Day: 3 May 2020

There are a number of legal challenges to state-mandated lockdowns. In Ireland, an application to challenge some of Ireland’s coronavirus laws has been made by John Waters and Gemma O’Doherty; in the Northern District of Mississippi the Temple Baptist Church is challenging the city of Greenville; and in the UK businessman Simon Dolan is seeking a Judicial Review over the Government’s emergency measures and the English Democrats are also seeking a Judicial Review. To date, Simon Dolan's case has received the most publicity. Lawyers acting for him have delivered a ‘Letter Before Action’ on his behalf to the Government, giving it until May 7th to respond. Mr Dolan is seeking to challenge the Government on three main points: Whether lockdown is unlawful because the Government implemented regulations under the Public Health Act 1984 instead of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 or the Coronavirus Act 2020.The legality of the continuation of lockdown regulation, and whether the tests are too narrow, failing to take account of the economic and social impacts of lockdown.If the restrictions brought in by the Government contravene the European Convention of Human Rights, which cover the right to liberty, family life, education and property. He’s also seeking to persuade the Government to make three key policy changes that will restore some of our freedoms and get the economy ...

The Observer leads with a new poll by Opinium that reveals fewer than one in five of the British public believe the lockdown should be lifted. 67% of people think schools should remain closed, against only 17% who think they should reopen. Just 11% think it's time to reconsider reopening restaurants, with 78% against, while only 9% think pubs should reopen, with 81% against. When it comes to sporting events, 84% are against allowing mass gatherings to take place, with just 7% in favour. Unfortunately, that poll isn't an outlier. A YouGov poll for the Sunday Times found that just 25% of adults would feel safe returning to work and the public opposes reopening schools by 48% to 28%. And 59% of people polled by the Sunday Express said they would not feel comfortable going out and don't plan to resume a normal life any time soon. It's official. We're a nation of bedwetters. As Benjamin Franklin said, "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." And it isn't just us. In America, the lockdown zealots are on the march, having got the hashtag #extendthelockdown trending on Twitter. New York Times journalist Taylor Lorenz has been banging the drum for this cause, tweeting: "The 'open up the economy' people are ...