Welcome to the new-look Lockdown Sceptics. Don’t worry – we’ll still be doing the daily update each day, but it will no longer be on the homepage. Instead, you’ll need to click on “Today’s Update” underneath the horizontal menu bar to see it. (To see today’s, click here.)
If you’re an email subscriber, you’ll still receive a daily update that looks similar to the one you were getting, but visitors to the website’s home page will see a rolling news blog, constantly updated, rather than a static page. As you’ll see from this post, you’ll be able to share each stand-alone item on Twitter, Facebook, etc. by clicking on one of the icons at the bottom. We’ll also tag each post which will make it easier to find related comments. You’ll no longer be able to comment on the daily update because of the new format, but you’ll be able to comment on each individual story, which should make for a more focused discussion. And you’ll still be able to post comments in the Forums – no changes there.
The reason for the change is partly to make it easier to comment on – and share – individual stories, but also so the people who bring you Lockdown Sceptics don’t have to take turns to stay up until dawn to prepare the daily update. The update that email subscribers will receive, and which will still be viewable on the site, will consist of a newly refreshed version of everything from the Round-Up on downwards – which we call “below the fold” – plus all the stories that have been posted to the rolling news blog in the previous 24 hours.
We still plan to bring you plenty of original articles, as well as analysis by Toby Young and Will Jones, readers’ comments, poems, and so on. Jonathan Barr will be doing the daily below-the-fold updates (Round-Up, Theme Tunes, Woke Gobbledegook, etc.), while Conor Chaplin and Michael Curzon – a new contributor – will be responsible for summarising breaking stories on the rolling news blog.
If all restrictions – or nearly all – are lifted on June 21st, we will switch from a daily to a weekly update, but continue to post stories to the rolling news blog every day. And if, God forbid, the lockdown is reimposed in the Autumn, we’ll restore the daily updates.
As always, if you have any stories you think we should flag up – or original material you’d like us to publish on the site – you can email us here.
Stop Press: We’re experiencing a few teething problems with the new site. Please bear with us. Everything should be working properly shortly.
Stop Press 2: After a lot of pushback from people who post in the comments beneath the Daily Update, we’ve decided to make it possible to still comment there. However, at 6am each day, when the new update is published under “Today’s Update”, the comments posted beneath the previous day’s update will be deleted.
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Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.
Just learning how to leave comments, I am not very techie. I am wondering who will respond to this. Look forward to hearing who else has worked it out.
Well, Liberty, I’m sitting here trying to work it out at the moment. I’m sure it’s all very simple but I was familiar with the comments section as it was; I found it easy to navigate and I liked having everything in one place. Now everything’s scattered about and I fear some of the community feel will be lost. I don’t like change for change’s sake!
If you’ve not found the bulk of the comments yet, they are at the bottom of today’s news. I hope to see you over there.
Thanks Liberty, I found them and I’ve also found my way back. Maybe I’m getting the hang of it. I’d still like to know where all the articles, normally on the right hand side have gone but others are asking this too so it’s not just me. Right, I’m heading back over to the big pool.
Finally found the comments section after searching for it in vain.
Anyway good morning all!
Morning!
And to you.
Where is everybody??
Still working out the new look site. Anyone who normally looks overnight from another time zone will have been met with a site in maintenance. I’m sure we’ll all soon figure it out.
When I logged in I was initially greeted with a “site under maintenance” page.
Agree. Others would have seen the same too.
I’ve found the other comments at the bottom of today’s news page. I think that’s where we will find most of the comments. I’ll repost there and say hello to everyone else. Hope to see you over there.
i still cant find general comments
liberty would you be able to give instructions on how to find the comments ‘ at the bottom of the page’ theres only 26 here thank you liberty .let us know i how many others not wearing masks at school today
You are being missed over at the alternative LS Reddit site. We are here. Everyone has left this site. https://www.reddit.com/r/LockdownSceptics/comments/m0u8fn/off_topic_ginge_and_whinge_the_daily_mail_has_25/
Hope to see you over there.
Morning all! We’ve sent our 15 year old off on the bus this morning with his exemption note in his pocket. He’s to go and see the Head ASAP to get his official exemption note. I know 2 more friends children in his school who are doing the same. So far the Head seems quite relaxed. Today should be quite telling, who has bought the narrative and who has woken up? Looking forward to my 4pm catch up with my son about the weird world of masked school and what it’s like for him being a dissenter.
Our kids are out on day release,
What will their day entail?
Will all their peer group be in masks,
When out from lockdown jail?
My children won’t be testing,
The masks they will eschew,
Will other children do the same?
That might give us a clue.
We’ll know how many parents,
Think the mask rule is a farce
How many will stand up this?
How many won’t be a#sed?
All the best to your son and hope things go well.
Thank you. Our daughter’s year are all being tested today and tomorrow and so she can stay off until Wednesday. Thankfully our younger ones are all home educated, so we can start seeing friends today for ‘educational’ purposes, which means home edders can freely mingle again. I’m looking forward to seeing a few more people this week.
Good luck to you all.
I’m a long way removed from what passes for the state education system nowadays, but where are the maths & science teachers amongst the staff? What on earth are they teaching?
My 12 year old son goes back on Friday. He has an exemption card for school and as of last night he was going to use it.
I’m so worried about his return. I don’t know if any of his friends will be exempt and I fear that he’ll be the only one in a classroom without a mask. Will he be strong enough for 3 weeks to not wear one? I’m not sure.
I’ve tried to talk to him and explained that I’ll support him if he changes his mind. I don’t want him to buckle under pressure but he’s got to be happy with whatever decision he makes.
I feel for these children who are returning back to school, it’s not normal, they will suffer from wearing a mask for 6 hours or ridiculed if they don’t.
I still can’t understand how these people in power can call for such a harmful measure on our children and think it is ok.
I clicked and can’t find today’s update! Help
If it’s in the homepage, its on page 2. Click on today’s date and yep go to page 2.
The new format is confusing but hope we get the hang of it.
Tide turning even more?
Yesterday while enjoying my lunch in a park, I overheard two friends in their 60s talking about the vaccine.
The woman told her male friend that her mother who I suspect is in her 80s to 90s has declined the second dose after falling ill following the first dose. The woman elaborated that her mother is still not feeling 100% better.
How many more people are declining the second dose? Apart from the fact that more and more are declining the vaccine.
Yes, quite!
OK seem to have now reached the new comments section but no idea how I managed it. And as others have commented all the articles on the right hand side, surely the guts of the site, have disappeared without trace. A work in progress I guess..
give them to the end of the day!
Comment numbers are well down on the normal amount for this time of the day – I can only attribute this to a lack of a comments option on the main tool bar.
Here’s an interview with an attorney involved in challenging a gene therapy mandate in new Mexico.
Unlike when Jonathan says “Well worth reading in full,” this is well worth listening to/watching in full.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3P9CYGq9M4
everyone is commenting on the last thread. but theyve closed it now so I expect they will come here
I have a friend in PHE. moderately clever
Is massively pro lockdown and vaccine. Encouraging everyone to have it ‘there are no risks, trust me, I know’ etc
I was wondering why
I think its because PHE had a ‘bad war’ – care homes etc. The vaccine is the way of them ‘saving the day’ and they are so fixated on it that all reason has gone out the window. I find it bizarre and a bit unhinged. I wouldn’t pressure someone to have or not have it – its between them and their doctor. I’m not having it because any risk (and its experimental) outweighs my negligible risk of covid.
They’re doubling down.
What happens as the vaccine side-effects become clear is interesting. How long can they keep a lid on this? Is there a next move after this pops?
Delay of the second dose suggests awareness at some level that all may not be excellent.