3.3 How COVID-19 was able to wreak havoc; 3.4 A 'Just in time' health service; 3.5 A 'Cinderella' social care service; 3.6 A diminished state; 4. Inequality saps resilience; 4.1 Inequality and the laissez faire state; 4.2 'This is not an easy life any more, chum'; 4.3 Are we bothered?; 4.4 It's the economy stupid; 4.5 The 'Burning Injustices'; 5. The pandemic onslaught; 5.1 Those who lived and those who died; 5.2 The tattered safety net; 5.3 The COVID generation; 5.4 Where's next?; 5.5 Looking to the future; Part III. COVID-19 and the choices we now face; 6. 'Too big to fail?' – we need a payback this time; 6.1 Lessons from the 2007–08 financial crash; 6.2 What does all this have to do with a 2020 pandemic?; 6.3 A first look at the winners and losers; 6.4 Securing the pandemic payback – how are things looking this time?; 6.5 Is the old order beginning to crack?; 7. No time for austerity now; 7.1 So we found the magic money tree; 7.2 When austerity was in vogue; 7.3 Let's just put it on the tab; 7.4 Storm clouds ahead?; 8. Who has the deepest pockets?; 8.1 A better future and a proactive state; 8.2 Will we find the pot of gold?; 9. Re-thinking welfare; 9.1 Is it time for a no-strings attached Universal Basic Income?; 9.2 'Dignity and Security'; 9.3 Universal services; 9.4 Who cares?; 9.5 What of later life?; Part IV. After the virus – Who do we want to be?; 10. Casting aside the neoliberal state; 10.1 Homo Economicus and the myth of rationality; 10.2 History and Morality; 11. The birth of a collectivist individualism; 11.1 How Elizabeth I gave us the world's first welfare society; 11.2 The turn away from collectivist individualism after 1834; 11.3 The Boer War and the 'New Liberal' reforms; 11.4 Slaying the giants – Beveridge and the 'Golden Age'; 11.5 Wealth, redistribution and progressive taxation; 11.6 What lessons can we take from history?; 12. An empowering state to build a nurturing society; 12.1 What does it mean to have an empowering state?; 12.2 Freedom and the state; 12.3 Collective commitment to a nurturing society; 12.4 The case for fair and progressive contributions; 12.5 Democratic participation and devolved power; 12.6 Our natural environment and the empowering state; 13. Seven Pillars of Empowerment; 13.1 A Nurturing Society: Respect and inclusive support for all; 13.2 Ethical Capitalism: Working with business to redefine our values; 13.3 Fair Contributions: Full participation by the prosperous; 13.4 Open Public Discourse: Enabling all voices to have an equal hearing; 13.5 Measuring what we value: Signalling the changes we need; 13.6 A Sustainable Future: Responsible stewardship of our planet's resources; 13.7 Participatory Politics: Reviving democracy and civic engagement; 14. Greater even than a pandemic; 14.1 Conclusion.