16 October 2021 – The Daily Sceptic

News Round-Up

“We’re in the Age of the Curfew – and there’s no escape” – “I can’t say when we will be confined to our homes again and prevented from working. But after last week’s parliamentary report on the Covid panic, you may be sure it will happen. Next time it may well not be Covid. But that does not matter,” writes Peter Hitchens in the Mail on Sunday.
“The truth is still in lockdown” – The first cross-party report says we didn’t lock down early enough. The truth is, lockdowns don’t work, writes Laura Dodsworth in her latest Substack update.
“Anti-vaxxers march through London demanding ‘don’t jab our kids’” – Hundreds of demonstrators were seen marching by Hyde Park Corner on Saturday as they protested against mandatory vaccination passports and the vaccination of children, reports MailOnline.
“The Little Dark Age – The Week in Review” – S.D. Wickett and Luke Perry discuss the murder of Sir David Amess and the political monoculture on university campuses in the latest Bournbrook Magazine podcast.
“Safetyism” – “Over the last 18 months, the barrage of public health messaging about the perils of Covid coursed down the same deep riverbed carved by the doomsday rhetoric we’ve been hearing for years: warnings about climate apocalypse, rampant racism, and other social evils,” writes R.R. Reno in First Things.
“Pandexit, please: The need for a Covid end date” – “The rolling Covid mandates and restrictions sidestep the most important question: what is the end-game,” writes award winning medical journalist Gabrielle Bauer in Bournbrook Magazine.
“Proof that the CDC is lying to the world about Covid vaccine safety” – “Nobody wants to face the fact that they were wrong,” writes Steve Kirsch in TrialSite.
“Zero-Covid has transformed Melbourne into a RoboCop-style dystopia” – The true cost of our lockdown policy is yet to be fully understood. While deaths have remained low, other metrics paint a disastrous picture, writes Megan Goldin in the Telegraph.
“German state allows all businesses to ban unvaxxed customers, even for groceries and other essentials” – The German state of Hesse has become the first to allow businesses to deny the unvaccinated access even to basic necessities, setting a troubling precedent as its neighbours wrestle with protests against vaccination mandates, reports RT.
“Despite the tough rhetoric, ministers are handing Britain’s electric car production to China” – Kwasi Kwarteng’s Business Department seems extraordinarily reluctant to properly scrutinise the sales of strategic assets, writes Juliet Samuel in the Telegraph.
“Tory donor whose dad lends PM his helicopter nabs millions in eco-deals” – Jo Bamford, the heir to the JCB empire, has set himself up in the hydrogen fuel industry – set to be big business at next month’s COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow, reports the Mirror.
“The climate change cult now owes more to religion than rationality” – A fundamental failure to understand the real nature and purpose of science risks dire consequences, writes Janet Daley in the Telegraph.
“Failed Serial Doomcasters” – “According to the UN’s MyWorld poll of seven million people in 194 countries, out of the 16 possibilities climate action came out… wait for it… dead last.” Willis Eschenbach writes in Watts Up With That.
“Do we really need to panic about flooding in Britain?” – “It is quite right that the Environment Agency prepares for worst-case climate change scenarios. But it would do us all a favour if its leader didn’t feel compelled to draw attention to their work through hysterical statements which are serving merely to feed anxiety in impressionable people,” writes Ross Clark in the Spectator.
“The Big Tech barons must be stopped” – The social-media giants have an unprecedented amount of control over public debate, writes Norman Lewis in Spiked.
“We Got Here Because of Cowardice. We Get Out With Courage” – “Liberty. Equality. Freedom. Dignity. These are ideas worth fighting for,” writes Bari Weiss in Commentary.
“The misogyny of trans activists” – At a conference in Portsmouth, they behaved like they wanted a war, not dialogue, writes Julie Bindel in UnHerd.
“Sweden is down to 52nd in the ranking of total Covid deaths per capita since the pandemic began” – James Melville writes: “Almost every other country ranked above Sweden had lockdowns, mask mandates and restrictions. Sweden largely kept its society open, freedoms intact and with no vaccine passports.”

Sweden 🇸🇪 is down to 52nd in the ranking of total Covid deaths per capita since the pandemic began. Almost every other country ranked above Sweden had lockdowns, mask mandates and restrictions. Sweden largely kept its society open, freedoms intact and with no vaccine passports. pic.twitter.com/urGBgFPFOt
— James Melville (@JamesMelville) October 16, 2021

By Michael Curzon / 16 October 2021 • 23.33

News Round-Up

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Prime Minister Accused of Breaking Lockdown Rules Last Christmas

Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie have been accused of breaking lockdown rules last Christmas by allowing a friend to stay at Number 10 while other Londoners were told not to meet up with different households. The Mail has the story.

The Prime Minister denied claims in the U.S. Harper’s Magazine that political campaigner Nimco Ali “spent Christmas with the couple at Number 10 despite pandemic restrictions on holiday gatherings”.
The article also said that Mrs. Johnson “modelled” her wardrobe and public image on the Duchess of Cambridge, but is “bitter” that the duchess gets better publicity.
Spokesmen for the Prime Minister and Mrs. Johnson said both claims were untrue.
The 4,500-word profile of the couple says Mrs. Johnson has “assembled an impressive court around her” while the PM is a “lonely figure” and “quite scared” of her. …
The Harper’s article is written by Lara Prendergast, Executive Editor of the Spectator magazine, edited by Mr. Johnson before he entered politics and which has strong links to Downing Street.
In the piece she describes how she put her claims over the Christmas gathering to Number 10. She says that a spokesman told her “the Prime Minister and Mrs. Johnson follow coronavirus rules at all times” – but did not deny the claim.
She adds that Miss Ali, godmother to the Johnsons’ son Wilfred, “did not respond to repeated requests for comment”.
Last Christmas, London was under ‘Tier Four’ restrictions, meaning people should not have mixed with anyone outside their households, except in support and childcare bubbles.

Worth reading in full.

By Michael Curzon / 16 October 2021 • 20.30

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Matt Hancock Hired – And Fired – By United Nations in Matter of Days

Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s attempt to make a full return to public life has failed miserably following uproar around his job offer at the United Nations (UN). After being appointed as an adviser to African nations less than a week ago, Hancock has already had the offer withdrawn because of a technicality. MailOnline has the story.

The shamed ex-Health Secretary, who stepped down after his affair with aide Gina Coladangelo in June, was told his role as a UN special representative was “not being taken forward” in an embarrassing climbdown for all involved.
The unpaid job offer was revoked on a technicality just days after it was offered, following stinging criticism by leading figures across Africa and U.K. opposition parties.
Mr Hancock, 42, had planned to balance his roles as a Tory backbencher while working with the international aid giant, after he was offered the role by General Vera Songwe for his “success” in handling the U.K.’s pandemic response.
But on Friday, a UN spokesman confirmed that Mr. Hancock’s appointment was not going to be “taken forward” after it emerged sitting Members of Parliament could not simultaneously serve as UN special representatives. …
Speaking on the role, Mr. Hancock told MailOnline: “I was honoured to be approached by the UN and appointed as Special Representative to the Economic Commission for Africa, to help drive forward an agenda of strengthening markets and bringing investment to Africa.
“The UN have written to me to explain that a technical UN rule has subsequently come to light which states that sitting Members of Parliament cannot also be UN Special Representatives.
“Since I am committed to continuing to serve as MP for West Suffolk, this means I cannot take up the position.
“I look forward to supporting the UN ECA in their mission in whatever way I can in my Parliamentary role.”
MailOnline understands Mr. Hancock controversially won backing for the job thanks to Nimko Ali, a campaigner against female genital mutilation who is a close friend of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s wife Carrie.

Worth reading in full.

By Michael Curzon / 16 October 2021 • 17.45

matt hancock United Nations

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40% Of Workers in Agency Responsible for Screening U.S. Air Travellers Unvaccinated despite Looming Mandate Deadline

It’s not just the U.S. army that appears to be struggling to persuade troops to get fully vaccinated before vaccine mandates get them ordered out. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which is responsible for screening air travellers, says 40% of its workers have yet to be inoculated. The Independent has the story.

“We have about 60% of our workforce has been vaccinated, that that number needs to go quite a bit higher over the next few weeks,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said on Wednesday while speaking to CNN.
Because vaccines are only considered effective two weeks after a person receives their final dose, the deadline for being fully vaccinated with Moderna’s mRNA vaccine – which requires a four-week interval between shots – by Mr. Biden’s November 22nd deadline has already passed, and a similar deadline for use of Pfizer’s vaccine is fast approaching on October 18th. …
Not having enough workers available to screen airline passengers could severely hobble U.S. air travel, especially since the November 22nd final deadline would put unvaccinated screeners out of work just days before Thanksgiving, usually the busiest travel day of the year in the U.S.
“We are building contingency plans, for if we do have some staffing shortages as a result of this, but I hope to avoid that,” Pekoske said.

Worth reading in full.

By Michael Curzon / 16 October 2021 • 14.37

America Mandatory Vaccines Overseas Travel Vaccine

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News Round-Up

“NHS crisis: Waiting list will force hospitals to focus on critical care, doctors warn” – A record 5.7 million people are waiting for treatment in England, reports the Times.
“We can’t go on forcing children to self-isolate” – There is no justification for the raft of measures imposed on people who are least vulnerable to the virus, but pay the highest social cost, writes Camilla Tominey in the Telegraph.
“I cannot do it anymore” – Multipolar carries an open letter from an employee of German public broadcaster ARD criticising the skewed nature of their pandemic coverage.
“Debunked: The MPs’ Covid ‘report’” – Harry Dougherty in TCW Defending Freedom casts his critical eye over the MPs’ one-sided pro-lockdown screed.
“Is This Becoming a General Strike?” – “We had better hope and pray that the anger against the Government and the ruling class does not ultimately turn against the free economy itself,” writes Jeffrey A. Tucker on the Brownstone Institute.
“Are Major Ivermectin Studies Designed for Failure?” – Dr. Michael B. Goodkin on TrialSite News questions whether studies of the repurposed drug that many regard as effective against COVID-19 have been deliberately designed to fail to show efficacy.
“Mexican Judge Orders Vaccination of Teens Age 12 to 17” – Report from TrialSite News on a country where the courts are trying to impose vaccination programmes on an unconvinced Government.
“Deaths Following Vaccination Reported in Taiwan Exceed Nation’s COVID Death Total” – Zero Hedge on some striking statistics from the low-Covid-mortality country.
“Public health response to COVID-19 lags behind data & doesn’t weigh real risks, vaccine researcher Robert Malone tells RT” – Mandates are actually fueling vaccine hesitancy in groups that need them the most, while public health responses always lag months behind the data instead of adapting to it, vaccine researcher Dr. Robert Malone tells RT.
“WHO names researchers to reboot outbreak origin investigations” – The group, called SAGO, will create a permanent framework for probing epidemics, and initiate the next phase of the Covid origins hunt, reports Nature.
“Wanted: a National Trust leader who can be trusted to love its heritage all over again” – The organisation has the chance to restore the faith members once had in it, but it must abandon ideology and faddish exhibits, writes Charles Moore in the Telegraph.
“In praise of the working-class revolt against Insulate Britain” – Writing in the Spectator, Brendan O’Neill is finding himself moved by the direct action working class people are taking against the “eco-muppets” of Insulate Britain.
“The climate scaremongers: A weekly round-up” – Paul Homewood on TCW Defending Freedom on the fraud of limiting warming to 1.5C and the follies of ‘fact-checkers’.