News Round-Up

• “We cannot eradicate this virus, warns Sajid Javid as Plan B restrictions are scrapped” – Omicron is “in retreat” but we have not reached the “finish line” in the fight against coronavirus, Sajid Javid has warned, reports the Telegraph.
• “Britain preparing for end-June switch to paid Covid tests – document” – British health officials are aiming to be ready to start charging Britons for COVID-19 tests that are currently free at the end of June, according to a document seen by Reuters.
• “Surgeries fear an exodus of GPs as deadline for staff Covid jabs nears” – GPs say an exodus of staff due to mandatory coronavirus vaccination is “a significant concern”, reports the Times.
• “Boris Johnson: I won’t quit if rebels force a no confidence vote” – David Davis says PM will have to be dragged “kicking and screaming” from office, as No 10 insists he is “best man for the job”, reports the Telegraph.
• “The Red Wall poll which suggests it might be curtains for Boris Johnson” – Labour now enjoys an 11-point lead over the Tories in the Red Wall, and crucially, the main reason given for many voters in turning their backs on the Conservatives is ongoing revelations about partygate, writes Tom Goodenough in the Spectator.
• “The most unforgivable lockdown error was our neglect of children” – Boris Johnson will pay the price for No 10’s parties, but why aren’t we just as outraged at the damage we’ve inflicted on the nation’s youth, asks Joanna Williams in the Telegraph.
• “Call for Covid fines amnesty as more people borrow Boris Johnson’s ‘I didn’t realise’ excuse” – After Prime Minister attends gathering and pleads ignorance, some of the 18,000 who have been fined are left asking why they should pay up, reports the Telegraph.
• “Covid Deniers” – The pointless lockdowns, the fatuous, performative mask-wearing, the compulsory vaccinations – soon, it will be as hard to find anyone who owns up to ever supporting them as it was in July 1945 to find anyone in Germany who raised their right arm at Nuremburg, writes Tom Forrester-Paton on Harrumpf.
• “Omicron is on its way out” – “Quite simply, the variant is so infectious that it quickly reaches levels of prevalence that are unsustainable because so many people have been vaccinated, infected and become immune,” writes Michael Simmons in the Spectator, as he searches for the term herd immunity.
• “Covid: WHO warns pandemic not over amid Europe case records” – France reports nearly half a million new daily cases, with records also broken in Italy and Denmark, reports the BBC, as the WHO continues to try to keep the show on the road.
• “Petition: Remove all Covid requirements for international travel to the U.K.” – Sign the petition on the Parliament website: “Remove the requirement to: 1. Take a PCR test before returning to the U.K. 2. Complete a passenger locator form. 3. Take a PCR test in the U.K. if you are not fully vaccinated. 4. Self-isolate for any period of time.”
• “Ep 36. Fight for your right to PARTY! – The Real Normal Podcast” – Listen to the latest episode, including death metal songs about Dominic Cummings.
• “The Czech Republic charts its own path on Covid” – As the Omicron wave spreads through Europe, the Czech Republic’s response under a new Government elected in October is rapidly diverging from the authoritarian policies of its neighbours, writes William Nattrass in UnHerd.
• “Covid’s given us a nasty case of illiberalism” – David Aaronovitch in the Times has suddenly noticed the pandemic response he cheered on may have verged on the authoritarian.
• “GOAT becomes scapegoat” – Australia has gone from Zero Covid to Zero Djokovic, writes Ramesh Thakur in Spectator Australia.
• “Open Letter to MPs re COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates for Employees” – Read the latest fully referenced letter from the U.K. Medical Freedom Alliance.
• “Two More Contributions On The Impossibility Of Electrifying Everything Using Only Wind, Solar And Batteries ” – “Go ahead and look through the plans being put forth today by the likes of California, New York, Germany or the U.K., and see how they address any of these issues. The answer is, they don’t,” writes Francis Menton on Manhattan Contrarian.
• “Are sex offenders exploiting trans-rights policies behind bars?” – James Kirkup asks the question in the Spectator, and you can guess what he thinks the answer is.
• “The nihilistic New Puritans are killing off our culture” – Unable to devise anything original, now TV and film makers trash old favourites with woke remakes, writes Madeline Grant in the Telegraph.
• “The BBC lost its way the minute Auntie turned into an aggravating know-it-all” – “As a lifelong fan, it pains me to say the corporation has alienated its most loyal audience in the name of ‘diverse and inclusive content’,” writes Allison Pearson in the Telegraph.
• “Why should we pay for a BBC that hates us?” – The BBC has blown whatever chance it had to bring the nation together, writes Gareth Roberts in Spiked.
• “How Marxism created the West” – Its rotting carcass sprouted every political movement, argues James McElroy in UnHerd.

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