Day: 9 October 2020

by Bella Wallersteiner Ulrich Muhe as as Gerd Wiesler in The Lives of Others It has been nearly 31 years since the Berlin Wall came down to reveal 69 miles of files amassed by the Ministry of State Security (Stasi) as it spied on more than 5.6 million citizens of the former German Democratic Republic. The archive holds films, photographs, recordings of phone conversations, mind-blowingly tedious reports of mundane conversations and interactions between neighbours and even samples of sweat collected by punctilious officers hoping to win a medal or promotion. We have a supercilious and unfounded belief that British citizens would act differently and rise above compliance with an authoritarian state. Do we not cherish individualism, freedom of speech and make fun of our politicians? Evidence from the first month of lockdown suggests that many of us harbour an inner Stasi: in April the UK Police received 194,000 calls from members of the public snitching on neighbours alleged to have broken lockdown rules by making an unnecessary journey, going for more than one walk a day or checking on a second home. So much for the doughty spirit of British non-conformity and defiant anti-authoritarianism. More recently, the police arrested 32 protesters at the Resist and Act for Freedom Rally in Trafalgar Square on September 19th. The media focused almost entirely ...

Trump Administration Backs Great Barrington Declaration In a big boost to the anti-lockdown movement, one of President Donald Trump's key advisers on coronavirus, Professor Scott Atlas, tweeted yesterday that Trump's policies align with the anti-lockdown Great Barrington Declaration. The federal system in America means most public health policy sits with the states and lower tiers of government so Trump is limited in what he can change. Nonetheless, to have the leader of the free world, according to one of his closest advisers, standing with anti-lockdown science and policymaking can only help to turn things around. "Extremely likely" Second Wave Within Three Weeks, Says Government Leaked public health documents sent to public health staff around Greater Manchester and Lancashire reveal the Government is predicting a second wave in the North West of England even worse than the first within the next three weeks. Here's an excerpt from the document, as quoted in the Mail: It is reasonable to assume no impact can be made in the increasing trend in bed occupancy for at least the next two weeks, as these cases have already occurred. Even if a full scale lockdown was called tomorrow bed occupancy would continue to rise after the next two weeks as hospital beds fill quicker than they empty for Covid patients.During the first peak in April hospital ...