When major Western nations committed themselves to top-down draconian lockdown measures, Sweden was largely alone in allowing life to continue as it had been before. This did not stop journalists or academics, both at home and abroad, from accusing the Nordic nation of performing a dangerous and deadly experiment. But Sweden has fared much better than Western nations which repeatedly shut their societies down for months on end (a fact largely ignored by the mainstream media). Johan Anderberg, writing in UnHerd, has more.
Until recently, prohibition remained the largest experiment in social engineering a democracy had ever undertaken. And then, in early 2020, a new virus began to spread from China. Faced with this threat, the world’s governments responded by closing schools, banning people from meeting, forcing entrepreneurs to shut their businesses and making ordinary people wear face masks. Like prohibition, this experiment provoked a debate. In all the democracies of the world, freedom was weighed against what was perceived as security; individual rights versus what was considered best for public health.
Few now remember that for most of 2020, the word ‘experiment’ had negative connotations. That was what Swedes were accused of conducting when we, unlike the rest of the world, maintained some semblance of normality. The citizens of this country generally didn’t have to wear face masks; young children continued going to school; leisure activities were largely allowed to continue unhindered…
During the year that followed, the virus continued to ravage the world and, one by one, the death tolls in countries that had locked down began to surpass Sweden’s. Britain, the United States, France, Poland, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Spain, Argentina, Belgium, all countries that had variously shut down playgrounds, forced their children to wear facemasks, closed schools, fined citizens for hanging out on the beach and guarded parks with drones, have all been hit worse than Sweden. At the time of writing, more than 50 countries have a higher death rate. If you measure excess mortality for the whole of 2020, Sweden (according to Eurostat) will end up in 21st place out of 31 European countries. If Sweden was a part of the U.S., its death rate would rank number 43 of the 50 states.
This fact is shockingly underreported. Consider the sheer number of articles and TV segments devoted to Sweden’s foolishly liberal attitude to the pandemic last year, as well as the daily reference to figures that are forgotten today. Suddenly, it is as if Sweden doesn’t exist. When the Wall Street Journal recently published a report from Portugal, it described how the country “offered a glimpse” of what it would be like to live with the virus. This new normal involved, among other things, vaccine passports and face masks at large events like football matches. Nowhere in the report was it mentioned that in Sweden you can go to football matches without wearing a facemask, or that Sweden, with a smaller proportion of Covid deaths over the course of the pandemic, had ended virtually all restrictions. Sweden has been living with the virus for some time.
The WSJ is far from alone in its selective reporting. The New York Times, Guardian, BBC, The Times, all cheerleaders for lockdowns, can’t fathom casting doubt on their efficacy.
Worth reading in full.
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Entirely foreseeable and now they’re looking very stupid with a load of egg on their faces. As per the article about the BBC yesterday, my comments still stand and are applicable here. We have yet another example of white men discriminating against white men. Fact. You don’t want to accept reality? It still remains a fact, regardless. But don’t shoot the messenger, take a look at the ”top brass” to which the article refers;
https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/senior-commanders/
The woke mind-virus infects regardless of sex. What’s your point?
Presumably you missed my posts on the BBC article yesterday, where I made precisely that point. The same point that I’ve been banging on and on about on multiple occasions now, which you presumably also missed…
Never in the field of aerial conflict have so few heroic aces been recruited by so many Air Chief Marshals, Sirs and Total Numpties.
Never mind the skies above Ukraine, what about the skies above Kent, Essex and the Thames Estuary where the Few once upon a time repelled the Luftwaffe?
I suppose we are just lucky that they have not yet developed people carrying drones that can drop illegal immigrant scum from the skies all over the South East.
Hello mate, there’s your vape refill, Special Brew six-pack and a free copy of The Sun. Have you thought of becoming a fighter pilot?
And are the catastrophic imbeciles who run our military and made these decisions still in their positions? Of course they are.
Of course. We underlings need some braid to dazzle us and to look up to.
Quick thinking from Lizzie could have saved her from refusing an order. Instruct 40% of current staff to identify as a woman, and 20% as an ethnic minority…voila!
To describe the intended future changes to defence spending as “ramp up” is surely misrepresentation. Most of the increase is accounted for by redefining budgets and all the increase will go on past commitments, including Ukraine and Chagos.
I really don’t care whether the pilot protecting me and my nation is black, white, male, female, gay or straight. I simply want them to have the UK’s best interests at heart and be good at their job. I’m clearly far too old-fashioned in my views.
Strikes me as very counterproductive given that whites tend to excel in spatial awareness. East Asians are pretty good too. Just look at any high speed engine driven sport.
One sure way to reduce it to zero is to put them in the skies against Russia, who have amassed 3 years of front-line combat experience.
The RAF has launched a desperate search for pilots after a secret and unlawful bid to discriminate against white men backfired
Morons. I would say that it serves them right, but of course, I don’t want our armed services to be under staffed, or staffed by second raters.
Who’d join up today knowing that morally bankrupt top brass will be sending you to do the dirty work of political halfwits hoping that the right coloured people get shot and die so their DEI stats improve?
But that’s true in so many circumstances.
And it isn’t just that it happens, from time to time. It’s that, while looking for new employment, or joining an organisation, there’s always the possibility of it happening, so I’ll put up with where I am.
I seem to recall that when Trump remarked on diversity hiring in the US Air Force he was almost run out of town.
Can’t stop laughing and it’s entirely appropriate that woke Charlie’s prefix is at the front.
RAF recruitment officers meet them on the beach at Dover
What a surprise (not).
The equivalent of “Go Woke, Go Broke.”
They still haven’t learned though. Every recruitment advert you see for the Royal Air Force features a woman not a man. I don’t have a problem with trying to recruit women, but they might have more success if they also aimed their recruitment at young men.
Until everyone responsible suffers serious consequences, nothing changes. Everyone who made this happen, starting at the top, should lose their jobs.
Who gave the order to the Personnel Group Captain?
Name names.