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Government Admits it’s been Double Counting Tests
Embarrassing story in the Guardian today. The Government has quietly wiped 1.3 million COVID-19 swabs off the official testing count. This was disclosed on the Department for Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) website on Wednesday. Under a section entitled “Adjustments to the historical ‘tests made available’ data” it said:
An adjustment of -1,308,071 has been made to the historic data for the ‘tests made available’ metric.
The adjustments have been made as a result of more accurate data collection and reporting processes recently being adopted within pillar 2 and a subsequent recalibration of the data we reported between 29 March 2020 and 11 August 2020.
These new data processed identified tests that had previously not been readily identifiable at the labs processing stage, and tests that had been sent out by a testing channel on behalf of another channel.
This resulted in a double-counting of test kits that had been dispatched and which had not been removed from the labs processed data.
In identifying this data pillar 2 established that fewer in-person tests had been conducted than originally reported, and more tests had been sent to NHS trusts and care homes than originally reported.
The Guardian has rung up a few of the Government’s criticisms, including a shadow health spokesman, and assembled a choice collection of quotes. Here’s what Allyson Pollock, a Clinical Professor of Public Health at Newcastle University, said: “The government needs to make clear what they mean by an adjustment and why the change has taken place.”
The MailOnLine has done a follow-up story and asked Carl Heneghan what he thinks caused the error.
He said the issue appears to have come from when the Department of Heath split testing into pillars one and two.
Pillar one refers to tests done in hospitals and medical facilities while pillar two is members of the public who are tested in drive-through, walk-in or home tests.
Professor Heneghan told MailOnline: ‘There is seemingly a problem when you start to introduce pillar one and pillar two tests – they seemed to be double-counting tests.
‘Somebody would have a pillar two test and then gone into hospital and had a pillar one test, and they thought it was two people.’
He said it was unsurprising that data errors were creeping and that some allowances should be made because of a difficult situation, but that it is ‘vital’ that numbers are correct.
Professor Heneghan said: ‘If the number of cases is wrong, the case fatality rate and everything gets skewed.
‘It is vital they’re correct but, to be honest, it doesn’t surprise me there have been areas where you’ve had discrepancies that need to be corrected.’
He added: ‘It does concern me and I think it’s important that data and epidemiology is transparent and it’s clear that [decisions] actually are based on up to date info.
‘What we’re interested in is understanding trends, and information has to be correct for that.’
If Professor Heneghan is right and the double counting has involved counting a person who tests positive in a pillar two test and then tests positive in a pillar one test after they’re admitted to hospital as two people, that means the DHSC has been over-counting the number of positives.
Fewer Dead Souls
The author of “Dead Souls“, an essay I published a couple of weeks ago comparing the compilers of the Government’s Covid mortality statistics to Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, the anti-hero of Gogol’s Dead Souls, has written an update called “Fewer Dead Souls” that I’ve published today. It’s a response to PHE removing over 5,000 souls from the total number of Covid deaths in England earlier in the week.
In a previous essay, I speculated that somewhere in the bowels of Public Health England (PHE) there was someone who had worked out, like Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, a method of making use of dead souls. At the time, I wondered if these dead, reported daily on the Government’s Covid dashboard, were being created literally out of nothing, as there was no trace of them in the detailed death tabulations produced by the ONS. As it turns out, that part of my speculation was incorrect.
The Chichikov in question was a Professor Newton (John, not Isaac) who had decided at an early stage of the epidemic to define death-by-Covid in such a way that he could borrow genuine deaths that were properly registered as being from other causes and claim them, for the indefinite future, provided the deceased had tested positive at some point for COVID-19. He feared, it seems, that without this resource, PHE might have been “underestimating deaths caused by the virus in the early stages”. This is a very strange explanation, as one thing that was absolutely not achieved was to avoid underestimation in the early stages. You may recall a chart (originated by Carl Heneghan and reproduced in my earlier essay) that showed clearly that PHE had underestimated Covid-related deaths during the peak of the epidemic, but had been making up ground to an ever increasing degree, more or less ever since. Under the special definition adopted, PHE was able to continue combing through registered deaths and matching them up retrospectively with the NHS England numbers of people who had, at some some time in the past, tested positive.
Worth reading in full.
Postcard From New Zealand
A reader has sent me a depressing “Postcard From New Zealand” that I’ve published today. Saint Jacinda becomes ever more powerful and – bafflingly – ever more popular. Her most recent act has been to decree that anyone testing positive for the virus, as well as all members of the same household, will be interned in “self isolation facilities” – prisons in all but name.
Legally, there is little we can do to challenge this. New Zealand does not have a constitution. Our rights as citizens are described in our Bill of Rights Act, but this is not supreme law and does not override other laws. There is nothing preventing a law that breaches the Bill of Rights Act being passed, even by a simple majority in parliament. The courts are no help, as they usually choose to interpret breaches of the Bill of Rights in other laws according to their perception of Parliament’s intention. That is, an unintentional breach of the Bill of Rights Act may be successfully challenged in the courts, but an intentional one, as shown by the proceedings of parliament, cannot be successfully challenged because Parliament is sovereign and has the power to enact almost any law. In addition, there is only a single chamber of Parliament, so new laws have a relatively low hurdle to get over.
An example of government overreach can be seen in the recently passed COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020. This law provides a ridiculous amount of power to the Government. Under this Act, the Government can order any group of people to do almost anything including compelling people to stay at any location (apart from an actual prison) and undergo “medical testing” of “any kind”. (Isn’t that a breach of medical ethics?) The police have far-reaching powers of enforcement, including the power to enter people’s homes without warrants if they suspect an illegal gathering is taking place.
Worth reading in full.
French Quarantine is Using a Sledgehammer to Crack a Nut
I have written an op ed for today’s Telegraph criticising the Government’s decision to add France to the quarantine list.
On July 25, the French Government changed the rules on testing. Hitherto, the only way to avoid paying for a standard PCR test, in which your nose and throat are swabbed, was to get a prescription from your doctor.
But after the rule change, anyone could get a test free of charge. Not surprisingly, the number of people getting tested jumped – more than 600,000 people in the past week – and case numbers duly increased.
We’ve seen exactly the same pattern in parts of the UK: community testing increases and there’s a corresponding rise in recorded infections.
A half-way competent government would look at the testing data and contextualise it. You don’t need a degree in maths to compare the rise in the number of cases with the rise in the number of tests. Is the percentage in both cases the same? If so, you probably don’t have much to worry about.
Unfortunately, the geniuses at the head of our Government seem unable to do this. Instead, they apparently look at the raw case data and fly into a blind panic.
According to ministerial statements, at least, that appears to be what’s behind the last-minute decision to remove France from the “Green List” of countries you’re allowed to visit without having to quarantine on return.
There’s precious little evidence that France is currently in the midst of a “second wave”. On the contrary, if you look at Covid-19 hospitalisations, the number has remained largely stable for the past month.
In the comments beneath the piece, which are generally favourable, some have questioned whether the Government really is failing to contextualise the data. Isn’t it looking at the number of infected people per 100,000 in different countries and basing its decision on that? The answer is yes, but that doesn’t mean it’s contextualising the data.
Take the data for France from Our World in Data. It has a population: 66.9 million. In the week ending August 7th, there were 539,102 tests of which 9.060 were positive. This gives a positivity rate of 1.7% (539,102 divided by 9,060) and a cases per 100,000 of 13.5 (calculated by dividing 66.9 million by 9,060).
For the week ending August 14th, the number of tests is so far unknown but 13,732 were positive. So the positivity rate is unknown and the cases per 100,000 is 20.5. That’s the number the Government is basing the decision to remove France from the “Green List” on, not the positivity rate. Indeed, if the number of tests last week increased by a greater percentage than the number of positives, the positivity rate will be the same; if the percentage increase in testing was higher, the positivity rate will have declined, indicating a decline in the prevalence of the virus rather than a rise. To assume the number of cases per 100,000 has increased based on positive test results and nothing else is to fail to contextualise the data.
Worth reading in full, obviously, if you can get past the paywall.
Why is Basel Airport on the Quarantine List?
A reader has flagged up the latest bit of lunacy from the Government.
Last night at 23:16, the UK Government advised that effective from today, i.e. 44 minutes warning, anyone arriving from Switzerland’s Basel EuroAirport will have to self-isolate, because “you will transit France and therefore will be required to self-isolate on your return to the UK”.
Clearly, some idiot has just looked at Google Maps and concluded that the airport is physically located in France, which is correct. However, access to the airport terminal from Basel, which in exclusively in Switzerland, is via a fenced-off road corridor, providing Swiss access to the airport without having to enter France.
So when my partner lands here and comes to stay with me, she and I will have to lock ourselves away for two weeks, regardless that I was exposed to the virus in March and still had borderline but significant antibodies in early and late June.
This is good example of what I call the “collapsing skyscraper” syndrome. You’re falling through a collapsing skyscraper and every time you think you’ve finally reached solid ground, the floor gives way again and you start falling again. The Government’s incompetence is bottomless.
Sutton Noo
A reader tells me about an unsatisfactory day trip to Sutton Hoo. Sounds like one to avoid.
I had wanted to go for ages, and did so last weekend with the family while on a pilgrimage to the Adnams brewery. Turned up at the Hoo three minutes after it opened at 10am. Not a soul in sight except for a pair at the gate to the car park in high vizzers. It turned out that it was necessary to prebook to go in, but high-viz-man was helpful and suggested we return at three-ish, ‘because most people book to go in early because they want a full day at it’. I was peeved, but my son is interested in archaeology. So we had a walk and went to the excellent White Lion at Lower Ufford to kill some time before returning.
High Viz man was there again and said we could go in. But I had to switch the car engine off so that he could deliver five minutes on the Covid protocols. Eventually we parked up and got in. NONE OF THE INDOOR EXHIBITIONS ARE OPEN! So you are expected to prebook your entirely outdoor walk around some hummocks, with no glimpse of the artefacts. There were high vizzers every few hundred yards. Each gate had hand sanitiser attached to it. My son asked: “Why are we looking at dirt?” We lasted about 20 minutes.
I cancelled the National Trust membership – I should have done so ages ago.
RIB-Tickling Fun in St David’s? Not Really
Another reader had a disappointing travel experience, this time in St David’s in Pembrokeshire.
On the way there we popped into a petrol station, just over the Welsh border, and it was a relief to see no-one wearing face masks, none required.
In St David’s itself the one supermarket was mask-free and the deli had moved its produce onto tables outdoor so no need to go inside. It was starting to feel like a holiday!
The weather was looking good so I went to book us a boat trip on one of the RIBs that takes visitors around the rocks and offshore islands. Had to wait an age as only one person allowed into the booking office at once, but I finally got in and decided on an evening trip out to Bishop Rock where you get to see shearwaters and puffins skimming the water as they fly home. We’ve done the trip before and I remembered the pod of porpoises we’d seen that time and was feeling pretty excited at going again. I gave my card details and was told to check in the morning of the trip to make sure the weather was ok and it was still going ahead. Bring warm things and waterproofs, they said, it’s always windy on a RIB and there will probably be sea spray. I thanked them and was heading for the door when they called out, Oh, and bring face masks! What? Yes, you have to wear one on the boat. What, on an open inflatable travelling at speed out at sea? Yes. What, for the whole duration of the trip? Yes, you see the boat is classed as public transport. Ah, yes, of course it is. In that case please cancel my booking. It was disappointing. No, actually it was infuriating! Popping up in this most magical of places was the illogical, irrational covid madness I thought we’d escaped from. Still, we went sea-kayaking instead and had a brilliant time paddling under the cliffs and around the rocky coves. Paddle your own boat. It’s the only way through this!
New Resuscitation Guidance – Call Ambulance Then Suffocate With Towel
If you’re feeling faint, try not to keel over in front of a member of St John Ambulance, particularly if they’re carrying a towel.
Round-Up
- ‘We’re paying for an epidemic of stupidity‘ – Excellent piece in the Australian about how the innumeracy of journalists has contributed to this mess
- ‘This lapdog cabinet is the weakest in a century‘ – Max Hastings with a hard-hitting piece in the Times
- ‘Why was £108m of public money paid to Crisp Websites Limited?‘ – CrowdFunder launched by the Good Law Project
- ‘Why local spikes are unlikely to lead to more coronavirus deaths‘ – Another good piece by Sarah Knapton, Science Editor of the Telegraph
- ‘Coronavirus cases stable across most of England‘ – Even the BBC has been forced to admit the epidemic is over
- ‘This A-level fiasco is just the start of lockdown’s betrayal of the young‘ – Fraser Nelson’s column in the Telegraph is a must-read
Theme Tunes Suggested by Readers
Two today: “Mask of Lies” by MindMaze and and “Nappy Heads” by the Fugees.
Small Businesses That Have Re-Opened
A couple of months ago, Lockdown Sceptics launched a searchable directory of open businesses across the UK. The idea is to celebrate those retail and hospitality businesses that have re-opened, as well as help people find out what has opened in their area. But we need your help to build it, so we’ve created a form you can fill out to tell us about those businesses that have opened near you.
Now that non-essential shops have re-opened – or most of them, anyway – we’re now focusing on pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants, as well as other social venues. As of July 4th, many of them have re-opened too, but not all (and some of them are at risk of having to close again). Please visit the page and let us know about those brave folk who are doing their bit to get our country back on its feet – particularly if they’re not insisting on face masks! Don’t worry if your entries don’t show up immediately – we need to approve them once you’ve entered the data.
Love in the Time of Covid
We have created some Lockdown Sceptics Forums that are now open, including a dating forum called “Love in a Covid Climate” that has attracted a bit of publicity. We have a team of moderators in place to remove spam and deal with the trolls, but sometimes it takes a little while so please bear with us. You have to register to use the Forums, but that should just be a one-time thing. Any problems, email the Lockdown Sceptics webmaster Ian Rons here.
“Mask Exempt” Lanyards
I’ve created a permanent slot down here for people who want to buy (or make) a “Mask Exempt” lanyard/card. You can print out and laminate a fairly standard one for free here and it has the advantage of not explicitly claiming you have a disability. But if you have no qualms about that (or you are disabled), you can buy a lanyard from Amazon saying you do have a disability/medical exemption here (now showing it will arrive between Sept 3rd to Sept 12th). The Government has instructions on how to download an official “Mask Exempt” notice to put on your phone here. You can get a “Hidden Disability” tag from ebay here and an “exempt” card or just £2.79 from Etsy here.
Don’t forget to sign the petition on the UK Government’s petitions website calling for an end to mandatory face nappies in shops here (now over 28,750). The Government responded to this petition today. Usual balls. You can read the response here.
A reader has started a website that contains some useful guidance about how you can claim legal exemption.
And here’s a round-up of the scientific evidence on the effectiveness of mask (threadbare at best).
Stop Press: Vancouver has made masks mandatory on public transport, although getting hold of a “mask exempt” lanyard turns out to be quite easy. A Canadian reader has the story.
Vancouver is finally making masks mandatory on transit starting on August 24th, though no reason was stated why it’s now happening other than making people feel safer on transit. My guess would be that September typically sees a surge in transit with schools and universities returning and people coming back from vacation so they are worrying about that
The transit authority also said they will be issuing exemption cards, though only at two offices in the entire lower mainland (Metro Vancouver area).
As I happen to work near one of those offices and my commute is 45mins on a bus I decided to go and see what was involved in getting an exemption…
Walked into the office and asked the receptionist: “Is this the place for exemption cards?” to which she answered “yes” and then just handed me one from a pile on the desk and that was it. I now have my exemption card – no forms, no proof, not even a record of issuing me one.
Might also note she wasn’t wearing a mask (but did have a screen on the desk) and wasn’t wearing gloves when she handed me the card, maybe I should complain about their covid standards…
Shameless Begging Bit
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And Finally…
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first!!!! for the first time..
welcome to saturday… (or groundhog day number 150ish)
Yes, but as Bob Dylan sang :
“And the first one now
Will later be last”
Well
Sorry to duplicate, but I have revised my post from yesterday, and given it a lot of updates with many more ideas I have had. This is the final version! But feel free mods to delete as I started this yesterday! As follows: I have an idea for the Government. They talked in the past about using the Isle of Wight as a guinea pig for their “track and trace” app nonsense. There is logic in guinea pig experiments, so here is a suggestion. I live in Chelmsford, Essex. Population nearly 200k. Let’s ring fence the entire place. Yes that’s right. Bizarre, I know, but how is it crazier than the rest of the lunacy going on, seriously?!! We have a hospital. We have shops. We have a cinema. We have numerous schools. We have hairdressers and barbers. We have a football stadium. We have a race course. We have care homes. We have big indoor shopping centres. We are densely populated. We have park and ride busy buses. Let’s ring fence Chelmsford. Blockade it if you have to. Let’s do that for 28 days i.e equalling the new PHE method of counting deaths. Now….that’s done. Rules as follows: -No… Read more »
-Mass gatherings actively encouraged.
This one’s already been done. Look at all those BLM protesters, football supporters, beach-lovers, illegal ravers… the corpses are piled high. Bring out your dead!
We also have a first class cricket ground which no member has been allowed to set foot in this year. One of the many things we have paid for but can’t have.
I’m less concerned about the financial cost but fed up to the back teeth of the social and mental health costs of this and so much else.
Not so far from Chelmsford myself and I’d be up for that!
I love it, but disturbingly, a return to the old normal looks like a revolutionary idea. Too radical for the government to consider.
Should be imitated all over the country.
Do you do B&B? We’ll pay whatever you ask!
Good idea and am in favour of that!!!
Brilliant! I am in Billericay next door, so can you extend it to us as well please?
It’s what they are really going to do on IOW but, since it’s an island, they will be able to keep it a secret if it all goes horribly wrong (ie no problems,) or they all die of the Covid so win/win no matter.
Traffic in my small city yesterday was busier than pre lockdown, today it is even worse with several gridlocked. I know some holidaymakers are going home but they go straight onto the out of town motorway.
Thing is, there are No Queues. Not Tesco, Sainsbury’s or Morrisons, what’s that all about?
12.20hrs Sat.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/aug/15/its-the-worst-ive-ever-seen-londons-west-end-struggles-to-bounce-back-covid-19 though spoilt by “Parents Helen and Warren had taken their daughters Jasmine, 10, and Beth, 13, to the Tower of London and London Zoo. Both, they said, were “very quiet”. Reassured by the presence of hand sanitiser stations they felt their visit was “a risk, but a considered one,” said Helen.”.
Also https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/aug/13/coronavirus-sadiq-khan-footfall-in-london-west-end-down-by-two-thirds-on-last-year
Get rid of masks on public transport and in shops and the punters will come flooding back .
But we must hail The Science (TM)!
But, but the wearing of masks is to give confidence and encourage people back into shops and public transport, don’t you know! Here’s the bog-standard, dreary government response to a petition I signed: “The Government has responded to the petition you signed –“Repeal the decision to implement compulsory face coverings in English shops.”. Government responded: People must play their part to reduce the spread of the virus. Wearing a face covering helps this, giving people the confidence to return to shops safely, and better protects those who work in retail. The government is telling the public to play their part and wear face coverings in order to help fight the spread of the virus, enabling further easing of national restrictions. Coronavirus (COVID-19) usually spreads by droplets from coughs, sneezes and speaking. These droplets can also be picked up from surfaces, if you touch a surface and then your face without washing your hands first. This is why social distancing, regular hand hygiene, and covering coughs and sneezes is so important in controlling the spread of the virus. There is evidence to suggest that, when used correctly, face coverings may reduce the likelihood of someone with the infection passing it on… Read more »
Really interesting that even their own justification dwells on giving confidence, and doesn’t particularly press any argument that the darn things are remotely useful. Confidence is such an inadequate and irrelevant justification for mandating anything. There might be a public health justification, in some circumstances for acting to alleviate an identified risk. How can anybody with half a brain cell think that making people cover their faces in order to get other people to shop is a reasonable justification? I don’t know if any human rights lawyer has had a proper look at it, but I think that wearing a face covering against one’s will must amount to an interference with ECHR rights, possibly freedom of expression/ freedom of thought? If so, then the interference has to be in pursuit of a legitimate aim, and must be a proportionate means. If the chief justifications advanced by the government relate to encouraging third parties to shop and get on the bus, I struggle to see, given the remoteness of the wearing of a face covering from the intended end, and the fact that whilst the economy is important, getting people to spend is not normally an acceptable justification for interference with… Read more »
I’m convinced it’s against UNESCO article 6 on bioethics; compulsory health interventions are not generally allowed, they have to have consent. They tried but failed to make the case for voluntary masks so they’ve decided, being as they are little fascists, simply to compulse them.
This is why there are very loose conditions on the wearing of face masks as they must prove that they do not cause harm to health, and as no medical risk assessment has been carried out they can’t force everyone to wear them, hence the exemptions that anyone can use if they don’t want wear one. But they think people are too lazy or stupid to read the actual guidelines…which sadly, a lot of people are!
Thanks, Alison, my thoughts as well.
Well, in fairness, the top attraction at the Tower of London has always been the hand sanitiser stations.
The stones of the White Tower are interesting (geology nerd).
Where I work, I’ve been surprised at how certain visitors sanitise their hands every time they passed by a hand sanitiser station.
The most bizarre was certain visitors after having gone to the toilet and washed their hands then use the sanitiser on the way out.
WTF?????
I mentioned this to someone the other day and pointed out that it’s like some kind of religious ritual. A kind of subconscious votive offering to the god of the little Covids.
The local film center has opened up again, and to pay for one’s ticket with a credit card one must first use hand sanitizer. ???? There is no evidence of fomite or whatever retention of the virus on anything. No other shops are asking one to disinfect the card.
It is too bad because the film center is a very nice independent movie house with a great selection of films, documentaries, etc. They are allowed to have just 25 people at once, separated by six seats. I have returned a few times since they were allowed to open and basically no one was there . . . No one wants to wear a mask for two hours to watch a film. No one wants to go to the movies and the lobby is bare (normally one runs into a lot of people one knows) . . . The whole thing is cocked up and it will be a miracle if our very nice film center lasts to see another season.
I got an email from the local cinema saying they were opening again in 7 days. I looked at the offerings; all repeats of tripe.
SO! I emailed back “Thanks, but I won’t be coming back due to your face-nappies policy. Email me again when your nonsense ends.”
Yeah, its like contantly making the sign of the cross with holy water at every stop in a pilgrimage site.
Re-published from previous LS
Visit to local Waitrose this morning. After confirming to the Door Director that I do not have a mask he said that the police could issue me with a fine. Senior Manager was requested and he was most apologetic and said that Door Directors will receive additional training to understand that people are exempt that that is that. (Felt so sorry for the manager – when he arrived one of his lenses were fogged up, eventually he had to remove his glasses as both were fogged up)
*Door Director = not sure what to call the people guarding the door
“not sure what to call the people guarding the door”
How about doork(eeper)?
Bouncer? He certainly tried to bounce you.
There was one at my local Co-op this morning. Proper looking – big chap, shaved head, tattoos, the lot! I just walked in maskless and nothing was said.
Thug?
Gatekeeper?
Buffoons?
Cerberus?
Brownshirts?
Mask monitor or head prefect.
Flu news from South Africa (7 Aug):
https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/investigations/for-the-first-time-in-36-years-there-will-be-no-flu-season-in-south-africa-20200807
Covid news from South Africa (28 July):
https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-south-africa-in-the-midst-of-a-covid-19-storm-and-its-likely-worse-than-data-suggests-12037520
Huzzah! We’ve found a cure for flu – it’s Covid!
We joined one woman, Dimpho Matau, on a lengthy walk to the back of the queue, who told us: “I’ve had headaches, diarrhoea, fever, shortness of breath, and I need to test to see if it is COVID.”
But obviously it’s not flu symptoms…
Oh goody. Can’t wait for this to happen here in the winter.
Yes, I’m expecting it to happen here. Prep for a bad winter folks – and I’m not talking about the weather… Assume that what we’re seeing in New Zealand will happen here…
On the other hand, as reported by the Spectator last week (don’t know if anyone else reported it) there were 5 times more flu deaths than Covid deaths in July!
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/summer-flu-is-now-more-deadly-than-covid
In one week alone there were more than 900 deaths. And they were reported as flu. So there is at least some hope that, once we’re in flu season, the majority of deaths from it will be accurately reported.
I assume the “Covid death” figures in this article are relatively accurate, being from the ONS, not PHE.
So how seriously do we take her and the journalists’ suggestions? (It’s down to reductions in international travel and covid distancing etc precautions, preventing flu outbreaks.)
Both of those points are likely to be valid to some extent. We know other respiratory viruses were affected by coronapanic distancing in this country, and it’s generally been understood that flu travels north-south, and back again, seasonally.
On the other hand, it seems likely also that where they are finding or assuming covid, they just aren’t looking for flu.
But if all the covid gubbins has magically stopped flu, why hasn’t it stopped the covids?
I suppose (and I am advocating for the Devil here) the argument would be that the measures have reduced covid spread also, but this new coronavirus would always have hit much higher levels than seasonal flu would have, this year.
Oh yes, the old “It would have been worse without it” argument, I wish I had a good answer for that one!
Sweden.
One possible answer: You can’t prove a negative.
So anyone who says a negative proves something is a nincompoopl
I painted my house pink to keep the tigers away. It worked! Haven’t seen one round here, ever.
The lady who owns Plas Teg – a wonderful Jacobean mansion near me – painted the banqueting hall with whitewash mixed with the donated blood of her friends to appease the spirits of the house. True story…
Some UK background info, from the CEBM whose reputation imo has come out of this coronapanic hugely enhanced:
What does RCGP surveillance tell us about COVID-19 in the community?
Other way round – it’s the flu that’s increasing, not the covid, therefore demonstrating (again) that the covid is naturally on the way out.
Surely Geneva Airport should suffer the same fate as Basel based on their ludicrous thinking?
noticing that Toby has shown the St Johns CPR guide above,
As they say in all the best adverts. “I am not a doctor but….”
I thought the whole point of CPR was to ensure that oxygenated blood continues to reach the brain. So the instructions from St Johns are to compress the heart ( I prefer Nelly the Elephant as my singalong) and carry on ……… until what?
Not only do the instructions omit anything about getting oxygen into the lungs – the usual thing is to breath air into the lungs twice after ever 30 presses – the instructions are to put a towel over the mouth so stopping any air that might actually go near the lungs.
So in fact the whole process is useless.
Another government method for increasing the covid death numbers? .
When I was a young lad playing by the canal I spotted a child face down in the water. I jumped in, pulled him out, he was not breathing, so gave him CPR mouth to mouth. (He thanked me by vomiting a mixture of the contents of his stomach and a large amount of canal water all over me.)
Clearly under the new CPR rules this child would now be dead. How many drowning victims will now lose their lives if people follow these absolutely nutty new CPR rules?
ah yes but now if the lad was in the canal the emergency services would have to complete a risk assessment and would determine that it was actually too dangerous to go in the water so would wait until the lad floated to the side.
Under the new CPR rules, you’d probably have a clean shirt, though.
If you don’t have a towel handy, a pillow would be effective.
Othello would have been a dab hand at this.
It’s not actually SJA – it’s a writeup of the protocol suggested by the Resuscitation Council = the have updated protocols in light of what they call “aerosol generating procedures” – so for instance ambulance crews now need to don level 3 PPE for a resuscitation which apparently takes at least 2 minutes 🙁
As to the breathing for the patient – that was effectively dropped for “lay person” CPR (so for instance when the ambulance service prompt you for CPR they do compression only CPR
you apparently have a few minutes worth of oxygenated blood in your arteries that basic CPR will circulate – the towel or item of clothing across the face is to apparently act as a mask to reduce the risk of aerosols being created by active (effective) CPR
Yes, the whole process as described is useless. The person who made up the poster must not understand the point of CPR. You are supposed to hold the victim’s nose to make sure your oxygenated air is forced into the person’s lungs. Then pump. There is zero point in pumping unoxygenated blood, as lack of oxygen to the brain for some length of time (can’t recall exact figure) will quickly result in brain damage. Even if the heart starts beating again, the victim still needs oxygenated blood. They must start breathing again. Or, you must breathe for them So here you are looking at someone on the point of death from heart stopping and you are thinking about SARS-CoV-2???? That is like a medic refusing to treat a patient because the patient might have a cold. Covid-19 is curable. Death is not!!! WTF? When I took CPR training I was told that once I start CPR I may/must not cease until medical help has arrived to relieve me, or I keel over myself from exhaustion and cannot continue. That is how seriously this intervention is to be taken. It is absolute madness to promulgate the idea that you should put… Read more »
Jane your CPR training is seriously out of date. They gave up on the kiss of life at least 5 years ago. They now emphasize heart start machine, those are all over the place. The kiss of life got dropped because it probably never did achieve much and it is a distraction from CPR which is very tricky to do well but more likely to do some good.
It made me laugh too, and to me it really sums up the absurdity of the whole government response to Covid.
That response from the petition, why are our Government so DIM. Muzzles are not giving people confidence to use shops or buses, they are almost empty. Ministerial cars do not show them what is happening
Ministers are just front men following the playbook for the scam.
They look at the figures of retail trade going up and pat themselves on the back saying masks work to inspire confidence. My bet is online shopping has gone up, high street footfall is down and what few people they get in shops they’ll only scuttle in and out for essentials.
The World Health Organisation Hired a PR Firm for COVID – Part 2 Not All Voices Are Equal The Hill and Knowlton prospectus points out that while the pandemic has dominated discussions, “not all voices are equal and not all are cutting through and being listened to.” The question is, who should be listened to? And, have we been listening to the best, most knowledgeable voices? Of course, it’s become abundantly clear that the WHO thinks it should be the final arbiter of “facts” as far as the pandemic response is concerned, and social media platforms have dutifully obliged by banning, “fact-checking,” removing and deplatforming anyone presenting a different view. I believe an argument can be made that we have not been hearing from many who truly deserve to be heard from — front-line doctors, nurses, researchers, virologists and scientists who have tried to present important data and feedback about the novel illness, its treatment, and the world’s response to it. Many conventional doctors have gotten a rude wake-up call, as they’ve had their views and work censored and banned from the web, simply because it does not conform to the WHO’s messaging. https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/08/15/world-health-organization-endorsements.aspx One recent example is that of… Read more »
The “investigation” into Dr. Jensen has since been dropped, so no disciplinary action. One piece of good news!
Dr. Jensen sharply, and pointedly, questioned the CDC’s new Covid rules on filling out the Blue Form, the cause-of-death portion of the death certificate. He was intereviewed by a Fox News reporter/interviewer. When I circulated this info to my list (I knew something about the whole issue of the importance of filling out the Blue Form correctly in connection, sadly, with the deaths of both my parents) so I understood what Jensen was implying about the CDC’s change. It was a degradation of data.
So a few of my friends did the ad-hom on me: What!! You are now getting your news from Fox News???? Jensensn is a charlatan, blah blah blah.
The World Health Organisation Hired a PR Firm for COVID – part 1 UN Enlists Army of Internet Trolls to Control Discussions WHO isn’t the only organization trying to control the narrative, of course. Many other organizations are involved, all working toward the same end. The United Nations, for example, recently enlisted 10,000 “digital volunteers” to rid the internet of what they consider “false” information about COVID-19 and to disseminate what they say is “U.N.-verified, science-based content.” The campaign, dubbed the Verified initiative, amounts to an army of internet trolls engaging in censorship in an attempt to shut down opposition and opinions that run counter to the status quo. The major red flag to the U.N.’s campaign is a lack of detail about what constitutes a “conspiracy theory” or “cure with no evidence to back it up.” Some of the information Verified is aiming to share simply states, “If you come across a post online that makes you really angry or frightened, it’s a sign you might be looking at misinformation.” In a statement released by the Republic of Latvia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, countries are called on to step up and support the U.N.’s mission to counter the “infodemic” that they claim… Read more »
“If you come across a post online that makes you really angry or frightened, it’s a sign you might be looking at misinformation.”
So that’s proof enough for me that the BBC news website is peddling misinformation.
Galileo posts on catholicchurch.com:
‘The earth goes round the sun.’
Churchmen angry.
Obviously misinformation.
Who’s in Charge of Truth?
This should read: WHO’s in charge of truth.
WHO is owned by Gates.
Gates is the most dangerous man on the planet.
Except for Melinda (snark alert).
It is time we joined Trump in defunding the WHO. Personally, I’d go a step further and do a Japan to the United Nations as well. A thorough denunciation of its usefulness (ie, none) followed by a walkout.
With his right hand he’s defunding the WHO, but with his left he’s giving GAVI extra funds. It’s a parlour trick.
We can defund one and ignore the other. There, sorted. 😉
GAVI is Gates is a creature of Gates
Gates is most dangerous man on the planet (I know I am repeating myself. But it/I bear/s repeating!)
https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/world-news/corruption/faucis-wife-control-approval-of-gates-vaccines/
Interesting information also that BBC health receives money from Bill Gates
Gates Foundation. 2.2 million to the BBC in 2017/18. Why?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/about/funding
“We are grateful to the wide range of funders, including national governments, the UN and other international organisations, foundations, corporate partners and private individuals that supported our 100 different projects in 2017/18.
Significant donors included the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the European Commission, several UN agencies, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and the British Council.”
Huh it’s a conspiracy theory, he was just helping to re-decorate their canteen.
He also funds the ‘fiercely independent’ Guardian, which should be rebranded The Bedwetter’s Bugle https://www.theguardian.com/info/2018/oct/02/philanthropic-partnerships-at-the-guardian
Pah! It’s a….oh never mind.
BBC taking money from non government sources??
wont that affect their neutrality. (note tongue firmly in cheek)
of course the funding from european commission explains their position on Brexit.
If I listed all the major health organisations that receive funding from the Gates foundation I would be typing till tomorrow – I’ll start with these:
$79 million to Imperial College this Year:
https://www.gatesfoundation.org/How-We-Work/Quick-Links/Grants-Database/Grants/2020/03/OPP1210755
$400,000,000 to WHO, making him the biggest contributor
https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2020-05-29/gates-foundation-donations-to-who-nearly-match-those-from-us-government
Do you think this might give him a little influence in policy making?
Great report on Sky News:
Bill gates Pays WHO $4Billion to Declare a Pandemic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=76&v=CVYUfDLRgno&feature=emb_logo
Pah, It’s a conspiracy theory!
I know, its outrageous ! Those nutty conspiracy theorists have been banging on for years about Bill Gates’ depopulation agenda and his plan to vaccinate us all with microchips. I know it’s not true because he is currently all over the media saying he has no idea where people get these crazy ideas…oh wait what’s this on his website about microchips for women to control their fertility ?
https://www.gatesfoundation.org/how-we-work/quick-links/grants-
database/grants/2014/01/opp1068198
and his patent for cryptocurrency system using body activity data
https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=WO2020060606&tab=PCTBIBLIO
and his scannable vaccine implant ?
https://news.mit.edu/2019/storing-vaccine-history-skin-1218
I know…..I was being ironic, great links. The thing is, if I said this to people back in say February like I did, everybody just went pah its a conspiracy theory, I trust Boris, how dare you.
Now even although it is a clear as day that Gates is one of the main drivers behind the Corona Project and he has said there will be no return to normal until we have a vaccine people still say Bah, it’s a conspiracy theory. It Kills me.
I knew you were being ironic, Two- Six. It’s becoming clearer to some .. .but even providing links to open minded people for verification – well it’s not a popular topic.
Gates pretty much owns global public health. He’s a psychopath.
Thank you! I have seen similar compendiums of Gates’s intervention in Earth’s health. He is the most dangerous man on the planet.
You are welcome !
Gates funds many news outlets.
Gates is the most dangerous man on the planet.
Well, the great news is that our Secretary of State for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport, Oliver Dowden is ex Hill & Knowlton.
UK Column did a piece on NewsGuard last week: https://www.ukcolumn.org/ukcolumn-news/uk-column-news-5th-august-2020
Very interesting investigation about the people involved in it!
Yep, it’s a very sophisticated operation !
Recent graduated questioning established outlets of clearly responible thought an comment – and giving them a red shield oooer! It’s just a sad waster of gretas resources the millions of pounds that are poured into the front for freespeech assasination.
Red shield is actually something to be drawn to to find out why it has been applied. I 100% have no trust in and fact checking organisation – a natural reaction.
Red shield as in Rothschild??
Ha!!
I interesting trying to google Bill Gates now on Google, very different to a few months ago. Now all you get are the “approved sites” saying x,y,z is not true. I had to use a different search engine
I think we are in for an onslaught over the next couple of months. The second wave, BLM, the US election. We will agree to anything to be left in peace.
The World Health Organisation Hired a PR Firm for COVID – part 0 “The same PR firm the tobacco industry used in 1950 to carry on a 50-year successful strategy to have the public believe cigarettes were not addictive and didn’t cause disease has recently been hired to seek out these influencers to further their COVID-19 agenda. The PR Firm Behind WHO’s Celeb Endorsements Soft power” is a term that refers to stealth influencing using celebrities and other social media influencers In May 2020, celebrities and social media influencers agreed to “pass the mic” by allowing the World Health Organization and other pandemic response leaders to use their social media accounts to share their messages The WHO paid PR firm Hill and Knowlton Strategies $135,000 to seek out influencers to help build trust in the WHO’s coronavirus recommendations As noted by Corbett, Hill and Knowlton Strategies was also the PR company responsible for crafting a powerful enough campaign to get Americans to rally together in support of the war against Iraq Hill and Knowlton is also the very same PR firm that the tobacco industry used in 1950 to carry on a 50-year successful strategy to have the public believe… Read more »
“…help build trust in the WHO’s coronavirus recommendations”
… hmm I wonder what the WHO are planning to recommend that they need a PR firm for ?
Regular stop on the bike ride today: cinnabun cafe in windsor. Popular stop for cyclists. Last time there no masks needed, now for some reason they insist on them in the queue, then obvs you just take them off at table… A queue of cyclists wearing sweaty unhygienic masks, genius. As im still too chicken to contest I simply refused to queue and just sat at a table and ate my own food/drink with 2 buddies who think masks are dumb but do just go along with it… Fuck em, they don’t get my money for their cunty rules.
You should wear a mask to cover that potty mouth of yours (Just kidding).
You’ve always lost when you resort to swearing. I know we’ve lost unfortunately already so the language filter has gone 😄
A good swear is necessary at times!
Mine has deteriorated dramatically over the last few weeks.
Suggested theme tune – Safety Mask by Mediabear
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONfvD8hbofo
https://www.cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0092-8674%2820%2931008-4
“Robust T cell immunity in convalescent individuals with asymptomatic or mild COVID-19”
This important article was earlier in preprint not peer reviewed .Just published in Cell. Full article above from Karolinska Stockholm.We are lucky that Project Fear did not stop publication. T cell immunity is now a political issue in the US see link below
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stephaniemlee/coronavirus-t-cells-immunity-scott-atlas
Now that is very Interesting. It seems to bear out what guy153 has been telling us about. Importance of T cells, looks like you do get decently lasting immunity (for a corona virus) , also seems to be saying there is a degree of cross immunity from previous exposure to other CVs. I hope he will comment on this.
Antibodies are tiny things that stick to viruses outside cells and either stop them infecting cells (“neutralizing”) or cause other immune system cells to eat them (“opsonizing”). B-cells make antibodies. CD4+ T-cells (aka “helper” T-cells) help them. Both of these cells make “memory” copies of themselves that stick around for years. If you find CD4+ T-cells which everyone has found it means your body remembers how to make the antibodies. Antibodies are a very efficient way of clearing a virus (one B-cell can make 2000 of them per second). They will stick around in your blood for a few months, maybe a year. If you still have the antibodies you usually have “sterilizing immunity”– you won’t even get ill at all. But after a year or two or more you still have the memory cells, and will probably get reinfected a bit, but will get better much more quickly. There is another kind of T-cell, called a “killer T-cell”, “aka CTL (Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte) or “CD8+ T-cell”. These kill cells that are infected with viruses (or that have cancer or are otherwise knackered in some way). They don’t involve antibodies. Everyone found these too. They may be important in recovering… Read more »
Thanks! (I didn’t bother to open the BuzzFeed link, can’t be bothered with US argy bargy.)
Personally, when it comes to this stuff, I just hang around till guy explains it to me.
Sigh. I was loathe to open the Buzzfeed link, and was instantly rewarded with the usual political posturing from that site. T-cells are now a right wing conspiracy, they report.
News, research etc. relating to T cell immunity have been appearing at a steady rate over the last couple of months, ever since the first findings published in early June (I think) but not much coverage in the mainstream media as far as I know.
A reply to one of James Todaro’s tweets (https://twitter.com/JamesTodaroMD) made me laugh out loud, as it mirrors my own feelings precisely:
so any good/positive news on COVID is now labeled “right wing”, lol? ok, liberals….this is exactly why a lifelong liberal such as myself has pretty much had it with y’all.
The buzzfeed is a seriously egregious piece of “journalism”!
People are dying to ”save the NHS”
Speaking for myself, I want my tax money back and I’ll take my health elsewhere. Bollox to the NHS.
Same here, Nick
Yeah, can we get a discount for not using the NHS?
No, people are just dying. The NHS never needed saving.
But the people did.
Still Face Experiment Demonstrates Early Facial Recognition https://youtu.be/apzXGEbZht0 Children are also experiencing distress from adults wearing masks. This short video demonstrates the role that facial expression plays in infant interaction. It’s called the “Still Face” experiment, which was first performed in 1975 by Edward Tronick, Ph.D., who continues to conduct research on how a mother’s stressful behavior may affect the emotional development of infants and children.The study may be one of the most often-cited in developmental psychology. Further investigations into infants’ abilities to differentiate emotional expressions have revealed that within the first six months, babies learn to recognize emotion and distinguish physical characteristics associated with those emotions.In one study, scientists found that babies spend more time looking at the mouth of an angry face just after hearing a happy voice. The researchers believe this is a reaction to hearing something different from what they’re seeing and that it may demonstrate the ability at an early age to understand emotional information based on what is heard and seen.Educators have long known that many young children have difficulty when masks are worn. At some elementary schools masks aren’t allowed during Halloween, as the children become stressed. Kang Lee, Ph.D., from the University… Read more »
A few years ago, I was in M&S. A Blind woman with a guide dog was walking through with her dog, the dog was behaving in a weird way and the woman didnt know why and looked distressed. I could see the dog looking at the mannequins which have only eyes, no features and the dog was actually trying to get behind the woman. I explained what was happening, she was grateful to be told what was happening as she said her dog, as they all are, is normally so good. Like the children, I wonder what animals think of the world now.
Yes, poor dogs…..I bet it is hard for some of them. I wouldn’t be surprised if more people are getting bitten by dogs.
I had a retriever once, we were walking down the street about pubs shutting times, and a guy we sort of knew started to mess about and act threatening towards us, he was pretty drunk. He was joking but his body language and tone of voice was strange. Our dog who was the most lovely animal ever instantly growled, bared teeth, raised hackles and got ready for a fight. I have never seen her do that before. That was interesting that was.
He wasn’t joking.
As if any human being didn’t know.
Zombies are not human beings.
Zombies have Zombie children.
Child abusive psy-op, with long-term serious consequences! Anyone who wears a face nappy is a collaborator.
Can you imagine that some people sat in a meeting and discussed if it’s better to risk a very small chance of infection with COVID followed by a subsequent small chance of death, or if it’s better to 100% suffocate on the spot, and they decided that dying right then and there is better than 0.006% chance of dying from the virus?
If this were a just world, we wouldn’t be worrying about hospitals being filled to capacity. We’d be worried about prisons being filled to capacity, with all these criminally incompetent people in charge of the country
The most common symptom of Covid-19 is that you feel just fine. A huge number of those now being absurdly listed as ‘infected’ with this disease are perfectly healthy. The spread of Covid-19 is based on two factors: 1. How dense the population is and 2. How dense the population is.
That’s given me a good laugh. I need it – been away for the last few days dealing with the disaster that is this year’s A Level results for son number 2!
Commiserations, we can only hope the dimwits running this show get their comeuppance sooner rather than later.
My husband – a statistician – has challenged Williamson to come to the HoC, and take MPs through the algo, line-by-line.
Loud rumblings in the press about the A level farce.
I’ve been working in public exams for forty years and I knew exactly what was going to happen from the start.
There was a link in a previous comments thread for From Behind Enemy Lines in which the really good point was made, that mask wearing in shops is actually the responsibilty of the store policy. Yes you can use the exemption card but that is still within store policy. The police are called if there is enough of a rucous about not adhering to store policy.
So it really does come down to voting with your wallet. If you have to go in and you do use your exemption pass/clause whatever, just get in get out. As has been happening strangely enough.
The first major retailer to realise this or enough customers calming saying no thanks I’ll take my money elsewhere, the less this will be enforced.
I wonder if businesses will start to be more vocal once the Government isn’t paying them to furlough their employees anymore? Currently maybe they feel taking a stand will put them in an even more precarious position.
I remember a while ago (think it was mentioned on Toby’s blog) an interview with the head of a pub chain (can’t remember who, or which chain, but it wasn’t Wetherspoons) who was very sceptical and critical of the government’s policy – and the interviewer basically said, in as many words, “how can you say this sort of thing when the goverment is giving your business so much money?”
Hugh Osmond
He stuck it to them, articulate and fearless
The interviewer didn’t know how to handle it
Him, Dolan and Luke Johnson are the biggest names from business that I am aware of who are declared sceptics
Rocco Forte and I think the Yank rocket/electric car guy.
Ah, Elon Musk, yes. I would like them all to get together and jointly fund a Vote Leave style media campaign to get the Truth about the virus out there. It’s easy for me to say, but I like to think if I had spare tens of millions I would happily spend them in attempt to save humanity.
Absolutely, me too.
You’d think they’d have started months ago, in self defence.
I did email Luke Johnson along these lines, got a somewhat non-commital response. Maybe they are doing something on the quiet.
It may be worth contacting the others to suggest the same thing
I wouldn’t expect any one person to fund or organise the whole thing, but it simply won’t work without someone underwriting the start of it to the tune of £££££
Without wishing to sound melodramatic, anyone who bungs in a lot of money, effort and risks reputation, and manages to make some things happen, will go down in history as a hero (hopefully).
I may be more inclined to believe he is a sceptic of he stopped launching the 5G satellites.
Well spotted ! He thinks it makes him look cool by being a bit of a rebel. He’s a showman.
Yes, possibly not “sound”
I think he wants to be all things to all people. I big fake.
Probably right. I get better vibes from Dolan and Johnson, don’t know much about Osmond but he spoke well when I heard him.
I think Sumption and Hitchens have been the most consistently eloquent advocates for the sceptic cause though.
That’s very good point. I’ve wondered that too. They’ve been bribed to comply with government policy. Hopefully the gloves will come off in October.
Bit hit and miss out and about this morning. Miss: Apart from my wife and I only 2 other unmuzzled in Tesco, 1 holding her exempt lanyard and card in front of her like a sacred object to deter vampires and one woman who had taken her mask off to talk on her mobile while shopping only 1 person actually met my eye and he looked like he wanted to rip his mask off but hadn’t worked up the courage to do so yet. Rest would hurriedly look away and hope we never notice them looking 9/10 were wearing the masks incorrectly, had it below their nose, had big gaps at the sides, had modified it so it only had 1 top strap that went around the head and the bottom was flapping free, were constantly fiddling with it, they were many dirty and sweaty and so on still quite a few of those recalled KN95 Chinese knock-offs being used Bensons for Beds duty manager was anal about mask wearing and the 2 m social distancing everywhere was very very quiet but doesn’t make sense as cars on the road higher than it has been so people must just be… Read more »
Good job you weren’t in an Asda with shopper Eve Whitty https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/asda-issues-new-face-mask-22524307
Amazing how the Mirror will publish that pro-narrative propaganda but won’t publish anything anti-narrative or controversial isn’t it.
The comments nearly made me need yet another new laptop! I really cannot believe the absolute ignorance of so many in the UK. How this country has even made it to 2020 baffles me.
My comment. Remember this is the Mirror, so have slanted it politically. There, I’m posting as “niccolo”.
Let’s see how badly it gets slagged off.
When commenting on the Daily Fail/Wail I like getting down votes, means I’m hitting a nerve and annoying the righteous.
Always love it when someone goes off on one. Always a result.
Mixed for me as well on my usual Saturday food shopping. Seem to be more mask wearers on the streets but still only about 30% and I think most of those are wearing them for the shops and just keeping them on in between. I saw an alternative to the usual practice when not covering the face, namely move it up on to your greasy forehead rather than down to your sweaty chin. In my usual haunts the staff now recognise me, I’m probably “the guy with the exemption badge”. No hassle or dirty looks from anybody at all. I do take care to avoid invading people’s space. A few non-wearers in the shops, mostly oldies who may have become aware of exemptions but a few hopefully rebellious youngsters – we need more of them. Sainsbury’s shelf stackers mostly unmasked, but security and checkout staff masked.
You are my hero
Mine too.
Send us a million Awkward Gits!
So long as they are on our side, I’m good with that.
“Send us a million Awkward Gits!“
In my weak moments, I pity them. Then I remember – they’re trying to govern us…”
Wife says one of me is more than enough.
More than that and we’ll probably destroy the world.
Great stuff. I see where you get your moniker from!
Good work! Several more enlightened people about now. Hopefully they’ll talk to others ……
Well done for your thorough evangelisation efforts on behalf of the Gospel of Lockdown Scepticism and Anti-Muzzle Wearing.
I had upsets with 2 shopkeepers in two days. I try to be understanding and considerate, but as someone who has not been taken in by the propaganda, I sometimes forget.
I hardly go out anymore as it is so difficult to gage how to behave. In our area the numbers are and have been very low, and going to the market today, seeing a third of people walk about in the fresh air with face coverings gives me anxiety and makes me angry.
I can almost understand people who go along with it as it is easier. But every fibre in me screams NO!
I haven’t been into town or shops since mask day, one or two if I really had to go in them.
The world is suddenly full of Charlies.
Prince Charlies.
That’s because every fibre in you is correct:
World’s Top Epidemiologists – Masks Don’t Work!
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/worlds-top-epidemiologists-masks-dont-work
“Instead of ordering people to “mask-up” under penalty of fines or jail time, scientists and public health officials should get back to playing their most important role: developing sound research on which people can freely make informed decisions.”
Freely. Oh, for the days. Hopefully soon.
Every fibre in you is sane.
Just keep away.I do.
Just “going along” inside is one thing but sporting them outside when not mandated is something else entirely.
Anger and anxiety – pretty much how I’ve felt since house arrest began.
There was some discussion about the Tory manifesto and covid in recent BTL on the previous blog. So I decided to check out the key points and see if they are on track. Here’s what I found, mostly from a beeb article but some from the DT. Read from under my cynic’s hat, some made me laugh out loud – though they’re not at all funny under the circumstances. On the whole I’d say they’re pretty much on track – though I’m not keen on where it’s heading: the Chancellor, has promised the biggest spending increase in 15 years cut national insurance by £460 a year for millions of taxpayers. Increase the number of nurses by 50,000 get Brexit “done” in January several billion a year of extra spending, Pensions will rise by at least 2.5% per year No-one will sell their home to pay for care Reach net zero by 2050 £6.3bn on 2.2 million disadvantaged homes Introduce a points-based immigration system Continue the roll out of universal credit Create 250,000 extra childcare places Freeze of tuition fees top of the Tories’ transport list is a promise to build a new rail line linking Manchester and Leeds. and by… Read more »
What’s a ‘disadvantaged home’? One with half a roof?
“look into the constitutional power balance” They’ve certainly done this one
Lockdown Sceptics is great, but even that didn’t escape my complete withdrawal from anything news based. It’s pretty good. I feel a lot better. I recommend it to everyone.
But after nine days, I thought I’d take a peek back at the world and discover New Zealand gulags, St John’s Ambulance assassination techniques and government manipulation and mismanagement of covid-1984 data.
So it’s at least as mad as nine days ago. I’m not surprised, just a little sad that the world is still grossly insane. I’ll try 18 days now.
Every day in every way you are getting better and better.
As a small business in the stricken travel industry, can I please ask kindly for a few moments of you time to sign this letter to Sunak and Shapps:
https://www.ttgmedia.com/save-travel
done
Thank you
Also signed
Done
Signed.
We are behind you in your courageous battle against such odds.
Done
Done 👍
Done, with pleasure.
Done
Signed
Done.
Done. Best of luck to you
Signed
Paying for an epidemic of stupidity: http://archive.vn/KbXGG
“We’ve handed control of our lives to a clown car packed with idiots who have wasted billions trying to defeat this virus. They will never admit it was all for nothing.”
Australia 450 deaths from Covid. Economy crashed to the tune of $450 billion…..easy to do the math on that one
Every one’s a billionaire!
But they can’t spend it.
We’ve got a clown car packed with idiots in the UK too!! In fact, we seem to have three all at once!!
Indeed, for an aussie-centric article it speaks some universal truths.
Most of the comments on the above article are refreshing!y sceptical. But how about this prime bit of bullshit?
‘Basic statistical fact: the virus takes, on average, one year off the life of everyone on the planet, in every age group.’
??!!?
I’ll wait for someone who knows maths better than I do to deal with this one, but even using some very generous figures for life expectancy, I’m getting a number closer to 3 days.
According to who? W.H.O.?
For anyone here that prefers reddit over forums, there is a new anti-lockdown UK-focused subreddit at https://www.reddit.com/r/ukantilockdown/
Just had a quick look at it. It’s very light on the concept of free speech, with the usual “forum rules” militating against it. Not for me, I’m afraid.
If you have something related to lockdown which you feel the present ruleset would make difficult to discuss, feel free to bring it up at any time. The ruleset is intended to minimise off-topic discussions or users raging at each-other, not to get in the way of relevant topics.
Can anyone from NZ explain why the toothy one is so popular? To me she always looks a bit ……mad
And anorexic
Tyrantosaurus Ano. Rex !
Telegenic “progressive” “minority” media darling presumably. Positive discrimination on steroids. Not the first and certainly won’t be the last around the world.
Somebody said she’s a protege of Tony Blair. Can’t remember where I read it – I’ve read so many things – getting tired…
She’s chosen by the globalist cabal. A witchcraft of careful marketing would have got her to the place she is now. That and the tailored fit to a nudged NZ population. That’s my best guess, cannot say I’ve followed the rise to the extraordinary abuse of power.
solid support from the cannibal community
Let us hope that she ends up on their supper menu one day.
I would like to know why Boris and the other idiots in government continue with this lunacy. Individually there are some clever people, not least Boris himself, with his upper second in Classics. But collectively they are as astute as a lobotomised earthworm. it seems more than obvious that the disease is over and there is good evidence to show it won’t come back in any meaningful way. So why carry on trashing the economy and destroying the lives of young people forever? Here are few possibilities. Incompetence. Probably the most likely. Doubling down on irrational, pointless restrictions in an effort to convince voters that earlier irrational, pointless restrictions had some validity. My personal favourite. Because all the other major European Leaders are headless chickens, Boris has to be one as well. Ignoring Sweden, of course, which is the only beacon of hope discernible in this madness. Pandering to the masses, all with the mindset of Private Fraser, who seem to think that C19 is another Black Death and we’re screwed unless a vaccine comes along pdq. This isn’t leadership in any meaningful sense. They’ve all bought shares in companies making face nappies. Not entirely frivolous on that. Fear of… Read more »
The fact that this charade is a world wide ‘phenomenon’ makes it seem more like a plan. Nothing makes any sense anymore
Because they spend all their time grovelling to Bill Gates.
The Bumbling Boris Buffoon is being shepherded along by a leading member of the British Communist Party – so some are certainly achieving their goals…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5483887/The-Communist-toffs-taking-hard-left-Labour-party.html
My money’s on incompetence throughout, failure of courage and leadership at the beginning and your last point about fear of getting it wrong now. There’s no reason to believe that lockdown restrictions worked, that the disease has many people left to kill, that it has unusually appalling long-term effects, that masks make any difference at all, or that there will be a second wave – but there’s a non-zero chance of all of these things. Therefore, stopping trying to manage the country like all of those things are true risks things going wrong and Boris being blamed. He’s paralysed by fear.
The moron.
I find it hard to believe that at least some of them are not paralysed by fear, other than fear of being found out to have over-reacted and doubled down.
I know they might not be the brightest bunch, but it’s not that hard to understand the dangers are nothing like what was predicted. I’m sure some of them are very well aware of the truth, and of what they are doing, but they like the power, the attention, and want to hang on to all of that for as long as possible.
They have taken every opportunity to increase the fear and panic, not the opposite.
And I am sure SAGE, independent SAGE, and the various other pseudo-scientific and pseudo-medical bodies know very well it’s all BS.
Not fear of the dangers of the virus, fear of being held to account if anything goes wrong. You can make a very strong case based on the emerging evidence that the virus is petering out, will become endemic and wasn’t anywhere near as much of a problem as we were led to believe in the first place and (in my opinion) a much weaker case based on the evidence of the opposite. Nonetheless, as I say, there’s a non-zero chance that it’s the second way.
Fear of being held to account if anything goes wrong, yes, makes sense.
Trouble is, things HAVE gone HUGELY wrong and continue to do so, but they either don’t notice or don’t care. Probably because no-one is holding them to account.
I struggle to accept that there are not a substantial number of MP including Cabinet ministers who have a fair idea they’ve messed up big time and they ought to stop now.
Watch Cummings’s Rose Garden interview again. Towards the end, a journalist asks if he thinks he’s made mistakes. An expression passes over his face, very briefly, before he says something like yes, he’s sure there have been mistakes. He knew then, 25 May. Which means Johnson did, no wonder he looks the way he does now. Which means quite a few more know they’ve messed up, big time. Probably wishing they’d either stuck with a modified herd immunity strategy, or lifted lockdown sooner.
They MUST Reap what have sown.
“ Trouble is, things HAVE gone HUGELY wrong and continue to do so“
Yes, but they think they’re getting away with those things
Indeed. They are getting away with them, for now. I’m no great lover of the current Labour Party, or any of the others for that matter, but if we assume the majority of sceptics are on the right (I may be wrong and wish in no way to detract from our brother and sister sceptics who consider themselves to be on the “left”) then if we desert the Tories in droves, and they lose the next election, it MIGHT lead to some positive changes.
I think that governments are collectively in a state of mass psychosis. They are now in so deep that psychologically they have to believe their own propaganda. The big problem is that they are trying to play an impossible role: protecting humanity from a virus is like trying to hold back the waves. But it’s a role they cannot now get out of easily. In the UK I believe that they know that performance so far has been shambolic. So they are now praying that they can look good by having a better result relative to everyone else when the alleged second wave comes. It’s madness but I can see why that would motivate them. Reality is that there are no good outcomes. The virus is not good and I am not desperate to catch it. On the other hand, hiding for ever just means that the sands of life run out, given that death will always come eventually anyway. It does seem that the virus has run its course, and we need to stop hiding. Life always involves navigating a portfolio of risks: this virus is now just one more of those. Am planning to read Barbara Tuchman’s The… Read more »
Maybe most of them believe it. I don’t know anyone who’s been in that kind of role personally to know whether they are deluded or cynical. It seems improbable they can all be so deluded, but maybe power does funny things to people.
Have you also read ‘The Proud Tower’, the ‘Guns of August’ or ‘A Distant Mirror’?
Incompetence, and terror of being seen as “uncaring”. You could see that earlier in the year when they were visibly shaken over PPE and the hysterical reaction to herd immunity. They were bricking it and had no idea what to do. I’m afraid this is always a problem when you pick yes wo/men as your cabinet, and yes wo/men as your advisers.
There won’t be an exit plan. They blundered into this through a mix of panicked firefighting, vague threats from the continent (especially Micron), and WHO “advice”. When you’re jumping around with no clear plan of action, the exit strategy is the last thing on your mind. Unfortunately for us.
Why would they want an exit plan? What’s in it for them?
Well at some point they have to halt the downward plunge and cut their losses. Otherwise it carries on until they hit the absolute bottom, which in political terms involves former leaders hanging upside down from lamp posts.
Though with zeros like the present political elite (all parties), it’s possible the exit plan is just “cling on, hope for the best, and pray everyone forgets what they’ve done when we are all trying to deal with the fallout”.
I think the reckoning won’t come for definite until we get nearer the next election. They will want some money in the coffers to buy votes to keep them in power, assuming that simply having saved us from the virus won’t be sufficient. But given that banjaxing the economy is what most other rich countries are also doing, they might get away with it.
Yes, beginning to think there may be a ‘Ceausescu moment’ although without the summary execution probably. Boris outside No10 realising that sound is not, after all, the applause of a grateful nation.
I think the exit plan will be forced by an angry populace. While I’m having a hard time getting certain colleagues to stop looking at the MSM and start asking difficult questions they do agree that rioting is a definite possibility as the unemployment and bankruptcy rates go up.
Global Reset. Pre-planned. Just ask the World Economic Forum.
Re your comment, ‘not least Boris himself, with his upper second in Classics’ … Enoch Powell was awarded a double-starred first in Classics, from Cambridge, and taught himself to speak Urdu, Welsh, Portuguese …. Boris isn’t in the same league and he’s showing it.
Youngest professor in the commonwealth at the outbreak of WWII and the only person to be promoted all the way from private soldier to general officer in the course of the war. Whatever else he might have been, he was not stupid.
Sorry, upper 2nd in Classics, that is quite a low bar, LOL
Any chance of you running for PM!!! Only common sense I’ve read in nearly six months…
John, who are you referring you here?