The Telegraph‘s Robert Taylor has written an excellent comment piece with which readers of the Daily Sceptic (and our previous incarnation Lockdown Sceptics) will readily identify, entitled: “Bravo to the lockdown sceptics, who were smeared and dismissed for daring to defend freedom.” Responding to lockdown-Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s comments in the Spectator that he was a lonely voice in Cabinet challenging the groupthink and Sageocracy that Boris had allowed to take hold, Taylor writes of his relief to learn that “one of the most senior members of Government during that whole lockdown business has finally admitted that the strategy was overdone, badly handled and badly communicated”.
I had to do a double take when I saw the reports. For those long lockdown months, nobody in government, let alone the Cabinet, was prepared to say any such thing. It was left to a few courageous journalists and scientists to take on the overwhelming force of the lockdown fanatics, with police fining people for sitting on park benches and neighbours eagerly shopping each other like this was some authoritarian country.
The brave few kept the flag of personal freedom alive. That really is no exaggeration. And they paid heavily for it. On social media the abuse was intense. You don’t care about lives! they snarled. You’re murderers! they claimed. And in the mainstream, things weren’t much better. You’re a “small, disproportionately influential faction,” moaned a Guardian Leader, that “denies the virulence of the virus”. Thanks for that.
One MP, Neil O’Brien, took it upon himself to publicly discredit any sceptic, declaring “they have a hell of a lot to answer for”. No, you do Mr O’Brien, for stifling free debate, along with certain mainstream news outlets for failing over a two-year period to examine whether lockdown might cause more harm than good.
Yes, it was lonely. But now the man who was responsible for running the nation’s finances belatedly tells us that we were not alone. He now tells us it was wrong to empower scientists to such a degree; wrong to allow Sage such sway over policy; wrong not to consider the long-term impact of lockdown on people’s health and wellbeing; wrong not to discuss the inevitable huge delays to cancer, heart disease and diabetes diagnoses; wrong to close schools; and wrong to instill such fear.
That’s what some of us have been saying all along, and copping a pile of abuse for our troubles. Sunak even tells us that he was prevented from discussing his doubts, and that when he tried to do so he was met with a brick wall of silence.
Worth reading in full.
Nonetheless, Sunak still won’t say it was a mistake to lock down, showing that even the most sceptical of those in power at the time struggle to admit the enormity of what they did and apologise for it. But it’s good to hear more scepticism from those who were in Government at the time, and also a clear statement that the way decisions were made and the way debate both internally and externally was censored was harmful and wrong. Yet debate is still routinely being censored on social media, showing the problem is still with us.
I also somehow doubt Neil O’Brien “took it upon himself” – given how unusual it is for MPs to engage in attacks on respected scientists like Oxford’s Professor Sunetra Gupta, at the Daily Sceptic we have long suspected he was put up to Project Smear by certain members of the Government.
Stop Press: Not surprisingly, Sunak’s Spectator interview has prompted a backlash from lockdown-fanatical former Downing Street employees.
‘Mad Monk’ and ex-Boris right-hand man Dominic Cummings claimed on Twitter the interview is “dangerous rubbish” and “reads like a man whose epicly bad campaign has melted his brain and he’s about to quit politics”.
The Sunak interview is dangerous rubbish, reads like a man whose epicly bad campaign has melted his brain & he’s about to quit politics. Also pins blame *unfairly* on
— Dominic Cummings (@Dominic2306) August 25, 2022& others. Will blog laterhttps://t.co/PG0YLZq5cZ
Meanwhile, Lee Cain, then-Downing Street Head of Communications, tweeted:
Huge admirer of Rishi Sunak but his position on lockdown is simply wrong. It would have been morally irresponsible of the govt not to implement lockdown in spring 2020 – the failure to do so would have killed tens-of-thousands of people who survived Covid. In addition, without lockdown the NHS simply could not have survived and would have been overwhelmed. This would have seen an even greater backlog of excess deaths for missed cancer appointments etc.
Looks like lockdown orthodoxy is alive and well among its U.K. architects, who still believe it saved lives and the NHS would have been ‘overwhelmed’ without it – as though Sweden doesn’t exist, infections weren’t already falling ahead of the lockdown, and Covid then conveniently disappeared and left anyone who avoided it in spring 2020 alone and undisturbed for the rest of their lives.
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In these recent statements Mr Sunak has shown himself only to be the worst form of politician — those who not only have no honour in their position (‘career politician’), but also who will try to worm their way out of mistakes by blaming others.
He’s had one chance to stand up like a man. Instead he chose the most shameful of options.
Well said Sir.
He deserves to be called out the smarmy bastard.
He didn’t have the guts, decency or leadership qualities required sufficient to resign and return to the backbenches there to organise a Spartan resistance. Oh no…
“I tried sir. I really tried but they wouldn’t listen.
Are we having cream cakes for tea Mr Bozo? Please sir?”
A pathetic, gutless wonder.
If anyone was in a position to promote the sceptic case and get away with it (at least in the long term) it was Mr Sunak. We on the frontline (teachers, care workers, anybody in local government, musicians, doctors, hospitality staff…) bore the brunt of the the smears and threat (or even actuality) of dismissal for merely expressing scepticism in words, let alone actions. Had Mr Sunak resigned as a matter of principle, he would be allowed (after a couple of years in political exile as “punishment”), to return to the cabinet: politics is like that. As you say, he (or the Government) will try to blame others, notably the general public if there are no acceptable scapegoats, for negative outcomes but take the credit for any scraps of confected success, dutifully heaping honours on those who were faithful to “the message” throughout. I fear we now are facing Theresa May Mark II, restoring the policy of kowtowing to the WEF and woke lobbyists. Will the forthcoming winter of discontent cause a political earthquake, or just some shaking of the old furniture?
Spot on. I actually don’t care too much that they got it wrong, what I hate and find unacceptable was the denial of free speech, the blanket propaganda that would make any totalitarian blush, the censoring of other scientists in the media and the othering of people like you and me.
And now, as they slowly admit they were wrong to do this, they are doing it all over again by denying the damage from these infernal quackcines too. They are idiots under the control of Uncle Klaus and people need to wake up – and wake up fast.
I am less certain of your damning criticism. Yes, Sunak could have done better, but his recent discourse is a welcome reproach to pandemic politics ‘better late than never’.
Bollocks..It’s nothing more than a remoaner attempt to permanently demolish Boris / Brexit…look at the smug cartoon in The Times of Brussels today …
I don’t look at Times muppets, whether Brussels, London or New York.
And certainly not before their journalist Oliver Wright (who has written in a similar vein for the Independent) gets instructed to write a detailed report for them on big pharma corruption as it relates today to their experimental “covid” medication, and the damage that has been done by unquestioning acceptance their version of “the science”.
Had Sunak had the guts to resign in Dec 20 he could now annihilate the lockdown fallacy and with it the entirety of political opposition in Westminster. Instead he’s a busted flush. Ppl like Gove could have been expelled from the party for inflicting this Marxist policy. It tells you everything about Cummings you need to know that he still fanatically supports this, a total low life.
You really think by resigning that he would have ‘annihilated the lockdown fallacy’? He’d have simply been replaced with someone more compliant! IF this is Rishi Sunak’s swansong, it’s a good one, and could at least help bring certain people to account.
The Tories only hope was appointing a leader who was outspoken against lockdown so not tarred by it’s brush. Instead they’ve appointed ppl who signed off on the disaster thus sealing their electoral fate. The Tories decided to die on the alter of socialism, unfathomable frankly.
Worse.. The Altar of National Socialism imho… The elites always did have a sneaking regard for Mr Hitler, which goes a long way to explain how this monumental shitstorm came to pass …
Well we know the answer to this don’t we? SIr Graham Brady resigned but didn’t particularly change the grammar schools fallacy.
For me, it seems almost surreal to be reading about how these people either are coming to realise that lockdowns were wrong, or that they sort of thought so at the time but didn’t really do anything about it.
It really didn’t need much in the way of independently thinking brain cells to realise back in spring 2020 that it was all wrong. Seriously, you had to be significantly intellectually challenged not to see through it.
Although we are still living with the consequences, and will continue to do so, lockdown is essentially yesterday’s story, or at least a secondary distraction.
The vital question now is wtf have the vaccines done?
How many ppl see through the fallacies of climate alarmism and net zero? It takes courage something ppl in the political classes lack.
Even as we comment on here Sino is arguing for a row back on the eco lunacy.
Honestly. He is.
Hurray! I just hope that John Redwood does get a role, then there might at least be some hope of limiting the economic damage (I wonder if the green blob would then find a way of doing an Owen Paterson on him?).
It takes the scientific method, something that 8 out of 10 cats probably don’t apply.
Spot on TJN!
As we all know, the vast majority of the French population actively supported “la resistance” (so they say). I was doubtful over whether a similar phenomenon would happen over lockdowns, but if it is starting to, maybe that is a good sign.
OK, this really does not fly. He was Chancellor and in support of the lockdowns he bankrupted the economy by paying people not to work.
So I don’t think so.
it’s obvious he thinks he can schmooz some more votes from the Libertarian wing of the membership.
I don’t think they are that dumb.
Possibly. Still, I am heartened that anyone thinks there’s a Libertarian wing in the Tory party that is worth schmoozing for its votes. I live in a safe Tory seat and am surrounded by covidtards.
You may be right, my wife and i tore up our cards in 2020 because of all this. I’m sure if there were any other libertarians left they may have left as well.
Still even if I had stayed as a member, I couldn’t vote for any of these scumbags.
You’re not alone. What we do know is that the other major political party has lost quite a few, as Labour’s annual accounts which have been published show that membership is down by around 91,000, so they are looking at around £500,000 loss of income for membership fees.
I wonder when that nob leading Labour will vocalise his disdain of Sunak’s attempts to discredit Johnson and co.
Starmer and most of his motley crew were fervent supporters of the Tory Tyrants charter.
I think Kathy Gyngell puts it well in here letter to Michael Gove and published on the The Conservative Woman website – “I suspect that like your leader you are so far into this mess that every decision is now about covering your back rather than confessing your mistakes. ”
I guess if I’d been complicit in a lie as big as this one I’d also be scared of admitting the truth. If Sunak is lying then his colleagues will gleefully point that out to us. So for the moment, I’ll accept that he probably did make some lame protestations about policy of rule by fear and over-reach. I’m not impressed with him though. Considering the catastrophic impact of everything the government did, a man of conscience would not have played along with it. It’s a bit late to be coming out of the woodwork.
Lockdown:”the failure to do so would have killed tens-of-thousands of people who survived Covid. In addition, without lockdown the NHS simply could not have survived and would have been overwhelmed”. 1. Can’t possibly prove that, 2. the NHS is overwhelmed because of lockdown
Cummings on the other hand sounds like a man who has been kicked out of politics and is desperate to get back in.
And perhaps thinks that some Trump style trolling might help.
Cummings will be remembered with the same fondness as Tony Blair
Lee Cain still doesn’t understand that Ferguson’s models where completely wrong. Glad he’s gone and good riddance. I actually once admired the guy as a northerner and a Brexiteer but sheesh, what a chump!
Remember. The correct response is; “Fuck off”. These bastard suits don’t care about the likes of you and me. We work to live… They are happy with their £300,000 a year “job”. Ignore them. Build your community, befriend neighbours of which you haven’t already. Show respect and love on the ground.
In order to restore my complete faith in politics I now only need Liz Truss to recant as regards the toxic jabs….
Fatal more like.
Nice to see Lee Cain demonstrating the analytical thinking, regard for the facts and scientific evidence that tabloid hacks are famed for.
Rishi pants on fire. WEF shill.
https://wtfhappenedin1971.com/
CDC Does U-Turn, Vindicates ‘Misinformation Spreaders’
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2022/08/26/cdc-covid-guidelines-2022.aspx
CDC Backtracks on COVID Guidance as Damning Studies Mount
Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola
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Its very easy to say things like this to gain popularity after the event, but if he really believed what he says, unless he was prepared to say something at the time in public, it means nothing. He was prepared to resign over fairly trivial things in comparison to the damage the government policies caused over Covid restrictions and other stupidities. He also put in place payments as loans and payment for employees not to work to companies without the necessary controls to reduce the massive fraud, estimated by some sources at £11 billion.
If what he says is true he does not have the courage of his convictions and also can’t safely manage our money, so has no place as our prime minister. I really hope this grovelling non-appology does not influence those with the right to vote for the most important position possibly ever in our country.
Sunak has said too little, too late. He’s so desperate now that he’ll try to appeal to the few people who haven’t voted with anything he can pull out of his hat. He was one of the group of four fanatics in Government that oversaw terrorising 70 million people. If he believed any of this, at any point he could have resigned and led a brave opposition to the lockdown. As Chancellor, he’d have been listened to. He could have neutered Matt Hancock who, had he not been caught copping a feel, would still be terrorising the country now and could well have had vaccine mandates and internment camps running by now. I’ll never forget the fear a year ago that I would get locked up for refusing the clot shot and the worry about who would look after my elderly parents.
Throughout my life I’ve basically considered myself a coward; I’ve caved in more arguments about things I’ve believed in (usually in order to keep the peace when I’m in a group) than I can count. I’ve sat there, contemptuous of myself for doing it. I’d never stood my ground on anything until the lockdowns.
As a limited company director, I turned out to be ineligible for state support, but I decided from the outset not to take state money, in spite of the pain it might cause me. I nearly lost my business, but I’ve got through it and my business is now in the best shape it’s ever been. In the USA, even the Ayn Rand Institute took government money, while I stood by what the lady wrote and took nothing, not even a bounce-back loan (the Atlas Society also refused!)
I’ve stood in front of people and explained the uselessness of LF tests and PCR tests. I’ve openly attacked the lockdowns. I’ve watched as their eyes glaze over and they develop a mix of deafness and amnesia, blocking everything I’ve said. I’ve never worn a mask, I still shook people’s hands. I helped old ladies with their shopping in the supermarket, when no one else would go near them, because of the distancing rules. When people were masked, I always gave them a huge smile. Only one or two glared at me. Once the mask mandates bit, I stuck to my home and garden (I was busy working from home anyway and the garden is a lot of work) and I did click and collect from Tesco. I also shopped from foreign online retailers, so less of my money would go to the UK government.
The strain for someone who considers himself terribly shy was massive, but this was worth standing up for. In a way, being the kid who suffered all the bullying at school toughened me up for this. I was used to being an outsider until I was in my 20s, so it was back to being the bullied outsider.
For Sunak to come out with this waffle now only amplifies my contempt for him. If a coward like me could say no, then what does that make him? He’s a chancer and a grifter, like most of his fellow MPs. He’s also probably being given the go-ahead to make these remarks by his billionaire, China-connected father-in-law.
As for Neil O’Brien, he’s a mad dog and we all know what farmers do when their dogs go mad! He was probably offered a promotion. With luck, he’ll get taken down at the ballot box.
So what next then? Seeing the energy crisis predictably unfold, people on low incomes and all in receipt of housing benefits, will be made an offer to significantly reduce energy unit costs they are charged if they agree to transfer their bank accounts to a newly created central bank digital currency (CBDC) account. Debts, up to a certain limit, will be written off for those making full bank transfers. The retail banks letterhead would remain on the customer’s bank statements, but the accounts will effectively be run by a central agency.
The banks, as part of the deal, would still have access to customer database to sell more profitable products like PPI and motor insurance, for which they would pay royalty fees to the state. The retail banks will be happy to be relieved of these loss-making customers. Any dissenting bank shareholders can be ignored as the proposal will go through anyway as the big investors, the likes of Blackrock say, are all fully bought in on the plan anyway.
For customers, the continuation of certain benefits may be dependent on them making transfer to these new CBDC accounts. Or possibly increased state benefits, (along with lower energy tariffs), could be offered as a carrot. With the CBDC accounts, all customer transactions can be fully monitored in real time and additional “helpful credits” given to those whose transaction activity reveals a low carbon footprint and who are “doing their bit” to “Protect the Planet”.
Actually, this is not my prediction, but any old fool can glean this direction of travel from the strands set out in Klaus Schwab’s “Great Reset” book, helpfully available from all good high street and online bookshops.
Shut up, Sunak. You’re just the same sort of c*nt as all the rest. Worse, even; now you pretend you were on the right side of history. You could have used your power for good, but instead you chose the path of least resistance.
And you call yourself a numbers guy. Ha f***ing ha.
Too late, Rishi, too f***ing late.