News Round Up

“Covid passports proving vaccine status to be released for summer holidays” – The Department for Transport intends that vaccine passports be available to British travellers by May 17th, according to the Telegraph
“Is No. 10 planning a vaccine passport ruse?” – There is “an impression among Conservative MPs that the UK Government has already made up its mind on vaccine passports”, writes Isabel Hardman for the Spectator, and the forthcoming vote will be about both international and UK use
“Blair’s plan for saving AstraZeneca’s reputation” – Blair tells the Government to do a better spin job on the AZ vaccine
“Boris should heed Blair’s advice on the Covid vaccine data” – The Government “would do well to take Blair’s advice”, says Ross Clark in the Spectator, “and make full datasets on infections, hospitalisations and deaths available among vaccinated people before the information is winkled out of it”
“Mother’s legs erupt in agonising blood-filled blisters ‘after getting AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine’” – MailOnline reports an unusual reaction to the vaccine
“Lockdown has allowed British people to indulge their curtain-twitching vices” – “Quite a lot of the country would be comfortable extending lockdown indefinitely if it meant people they didn’t like never got to enjoy themselves again,” writes Joel Golby in the Guardian
“Fearmongering, false narrative and profiteering: The truth about Covid” – A transcript of PANDA co-founder Nick Hudson’s presentation on Covid, courtesy of the Conservative Woman
“BBC is More or Less fooling us on vaccine risk” – The latest episode of the BBC’s stats programme glossed over vaccine risk, according to Jeff Williams in the Conservative Woman
“The rule of law has broken down” – Writing for the New Statesman, Rachel Cunliffe profiles Silkie Carlo of Big Brother Watch, who explains that COVID-19 has led to the creation of a surveillance state
“The Covid Consensus – The New Politics of Global Inequality by Toby Green” – Jo Nash reviews Toby Green’s new book
“Sir Keir Starmer thrown out of a pub” – Watch Andrew Lawrence’s fun take on Sir Keir’s eviction from the pub in Bath
“An Urgent Warning to the World” | Perspectives on the Pandemic” – An interview with Dr. Mike Yeadon covering concerns about the jabs, and the threat of digital health passports
“Lockdown closure pays for French restaurants” – Restaurant federations in France say that many of their members have seen their revenue increase over the past 12 months, the Times reports, thanks to the generosity of state support
“Clashes outside German parliament as government approves new Covid powers for Merkel” – Violent clashes broke out after police intervened in a demonstration of 8,000 people against Merkel’s new lockdown powers, the Telegraph reports
“Covid talk: A lesson in linguistics” – “There has been a long list of ‘new’ terms that have irked me,” writes Jody Kasner in the Jerusalem Post. “Starting from day one and ‘flattening the curve’.”
“‘We are not going to restrict freedom’: South Dakota governor is latest to ban ‘un-American’ vaccine passports” – Governor Kristi Noem has signed an executive order to ban vaccine passports in South Dakota, RT reports
“The COVID-19 Disaster That Did Not Happen in Texas” – In a feature for Reason, Jacob Sullum investigates why Covid cases have fallen more than 50% in Texas
“U.S. adds 116 countries to its ‘Do Not Travel’ advisory list” – The U.S. State Department has added at least 116 countries this week to its “Level Four: Do Not Travel” advisory list, according to Reuters. the countries include the UK, Canada, France, Israel, Mexico and Germany
“First jab of Chinese Sinovac vaccine does little good, says Chile” – Chilean scientists are warning that the protection offered by the Sinovac jab is “very weak” until after the second dose, according to the Times. This embarrassment suggests conspiracy theories involving China aren’t true
“Summer’s cultural events and festivals are a vibrant, valued sector of our economy” – “The live events industry does not require another lump sum from the Culture Recovery Fund,” say Mark Harper MP and colleagues. It requires insurance against the risk that restrictions are re-imposed

🎤 Summer’s cultural events & festivals are a vibrant, valued sector of our economy

⚠️ If we are truly on the “one way road to freedom” the PM & @MattHancock promised, there is an easy solution to ensure these events can go ahead

✍️ 43 Conservative MPs have signed our letter👇 pic.twitter.com/2OBqEE2i2P
— Mark Harper (@Mark_J_Harper) April 21, 2021

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