“No Sign of Second Wave”: Experts Rubbish Matt Hancock’s “Alarmist” Claims
The Mail has been doing a good job of late, countering the Government’s narrative of fear and doom (and social control) by giving a platform to some solid sceptical scientific voices. Here it is again today:
Health Secretary Matt Hancock yesterday warned that the UK ‘must do everything in our power’ to stop a second surge of people going into hospital with the coronavirus, which he said was starting to happen in Europe.
But experts told MailOnline Mr Hancock’s comments were ‘alarmist’ and that there is currently ‘no sign’ of a second wave coming over the horizon. The data shows hospital cases are also not rising by much in Europe, contrary to the Health Secretary’s claim.
As of yesterday there were only 764 people in hospital with COVID-19 in the UK, just 60 of whom are in intensive care. This is a sharp drop from a peak of 19,872 hospitalised patients on April 12.
The falling number of hospital cases comes despite infections having been on the rise since lockdown restrictions were lifted at the start of July. Experts say this is because the groups getting infected and diagnosed now are completely different to those at the start of the pandemic.
Scientists say it is younger people driving up infections and they are less likely to get seriously ill and end up in hospital. For that reason, hospital cases and deaths will not necessarily follow higher cases, and there may not be a deadly wave like the first.
Another 1,295 people were diagnosed with the virus in Britain yesterday, following 1,406 the day before, and the seven-day average number of daily cases is now 1,339 – a 27 per cent increase on last Tuesday and the highest since June 11.
Professor Carl Heneghan, a medicine expert at the University of Oxford, said: ‘There is currently no second wave. What we are seeing is a sharp rise in the number of healthy people who are carrying the virus, but exhibiting no symptoms. Almost all of them are young. They are being spotted because – finally – a comprehensive system of national test and trace is in place.’
Mr Hancock said in the Commons yesterday that he feared this rise in infections in healthy people would creep into vulnerable groups if allowed to continue, saying it was a pattern seen in the US where cases are out of control again.
His comments followed that of Dr Hans Kluge, the WHO’s Europe chief, who said he ‘wouldn’t be surprised’ if hospital admissions surged this November to levels seen during the worst days of the pandemic.
But scientists have shot down Mr Hancock’s doomsayer comments, pointing out that deaths have not risen in France or Spain, and the reason hospital admissions have not risen in the UK with diagnosed cases ‘simply reflects increased testing’.
Official data from the continent shows Europe’s hospitals are not filling up with coronavirus patients despite a surge in positive tests – hospitalisations have been falling in France, Spain and Germany while cases have risen.
Open University statistician Professor Kevin McConway told MailOnline: ‘An important point is that numbers of Covid deaths in France have shown very little evidence of a rise recently. There has been something of a rise in deaths Spain, but not very marked at all.’
Statisticians say expansion of testing capacity means infections are being found more easily than at the start of the pandemic. In the UK alone, the number of tests being carried out has increased by 20% from the start of July to now. But the number of positive results has gone up by only 0.3 per cent in the same period, suggesting new cases are a combination of more tests, and only a slight rise in infections in hotspots.
Worth reading in full.
Government U-turns On Lifting Local Lockdowns
The Government has done another U-turn, deciding not to lift restrictions in Bolton and Trafford. The areas are to be kept in lockdown at the request of local bedwetting councillors while restrictions are eased in the rest of the region. BBC News has the story:
Parts of Greater Manchester will not have lockdown restrictions eased as planned following a Government U-turn. Measures in Bolton and Trafford were due to be eased overnight after a fall in cases earlier in August. But they will “now remain under existing restrictions” following “a significant change in the level of infection rates over the last few days”, the Government announced.
The region’s mayor Andy Burnham said the U-turn had been “complete chaos”. The boroughs had been due to allow people from different households to meet indoors and businesses to offer close contact services such as facials, but that has now been halted.
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said the decision was made “in collaboration with local leaders after reviewing the latest data” which showed infection rates had more than trebled in Bolton in under a week and doubled in Trafford since the last review. “We have always been clear we will take swift and decisive action where needed to contain outbreaks,” he added.
Amazing to think that locking down healthy populations was unheard of before March. Now it seems to be the first tool in the box. None of the areas is seeing a sustained rise in cases above around 50 per 100,000, however. Maybe time to stop with the sledgehammer lockdowns?
Schools Demanding Masks in Classrooms Against Government Guidance
A reader has pointed out a worrying story in a local newspaper about Twynham School in Christchurch, which is enforcing masks at all times including in classrooms. Government guidance on this is clear: “Face coverings can have a negative impact on learning and teaching and so their use in the classroom should be avoided.” Nonetheless, the headteacher, Jy Taylor, wrote to parents saying:
Throughout this pandemic we have approached everything with a measured and cautious approach and there are still many unknowns. As a result we have made the decision that all students will be required to wear a facemask when they are inside any building at Twynham School. This applies to all students in all settings, including in the classroom (there will be some exemption when students can be distanced appropriately). This has been a very complex decision and one that has not been made lightly. We are aware that this may not be a popular decision with students and we do have some concerns about their ability to communicate in the classroom.
Meanwhile the parent of a child at Bedales, a boarding school in Hampshire that charges fees of £39,000 a year, has been in touch with some shocking news:
Bedales School had a single kid with sore throat on first day back. All kids immediately sent home for another fortnight. (Right after the £13k term fees cheques cleared).
Stop Press: After someone claimed this wasn’t true in the comments, we double-checked it. Turns out, a group of 20 sixth formers at Bedales were sent home yesterday after one became ill. All 20 had been at the same party the night before.
Are Some Local Authorities Deliberately Mistreating Pupils to Force Schools to Close?
A reader from Merseyside has been in touch with a disturbing story about the experience of his sons as they returned to school today:
My boys started back at school today. They’re usually quite robust and no nonsense but they came home in tears. They have to face the front all day. If they turn their heads it is a mandatory week exclusion. They must use the one way system (obviously) and if they are caught not doing so they are excluded. Three people excluded today because they forgot and turned the wrong way. They only get half an hour for lunch but they have to queue up in silence for 20 mins and when they get in they are moved off under the threat of exclusion and they have to be back in their rooms by the stroke of 30 mins or guess what happens? Exclusion. So no lunch. It’s the only break they get. Guess what happens if they talk in class, guess what happens if the slightest bit of uniform is wrong (even though we can only order from one supplier and they are running four weeks behind).
The school buses haven’t turned up and the public buses aren’t letting the kids on because they have provided a free bus for the school kids. ONE SINGLE DECKER FOR THE WHOLE SCHOOL. They need to be in for 8:30am. If they are not in on time then they will be excluded. If they are seen around the school (outside) at any time before 8:30am then they will be excluded. How is this supposed to work, esp when they can’t get to school because their are no buses? The head has told me they should walk. A 90 min walk at 7am in winter, in the dark along a dual carriageway!! And the same home. Oldest child (13) has to go to school in school PE shorts that haven’t arrived and have three hours PE at end of day and then walk home in it. All the teachers are completely encased in acrylic boxes at the front of the classroom and aren’t allowed to leave them while pupils are in the classroom.
I’m all for discipline and I know it’s difficult, but this is ridiculous. I get the feeling this is teaching unions making it as difficult as possible in order to close the schools.
If public sector lockdown fanatics will mistreat children by turning their school into ruthless, no-mercy, boot camps, are there any depths to which they won’t stoop?
Students “Sentenced to Isolation Prisons”
University students in America are finding they’ve signed up not, as they thought, to a world-class educational experience with a bit of Animal House thrown in, but an over-priced stint in the clink. Tyler Durden at Zero Hedge has more:
These [coronavirus] restrictions are absurd from the perspective of protecting people’s health given that coronavirus is not particularly dangerous. This is especially the case for the teen and twenty-something students. For these relatively young college students, coronavirus generally poses very little risk of death. Further, most such young adults experience zero symptoms to minor sickness from coronavirus infection.
I have written about the draconian restrictions imposed at college campuses in the name of countering coronavirus, with some focus on Duke University, Syracuse University, and the University of Texas and Texas A&M. These are not handpicked examples of campuses whose college administrators have imposed uniquely harsh rules in the name of countering coronavirus. The problem is present at many college campuses across America, and it is devastating for many students.
The piece relays testimonials collected by Jordan Schachtel of students living in prison-like conditions across America. Here’s a selection:
“No gatherings over 15 people. Everyone’s mental health is crumbling. Nobody is even sick and those who quarantine follow the rules. School requires asymptomatic testing and there’s no end in sight. My guy and girl friends are all miserable . So many have been like this is prison we can’t do anything. All bars closed in Louisiana. We gather at local parks and the cops come to shut it down. No fun ever allowed and no end in sight.”
“Students must wear masks outside dorm rooms, cannot visit another dorm, etc. Threatened with draconian honor code violations if they violate the rules and orientation was declared all virtual at the last minute. Yet today, the athletes, with permission of and active participation by the University, were permitted to organize a BLM march through campus.”
“No roommates… all online classes, no in person activities, dining halls closed, libraries closed except under very strict guidance, no visiting another dorm room, six-ft distance at all times, masks mandatory when not in dorm room, cannot leave the Nashville area, circles drawn on quad area, threats of suspension/expulsion for first offense, security guards posted throughout campus to enforce rules, kids encouraged to report non-compliance, etc. After having been on campus for a week, my daughter has not met nor spoken to a single person. She is in her dorm room in front of her computer at almost all times, and the only times she really leaves are when she picks up her to-go meals. This is a very depressing situation.”
“They have a very restrictive plan which we respect for managing COVID… but there’s nothing to manage the student’s personal experience. Even with negative tests… very restrictive. All classes are online. He can’t even socialize with the other students in the dorm. 1 hour outside once in a while… this was his time to mature, and become more independent. It’s been the equivalent of House Arrest with a stranger which would have been tolerable if things were allowed to open up. He can’t even go outside to speak on the phone in private.”
Worth reading in full.
Kim-Jong Dan’s Vicstapo Outdoes the Stasi
A video is circulating of the arrest of a pregnant mum, Zoe Lee, in her pyjamas, for “incitement” under Kim-Jong Dan’s corona laws. Her crime? Posting this on Facebook:
That’s liberal democracy, folks. Alan Jones, our favourite broadcaster, gave Kim-Jong Dan both barrels on Sky News Australia.
Meanwhile, a reader has been in touch with a new dispatch from the People’s Democratic Republic of Victoria:
Something my one fellow lockdown sceptic at work noticed was the daily reports of how many fines have been handed out by the Vicstapo each day… nearly every day it is very close to 200 fines, a cynic might almost say that they had a quota!?! They are still chasing down anyone trying to organise any form of protest who are being raided/arrested and charged with ‘incitement’ with the huge fines that go along with that. Unfortunately the protest groups do seem rather full of 5G conspiracy nutters and the Police take great delight in branding any dissenters as tin foil hat wearing COVID denier conspiracy theorists. The Deputy Commissioner Luke Cornetto (Well it’s Cornelius, but he looks like he enjoys a few Cornettos… doughnuts too probably) describes any protest as “bat-shit crazy” and after standing back for the BLM protest earlier in the year promises a hardline approach to any Coronaphobia protests.
California Plans a Return to Normal – Never
A reader has sent us the Governor of California’s guidance for lifting COVID-19 restrictions. Depressing stuff.
Tom Woods comments:
This means no return to normal, ever. Given the problem of false positives alone, how can these numbers ever be reached? A member of the Tom Woods Show Elite pointed out some pertinent facts here. Since 42 of the 58 California counties have fewer than 500K people, a mere five cases per day will keep restrictions in place. Some 23 counties will be forced to keep some restrictions in place with just one case per day. These guidelines are being released at the very moment that hospitalizations are plummeting – but hospital capacity no longer guides state policy, even though that was the original pretext behind the initial “flattening the curve” propaganda.
“Piers Corbyn May Be a Crank But His Treatment Should Worry Us All”
Barrister Blogger Matthew Scott has a new post warning that the £10,000 fine imposed on Piers Corbyn for organising an anti-lockdown rally should concern us all.
Regulation 5B was hastily made law last Friday 28th August, the day before the demonstration was held. It was introduced under an emergency procedure and was neither debated nor given even the most cursory scrutiny by any Parliamentary process. It permits the most junior Community Support Officer in the country to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice to the suspected organiser of a political event, demanding £10,000 to avoid prosecution and consequent financial ruin. Given its timing, even if it was not introduced with the purpose of targetting the organisers of a political protest against government policy, it very much has that appearance…
The fact that Mr Corbyn may be a crank, and that many of those at his meeting may have had disreputable or even disgusting political opinions is quite beside the point. As Sedley LJ put it in Redman-Bate v. DPP [1999] EWHC 733:
“Free speech includes not only the inoffensive but the irritating, the contentious, the eccentric, the heretical, the unwelcome and the provocative provided it does not tend to provoke violence. Freedom only to speak inoffensively is not worth having. … From the condemnation of Socrates to the persecution of modern writers and journalists, our world has seen too many examples of state control of unofficial ideas. A central purpose of the European Convention on Human Rights has been to set close limits to any such assumed power.” …
If Mr Hancock’s emergency law is upheld by the courts, as I expect it will be, so much the worse for the law. There may very occasionally be a place – in a true emergency – for significant changes to the criminal law to be made by ministerial proclamation, without warning, without debate and with no opportunity for Parliamentary scrutiny, but in a democracy those occasions should be kept to an absolute minimum. There are plenty of countries where decrees are routinely issued to prevent or deter political demonstrations. Why are we trying to emulate them?
Worth reading in full.
The Free Speech Union has reached out to Piers to see if he’d like any help contesting this. Will keep you posted on that one.
Round-Up
- ‘What is behind the increase of non-Covid related deaths?‘ – COVID-19 deaths continue to decline but non-Covid deaths are beginning to climb, especially at home. Is it because of lack of access to medical attention, asks Ross Clark in the Spectator
- ‘Is Scotland overcounting the number of patients in hospital beds?‘ – Ask Professor Carl Heneghan and co. In a word, yes
- ‘Unfair and unenforced – our Covid-19 quarantine laws are a total mess‘ – Karol Sikora says it as it is in the Telegraph in support of the newspaper’s Test4Travel campaign
- ‘Nation with strictest lockdown has most deaths‘ – George Dance on Peru, the country whose lockdown has backfired most tragically
- ‘Fear of virus is holding back economy, Andrew Bailey warns‘ – The Bank of England governor says that while consumer spending and the housing market are surging social spending and business investment are way down
- ‘De Blasio Suggests Return of Indoor Dining Depends on Coronavirus Vaccine‘ – The NYC mayor determined to destroy what’s left of his city
- ‘Boris Johnson chose not to sack Gavin Williamson… and perhaps there’s a very simple reason‘ – Michael Deacon in the Telegraph wonders whether he kept him on in order to sack him later when the return to school goes tits up
- ‘Switching the code for social harmony‘ – The excellent Melanie Phillips on the dangers of the demand to abolish Standard English as a form of “anti-Black linguistic racism and white linguistic supremacy”. Yes, really
- ‘Tony Abbott rails against Covid ‘health dictatorships’, saying some elderly should be left to die naturally‘ – The straight-talking former Australian PM puts in a word for hard-headed public health policy
- ‘The Bloodless Political Class and Its Lack of Empathy‘ – Jeffrey Tucker at the Atlas Society says the yawning emotional gap between government and people is because they can’t face up to what they’ve done in imposing a devastating but ineffective lockdown
- ‘No, racism isn’t a “creation of white people“‘ – Professor David Abulafia, Emeritus Professor of Mediterranean History at the University of Cambridge, debunks the historically illiterate ideas of the British Library’s chief librarian Liz Jolly
- ‘It’s time to derail the Pride train‘ – Andrew Doyle in spiked on why he’s had enough of sexual identity politics and the hijacking of gay rights by intolerant identitarians
- ‘Record number of young people on benefits‘ – And with tax rises on the way you have to wonder how long the government’s already wavering popularity is going to last
Love in the Time of Covid
We have created some Lockdown Sceptics Forums that are now open, including a dating forum called “Love in a Covid Climate” that has attracted a bit of attention. We’ve also just introduced a section where people can arrange to meet up for non-romantic purposes. We have a team of moderators in place to remove spam and deal with the trolls, but sometimes it takes a little while so please bear with us. You have to register to use the Forums, but that should just be a one-time thing. Any problems, email the Lockdown Sceptics webmaster Ian Rons here.
Small Businesses That Have Re-Opened
A few months ago, Lockdown Sceptics launched a searchable directory of open businesses across the UK. The idea is to celebrate those retail and hospitality businesses that have re-opened, as well as help people find out what has opened in their area. But we need your help to build it, so we’ve created a form you can fill out to tell us about those businesses that have opened near you.
Now that non-essential shops have re-opened – or most of them, anyway – we’re focusing on pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants, as well as other social venues. As of July 4th, many of them have re-opened too, but not all (and some of them are at risk of having to close again). Please visit the page and let us know about those brave folk who are doing their bit to get our country back on its feet – particularly if they’re not insisting on face masks! If they’ve made that clear to customers with a sign in the window or similar, so much the better. Don’t worry if your entries don’t show up immediately – we need to approve them once you’ve entered the data.
“Mask Exempt” Lanyards
We’ve created a permanent slot down here for people who want to buy (or make) a “Mask Exempt” lanyard/card. You can print out and laminate a fairly standard one for free here and it has the advantage of not explicitly claiming you have a disability. But if you have no qualms about that (or you are disabled), you can buy a lanyard from Amazon saying you do have a disability/medical exemption here (now showing it will arrive between Oct 6th to Oct 16th). The Government has instructions on how to download an official “Mask Exempt” notice to put on your phone here. You can get a “Hidden Disability” tag from ebay here and an “exempt” card with lanyard for just £3.99 from Etsy here.
Don’t forget to sign the petition on the UK Government’s petitions website calling for an end to mandatory face nappies in shops here (now over 31,000).
A reader has started a website that contains some useful guidance about how you can claim legal exemption.
And here’s a round-up of the scientific evidence on the effectiveness of mask (threadbare at best).
Stop Press: Another school appears to have ‘misunderstood’ the government’s guidance on face coverings in schools. St Augustine Academy Maidstone is happy to give the impression that, though not in a local lockdown area, they are now required to expect pupils to mask. The assistant principal, a Mr Blackford, writes:
As you are aware, the Government recently updated their advice regarding the wearing of face coverings in schools. This letter outlines important information about the use of face coverings.
When will my child need to wear a face covering at the Academy?
Your child will need to wear a face covering at our Academy from the start of the Academic year in September.
One father took the school to task for this unwelcome imposition, and his letter, which he has sent to Lockdown Sceptics, is worth quoting at length:
Can you please point me towards the risk assessments that the school/Government have done with regards to children wearing face masks (both clinical and non-clinical as your guidance seems to advocate the use of either) and storing them in resealable plastic bags. I have searched extensively for any risk assessments connected to wearing masks and have only found a growing body of evidence that there is very little detectable benefit in terms of preventing the spread of COVID-19. I would draw your attention to the British Medical Journal review of the latest studies. The authors concluded that: “The evidence is not sufficiently strong to support the widespread use of facemasks as a protective measure against COVID-19…” and recommended further high quality randomised controlled trials. “To our knowledge, there are no trials of cloth masks in the general public.“
Professor Russel Viner is President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and a member of the SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies) committee that advises the government and specifically COBRA on responses to the COVID-19 epidemic. On August 24th, in an interview for BBC Newsnight, he made several interesting statements that directly contradict the school/Government policies and expose the sheer quackery on which they are based:
“I’ve had two emails today about studies coming out in the next couple of weeks… which are generally reassuring… which tell us that children… and schools play a very limited role in transmission of the virus.”
“There’s very little evidence that children and young people transmit (the virus).”
“The evidence around mask wearing is unclear… There’s lots of concerns about mask wearing for children… it actually could, potentially, spread the virus more.”
“…for teenagers we don’t have the evidence that this [mask wearing] is useful.”
“…we need to look at how teenagers transmit this virus, the evidence they transmit in schools is not very high, there’s interesting issues about the difference between in school [transmission] and out of school.”
“…actually very little evidence for the use of masks in schools.”
However, far more alarming is the growing body of evidence that wearing face masks may be detrimental to the health of the wearer hence my concern about the apparent lack of risk assessments or even an attempt to evaluate solid best practices and details of how they will be monitored. On top of everything else I’m certain that teachers cannot be expected to ensure that any child who has touched theirs or anyone else’s facemask inappropriately immediately washes their hands and doesn’t touch a multitude of other surfaces (doors, handles, light switches, etc.) in the process.
Shameless Begging Bit
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And Finally…
According to the Mail, the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has been blasted for its “tasteless and insensitive” Covid-themed festival pint glasses, which were printed with images of white virus cells. Although the group has now apologised after the design sparked fury on social media, festival organiser Catherine Tonry did attempt to explain:
As someone who has suffered lasting lung damage after contracting COVID-19, I am all too aware how serious the illness can be and the devastating and long-term impact it has had on so many of us. I sincerely apologise to anyone who has taken offence to the glass theme. We choose a theme every year and wanted to ensure the design recognised what was at the front of everyone’s mind. COVID-19 has been the defining event of 2020, and has severely impacted the beer and pub sector – as well as many of our personal lives.
Discussion
Comments
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I do quite a bit of voluntary work with Devon Wildlife Trust and being outdoors work this is thankfully all getting going again but of course with Covid rules. Their rules talk about 2m social distance, when I queried this saying that I thought Boris had reduced this to 1m, they replied that it was not down to them, their Health & Safety person had had a meeting with their insurers who insisted that they say 2m or they would not be insured. Clearly a wildlife trust cannot run the risk of being uninsured and so this is all being dictated by the insurance industry.
Mind you as volunteers we are responsible for our own travel and so we can and do share lifts with each other but then when we start work we must keep 2m apart!
Similarly, the other day I went swimming at Chagford outdoor pool, lovely setting on Dartmoor and I was reprimanded for swimming backstroke! The lady seemed rather sheepish and apologetic for telling me this but the rules have come down from Swim England and have to be obeyed or they will not be insured. So I just swam on my front and smiled… Read more »
If we move away from fossil fuels and other methods of generating electricity and move towards more windmills and other feeble electricity generating schemes how are we going to charge the batteries of all those electric vehicles?
Whatever you respond with they will almost certainly make it sound like you don’t care about customer safety. The only “acceptable” response is that you will all start wearing masks immediately and jump as high as they want you to.
As others have suggested, I would be inclined to simply ignore it if I were you.
Matt Hancock: The reincarnation of Joseph Mengele.
These were a couple of good articles a few weeks ago explaining where all the Vaccine funding is coming from, and all the links the likes of Hancock has to Big Pharma, GAVI, WHO etc.
http://www.zerohedge.com/markets/who-controls-british-government-response-covid-19-part-1
http://www.zerohedge.com/health/who-controls-british-government-response-covid-19-part-2
Enlightening
Most people are a bit lazy. They will believe things that it is easy to believe. What they will not do is accept anything that hits their pocket. This is the nature of modern democracy.
This is why magic money is such a devastating weapon of destruction for the Western world. It allows lazy choices. Like lockdown.
I think that you are underestimating the one success of this catastrophe – the inculcation of genuine Fear by the Mengele group (SPI-B)
SPI-B is exactly that because it uses people’s laziness. The fear is shallow. It’s convenient to work from home if you are still paid 100% for doing so.
The casualties in this are the self-employed, those on short term contract or relying on sales, working in hospitality or retail, small businesses. If you are a judge or a social worker then it’s all a sensible precaution. All because of magic money.
Guardian:Coronavirus live news: tracing apps ‘may stem spread even with low uptake’
I was thinking about this earlier on when someone mentioned the fact that flu is killing many more people than Covid. What can the explanation be? Until that revelation, it was always possible for lockdown zealots to say that it was the lockdown wot saved us and Covid is just waiting to burst out again. But if flu is spreading and Covid isn’t, that particular story looks very suspect. Maybe Covid really is over.
Enter Track-and-Trace. This is a specific difference between flu and Covid that can be used to dismiss the awkward flu problem. In other words, Covid really is still there, but it’s being kept in abeyance by a T&T system that works remarkably well – is the story they’ll be promoting. Fear the second wave, we mustn’t let up our guard now, etc.
If we behave like submissive sheep Cockup promises us a good Xmas this year. If not … Tear his guts out and shove them down his throat.
“Urgent hunt for man in surgical gloves and face mask who attacked a child in Edinburgh
The child was left with minor injuries after the violent attack by a suspicious man wearing surgical gloves.”
https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/urgent-hunt-man-surgical-gloves-18871094
One comment on that page so far, its like our local rag, nobody cares. Terrible for the girl, being assaulted by a PPE clad zombie. The stuff of nightmares.
Tucker Carlson, August 24, 2020: Have you been to America lately?
Gates, Tedros, Biden …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeTliWwDPOg
Something which people may be interested in, Andrew Johnson is preparing a report to go to various UK bodies, he is looking for support and other organisations which may need to be sent copies:
https://youtu.be/QkHag8VmlHU
Good Work Andrew Johnson. I might wait a while before I sign it. This won’t go down too well.
If they can’t use a real name and leave contact details they are not worth bothering with,they are a coward.
It could possibly be some degenerate specimen from local news media trying to create a story out of absolutely nothing,our local paper seems to get it’s ‘news’ from hysterical social media posts.
Once we had some extremely slanderous and completely untrue posts about our business put on the town’s facebook page and I managed to get them removed,we think they were put there by a competitor hiding behind a stupid alias.
Disappointing to see that protest groups in Australia are also full of 5G ‘conspiracy theorists’. There seems to be a lot of these people about at the minute. Could it be that genuine protests, based on sound lockdown scepticism, are being infiltrated by manufactured 5G crackpots to ridicule the whole cause? Any association with what is seen as the ‘tin foil hat brigade’ is a sure fire way of putting off sensible people. It will also provide ample ammo for the MSM to discredit any protest with the usual drivel of associating lockdown scepticism with flat earther’s and lizard people.
You will get an element of this for a couple of reasons. First off, these people have been protesting a lot longer than we have. Most lockdown sceptics have never really protested before in their lives.
Secondly, depending on the type of conspiracy, the government moving in so obviously a totalitarian direction, dropping a Chinese Communist Party policy of lockdown on us from the sky, is manna from heaven for them. It merely confirms what they have believed all along: that democracy and freedom is a sham, and that their favourite conspiracy is the one behind it and pulling all the strings.
I don’t really think any effort is required on the part of the authorities to “infiltrate” the sceptic movement. If anything, those of us who follow no conspiracy theories are quite probably the infiltrators!
5G is the tool which will enable the surveillance grid to be put in place.Since this has started ive been wearing a tin foil suit just to be sure
@Anthony I think to be objective that has actually happened in all protest movements forever almost. There are big movements that always jump on left side protests – the International Socialists, and in the Labour Party, A group bring a bit of anti semitism flavour that the mainstream must hate.
It’s just an opportunity for a day out for the extreme/loony groups to hitch their wagon to a bigger cause. I think it goes way back to antiVietnam protests in the US
You are certainly correct about groups linking causes, just look at Extinction Rebellion hitching onto the BLM movement. Many of these groups have shared memberships so it perhaps isn’t surprising. The establishment have many smear tactics to use when they have had enough of a group.
Just for information : the Labour Party always had miniscule antisemitism. Less than other parties.
I readily accept that, it was just an easy example from recent news flow. It could also be the islamaphobia levelled at Torys
Many of the 5G ‘conspiracy theorists’ and other extreme individuals on Facebook groups might not necessarily be real people. I have looked at the profiles of many of the people who make strange and off topic comments and to be honest I don’t think they are real people. Facebook is certainly still full of fake profiles. If you are a government trying to discredit a movement a tactic you would use is to insert people who dissuade people with genuine concerns. Personally I would ignore the cranks as most won’t exist.
Guy came to lay some new flooring in my bathroom today.
It was only after he left that I realised there were no masks, no mention of masks, no weird physical distancing, other than what’s instinctive between two strangers. Perfectly normal, if minimal conversation. You’d never think there was a dystopian panic going on “out there.”
On the other hand, I went to Aldi this evening. It was reasonably busy for the time of day. I was the only unmasked customer, though the floorstaff were unmuzzled today.
I had a perfectly normal conversation about egg sizes with a bemuzzled shopper at the egg section. Weird!
Sooo how did this egg size conversation go?
Not sure there’s much normal talking to strangers about egg sizes I’m afraid Cheezilla 😀
Don’t keep us in suspense!
I was just reading some second world war history about the ‘few’, those battle of Britain pilots who quite literally saved Britain from a German invasion in 1940. In particular I was reminded of Douglas Bader who piloted a Spitfire with no legs and downed twenty two enemy aircraft before being shot down and ending up, after numerous escape attempts, as a prisoner in Colditz castle.
Bader coined the phrase:
Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men.
Can you imagine these men, brave, courageous, self sacrificing and above all not afraid to take real life or death risks being taken in by a so called life threatening virus that only exists in a computer model of a much discredited so called ‘expert’?
Fools obey rules because they cannot think for themselves and being led, yes, like sheep, is the only way they know. Wise men on the other hand know when rules are ridiculous, pathetic, contradictory and counter productive and even if they are mandatory, legal or the decree of idiot rulers know that their conscience will always object to following them.
So take heart fellow sceptics. When you feel that you… Read more »
Wonderful story of Bader giving a talk at an upmarket girls public school.
’So there were two of the f***ers behind me, three f***ers to my right, another f***er on the left,’ he told the audience. The headmistress went pale and interjected: ‘Ladies, the Fokker was a German aircraft.’ Sir Douglas replied: ‘That may be madam, but these f***ers were in Messerschmitts’.”
One on my favourites!
Douglas Bader walked up our driveway once, I heard his legs creaking as he walked, he was collecting for charity, my Dad said, that’s Douglass Bader he has wooden legs…That was in about 1979.
Read ‘First Light’ by Geoffrey Wellum.
Truly inspirational.
Simon Dolan is asking a direct question of Mike Wendling BBC disinformation unit head. Mike Wendling is not answering.
If you feel like asking for Mike to answer Simon’s question the details are here:
https://twitter.com/simondolan/status/1301552064967958528?s=20
Having read the stories of what children face when they return to school, I would really classify some of these strictures as a form of psychological abuse and adult bullying (don’t turn your head or you’re excluded? WTF?). These are not reasonable forms of discipline. I’d tend to agree that someone wants to make the whole experience so bad that teachers can go home. Fine. At this point I’d be happy for them all to go home permanently.
My first choice would be to take the kids out and homeschool, but if you can’t do that you should not be leaving your children at the mercy of this kind of totalitarianism. I would like to have some useful suggestions for providers of mental health advocacy for children, but I am not even sure those exist in the UK. My only suggestion would be to contact the NSPCC and ask if such things exist. The Chlldren’s and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in your area should have some advice about this also, but I’m well aware of how hard they are to deal with. Just don’t force your children to be part of things like this.
Just heard from my child’s school that they will be keeping the windows in the classroom open throughout the winter
And? We don’t have cold winters here and the fresh air will do them good. If that’s all you’ve got to moan about then you’re doing alright, aren’t you?
I suppose you are ok with the children in Scotland being made to stand outside in the rain as well as it’s character building
What?
Open windows are healthy
Being made to stand in the rain isn’t..
Moronic response.
Sitting in a classroom by the window in the middle of winter all day is healthy ,all for the sake of a non existent threat.Both examples of the moronic response of our teachers not mine
Open windows are not healthy in minus 10, so who’s the moron now?
Are you kidding? So that’s okay if there’s a northerly or easterly wind? Have you so conveniently forgotten ‘the beast from the east?’ How very complacent. You are justifying unnecessary draconian measures. Fuck me.
Mrs 2-6’s friend works in an office with a coronaphobe. She won’t allow the air conditioner to be turned on because it’s to windy and blows the covids about. She had to sit in the office in 35 dec C heat with it turned off to keep her colleague “safe”.
This is almost funny
That must feel something like working in a Snowglobe. The office will need a special shake before Christmas.
Ha I work in an office (well, worked, i now wfh…) with a guy who is always cold and wouldnt allow the air con on in similar temps, I just got up and said fuck this im going home. I might have stuck it out had I known i’d be spending the entirety of the following summer at home alone and should have cherished every day with human company
Why should your wife’s colleagues paranoia win out over other peoples comfort?
No idea, if I was her I would have told her not to be such a dick.
That isn’t such a bad idea really. However under the circumstances, it’s mental.
LynseybelleQ506 (@lynseybelle506) Tweeted:
This is my son’s maths teacher talking :face_with_symbols_over_mouth: https://t.co/cLVWKL6Dh6 https://twitter.com/lynseybelle506/status/1301498010661257219?s=20
What have we become.
A bunch of idiots apparently
I’m pretty sure this is as much illegal as corporal punishment is. My brother went to school in the sixties where, on occasion but rarely, they caned and slippered pupils for misdemeanours – I’m not in favour by the way and nor is he – but otherwise it was a bastion of liberalism and freedom compared to this. I think corporal punishment was abuse but it was of its time, this crap is psychological torture.
Holyrood No New Normal protest this Saturday has Speakers.
Flyer here:
https://twitter.com/ScottAnd67/status/1301451725203738625?s=20
https://twitter.com/kerpen/status/1301551708754055168/photo/1
The most updated C-19 death by age in the USNew age group 0-17 years 85 deaths in 74 million. Almost 18000 other deaths during the same time. The list of deaths by age is the exact opposite of the Spanish flu. Project fear worst lie.
One post, two anecdotes.
No. 1. I have an ongoing battle with my boss’s boss about a specific issue that he thinks I should be responsible for and my basic point is that the data is trash. I’ve become unpopular because I’ve been pointing out that the data is trash rather than taking responsibility for the “problem” that the data suggests. I spent several hours today coaching the two other people who make up my team into understanding why the data is trash and let them go first on our weekly call with boss’s boss. I then came in with the rest.
Result was, ‘the data guy’ said “you’ve really drilled into the data. Thank you for helping us understand what’s going on.” ‘Drilling into the data’ took me 25 minutes this morning. Apparently an entire department hadn’t been able to work out what was blindingly obvious. My highest maths-related qualifications are a couple of GCSEs more than a quarter of a century old.
My point being, it’s shocking how bad the ability of even intelligent, qualified people is to understand what numbers mean. But it’s also surprising how effective building a story around them can be.… Read more »
Fully agree re anecdote 1. I broached the masks thing with work people at the pub today and they were surprisingly receptive.
I meant to add – one of the 3 is a friend of a certain odious GMB presenter. Apparently he (the presenter) has been getting a lot of abuse on various WhatsApp groups from friends (and relatives) lately and simply won’t listen to it.
“My point being, it’s shocking how bad the ability of even intelligent, qualified people is to understand what numbers mean.”
I think you’re spot on.
There’s a major lacuna in terms of basic mathematical literacy, with skills such as assessment of probability, estimation of risk and simply the ability to read data or a graph etc. woefully lacking.
It is a serious problem
I’ve been battling against this particular piece of data-driven lunacy all year (not the lockdown, my work thing). The people who have been looking at the data and hitting me with it are eminently qualified to analyse data – and in fact, it’s their whole job. Today’s little reveal, for me, was that it all comes down to belief. If you start with a point of view that if things are bad, the data will say Y and then you see Y, then you won’t bother to question that things are bad. It really only took two or 3 examples of how apparent Y did not mean Y to get them to talk about changing the whole system around measuring Y. Personally, I think this is what Heneghan is doing. Call me an optimist, but I think he’ll get there.
People see what they want to see, all too often. Back in March, on another site, somebody asked me if I agreed the R0 rate was 3. I replied that the R0 rate might be anything unless we knew precisely how many people were infected and infectious, and how easy or difficult it is to pass on the disease.
I’m still certain we are unable to answer either question.
I know we tend to highlight the absurdities of various restrictions / masks on this website, but I am seeing more things returning to ‘old’ normal in my part of the world. Kids football training very normal – no real restrictions other than elbow touches instead of handshakes. More people out and about and very few wearing masks in open air. Shops still lots of mask-madness, but get impression people don’t want to get in trouble, rather than believing they make any difference. Schools starting back – great! The more people come out – and do the things they did before lockdown – the easier it is for them to see the risk is practically zero. Of course, there’s still people who are very scared and make a lot of noise online, but I really do believe this group is becoming a minority. Massive percentage of people ready to be converted to scepticism. Anyone else seeing reasons to be cheerful?
There’s potential but it needs to be realised. There’s an appetite for normality, but there is apathy and laziness and the desire not to make or get into trouble. There are lots of mad people, but fewer than one might think from social and mainstream media.
The trouble is that there’s a danger of a huge pushback from government and their collaborators if they see the narrative beginning to unravel – manufactured second wave, much more censorship, dirtier and dirtier tactics. It may get nasty.
And I don’t consider schools “back” while there are so many stupid rules and restrictions, and so many extra-curricular activities not happening. The government must not take credit for getting schools back.
Agreed.
I’d like to be optimistic, but psychopathy still dominates.
Yep, still lots of lazy people who are happy to put up with the “minor inconveniences” they seem to think masking, testing and shutting down business, arbitrary one way systems and sanitising everything 10 times an hour are. What they don’t realise is that by going along, even though they don’t believe in it, is helping the government and giving more fuel for them to continue their fabricated emergency.
All the time. It’s slow, but it’s there.
People being scared for getting into trouble is part of the problem. Resistance gets you into trouble. If there’s no resistance we remain as we are. Breaking the rules is what we’re supposed to do if the rules are bollocks.
Just seen this on the Facebook group UK Lockdown Sceptics
Not a good look for BTP
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2711249702437114/permalink/2832846496944100/
Private group so can’t see anything when clicking on the link.
Remember?
We are the hollow men
We are the stuffed men
Leaning together
Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!
Our dried voices, when
We whisper together
Are quiet and meaningless
As wind in dry grass
or rats’ feet over broken glass
In our dry cellar
Shape without form, shade without colour,
Paralysed force, gesture without motion;
Those who have crossed
With direct eyes, to death’s other kingdom
Remember us – if at all – not as lost
Violent souls, but only
As the hollow men
The stuffed men.
Eliot nailed it!
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
Insanity was the normality
You spun your web, you drew me in
I was blind but now I see
~ Lone Wolf ~
I meant Bedales, obvs. Getting my posh schools mixed up.
Hi, sorry if someone else has mentioned this – I haven’t looked through all 1188 comments. I’m afraid the “news” about Beneden School is incorrect. I love the blog, but I feel you should correct that to maintain trust in your content.
Please see the “Stop Press” above. Turns out that it wasn’t the entire school that was sent home — just some of them.
Many thanks for checking and amending. Keep up the good work.
https://www.aier.org/article/the-covid-19-catastrophe/
“By the time things have returned to normal, the total price tag, just in terms of lost incomes and adjusted for inflation, will have exceeded the costs of all the wars the US has ever fought, from the American Revolution to Afghanistan – combined.”
Worth reading.Costs in the US.
Some will be quids in on a massive scale. Assets cheap. Monopoly control of essential industries like food, communications, goods transport. All assured.
Just watching tonight’s ‘Prom’ (BBC 4).
How depressing – the music can’t compensate for the pointless token antisocial distancing of performers and the lack of an audience.
Still – I’m sure that some will be delighted that people ‘know their place’.
There should be no forgiveness for the instigators – of which this is just a minor incident in a catalogue of horrors. But will we ever have the equivalent of the Nuremberg Trials?
I wouldn’t call this a minor incident. This goes to the heart of the destruction of everything that it means to be human. Music, and in particular public performances, has been one of our greatest sources of inspiration, comfort and community for millennia. This has been completely crushed out of existence by the puritanical zealotry and sadistic cruelty of the Covid cult miserablists.
The removal of music is the thing I miss the most.
Reading your reply reminds me of how far we have fallen. How can this be happening?
I used to gate crash parties. I could almost always find one going on, in a house after the pubs kicked out, in the woods, up a track in the middle nowhere all over the country, in this country and in all other ones I have every visited. Music everywhere..
All those festivals, all those gigs, all those pubs with music on everywhere, the morris dancing, all those shows all over the country, the ploughing contests, agricultural shows, local fêtes, church jumble-sales, steam rallies, car shows.
ALL OF IT
FORBIDDEN
Almost like Oliver Cromwell has returned.
Agree. I’m sure music will be back, under the correct ‘conditions’. Which will probably mean phone-app confirmation and even then still probably social distancing… the O2 will have about 800 people in it max so prices will soar to accommodate – I fear people will have basically a either/or choice, – it’ll be like, hmmm shall I get a ticket to see The Stones, or buy a new Land Rover?! 🙂
Live music is the most powerful force to pull people together. No wonder it’s as good as banned.
I can’t disagree.
I am involved with orchestral music at an accomplished amateur level, but can’t face participating in the resumption of rehearsals when the whole orchestra can’t meet together at once, and the shrunken bodies that can meet are bound by stupid rules that inhibit normal functioning. I probably wouldn’t be able to keep my mouth shut.
I find very few members who have clocked that this is one big scam, and quite a few who seem to relish the artificial ‘glory’ of devising ways of complying with diktat.
What is sad is that a large proportion of the membership are within the age-group that is least affected – and usually possessing qualifications at first degree level or above. A number teach at university, and there’s a good sprinkling of medical personnel, as well. But I’ve seen little resistance.
… then there’s the folk groups and choirs that haven’t met for six months – as you say, part of what society is about.
As I’ve said – the instigators of this corruption of Life should not be forgiven.
Start a sceptics orchestra? Go underground like Christians in China.
http://www.laworfiction.com/2020/07/bands-and-orchestras-can-gather-together/
But let’s not forget that you can convince them to meet together normally! Granted uphill struggle if infested with bedwetters but it should reassure those who just go along with it to know that nothing in the law actually prevents it.
Totally agree. I am a professional opera singer who has lost all income this year due to cancelled contracts and, to add insult to injury, ineligible for state handouts. It feels that I myself have been ‘cancelled’ and my expertise, experience and craft built up over a career of over 30 years has been sacrificed to the warped sense of risk of an idiotic governmental and public sector elite. I feel utterly betrayed and incandescent with rage.
There are no words sufficient to describe the depth of evil that has inflicted these grievous wounds. My heart goes out to you.
I watched the testimony (on the Anna Brees YouTube channel) of a woman who was a freelance singer specialising in performances in care homes. Needless to say her livelihood has been totally annihilated.
You have my total empathy. But I know that alters absolutely nothing.
My daughter works in the theatre, and being employed by a national company, hasn’t suffered financially. But there’s no real performance going on, and she feels deeply what is being inflicted on colleagues in companies elsewhere.
Your rage is totally justified.
I work in the arts too. I don’t know if you agree with this but as far as I understand this is all about taking all the joy out of our lives. This is a deliberate ploy. Politicians are miserable cunts at the best of times (never knew one who went to the theatre when I was more active in it) and they want you to be as miserable as them.
Did you catch why Alina Ibragimova wasn’t playing? Have to say I quite enjoyed the slightly dumpy stand in and thought she played beautifully. But the faux hugs were sickening.
No – I didn’t catch up with that detail. I think I was too bound up with the utter desolation at this travesty of what is a social experience. I felt immensely sad – to the extent of finding it hard to enjoy the Bach Double and happy memories of playing it – to a f.ing audience.
I just felt overwhelmed at the disconnect with the empty hall and the thin applause from the performance. It seemed a symbol of all that this evil embodies.
She withdrew because of the death of her father.
I think they have switched the propaganda switch back to climate change, it’s their next target. We have had global lockdown, restructuring of health, education, travel, commerce, finance, work removal of all rights, almost cashless, and ID scheme on the way with vaccines…its mission accomplished, now its how to re-build our new kinder greener fairer more loving and caring carbon zero world.
They have to move fast on this one as the virus isn’t that scary any more. Time for them is running out.
Just written to our MP
Dear
Whereas we had differing views at the last election as to the necessity of recognising the results of the Brexit referendum, events surrounding Covid 19 have overtaken everything. As our MP we are not sure what the (Opposition) position is regarding the government’s position to this continuing lockdown. We have become increasingly concerned that no one seems to know in relation to Covid 19 ‘WHAT IS THE END GAME’?
What is the magic formula that is going to allow us to sound the all clear?
Is it zero cases? The only way that will happen is if we just stop testing and stop reporting!
Is it a vaccine? It took 25 years for a chicken pox vaccine to be developed. The smallpox inoculation was discovered in 1796 the last known natural case was in 1977.
Is this government waiting for a vaccine, which may or may not come; and which is unlikely to be 100% effective?
For the past 9 weeks the Office for National Statistics has been reporting that of the 9000 or so weekly deaths less than 2% is being caused by Covid 19; whereas over 10% is being… Read more »
Good Letter
If he/she is an opposition MP, not a chance (and I speak as an ex Labour voter)
BBC is being reformed Boris has said. Decriminalised by November. Next is to alter the funding structure. This is in answer to a commons question regarding the unfairness of licence fee required for other channel viewing – which will be addressed says Boris. BBC bias is also going to get a look at apparently. Subscription model?
Mayhar Tousi youtube channel shows the commons exchange.
You have to be a bit dim to think that anything proposed by this bunch of spivs will be for the public benefit.
I can’t see Johnson correcting the establishment/right bias of the BBC when it has served him so well.
Off topic, but if the BBC is so right-wing, why is the PM doing anything against it? Let’s say it’s to please his core supporters – Tories. So why would lots of Tories want to attack the BBC if it’s so right-wing?
Anyway, rant over. I loathe the BBC but I don’t give a fuck what the PM does or says about them or about anything else except getting back to normal. I don’t care if he turns water into wine, as long as he presides over this madness he should be given no credit whatsoever for anything he does. No-one should be distracted by this.
The state propaganda apperatus has been and remains a core component of the lockdown machinery.
It’s a Cummings project. They threatened the beeb during the election campaign when it sailed a bit close to the wind. As a result, it backed off interviewing key Tory figures. It’s yet another powermongering exercise.
The BBC absolutely crucified Corbyn, are you kidding? There was nightly abuse for nearly four years. I know of no other politician who would have stood up to that and been unphased, particularity at his age, whatever you think of his politics. (I was ambivalent but I admired his guts.) That makes the BBC right wing in my view.
Are you sure you’re watching the BBC? Right wing bias? Bizarre!
Main function is to promote the false statistics and plandemic propaganda.
Decriminalising the license fee in Nov is the thing to note.
Restructuring the funding system, makes the bias actually irrelevant.
Though apparently the bias will be looked at – every side says the BBC biased. Being objective about a bias of something so complex is not something anyone can reasonably expect to be a success, in my opinion.
Decriminalise – people then are free to show what they think of the bias.
Even if they decriminalise it you can bet the BBC will be issuing a load of Civil cases in the same way private parking companies do. So even if they can’t get you criminal record they will either recoup their licence fee or ruin your credit rating.
Ok. So without the treat of prison people are going to continue to stump up for a poor service. If the Conservatives create a mess like you describe the nation will never vote for them again. It’s clear that a fresh system without meat hooks is what is being called for.
The country will always vote for the Tories as there no viable alternative.
I don’t hold too many hope for reform. Tousi’s video tonight had the title saying the License fee had been cancelled, all that Bozo has said is there will be reform, and he will more than likely cave in any way as he doesn’t have any substance.
Might be a little warning for the BBC to keep up the fear porn
That would be my take on it. The rest of the media is starting to print sceptical articles and showing that the stats are against HMG’s narrative. Act of desperation and yet another useful red herring.
The EU do publish a database of their funding (& grant) recipients in an online database…suffice to say the BBC will have no choice but to reform their funding structure, leaving behind the EU’s not insignificant income contribution to their coffers.
A household tax has been mooted more than once over the past couple of years and some other EU countries have one. They’d better not dare!