We're publishing a guest post today about an unexpected benefit of the pandemic: the emergence of scientifically- and data-literate groups of amateurs who scrutinise and challenge the official scientific narrative.
MIT researchers analysed a large sample of pandemic-related tweets, and used ethnographic methods to study "anti-mask" Facebook groups. They found that sceptics place a premium on data literacy and scientific rigour.
A number of famous musicians have nailed their colours to the good ship lockdown sceptics in the past 12 months, but none quite as illustrious as the latest addition to our ranks: Sir Mick Jagger.
I have written a short reflection on the year gone by and why the grotesque mismanagement of the crisis by our elites has shaken my faith in Britain, but not quite destroyed it.
