Lionel Shriver’s column in the Spectator this week is a searing critique of the West’s pandemic response and the mockery it made of our supposedly ‘inalienable’ rights. Here’s an excerpt.
We are forever changed. The British people, along with the populations of many American states such as New York and California, have henceforth to live with the fact that civil liberties we Yanks call ‘inalienable’ can be cancelled at a moment’s notice for years on end. Our ‘rights’ are alienable as can be. We’re often warned that democracy is fragile. Lo, that turns out to be horribly true.
Which is why indulging our aversion to all things Covid with a wilful amnesia – blanking out two years of our lives as if redacting the calendar with black marker – is a mistake. The pols, media shills and limelight-basking scientists-for-hire complicit in grievously wounding our lives and countries have good reason to hope that we forget all about that little unpleasantness. But I need to remember, if only to understand myself – why post-pandemic I’m so much more cynical, misanthropic and pessimistic about the future.
Given the perfect absence of any correlation whatsoever between the severity of restrictions and Covid mortality rates, even when comparing like regions with like, it’s probable that this plethora of ‘interventions’ that made our lives hell while making a mockery of representative government – all those ludicrous ‘tiers’, the Harry Potter-ish ‘rule of six’ – made not the slightest difference to the death toll. Waves of variants came and went, oblivious of state diktats. Nature prevailed, as nature is wont to. We’d have been far better off if governments had done absolutely nothing.
This perspective has gained in currency. Some longstanding lockdown critics are resentful that many former establishment cheerleaders are now pretending they also opposed these failed and disastrous policies at the time. I’m not resentful. If you’re late to the party, welcome to the party. For the threat far greater than a handful of recent converts lying to themselves about their previous bovine compliance is the state’s self-interested company line surviving intact.
Most ordinary people still believe that lockdowns, and the accompanying bramble of insensible, ever-changing and medically illiterate Covid restrictions, saved hundreds of thousands of lives in the UK, millions in the US, and tens if not hundreds of millions worldwide. The ‘narrative’ may have bent ever so slightly, but it’s holding up. To my utter astonishment, when a new YouGov poll asked Britons how they assess their government’s handling of Covid-19 in hindsight, 34% said ‘About right’ and 37% said ‘Not strict enough’ (incredulous italics added). A mere 19% said ‘Too strict’. A full 54% of Labour voters still think the ‘measures’ (a word I’ve come to hate) should have been even more brutal.
This matters. True, last week, numerous journalists joined the chorus of ‘never again’. Yet meanwhile the WHO is contriving two agreements whereby countries will “undertake to follow” this unaccountable supranational organisation’s “recommendations”, including imposing lockdowns, vaccine mandates and passports, border closures, mask-wearing (never mind how ineffective) and whatever else these bureaucrats might dream up – all over the heads of nation states.
As currently conceived, these agreements would make WHO edicts not merely advisory but compulsory. Tucked in China’s pocket and dependent on Big Pharma, the organisation that during Covid promoted both a string of falsehoods and the ghastliest of policies would arrogate to itself a budget of up to 10 times its current one. It’s seeking the power to repeat its mistakes not only when confronting a verifiably lethal organism, but when confronting an organism that might prove deadly in future. Thus the WHO could soon be able to shut down the whole world over a pathogen that turns out to be as dangerous as cheese mould – just in case.
Worth reading in full.
The Telegraph wit Michael Deacon is most aghast at the poll’s findings about 18-24 year-olds, who he says by their extraordinary support for the lockdowns that ruined their young lives appear to be afflicted by some form of Stockholm syndrome.
Their education was disrupted. Their love lives were suspended. The best days of their lives were ruined. We already knew all that. It seems, however, that lockdown harmed the young in another way – one which I would never have foreseen.
It left them suffering from Stockholm syndrome.
In other words: they’ve actively grown to love captivity. That’s the only conclusion I can draw from a startling new YouGov poll – which reports that over half of those aged 18-24 think that the lockdown rules weren’t strict enough.
No other age group takes anywhere near such a hardline stance. Not even the elderly, who had the greatest reason to want transmission of the virus halted by whatever means necessary. Yet only a third of those aged 65+ agree that the rules weren’t strict enough. And almost a fifth of them think the rules were too strict.
The young, meanwhile, had the least to fear from Covid, and the most to lose from lockdowns. Yet they, according to this extraordinary poll, are the ones who supported lockdown the most fervently. Not only that, they wish it had been tougher. A mere 13% of them think the rules were too strict.
A charitable reading of the poll would be that the young people of today are just heroically self-sacrificing. I’d like to think so. But I’m afraid I’m not convinced. Self-sacrifice, by definition, was always in their own hands. These young people could have locked themselves in their bedrooms for the entire pandemic if they’d wished. They didn’t need the Government to make them do that. This poll, therefore, suggests that they simply have an alarming enthusiasm for draconian rules. An authoritarian impulse. A love of all-powerful government.
Is this yet another baleful consequence of their woke education, that accustoms them to love an all-powerful paternalistic authority that wraps them up in their ‘safe space’?
Deacon recalls an equally disturbing poll from around the time of ‘Freedom Day’ in July 2021, where over a third of respondents said that the Government should keep hotel quarantine “permanently, regardless of the risk of COVID-19”, over a quarter said that all nightclubs should be permanently forced to close, and almost a fifth said there should be a permanent curfew “against leaving home after 10pm without a good reason”.
At least they had the excuse then of still being in the middle of the pandemic (Delta had just arrived) and subject to Project Fear propaganda. What’s their excuse now?
Also worth reading in full.
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Rights have to be defended. Best to try and do it early, hard and often, otherwise it might be too late. Key takeaway for me from covid, lesson not learned by general population, destined to repeat cycles of tyranny forever.
My attitude towards authority is to be as rebellious as I can be. No longer will I acknowledge these so called experts as my superiors and that goes for all politicians and medical staff too.
Oh please stop giving so much credence to that cock and bull poll! They surveyed 3000 people and that is extrapolated to reflect the opinions of 10s of millions of people?? Jeezus wept man. Credit us with some intelligence FGS!
I don’t really trust YouGov polls, but the arithmetic is about right. To get a significant result from sampling a population of size N, you initially expect the sample size to be about √N. So for a population of millions, you survey thousands. This estimate might then change based on stratification. However, the biggest problem is not in sampling but in setting questions in an unbiassed way and collecting the answers in an unbiassed way!
I do not for one second believe the results of that poll are reflective of 60 odd million Brits. This is old-school PsyOp tactics 101, and the MSM ( and shamefully the DS team ) reporting on something which is fake/flawed is an integral part of forming and manipulating good old ‘public opinion’.
I don’t trust YouGov, but it’s reflective of the people in my life, sadly.
I suppose the litmus test would be if there were another lockdown announced. Or even a mask mandate be brought back. How would people respond? Would the same amount of people who complied previously docilely comply once again, no questions asked, because the conditioning of their behaviour has been so successful? Let’s hope we never have to find out, although there will be other nonsensical tests of social conformity coming down the pipeline at us, I’ve no doubt about that.
I think they would struggle to sell it without a lot more dead bodies than covid generated, and I don’t think they will try for fear of looking weak. I think a lot of people realise the whole thing was a huge mistake, they just do not want to deal with facing that truth. I had exactly this conversation with a normie acquaintance of mine two days ago. It’s self defence – they know deep down they will end up angry and ashamed.
Agreed. Same experience as me. I just no longer bring it up. However, I wouldn’t be ruling out so-called ‘climate lockdowns’ at some point in our dystopian future. Not to sound bleak or anything you understand… 😮
Indeed. LTNs and 15 minute cities are a mild form, letting fuel prices rise, ULEZ expansion, pushing EVs which are unaffordable for most.
15 minute ghettos then Mogs.
Well, I was one of those 3000. I registered 2 years ago to at least provide some modicum of
dissentbalance. You Gov questions are obviously loaded to favour a mainstream orthodoxy result. And usually the first question leads one into a filtered answer group that You Gove discard to reinforce the orthodox result. So usually I answer that first question exactly theopposite of my real opinion to get the ‘ interesting – heres what others think’ bar charts of result – this technique is nudging others to conform in itself.What does one expect from the Zarharwis ? an honest survey ?
Exactly my experience but unlike I got fed up trying to figure the best way to answer so as not to fall completely into their trap. Well done for persevering. Hope that doesn’t sound patronising.
And therein lies the problem. You gov polls are responded to by a self selecting group &the questions & possible answers are heavily skewed to whatever angle they wish to push/achieve/inflict
Which is why they aren’t fit for purpose…well, unless the sole purpose is to influence the dozy masses. Psychological manipulation all the way…
Absolutely
“The answwers you seek will be found in the questions you ask”
Jiddu Krishnamurthi
I have no experience in this matter but I used to participate in YouGov polls, however I found the questions so loaded it became clear to me they were obviously steering you to the answer they wanted. It also seemed to be full of lefties judging by the comments field. In short “I wouldn’t trust it as far as I could kick a piano”, as my dear old pater used to say.
Seconded.
Thirded. 🙂
Pollsters also predicted that Corbyn would do well at the most-recent election and that May would have a landslide victory at the one before that.
I visualise rights as being like my garden or even my fence. You don’t need to tend to them all the time, but you need to check on how much alien material has crept through the fence, and prune it back from time to time, if you neighbour won’t do the job. You may even need to check the boundary fence if you have a large farm, lest your neighbour be engaging in boundary creep! Over the last century the UK Government has gradually expanded introduced more and more Japanese Knotweed legislation which has found its way into every part of our house, including the bedroom and the medicine cabinet. IIRC Alex Thomson outlined the process on Day 2 of the Grand Jury Investigation. Mere pruning round the edges isn’t going to get rid of it: it requires wholesale excavation1
YouGov, founded by Nadhim Zakhawi. Why would I believe a word they say? They’re about peer pressure, in effect saying ‘Look what a huge percentage of people think this policy was right! Don’t you feel embarrassed about not agreeing?’
Who commissioned the poll, who did they ask, how many questions did they ask and in what order, who paid for the poll, what result did they want?
All part of the PsyOp, which the journalists on their various platforms are the mouthpieces of.
The same journalists now deeply embarrassed by the revelations of Ms Oakshott.
I’ve maintained for as long as I can remember that the psychological response to Gov locking people up has uncanny similarities with Stockholm Syndrome. One thing though – “It left them suffering from Stockholm syndrome.
In other words: they’ve actively grown to love captivity.“. No, it’s not that they’ve necessarily grown to love captivity, it’s that people grew to love and trust their Government through the supposed safety of captivity. The Government can then continue to enforce captivity, thus increasing the trust the public have in their captor. And so on. An important distinction.
Another manifestation of ‘mass formation’ (as per Mattias Desmet).
I for one and for a change don’t question the polls mentioned here, as they mirror my personal experiences closely.
Both articles are absolutely frightening and spot on in my view.
Add in the climate hysteria, general lack of knowledge and sense of entitlement of this lot, and you know us folk valuing freedom are likely to be in trouble for a long, long time to come.
https://rudolphrigger.substack.com/p/rough-and-tumble
I wonder if Lionel Shriver realises that if wasn’t just lockdowns that we were misled about. Here is an excellent new 10-minute video from Professor Norman Fenton in which he explains how we were misled about the vaccines:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk7HCcmsMiA
And here is his written version of it:
https://wherearethenumbers.substack.com/p/claims-the-unvaccinated-were-at-higher
“At least they had the excuse then of still being in the middle of the pandemic”
There was NO pandemic.
Again, hux, say it AGAIN! We must keep banging this drum!
THERE WAS NO PANDEMIC!
Only a pandemic of lies, fear and weakness.
Thanks Marcus.
This sounds bureaucratic but why not make them (how is the problem) issue bonds for the full amount they spent on this. Give them a pejoritive name the way the US does with its laws. Something like “Terrible Two Year Bonds”; yielding 3 per cent fixed which is about 5 per cent negative real value. As succeeding generations pay for this the cost should appear on their tax demand. or coding notice.
Many postings say we should learn lessons, not be cowed in future, refuse to obey etc. Sure, but who will do that. If civil society is to be effective against the political class we need to be organised and mutually supportive.
If one gets arrested (by order of OFCOM, for example?) the rest of us need to shout the offence until we too are arrested.
Only be sticking together can we have any effect (which is why political parties started in the first place and continue to be the inly way to get Parliamentary representation) but how to organise it?
I support Reform as the only hope in town but I do not anticipate it getting any MPs at the next GE. A large and growing vote for Reform might have a marginal effect on the old Westminster Parties. That may be a necessary pre-condition. While UKIP/Brexit Party did well to get a Referendum, we failed because the Conservative Party destroyed Brexit.
It seems to me the pre-pre-condition is to destroy the Conservative Party.
They will destroy themselves. The right ideas need to be kept alive so they are the only ones to be picked up when all else has failed.
A simple thing we can all do is never vote for Lib/lab/Con again. And on that note, you can also deliver some leaflets to let others know. https://www.notliblabcon.org/ or follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/NotLibLabCon.
Not SNP in Scotland either…
Indeed, though there are no elections in Scotland this May this year (or very few).
True but it’s worth bearing in mind for any future elections…
“We’d have been far better off if governments had done absolutely nothing.”
We are always better off when government does nothing. And we are always worse off when they get busy. Always.
Deal face-to-face with your common man. Seek not the protection of higher authorities!
I believe firmly that this was one of the messages of the man Jesus, from Nazareth. Then after his very earthly death (and no resurrection!), the authorities hijacked his message and twisted it into such patronising, evil codswallop as “the meek shall inherit the earth”. They live and breathe, and they’re called “Christians”, and they certainly aren’t “meek”. They want you to be meek so they can control you.
They need to know we have the capacity to be dangerous. Then, we need not actually be dangerous. But they must believe it. We shall be the ones – not they! – who shall choose if we ever release our danger. Or we are lost as humanity.
Of course, the church lost its power already. But the people’s need for “protection” never dies, and the nasty ones just change their names and imprison us all anew – the weak, the brave, the good, the evil – all of us.
Remember Logan’s Run, where the young all live locked up in a domed city, euthanised at 30? The sole old man lives outside in the ruins of civilisation. With the move to smart cities, I can see an era in the near future of locked down cities, full of bright young things, where once you’re in you can’t leave. The rest of us will live on the outside, our countryside borderline uninhabitable due to rewilding, with state drone surveillance to stop us growing our own food, rearing cattle and burning logs for warmth and dodging random police raids!!
Hi Dom – actually of all the sci-fi dystopian futures set out in films, the rather cheesy and light-weight Logan’s Run may be the most likely future. I can certainly see a day in the not so distant future when robots will be doing all the work and people without the need for money, and with nothing to do, will just get up each morning and wander about chatting and eating and drinking until it is time for bed. There will be entertainment Roller Ball style of course (another excellent film as I recall). Anyway, I think we are already on that path and I’m not quite sure what will throw us off it. Well first up is don’t vote for the bast***s! https://www.notliblabcon.org/ https://twitter.com/NotLibLabCon
The pandemic policies where the downfall of the concept of liberal democracies respecting human rights. So-called democracies are not governed by the people. And so-called democratic rulers only respect so-called human rights when it suits them.
On the plus side, Bulgaria is having to chuck millions more doses of the Covid death shot away because the people are obviously too savvy to fall for the con and value their health. They’re the least vaxxed country in the EU.
”SOFIA, Bulgaria — Bulgarian health authorities said Monday that 2.8 million of expired COVID-19 doses will be destroyed this year in addition to the 2.3 million doses that have already been scrapped in the country with the lowest vaccination rate in the European Union.
According to Health Minister Assen Medzhidiev there is an excessive number of vaccines, low vaccination coverage, and a lack of people who want a shot. Only 30% of the country’s 6.5 million population has basic immunization.”
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/bulgaria-scraps-large-quantities-expired-covid-vaccines-97651407
And this is a rather nifty page with graphs very clearly showing the deaths in Bulgaria. Most of 2022 show deaths at pre-Covid levels…if this is accurate. Probably the lack of deaths are reflected in the lack of uptake in the jab, ergo they need to get binned because they’ve expired. Kudos to the Bulgarians for trusting natural immunity over unnatural gene therapies.
https://www.nsi.bg/en/content/18121/basic-page/deaths-bulgaria-weeks
Thank God for this article. I am somewhat despairing of DS’s and TY’s attitude currently. I for one will never trust a politician again and have turned, in my 70s, from a lifelong law keeper to a permanent rebel. And I slightly resent being forced to do so (and being alone among our friends). It feels as though life will never be the same again. Certainly I have permanently changed.
You are not alone. There are many people here who feel the same way. I’m no longer interested in justice, I want revenge.
Thank you. However, I’m not after revenge. The evil ones will all one day have to face God on judgement day and then justice will be done.
I don’t think I said you were.
And I didn’t take it that you did!! I was just saying that revenge is not for me. 😊
Seconded!
One of the things that concerns me is what children are being taught at school. Many of the teachers will be woke and believers in the approach to the pandemic and also climate change. If children go home to people who don’t question what has happened and are unaware of what is planned for us that we aren’t told about then when the children grow up those of us oldies are still around will be subject to a miserable old age.
I listen to friends who swallowed the pandemic pill hook line and sinker and who seem fine about how it all went. People who are still wary of other people are transmitting this to the next generation. Families who believe in all the climate nonsense are feeding this to the children too. Belief systems aren’t changed easily and the current education system isn’t really educating children and students, it’s indoctrinating them.
I see a bleak future…
Why does anyone pay any attention to YouGov Polls? Nadhim Zahawi …. CON Minister’s company …. yet we’re supposed to believe his company provides a genuine, impartial insight into the population’s views.
YouGov is part of the propaganda machine.
Any YouGov poll will always come up with a leftist view of the world. The vast majority of YouGov subscribers are those sucking on the government’s teat and have no intention of giving up their socialist lifestyle. A bit ironic considering the owner of the company is a Conservative (allegedly)
Where did we get rights from? Unless we have an answer to that question we cannot defend any rights. Tyranny is popular.