MPs Launch Investigation into Government Covid Propaganda After Psychologists Criticise Nudge Unit For “Grossly Unethical Tactics” of Fear

2 min read

The Government’s “grossly unethical” use of its “nudge unit” stoked fear among the public during the pandemic, psychologists have said – prompting MPs to launch an investigation into the Government’s Covid propaganda. The Telegraph has the story.

A group of psychologists have written to Parliament’s Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, warning that a team of civil servants dedicated to “nudging” public behaviour during the pandemic were unaccountable and unethical.

The letter’s 40 professional signatories – led by Dr. Gary Sidley, a retired clinical psychologist – said they opposed the use of dramatic adverts, which included slogans such as: “If you go out you can spread it, people will die.”

They also condemned the use of “images of the acutely unwell in intensive care units” on billboard and television adverts, as well as the “macabre mono focus on showing the number of COVID-19 deaths without mention of mortality from other causes or the fact that, under normal circumstances, around 1,600 people die each day in the U.K.”.

The signatories said it was “highly questionable whether a civilised society should knowingly increase the emotional discomfort of its citizens as a means of gaining their compliance”.

The letter added: “Government scientists deploying fear, shame and scapegoating to change minds is an ethically dubious practice that in some respects resembles the tactics used by totalitarian regimes such as China, where the state inflicts pain on a subset of its population in an attempt to eliminate beliefs and behaviour they perceive to be deviant.” …

The letter drew attention to a government memo from March 2020, which suggested that “the perceived level of personal threat needs to be increased among those who are complacent” and called for more frightening messaging.

The Telegraph understands that Parliament’s Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee will investigate the use of the Behavioural Insights Team as part of its investigation into the Government’s activities during the pandemic. It will coincide with the second anniversary of the first lockdown.

Worth reading in full.

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234 Comments
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Johnny Dollar
Johnny Dollar
4 years ago

They ALL knew this. this Backpelling is despicable & disgusting. They ALL KNEW. Search mindspace.pdf it was all deliberate & they ALL knew

Newman20
Newman20
4 years ago

I was under the impression that Goebbels and his wife committed suicide in 1945 and also murdered their children. However, he appears to have heirs who make up this unit!

annepassman
annepassman
4 years ago

All those, from Sage, Nervtag, Imperial College, down to Johnson, Hancock et al who served as the “experts” “useful idiots” should be prosecuted for terrorising or trying to terrorise 66 million people and for inciting those who believed them to bully us who saw the truth into going along with their lies

Wilt
Wilt
4 years ago

The Real matter to hand is Why are they still using “emergency powers” that should NEVER be used again to Abuse the Nations public and control our lives and our Children’s lives!!!!

Banjones
Banjones
4 years ago

I heard an ”advert” on Classic FM yesterday evening about how everyone who hasn’t had the ‘booster’ will end up in hospital, suffering and dying – something like twelve times more likely, I think she said (a woman who sounded about 25 telling everyone how ill she’d been).

The word ”inappropriate” sprang to mind. This tripe, paid for with OUR money, in the middle of a music programme, filled me with disgust. It’s a pity this article didn’t mention that it’s actors who are being used (to play the part of patients) to spread this tosh – again, paid for with OUR MONEY.

imp66
imp66
4 years ago

I am still amazed how many ” nudgeable” people are walking around out there. This past Thursday ( in England it was masks are no longer mandatory day) it was staggering to see the majority still clinging to their face rags like a dirty security blanket. I despair how weak and gullible so many, of all ages, are.

Backlash
Backlash
4 years ago

Given the disappointing number of bed-wetters still wandering around in face nappies, I am taking some kind of perverse pleasure in “Acting Like I’ve Got it” and coughing uncontrollably in their presence

bluewoody
bluewoody
4 years ago

The messaging (Sage behavioural psychologists) added to the pointless measures caused our 16yr old granddaughter to make a serious attempt at taking her own life. The family lived through almost 24 hours of agony before it was confirmed that she would be okay. The hospital confirmed that it was clear the measures etc were the direct cause of her attempt.

Milo
Milo
4 years ago
Reply to  bluewoody

I am so sorry to hear about that – you and your wider family must have been devastated by that. Thankfully the attempt failed and she got the right medical help but I cannot imagine what you must have been going through, and indeed would also imagine that there are other families in a similar position up and down the country.

Mike Oxlong
Mike Oxlong
4 years ago

I work for a supermarket and the really sad and shocking thing is that the last couple of days there have been easily 50% of shoppers still wearing masks. I fear that we have lost a lot of citizens to the nudge unit, never to get many back.

Javy
Javy
4 years ago
Reply to  Mike Oxlong

The same here, Mike. Just back from shopping in Lidl and the mask wearers are still at approx 50%. I just wanted to scream at them….

sam s.j.
sam s.j.
4 years ago
Reply to  Mike Oxlong

here is more like 90%or 95% but a least some out of doors have stopped with the nonsense , maybe even most , last year out of doors [!] i t was about 2 out of 100 no muzzle

Banjones
Banjones
4 years ago
Reply to  sam s.j.

No doubt the manufacturers in far-away places are rubbing their hands in glee that this nonsense is persisting. What I find even more amazing is that people don’t just use bandanas or scarves – at least they can wash them when they get home, rather than just throw them down in the supermarket trolley – or into one of those many hazardous waste bins where something so effective and contaminated should be put(!)

sam s.j.
sam s.j.
4 years ago
Reply to  Banjones

the rare time s i ‘d go to the store with the draconian guards, before this past spring when they let up on the enforcement , i ‘d just wear my scarf up higher .

wish i had had the guts to never wear one like some people i later met. and i only got the courage to go shopping with out even the scarf at local store from reading the daily sceptic encouraging comments! this was sometime maybe decemeber 2020. was thrilled that it worked no one said a word .

was all thanks to the great daily sceptic readers! what was it before

however at the draconian place they were more the guard dog type were horrible so rarely w ent there

Milo
Milo
4 years ago
Reply to  Mike Oxlong

At least in England they are no longer “required”. Why in the name of god anyone who is not ‘required’ to wear one would do so out of personal choice completely escapes me.

Where I live unfortunately masks are very much required – almost no one is ‘allowed’ an exemption. I made a valiant effort yesterday to go shopping for some essentials. Had to abandon trip very early on as could not longer cope with the suffocation of the enforced mask wearing.

The economic damage this must be doing to the retail indust in particular never seems to be remarked upon any time the harms done by masks are discussed.

Banjones
Banjones
4 years ago
Reply to  Mike Oxlong

Our local Co-op was 100 per cent.

Boomer Bloke
Boomer Bloke
4 years ago
Milo
Milo
4 years ago
Reply to  Boomer Bloke

Absolutely brilliant – every country trying to fight its way out of this needs one of those convoys!!

kate
kate
4 years ago

From Mike Yeadon’s channel. They have put up a number of explanatory videos today, all useful, but many of the points already known to us here.
However this is an interesting analysis of what lies behind the “pandemic.”
Who constructed the COVID narrative? (Chris Martenson & Bret Weinstein)
Bret Speaks with Chris Martenson on the subject of tyranny, the march on Washington, and this new phase of the pandemic with Omicron.
Who constructed the Covid Narrative?
Is this the same cabal that gave us 911 and the Iraq war?
Chris Martensen seems to think so. So does RFK
Brett asks what is the conspirators’ next move after Covid?
We say, listen to the war drums beating ever closer…
The orchestrators of the MASS FORMATION as illuminated by Mattias Desmet know exactly what they are doing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_BmU8Pn6dQ&ab_channel=DarkHorsePodcastClips

David Beaton
David Beaton
4 years ago
Reply to  kate

‘Dailyexpose’ has a useful list of Covid Lies and answers to them

David Beaton
David Beaton
4 years ago

How come this disgusting propaganda offensive against the British population was not challenged by our fearless MPs 18 months ago when it started?

Using heavily made-up actors to depict the dying is despicable.

Emerald Fox
Emerald Fox
4 years ago
Reply to  David Beaton

Because the MPs are all in on the scam, that’s why.
You can write to your MP, but I think you know what kind of a reply you are going to get.

David Beaton
David Beaton
4 years ago
Reply to  Emerald Fox

Got it in one! Plenty of “nice little earners” in lockdowns!

John Dee
John Dee
4 years ago

The Behavioural Insights team should be disbanded for Unacceptable Behaviour.
(Although it’s pertinent to note that it did only what it was set up to do – ‘only following orders’, as Nuremberg had it.)

JeremyP99
JeremyP99
4 years ago

On 26/01/2022 10:30, BIT Info wrote:

RESPONSE TO MR POYNTON

Dear Mr Poynton, 

I have spoken with BIT’s General Counsel in respect of your your email below. The Behavioural Insights Team is a private company and therefore the FOIA 2000 does not apply to us and therefore we do not respond to FOI requests.

Kind regards, Lauren

On Fri, 21 Jan 2022 at 16:19, The Behavioural Insights Team <[email protected]> wrote:

First Name: Jeremy Last Name: Poynton Email: [email protected] Phone: 01373813296 How can we help?: I have a general enquiry Which office would you like to contact?: UK Details: How do I make a Freedom of Information request to BIT UK?

Thanks

Emerald Fox
Emerald Fox
4 years ago
Reply to  JeremyP99
Spritof_GFawkes
Spritof_GFawkes
4 years ago

Not strictly on topic but another facet in this whole debacle is my attitude towards tax evaders. Once upon a time I would feel indignation that they were avoiding tax which I had to pay. Now I think “good on them, why should any of us have to fund this manic government spending spree?. Well done that person for having the balls to not comply”. Although this is a strictly financial consideration it is a thin end of a wedge which then extends to “why comply with any official edict?” at least insofar as it doesn’t impinge on the liberties of my fellow man.

Boomer Bloke
Boomer Bloke
4 years ago

I’ve always been a compliant taxpayer. As you’ve already mentioned, the government’s willingness to spaff £billions on track and trace, unproven ‘vaccines’ and their mates’ PPE procurement activities changed that. What really finished me off was the lockdowns an the impact on my very small holiday letting business. It was shut down at the stroke of a pen for the best part of a year, costing me a significant amount of money (to me) in lost turnover And I didn’t qualify for any of the business support programmes that managed to mislay £4billion, while the well connected seemed to be raking in 7 figure sums. That’s yet another aspect of this sorry sage that will not be forgiven or forgotten.

Emerald Fox
Emerald Fox
4 years ago
Reply to  Boomer Bloke

That’s what ‘Covid’ has been all about – making money from a captivated audience.

Milo
Milo
4 years ago
Reply to  Boomer Bloke

You must be very justifiably angry espec when the NI exec managed to “mistroute” covid “aid” to the owners of wind turbines and Sinn Fein advice centres among others – I’m not sure how much if any of this money, yours and mine, has been clawed back or ever will be.

Makes a total mockery of all the people who for years undertook charitable activities to fund their local appeal for hospital scanning equipment etc which the govt couldn’t fund because budgets were so tight. All of a sudden there is a veritable tsunami of money sloshing around to fund all sorts of PPE and testing contracts. Wonder if Randox is having the same problems you are having – bet it isn’t.

Banjones
Banjones
4 years ago
Reply to  Milo

Does anyone know if the distribution of ”Captain Tom’s” money has been made public?

Dave Angel Eco Warrior
Dave Angel Eco Warrior
4 years ago

Anyone expecting a great awakening is going to be disappointed. Most people will not even give countenance to the prospect they have been duped.

Milo
Milo
4 years ago

Hmnnnn I don’t know – I watched a bit of the Last Leg last night on C4. They have been very pro covid, pro vaxx all along which I found profoundly irritating at times, so I was quite heartened last night to hear one of the presenters say, after they had been discussing partygate, that he had felt that he had been a bit conned now by the pandemic.

HelenaHancart
HelenaHancart
4 years ago

Having been researching the bigger agenda for some years before covid I knew that this was psychological abuse right from the start. On the front page of the WEF it even stated that this was the largest ever psychological experiment on humanity! Can it get more obvious than that! If you really want to read the government ‘s tactics for ambushing us with over reaching fear porn, read Laura Dodsworth’s book “A State of Fear”.

DanClarke
DanClarke
4 years ago
Reply to  HelenaHancart

Human nature is fascinating in that some people can be brainwashed or hypnotised easily and other’s see through it immediately. Nature or nurture.

splotchy
splotchy
4 years ago

The deliberate psychological tactics – and frankly they were not ‘nudges’, they were wilful full-on terror tactics that petrified people, or if they did not, drove a wedge between the terrified and non-terrified – breach every ethical health standard imaginable.

I understand the govt using ‘nudge’ tactics to get us to fill our tax forms in time or stick to the speed limits, because these are not gross infringements on our body autonomy, or our human rights to see our family, or our basic freedom.

But messing with our mind to deny our freedoms, triggering an avalanche of mental health problems, illness, heartache and despair is utterly reprehensible and I hope those responsible end up accountable in the Dock.

Remember, they had NO EVIDENCE for any if the lockdowns, masks or mandates and never breathed a word about the huge harms.

In particular the senior doctors whose duty of care was to the public (Whitty, Van-Tam, Harries) have breached GMC ethics on honesty, non-coercion, informed consent and the (legally mandated) duty of candour which obliges them to reflect, repent and tell the truth when your actions have caused harm.

tom171uk
tom171uk
4 years ago
Reply to  splotchy

I agree with you except for one point. Any psychological manipulation is unethical. The problem with tolerating small psyops like for submitting forms or obeying inappropriate speed limits is that it is the thin end of a wedge. It emboldens the manipulators to keep going a little bit further each time.

If the MPs who are supposed to represent us, not manipulate us, had called out the nudge unit’s activities right from the start, we would not be in the present parlous position.

TheTartanEagle
TheTartanEagle
4 years ago
Reply to  tom171uk

Psychological manipulation by definition implies an unequal relationship between manipulator and manipulated. Instead of an adult to adult transaction, it becomes parent-to-child, or abuser to victim. Any pretence at good manners, to smooth relationships, is abandoned. When it is the state doing the manipulating, we are no longer citizens.

Remember the days when letters from the inland revenue, council or whatever were signed off from “your obedient servant”? Now every communication is full of threats, penalties and coercion that I find overbearing and offensive.

jsampson1945
jsampson1945
4 years ago

How do you decide what is ethical or not? One might know that a thing is unethical but how does one convince someone who refuses to accept that it is unethical?
One can see consequences of influencers following SPI-B’s advice. Frightened people do bad things. One does not know whether a communication from the government or its paid mouthpieces is meant to frighten or inform, so it becomes unreliable. One does not know if psychologists have dark arts to influence behaviour by undetectable means (subliminal suggestion etc.) It makes a mockery of democracy as the people are not in control.
But I do not see how an investigation could be carried out, what its remit could be or what questions it would answer.

DanClarke
DanClarke
4 years ago

Telling little children they could kill their granny if they went near was disgusting as well as a lie

Banjones
Banjones
4 years ago
Reply to  DanClarke

As was paying actors WITH PUBLIC MONEY to spread lies and fear.
And they’re STILL doing it (as on Classic FM yesterday evening).

tony rattray
tony rattray
4 years ago

SAGE at work during a lockdown visit to the pub (no cake allowed):

Nudge Nudge Wink Wink – YouTube

Castorp
Castorp
4 years ago

The apex of psychological nudging is false flag operations.
See how the police, antifa and mainstream media journalists staged out false flag violence in the recent Brussels demonstrations.
My favourite moment is when the antifa demonstrator moves toward the police, is sprayed, and complains – ‘It’s us!’
https://www.bitchute.com/video/rjL5HWS0JIsP/

rayc
rayc
4 years ago

Obviously the signatories are unaware of what kinds of actions were and are routinely tolerated by “civilized societies”.

Stephanos
Stephanos
4 years ago

Not only did I reject and despise all these pestilential adverts I tore them down where possible.
I can clearly remember seeing a notice posted by some local authority jobsworth closing a children’s playground.
I tore it down, threw it in the bin and the next day I saw children playing there.

Annie
Annie
4 years ago
Reply to  Stephanos

Our local playgrounds were chained and padlocked.
I did succeed in freeing a car park, however, by taking the vile fascist notice down. Quarter of an hour later there were three cars in it. It was never re-closed.
.

The old bat
The old bat
4 years ago
Reply to  Annie

My (private) dentist put their loo out of bounds, and the market town where they are based had also closed the public loos. I take diuretics! I asked the receptionist if she expected me to pee on the floor. Fortunately a small hotel across the road took pity on me and let me use theirs – I was almost in tears by this time. It was such a degrading and humiliating way to be treated.
My dentists loo is still closed. I am changing dentists.

Javy
Javy
4 years ago
Reply to  The old bat

At the Community Centre where I go for choir rehearsals two of the three toilet cubicles are taped off. We’ve not met since before Christmas but are due to restart in a couple of weeks – if the tape is still there I fully intend to remove it.

Emerald Fox
Emerald Fox
4 years ago
Reply to  Javy

“if the tape is still there I fully intend to remove it.”

You rebel, you!

Mike Oxlong
Mike Oxlong
4 years ago
Reply to  Javy

Our toilet is taped off the morning after I’ve had 8 pints of Guinness and a vindaloo.

Marcus Aurelius knew
Marcus Aurelius knew
4 years ago
Reply to  Stephanos

We did the same, routinely, and with the same effects, from the first day of “lockdown”.

After not too many days, our two kids were ripping everything down, too.

In a local park (a very big one, north Leeds) there are some play/exercise machines (from in the before covid era when exercise outdoors was seen as a good thing, how stupid we were back then :/). The council had fenced it all off, with what must have been about fifty metres of that thick, bright orange plastic net, ziptied to steel rebar stakes driven loosely into the ground. We arrived mid afternoon to notice about ten families standing around it, looking dazed and lost and a bit disappointed. Within about five minutes, our two little ones had rearranged the entire monstrosity into an enormous pile off to one side, with the stakes pinning it all to the ground (so it didn’t blow away, we don’t like litter). It looked like an enormous, orange porcupine.

After a further five minutes, all the machines were full with families and kids, laughing in the sunshine as if nothing had happened. My kids couldn’t use any of them, it was so busy. They watched… Read more »

Aleajactaest
Aleajactaest
4 years ago

Golden Acre Park by any chance?

Marcus Aurelius knew
Marcus Aurelius knew
4 years ago
Reply to  Aleajactaest

No, Roundhay.

Banjones
Banjones
4 years ago

That’s excellent! My little act of rebellion pales into insignificance – tearing the tapes off benches in an English Heritage site. Every little helps, I suppose!

Spritof_GFawkes
Spritof_GFawkes
4 years ago

What the activities of this unit have done to me is to increase my scepticism. Anything I read our hear that emanates from officials or is reported as fact in the media I just assume to be a falsehood or an attempt to make me believe a particular thing. It may be that there are news items which are factually correct, now, which I automatically assume to be falsehoods.
Whilst a healthy degree of scepticism is probably a good thing I think that entire disbelief in anything reported is probably not.

huxleypiggles
huxleypiggles
4 years ago

I am of the same opinion. Anything official I first ignore, if ignoring is no longer an option I treat it as lies and in a word du jour – misinformation.

Chris_uk
Chris_uk
4 years ago

All we will get out of this is a report that will be dumbed down or buried by the main stream media. Will it bring broken families back together? Will it undo the hurt of Christmases spent alone? Will it undo the psychological damage caused by all the ridiculous mask wearing and “social distancing”? Will it bring back the people who died as a direct result of their criminal behaviour? No.

Annie
Annie
4 years ago
Reply to  Chris_uk

There is still such a thing as justice.

Free Lemming
Free Lemming
4 years ago

This should be treated for what it is – abuse. The government deliberately psychologically abused, tormented and bullied their own people. The same people that they are supposed to protect. If this was a domestic incident then a crime would have been committed. These people must be held accountable and punished with the full weight of the law (not that that carries much weight these days). The long term consequences are significant, the majority of people are still walking around muzzled to the hilt – the damage has been done and may take decades to undo.

tom171uk
tom171uk
4 years ago
Reply to  Free Lemming

Indeed. Once you have instilled fear in people it is difficult to unfrighten them.

X - In Search of Space
X - In Search of Space
4 years ago
Reply to  Free Lemming

I just hope people don’t see the nudgers as being the ones responsible. Yes, they are despicable gits – but the ones who actually used the nudge nasties and their shit against us are ultimately responsible.

I would hope that the nudgers do face consequences, but I wouldn’t like to see any heat whatsoever deflected away from those who actually used this shit against us.

8bit
8bit
4 years ago

CORONAVIRUS: ACT LIKE YOU’VE HAD A LOBOTOMY.

iane
iane
4 years ago
Reply to  8bit

Try to give me a lobotomy and I’m going to give them a piece of my mind!

X - In Search of Space
X - In Search of Space
4 years ago
Reply to  iane

🙂

Annie
Annie
4 years ago
Reply to  8bit

The Welsheeples did just that. Most of them are still doing it.
Lobotomising them would have been a very minor operation.

DanClarke
DanClarke
4 years ago
Reply to  Annie

Do you think it could be the influence of actual sheep, as NZ is the same?

Marcus Aurelius knew
Marcus Aurelius knew
4 years ago
Reply to  DanClarke

Bah!

Mike Oxlong
Mike Oxlong
4 years ago
Reply to  8bit

I’d sooner have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.

Milo
Milo
4 years ago
Reply to  8bit

I’m fairly convinced that there is something in the jabs which seems to lobotomise their recipients

X - In Search of Space
X - In Search of Space
4 years ago

“If you go out you can spread it, people will die.”

Yet another example of pseudo-speak.

If you go out you can spread it.
and
People will die.

Two essentially separate statements which allow them a safety-net. But, the formulation is such that they can bank on the message being understood as:

If you go out you can (will) spread the virus, and as a result of you spreading the virus, people will die.

Of course, they don’t wan’t to actually say that, but they are very devious, and know how to say it … without actually … saying it.

It infuriates me. If they would just come out with the lie, the bullshit, that’s one thing, but this is far more contemptible.

Anyway, pronouncements like

If you go out you can spread it, people will die

and

Act like you’ve got it

are just so awful, that there simply are no words to describe them. This is why I sometimes have nothing left other than profanity.

Javy
Javy
4 years ago

On 26 March 2021, Dr Sarah Jarvis said “Breathing is an offensive weapon if you are infected with Covid”. (Channel 5’s Jeremy Vine programme).

X - In Search of Space
X - In Search of Space
4 years ago
Reply to  Javy

Wot?!?! Crazy stuff.

Mike Oxlong
Mike Oxlong
4 years ago

I acted like I had it and spent 10 days on holiday

Emerald Fox
Emerald Fox
4 years ago

“The Telegraph understands that Parliament’s Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee will investigate the use of the Behavioural Insights Team as part of its investigation into the Government’s activities during the pandemic.”

There will be no such investigation. And even if there was to be a bit of ‘poking around’ (whilst being handsomely paid), I think we all know the results already. 

tom171uk
tom171uk
4 years ago
Reply to  Emerald Fox

Sadly, i am sure that’s right.

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