I think you pose a good question Swinchard, and we absolutely should be sceptical about everyone and everything - including opinions on here. Personally, I like to take the thought of "what would I do if I were Boris?". Given the lack of opposition to everything he is doing (both internationally and domestically with Labour offering no alternative) then his least risky strategy is to do what he is doing. If he relaxes restrictions and things go wrong then he is blamed and his credibility is destroyed. If he continues with the restrictions then he is just following the advice.

But whilst I can understand why he is doing this I will not agree with this position. The whole argument of this being such a deadly disease doesn't stand up to scrutiny. The benefit we are gaining from doing this is far worse in terms of other heath conditions (especially when you take number of years affected rather than just the number of people affected), and the economy, and just as significantly, our way of life.

But yes, we should always question ourselves and keep our minds open. Personally, I would love to be convinced that Boris and Witty are correct and I've been stupid all this time. That would take a massive pressure and fear away from myself. I keep hoping that might happen, but it hasn't so far.

This is helpful but I fear I wasn't clear. The question going through my mind is, what causes wrong policy? As you say, it is a political phenomenon. It is that which might be a subject of study. Why, for example, would experts lie, and why would politicians believe them? One can come up with guesses, or unsubstantiated conspiracy theories. Can a better understanding be reached?

I like to take the thought of "what would I do if I were Boris?".

That's what I've been doing. Does he know something that he cannot reveal, because the consquences of sayning it would be dire? What could the thing that is taxing him be? Please use you imagination. I has to be a thing so dire it would cause panic. Has a nuclear submarine gone missing?
least risky strategy is to do what he is doing.

Agree with all that about banal politics. But only an anti-heroic level of selfishness would explain it that way. Could a small group in Downing Street be so utterly self-centred so consistently? Even Hitler did not regard his "own people, as he saw them" as unter-mench. Yet Boris treat us all as unter-mench....to what imaginble end?

I will not agree with this position.

But does he know something he cannot tell us?
Or is he just banal as you assume?

The whole argument of this being such a deadly disease doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

It's true on the basis of the information we have.

Channel 4 showed a documentary the other evening on the Real Science behind Lockdown 1. The only science talked about was computer modelling and it may surprise some that as they knew nothing about this new virus they started with Wikipedia. As each variation came forward with different analysis of figures (think of a number) then Sage were advised and they instigated their recommendation to the government depending on where their loyalties lay. University, Business, Finance, maybe even Science. That's my understanding. What the models don't include is common sense and experiences of the human population. Prior to Lockdown etc the BBC was obsessed with reporting the economy everyday of the week along with Brexit. Neither of these at the time were factual, all based on theory. The economy detail all based on computer models.
Real scientists have everything to lose by staking their reputation and their jobs on the line, by speaking out against the flow. A question to ask is :why are they not being given opportunities to speak and educate us all? The government propagander machine has other ideas.

If Covid was driving instead of a virus, we'd be saying, "Crikey 5 people die every day on Britain's roads - EVERYONE OFF THE ROAD NOW!"