News Round-Up

• “The repeated use of emergency Covid powers makes me fear for our democracy” – Government by diktat is becoming the new normal. We must resist it before it’s too late, writes Silkie Carlo in the Telegraph.
• “Rush to book rapid three-hour PCR travel tests to exploit loophole” – The new curbs in England, which came into force at 4am today, mean all fully vaccinated travellers must return to taking costly PCR tests within two days of arriving in the U.K., reports the Mail.
• “How fear fuels the vaccine wars” – “Unless we actively refuse it, our future looks like a QR code flickering across a human face forever,” writes Paul Kingsnorth in UnHerd.
• “The Omicron hysteria shows we are being led by experts who have no idea what living a normal life is” – Scores more Covid variants will come along in our lifetimes and they should not be a cause for panic, until proven otherwise, writes Allison Pearson in the Telegraph.
• “Essex gym owner told police she would not consent to be fined” – “In police bodycam footage, 46 year-old Michelle Meade-Wyatt told officers who attended The Ripped Gym in Harlow in Essex in November last year that she did not ‘consent to any fines’,” reports MailOnline.
• “Covid vaccine unlikely to be as effective against Omicron variant, Moderna boss warns” – NHS bosses are scrambling to put the Covid vaccination booster programme “on steroids” after 13 million more people were made eligible yesterday amid a looming wave of the Omicron variant, reports the Times.
• “Fines for breaching Covid rules are doubled in Australia” – “Tougher penalties breaching quarantine have come into effect in New South Wales after state and territory leaders agreed to avoid Omicron lockdowns while more information is gathered,” reports Australian Associated Press.
• “European countries could be added to travel red list, warns Health Minister” – Gillian Keegan says the Government will take immediate action on foreign travel if there is a flare-up in cases of the new Omicron variant, reports the Telegraph.
• “We must stand up to our hysterical Omicron overlords” – “If we keep compliantly allowing our freedoms to be stripped on the whim of a poll-driven Government, then don’t be surprised if they never fully return. A dystopian nightmare looms and it’s time to speak up and stand up,” writes Dan Wotton for MailOnline.
• “More than 400 studies on the failure of compulsory Covid interventions” – “Nearly all governments have attempted compulsory measures to control the virus, but no government can claim success. The research indicates that mask mandates, lockdowns, and school closures have had no discernible impact of virus trajectories,” writes Paul Elias Alexander for the Brownstone Institute.
• “Covid restrictions have gone on for too long” – “We can’t carry on like this. We can’t keep resurrecting restrictions every time a new Covid variant emerges. We can’t keep suspending certain liberties whenever this blasted virus mutates. Somehow we have got stuck in a spiral of doom and kneejerk authoritarianism,” argues Brendan O’Neill in the Spectator.
• “Dan Andrews’ divisive pandemic bill is set to become law after debate” – Daniel Andrews’ controversial pandemic legislation is set to become law following marathon debate in Parliament’s Upper House, giving the Premier unprecedented powers, reports Australian Associated Press.
• “Why is Omicron variant being treated like Ebola?” – “The inevitable chorus of gloomy voices has begun to sing: that unholy alliance of scientific ‘experts’ who have been given blanket coverage by the BBC and left-wing media so often during this pandemic,” writes Professor Angus Dalgleish for the Mail.
• “Harsh penalties mulled for those resisting compulsory vaccination in Austria” – “People repeatedly snubbing Covid vaccination summons in Austria after immunisation becomes compulsory there might face fines… or several weeks behind bars, according to a draft that was leaked to the media,” reports RT.
• “FDA advisory committee recommends authorisation of Merck’s Covid pill” – A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee voted 13-10 in favour of recommending emergency use authorization of Merck & Co’s pill to treat mild-to-moderate Covid patients, reports the Mail.
• “Test yourself before socialising to save Christmas, says Nicola Sturgeon” – “Free lateral flow tests will be made available in shopping centres and sports stadiums in an attempt to encourage regular Covid testing in the run-up to Christmas,” reports the Times.
• “‘White thought crimes’ are resurfacing at Cambridge” – Free speech is being crushed under the guise of keeping students away from opinions they don’t like, writes Charles Moore in the Telegraph.
• “The persecution of Michael Vaughan by the virtue-signalling mob is an outrage that demeans us all” – The attack on the former England Captain has become beyond ridiculous, writes Simon Heffer in the Telegraph.
• “The right: against monarch, for monarchy” – “Queen Elizabeth is as much an asset to progressive politicians and anti-patriotic NGOs as she is a defender of the British peoples. She is a hapless shield, providing the radical managerial technocracy with a fabricated vestige of continuity,” writes Alexander Adams in Bournbrook Magazine.
• “Vote for your favourite cartoon!” Some of Bob Moran’s cartoons are in contention for winning the Cartoon Awards this year. What’s your favourite?