Fears about how quickly the Indian Covid variant spreads seem to have been overplayed as new data shows that 12 out of 15 variant “hotspots” in Britain are not seeing a rise in Covid infection rates. Boris is clearly right about the “gloom” having been overdone, so why the continued calls for tougher restrictions? The Times has more.
Cases in over 60s are not rising in any of the [“hotspot”] areas currently subject to surge testing outside Bolton, in what is being seen as an encouraging sign that the vaccines are protecting the most vulnerable.
Updated figures yesterday showed 3,424 known cases of the B.1.617.2 variant, up 15% on yesterday. But Boris Johnson has become more confident that the end of restrictions can remain on track as emerging data suggests that the strain is unlikely to be 50% more transmissible than the Kent variant…
Officials stress that efforts to assess the spread of the Indian variant are still preliminary, with firmer numbers not expected until next week. One member of SAGE said yesterday he was “very concerned” that the country was at the start of a third wave of Covid…
However, ministers have been cautiously encouraged that while cases have taken off in Bolton, other hotspot areas are not rising as fast. Ten per cent of all U.K. cases reported yesterday were in Bolton, where rates are seven times higher than a month ago at over 300 per 100,000. The increase in Blackburn is half of that, while Bedford is the only other area subject to surge testing where rates are clearly rising. All three areas have rates over 100 per 100,000.
Infections in Hillingdon, Hackney, Kensington, Kirklees, Leicester, Nuneaton, Redbridge and Redditch are flat or possibly falling, while in Burnley, Sefton, Hounslow and North Tyneside there are signs that cases might be starting to rise, but trends are not yet clear, with all having rates below 100 per 100,000.
Worth reading in full.
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Where is the scepticism here?
It looks as if on the subject of Israel + Gaza DS has totally suspended all critical thinking/questioning, research/verification of data, etc.
I was surprised by its failure to look behind the establishment and mainstream media narratives in the case of Ukraine, but this time it’s even worse.
I’m now wondering whether I want to carry on paying £5/mth to support a platform that buys the Israeli lies so obediently. 🙁
I think we’ve had various points of view on Ukraine, bit less so on Israel. Still think it’s £5 well spent.
My concern with the Israel thing is not so much who they are “supporting” but the implications for freedom of speech. Would be interested to see some articles from DS writers and others on where they think the line should be drawn.
It’s an absolute powder keg of a situation that’s been created. It’s divided the West, and even the sceptics, right down the middle. A job well done. There’s so much contrary information it’s impossible to wholly stand with one side or another (was reading yesterday that the Israeli military killed many of the civilians – read, not believed). What I am sure about, however, is this: there is significant support for Hamas within Palestine, there is little/no anger at the atrocities committed by Hamas, there is very little support for Jews, many, many Muslims joining pro-Palestine demonstrations in the West will also support Hamas, and I’m sure that we have lost some more humanity. People in the West seem to have got so obsessed with the Palestinian plight that they are failing to remember the complete incompatibility that their culture has with the Wests. Huge swathes of people are supporting other people who want them eradicated from the planet. That is a separate consideration to Israel, Palestine and Hamas, but a pretty important one in my mind. The Alphabet soup brigade’s support was the epitome of this. If we further forget our own values (if there’s any left), then we’re ripe for the picking.
……I don’t believe every Muslim wants to eradicate me from the planet..same as I don’t believe that all Russian’s are evil, same as I don’t believe China wants to take over the world and make us all slaves…
They are ALL, each and every one a good way to make people remain in a state of anxiety and to separate us from each other. They are all supported and promoted by corrupt Governments and their mouthpiece the MSM…
…they all make money for the massive Military Industrial Complex….
I do believe that uncontrolled immigration is wrong, for many reasons..and I agree that if people want to live in a country they must adhere to its laws..no argument…
…and being originally from South Yorkshire..and having family still in Rotherham, I’m well aware of the evils some people are capable of…I’m not vaguely naive about these things…
Mass immigration of Muslims has been an unmitigated disaster. It has been intentional and designed to destroy the West. It is well on the way to succeeding. At the weekend we had 100,000 Islamists chanting for another holocaust of Jews and plod allowed this.
Those calling for genocide have no place in this country and I don’t care which bloody flag they are waving.
And another point – if this government were genuinely committed to removing wannabee einsatzgruppen volunteers they would start by sacking Rowley.
“I don’t believe every Muslim wants to eradicate me from the planet“. No, neither do I. But I never said that I did – that’s a huge distortion of what I wrote. My point is there are a huge number, possibly a majority, of radical Arabs (including many who have migrated to the West) that do support a holy war, and do want our removal from the planet – whether that be physical removal or complete removal of our values and beliefs. Anyone that doesn’t believe this would have an extremely rude awakening if they chose to live somewhere like Iran.
I think we can talk about immigration into the UK and all the problems associated with it…but I don’t think it particularly helps to conflate it with what is happening in Israel at the moment.…and I think it causes disunity..when we should all be blaming the people really responsible…the Government…
…I don’t think any of the Palestinians from Gaza are coming here any time soon..and they are the ones we are talking about.
I think it’s a very easy thing to manipulate, as it is easy to think that because excessive Muslim immigration is bad for us….then, somehow, Israel must be right….I think it’s a false premise, divisive, and as I say, an easy emotion and fear to manipulate…
Hammas only just won the election a few points ahead of Fatah in 2006….. and nearly 60% of Gaza didn’t vote for them..and of course who knows how legitimate the elections were anyway…?
Since then half of the population, the ones under 17, have never voted for anything….
I don’t want my own country ‘overrun’ as you put it….but the blame for that lies squarely with my Government, who are supporting and encouraging it..we should band together against them…If it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t even have a problem to talk about….?
I think you must be getting my posts confused with others. I’ve never mentioned mass immigration or have ever mentioned anything at all about being ‘overrun’. What I said was this: “People in the West seem to have got so obsessed with the Palestinian plight that they are failing to remember the complete incompatibility that their culture has with the Wests. Huge swathes of people are supporting other people who want them eradicated from the planet. That is a separate consideration to Israel, Palestine and Hamas, but a pretty important one in my mind”.
Yes, of course we should hold governments accountable for the massive pot of sh*t they’re stirring, but we do need to consider other factors that are key during this conflict – just as most sceptics did for Covid, lockdown and the Russia-Ukraine war etc. We cannot consider these events without context and solely as Government Vs The People (even though I agree that’s an incredibly important thing to understand). If, for example, you would not be willing to live under Sharia law then that means you have a concern that should feed into your considerations, and are outside of the question of Government interference.
Anyway, I’m not totally sure what we’re disagreeing about tbh, so I’m going to leave this one here!
yes..not disagreeing on the whole, just probably having too much of a ramble….!!?
You might like to pop over to Dr Richard North’s turbulenttimes.co.uk
plenty of granularity there:
https://www.turbulenttimes.co.uk/news/front-page/israel-reading-the-small-print/
Which ever side you belive, I don’t think hog tying children, piling them up in a heap and setting fire to them, alive, is acceptable by any section of the human race!
You clearly have a side though don’t you?
..but blowing them to bits, and burying them to suffocate and die under rubble is acceptable?
Neither is OK is it? ..or are you someone who thinks it doesn’t matter because ‘the others’ aren’t really human beings?
I dont have a side! Your at it again trying to tell people what they believe!
All deaths of innocence is a tradgedy but specifically attacking children intentionally is not the same as collateral damage in a war situation and never will be!. All wars kill civilians and always will, but as I have said, it is not intentional.
No one on any side in any war should target children and civilians on purpose!
Has this explained my side?
Your comment clearly intimates that you think that Israel have a ‘claim’ to some sort of superior atrocity…the deaths of their children are somehow worse..it seems pretty clear from what you’ve said.
I disagree with you, that’s all. It seems clear to me that claiming over 2000 Palestinian children can’t be written off as collateral damage is utterly ridiculous…and heartless…and absolutely intentional.
If anyone reads this response from this poster, please try to explain to that person they are just twisting my words to fit their beliefs because this person doesn’t realise they are doing so!
They are like the climate cult, they will not accept even the mildest disagreement with their faith!
Well it’s going the same way as the MSM Covid stories..and bit by bit they will devalue themselves…..
I’m waiting for the…’man says anti-Semitic Persian cat peed on his doorstep’ story
..it can only be a matter of time…
The MSM have picked their ‘side’…it’s up to us to keep the balance and to not be bullied into ‘right think’….
I appreciate that racism in all its forms is everywhere, but I have to say that as a northerner I’ve seen this many many times, when a specific story seems like a peculiarly London-centric obsession…while the rest of the country continues with business as usual…
“I’m now wondering whether I want to carry on paying £5/mth to support a platform that buys the Israeli lies so obediently.”
That’s like Pfizer saying to mainstream media,”If you don’t say what we want you to say, we’re going to stop funding you” – though not quite on the same scale!
🙂 no, it’s not. I’m not selling anything.
“Killer Storm Triggers Climate Fear”. These straplines appear everywhere now. Seen them with Andrew Bridgen’s debate. I think they must have occured before, but now they are being used to push emotional messages. Anyway, bad weather is not climate, as bad weather has always happened.
Covid Gateway to Agenda 2030 Tyranny – latest leaflet to print at home or forward to politicians, media, friends online.
This guy is great. He’s actually an Imam, originally from Iran now an Australian citizen, he’s wanting to reform Islam and basically has all of the same views as we do. He opposes terrorism, supports equal rights for women, and everything else that you’d expect in a civilised society. A reminder that all Muslims ( hopefully most ) are not totalitarian, misogynistic terrorist supporters, incapable of integrating into Western cultures;
( <3min )
https://twitter.com/Imamofpeace/status/1713230588079956015
Spot on Aethelred.
“AI hysteria is out of control”
Ai doesn’t exist! It’s augmented at best but not artificial, just powerful computers with advanced programming!
All these stories making ordinary people freaked out makes you wonder what THEY will blame on AI. It’s a useful fallback for THEM in explaining why certain situations/events are happening. Whatever the truth of it, THEY will be thinking about how to use this to their advantage to create more fear and panic.
AI exists. AGI does not. ACI is the worry (C=capable). I reviewed Suleyman’s book here:
https://glitches.substack.com/p/containing-frankensteins-monsters
I suspect the reaction here is going to be 50:50 on this excellent (my view!) piece of big-picture thinking from Rusere Shoniwa:
https://plagueonbothhouses.substack.com/p/if-you-arent-supporting-an-immediate
I think people have this idea that the Government in Israel are somehow fluffy teddy bear democrats..which couldn’t be further from the truth…
There are numerous column inches taken up in Israel, literally calling the Government fascist..it’s definitely very far-right..in the real meaning of the word..
Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the Likud party and Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, has never wanted a two-state system … he had said this on numerous occasions..one of the reasons for his ‘support’ of Hammas has been to separate Gaza and the West Bank, specifically so that they can’t show a United front….he is currently being indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust…
Far-right Religious Zionism party leader Bezalel Smotrich is Israel’s finance minister as well as being responsible for governing the occupied West Bank through a new role created for him within the defence ministry. Smotrich is a notorious racist, homophobe and Jewish ultra-nationalist. He is a staunch supporter of building illegal Jewish settlements on occupied Palestinian lands. In a speech to the parliament this week, he said he plans to “regulate and strengthen our grip on the homeland” as part of his role as a minister in the defence ministry.
He recently said…”there is no such thing as a Palestinian nation. There is no Palestinian history. There is no Palestinian language,”
Itamar Ben-Gvir, is the leader of the far-right Jewish Power party, and is national security minister. He was previously convicted in Israel of incitement to racism and supporting a terrorist organisation. Following an agreement signed with Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir will take control of the border police, a branch of the military operating in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, including security at al-Aqsa Mosque. Ben-Gvir, who lives in an illegal settlement in the West Bank city of Hebron, also has expanded powers over the police.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir announced that his ministry is purchasing 10,000 rifles in order to arm civilian security teams, specifically those in towns close to borders, as well as mixed Jewish-Arab cities and West Bank settlements.
4,000 assault rifles have already been bought from an Israeli manufacturer and will be distributed immediately.
Helmets and bulletproof vests have also been acquired and will be distributed along with the assault rifles.
Yoav Gallant Minister of Defence…
…has imposed a ‘total siege’ on Gaza enforcing a total blockade saying… “There will be no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel. Everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly.”
All four particularly have been instrumental in trying to change the law, which is basically to give them more judicial power, while by-passing the courts, the Parliament, and the will of the people..a power-grab…and it’s the reason that Israelis have been protesting all year…
Just if anyone wants to do a bit of further reading….
As Shoniwa argues here and in his previous article, and you have pointed out before, the effort being made in the media (including the DS) to decontextualise this, to see it as a good vs evil morality tale, is a distraction on multiple levels.
Great read, thank you.
The Western World being put to shame…
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/all-is-not-lost-for-argentinas-chainsaw-wielding-presidential-hopeful/
Yesterday evening’s guest presenter to MD4CE was Foster Gamble who has spent the last 20 or so years working on Free to Thrive. He promotes anarcho-capitalism, or as he prefers to call it, voluntaryanism. It was a long meeting – over 3 hours – lots of interesting information & some thoughtful contributions from some major thinkers (Daniel Estulin, Alex Krainer, David Webb) around how to move away from the current system, build a new system & let the old failed one naturally wither & die.
There is free access to all his material on his site https://www.freetothrive.com/
The recording of yesterday’s presentation can be viewed here:https://rumble.com/user/cbkovess
Time to wave goodbye to the UN
Baloney…
He said that the attacks ‘didn’t happen in a vacuum’ and they didn’t….
he said, quite rightly in my opinion, “.…”the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas. And those appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”
Gaza is completely controlled by Israel, who we have seen can turn off all amenities, food and medicine included….the IDF enter and leave at will..I don’t know if you call that being occupied .. or something worse.
The occupation of the West Bank by Israel, has nothing to do with Hammas, and is totally illegal under International Law…
Hammas bear 100% responsibility for what happened on the 7th, there is no argument
but Israel cannot and should not be excused from the responsibility for the thousands of deaths they are causing now.….…
You, meanwhile can make as many excuses for it as suits your purpose..
Plus..if they occupy the West Bank to stop Hammas, what excuse did they have three days ago, to bomb the civilians in the Jenin Refugee Camp situated there…?
Yesterday, Thomas Fazi posted this excellent summary of the peace process since 1967:
https://unherd.com/2023/10/why-peace-in-israel-failed/
Reposting this, and a supporting thread on X, got him deboosted:
https://twitter.com/battleforeurope/status/1716857255558066206
When I last ran a checker, his account had a Ghost Ban.
Yaccarino’s regime is no different from the past under Roth. Free speech platform my *rs*.
It’s a good article….I think he strives to be very fair….and it’s a shame that the censorship is rearing its head again..especially on what I would call ‘learned’ or ‘informational’ articles.. articles which in other circumstances (i.e not about Israel) wouldn’t raise any questions at all..?
Dane Giraud is absolutely right. To censor your opponent before a debate means you´ve lost the debate before it´s even begun. And deserve to do so.
As Goethe said: “One man´s word is no man´s word. Justice needs that both be heard”.
Andrew Bridgen was up again today with the 10 minute Rule Bill raising Parliamentary Sovereignty ( Referendums) Bill , he spelt it out in layman’s terms what the WHO will be able to do to us ! No one there again & can it be stopped ??…