A good article was published in the Spectator’s Coffee House blog this morning by Ian Williams, a former foreign correspondent for Channel 4 News and author of The Fire of the Dragon: China’s New Cold War. He argues that President Xi’s authoritarian ‘Zero Covid’ policy is the contemporary equivalent of the one child policy – a form of totalitarian control that quickly became an end in itself and had disastrous unintended consequences. Here are the opening few paragraphs:
It has been a remarkable few days for China’s increasingly absurd and at times chilling zero-Covid campaign. There was outrage on social media after the death of a three-year-old boy from carbon monoxide poisoning, which his father blamed on delays obtaining treatment because of a lockdown. Angry residents who took to the streets were confronted by riot police. While videos from the world’s largest iPhone factory in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou, where 350,000 are employed, showed workers scaling barricades in what amounted to a mass break-out following attempts to lock them in their dormitories after a Covid outbreak.
A surge in cases across the country has seen restrictions imposed in 28 cities, home to more than 200 million people. They range from Xining and Lhasa in the west, to Beijing, Guangzhou, and even Wuhan – where the virus was first detected almost three years ago. There have been the now familiar appeals for food and medical supplies from those locked in their homes or in the vast quarantine facilities sprouting across China.
Yet stock markets in Shanghai and Hong Kong bounced last week on rumours that Beijing might ease its zero-Covid policy, that it had finally seen sense in the face of growing anger and frustration. It seemed like wishful thinking on the part of investors who have been heading for the exits almost as rapidly as the hapless iPhone workers. And that is how it proved on Saturday when a spokesperson for the National Health Commission told a much-anticipated press conference in Beijing that there would be no wavering. China will “unswervingly adhere” to the zero-Covid policy, which is “completely correct”, she said.
She was echoing the words of Xi Jinping, who a few days earlier described zero-Covid as a “people’s war to stop the virus”. In his speech to the Communist party congress he gave not so much as a nod towards the economic and social pain caused by a policy that has become part of the cult of Xi. It was as if the endless lockdowns, waves of mass testing, and the claustrophobic restrictions and surveillance, where all to be celebrated, a mark of party virility, the new normal for Xi’s China.
The ‘people’s war’ rhetoric was reminiscent of the era of Mao Zedong and the Cultural Revolution. Except instead of fanatical red guards waving little red books, Xi is deploying an army of fanatical white guards, the hazmat-suited enforcers of zero-Covid banging down doors and waving their swabs and thermometers before dragging people away to quarantine.
It’s a tempting analogy, but a more accurate one might be the now discarded one-child policy. Like China’s cruel and crude attempt at population control, zero-Covid has become an industry in itself with its own enormous bureaucracy and army of zealous enforcers, whose work is a measure of loyalty to the party and its leader. As with one-child, abuse has become routine, and voices warning of the obvious economic damage are suppressed or ignored. The one-child policy sought to control women’s bodies, zero-Covid is about broader social control. Both seek to tightly constrain the way people live their lives. Like one-child, zero-Covid has developed a political logic of its own, divorced from its original purpose of protecting health – a Frankenstein monster of a policy.
Worth reading in full.
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Brilliant article. Absolutely fascinating.
I totally agree.
“No one anywhere else believes, even when they obey.”
I wonder. Is Dr Alexander making an oblique and profound reference to Russell Brand and the Illuminati? Is he preparing the ground/opening the door to the idea, the people of the West, more than those under authoritarian Regimes have become increasingly governed by way of Mind Control techniques? At an uncontroversial level, this is clearly so (government nudge unit). Only those who have delved into some of the more, er, esoteric evidence of who Russel Brand is will understand the point I am making here.
My personal view is, there is a form of juju which, for those who believe it, becomes powerful in their own minds, but if you don’t believe it, plays no role that is apparent to you in your life. I do suspect some of these people, like Russel Brand, do actually believe it and act on it and shuffle about in robes being rather silly, but nevertheless are quite profoundly dangerous and psychologically coercive.
Reading the book ‘180°’ there is actually a bit in the Quack Attack chapter that describes how truth has its own frequency and that, if we are sensitive enough, we can detect truth when it is spoken or expressed. I think this is true. Liars, even when they think they are expressing the truth (from indoctrination etc), don’t come across as authentic. People who promote the bullsh*t (remember Piers Morgan/Arnold Schwarzenegger/Biden/Boris/Fauci etc re the ‘vaccine’) just get shouty or try too hard to convince. They basically become bullies. Truth quietly spoken is immediately recognised by an open, non-judgemental heart.
That is such a great book!
Must get that book (Author?)
I definitely get a different feeling listening to the likes of Andrew Bridgen or John Campbell than other speakers. Maybe it’s body language or something about the way they look at you.
Not sure how I feel listening to Russell Brand but he’s not the Svengali figure the media are trying to make him out to be and that we are fools to be taken in by (even if he looks the part).
Maybe I’ve just got less trusting of authority figures as they lie so fluently.
The author is a guy called Feargus O’Connor Greenwood. I got it on Amazon and it’s still available – the subtitle is “The lies you’ve been taught to believe”. Don’t be put off by the 2-3 inches of book, it’s a smooth, swift and easy read. Even though the material is quite dark, it’s a positive book and gives you strategies for handling your friends and family without alienating them.
He was interviewed by James Delingpole on the Delingpod podcast – start there!
Here is Richard Vobes talking to him https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBpn8DDWjvs
Thank you! 🙂
180 Degress: Unlearn the Lies You’ve Been Taught to Believe https://g.co/kgs/4zjeQn
A great book. Well worth the investment. Another book i think DS readers would enjoy is: ‘The Falsification of Science. Our Distorted Reality’ by John Hamer
Well speaking of ‘Covid 19’ and the ‘narrative’, remember those silver bullet ‘safe and effective vaccines’ that were meant to save the day? This scientist is testifying at the South Carolina senate hearing and follows Dr Buckhalts ( who’s talk I shared yesterday and who is one of several researchers who replicated Kevin McKernan’s work in showing via sequencing that the vials contain DNA contamination ) and she’s completely disagreeing with him, emphasizing the dangers of this mRNA platform and the risks from the contaminants found. Just the massive increase in miscarriages and stillbirths alone is shocking. Very ‘anti-bullshit’ and informative speech from Dr Lindsay. ( 14mins )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjQQ7kkj3Bs&t=2s&ab_channel=SC4FREEDOM
Further to this topic, Aussie17 has more here. The fact that Kevin McKernan only discovered this contamination ( now seemingly widespread, as per more scientists testing the stuff around the world ) in Feb of this year makes it even more concerning because by that point billions of doses had been administered worldwide, with most people having subsequent shots, so how many deaths, injuries and miscarriages/stillbirths were directly attributable to this contamination, not just the spike protein itself? It would appear the next sensible thing is to start testing and sequencing vax recipients just to check the extent of the damage, but until then I think many more labs across the world will keep on replicating these findings, and what’s the betting not a thing will get done by the authorities? Just keep sticking those needles in pregnant women and mandating them for college kids in the US, for example. Crimes being committed and nobody in power gives a stuff!
”According to Jessica Rose’s analysis, the two vials which have DNA contamination levels exceeding regulatory limits by over 200 times is associated with mortality rates of 6.2% and 4.7%. The evidence supports the existence of a causal link between the high DNA contamination and the observed deaths.
The presence of DNA contamination in Pfizer vials serves as definitive proof that the experimental Pfizer vaccine does, in fact, contain DNA. This contradicts previous statements made by regulatory bodies, affirming that these products do not alter DNA because they lack DNA content.
So, are we approaching the end game? The ball is now in the regulators’ court, and time is running out for them.
The reason is because many independent labs are currently rushing to replicate these findings, as it is a great opportunity for unknown scientists to make a name for themselves. There is a strong incentive to quickly publish a paper and receive recognition. It’s like an academic gold rush to publish groundbreaking research!
Here’s my prediction: in a few months, you will see numerous labs testing multiple Pfizer vials for DNA transfection (i.e., DNA-contaminated plasmids entering human cells). As Dr. Buckhaults testified, these injections will leave a “calling card” in the vaccinated, and it has clear harmful effects (bacterial plasmid DNA integrating into the vaccinated).”
https://www.aussie17.com/p/check-and-mate
We appear to be leaving Plato’s third state of Democracy to the fourth state of government – Tyranny. Whereas Aristotle and Plato differ in some degree on what is necessary for good government, and all they perceive may not be applicable today. The basic premise of both political theories is that, if the rulers do not understand the decisions they make upon the lives of their citizens, they have lost the true objective of their governance.
I’m currently with Nietzsche in relation to pretty much EVERYTHING to do with the ‘establishment….’
“I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.”
https://disq.us/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dp-PURM61BX8%3A7BF70-DSzMe0Z9Yij4Heshs1Czg&cuid=2800408
This is seriously NOT bullshit.
About 15 minutes long but worth every second of your time.
The history of the Scamdemic and everything in between.
Brilliant.
I think what the author is basically saying is that the modern world has become so complicated that people on the whole have lost their moral compass and their ability to tell right from wrong.
I don’t really agree. Take away the coercion of the state, the whipping up of lynch mobs by the media and the techno control and sliencing by the bureaucracy and people know exactly what is right and wrong.
Without coercion there is no climate crisis, no lockdowns, no masks, no mass jabbing, no gender confusion.
If we are going mad is because we are being forced to do things that are mad.
Spot on as always. I would add though that as well as being forced, we are hoodwinked and bribed. I believe relative peace and material prosperity have made people too trusting and insufficiently vigilant.
Sophisticated people believe Sophisticated lies
Nice sound bite but not true.
“Russia, China and the rest are unsophisticated because they use old-fashioned methods: coercion, corruption, propaganda, intelligence. ”
And that’s exactly what Western Governments are using …. plus laws (which have no real democratic consent since they are produced under a CONsensus) mandates, bans, fines and threats.
https://khmezek.substack.com/p/living-in-bizarro-world
Living in Bizarro World
The point of Bizarro World is to make the real world appear so chaotic, so dangerous, so uninhabitable, that we will happily give ourselves over to the Technocrats who promise to make it all better.
THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING PERSPECTIVE WHICH HAS A RESONANCE REGARDING THE PURPOSE OF AND THE PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND THE WAY OUR SOCIAL VALUES AND STRUCTURES ARE BEING BROKEN DOWN WITH WOKISM, GENDER ID, LGBTQI+++ ETC:
One wonders whether politicians are ignoring the truth / fact, because they have not dispassionately assessed the data, or are incapable of understanding it. It is hard to fit the truth / falsity – wisdom / folly dichotomy into, for example, the insistence on ‘climate change’ etc, when the science is clear. It is also incomprehensible that we are being drip-fed nonsense to justify ruinous policies and punishing damage to our economy. Truth is clearly compatible with folly
The problem with “truth is absolutely right” is how do we know what the truth is? Neil Oliver’s discussion last Saturday touched on this with a guest. The guest said it only needed two experts and they could tell us the truth. Get 10 experts together today and they would produce 12 views and disagree on all of them. If politicians were listening in they would probably implement a policy that ignored all of them.
Dr Alexander, I must congratulate you for having the Balls to use the word “Bullshit” which must have also given some folks at the sceptics to publish the heading without change. Journalists/Publisher generally don’t call Bullshit , Bullshit… they Fluff around it .