Face Mask Hell
I’m still not over yesterday’s announcement that face coverings will become mandatory in shops from July 24th. Apart from everything else, the only coverings the Government is insisting on are cloth ones, which every man and his dog knows are COMPLETELY USELESS. As Allison Pearson says in her excellent comment piece in today’s Telegraph, “anything other than tight-fitting, surgical-grade masks are utterly pointless – like trying to stop a bullet with a chain-link fence”. I mean, the evidence that the gold-standard N95 masks are effective in non-healthcare settings is threadbare at best – and they have to be disposed of after a single use. There is literally no evidence that re-usable cloth masks are effective in community settings. None. It’s like wearing a tin foil hat in case you get struck by lightening – an ineffective way to protect yourself from an almost non-existent risk. What has become of us?
I was busy trying to debunk this nonsense yesterday, doing an interview on TalkRadio with Mark Dolan and Iain Dale on LBC, and writing a piece for the Telegraph entitled “Mandatory masks are a matter of politics, not public health“.
Face nappies were not the main focus of my ire in that article, but the absurd report by the Academy of Medical Sciences that just happened to be published on exactly the same day the Government announced it would be making masks mandatory.
It cannot be a coincidence that on the day the Government announces that face coverings in shops will be mandatory from 24 July, a group of scientists led by Sir Patrick Vallance has issued a dire warning about the risk of a ‘second wave’ unless we “get on top of things”.
According to this group of 37 scientists from the Academy of Medical Sciences, 119,000 people will die from COVID-19 in hospital this winter. In fact, the death toll could be even higher, they warn, because they haven’t factored in likely deaths in care homes. In the executive summary, the list of steps we need to take to “get on top of things” includes “wearing face coverings in settings where physical distancing is not possible”, i.e. shops. You don’t have to be David Icke to wonder if there are signs of collusion here.
Before getting into the shortcomings of this report, I allow that its 37 authors are probably right about one thing: the increase in demand for hospital care this winter resulting from all those patients turned away by the NHS this spring.
Hospitals suspended all surgery that wasn’t “essential” during the crisis – due to fears of “the surge” – which means that millions of scheduled operations have been cancelled in the last four months, as well as screening programmes and outpatient care. Consequently, the NHS will be dealing with a huge backlog of patients this winter as a result of unnecessarily turning all those people away this spring. The Academy of Medical Sciences predicts hospital waiting lists could increase from 4.2 million to 10 million by the end of the year.
The rest of the report, though, is the usual scaremongering balls. For one thing, the scientists assume that between 90 and 95% of the UK population hasn’t yet been exposed to the virus, based on the ONS’s seroprevalence surveys. But as I was at pains to point out in my exchange with Dr Adam Rutherford on Monday, just because a person has no detectable IgG antibodies doesn’t mean they haven’t come into contact with SARS-CoV-2 or, if they haven’t, that they’ll be completely defenceless when they are. In other words, the boffins haven’t taken account of T-cell mediated immunity, which significantly lowers the percentage of the population that’s still vulnerable to the disease. Indeed, we may have achieved herd immunity by the time winter is upon us. (Australia is doing pretty well, in spite of it being winter there.)
Then there’s the fact that the authors of the report have over-estimated the infection fatality rate, which they put at 1.1%. The CDC’s recent “best estimate” was a quarter of that, and it will likely fall even further.
And finally, Sir Patric Vallance’s merry men have inserted a ludicrously pessimistic assumption about the infection fatality rate in the absence of the soul-destroying precautions they’re urging us to take, such as wearing face nappies in supermarkets.
The scientists’ “reasonable worst case scenario” assumes the reproduction rate of the virus, absent special measures, will be 1.7, meaning that 10 people that are infectious with COVID-19 will go on to infect a further 17. But according to Professor Carl Heneghan and others, the R number had fallen to below one in the week leading up to the full lockdown on March 23 because the more modest social distancing measures that had been introduced already, which did not include mandatory face coverings, were effective. So why have these 37 experts assumed that the same more modest measures would mean the R number climbing to 1.7 this winter?
My conclusion is that these “experts” are a group of tame lapdogs doing the bidding of their political masters.
I’m afraid that this report looks suspiciously like a propaganda exercise to try and make compulsory face nappies appear more reasonable. The scientists are right about the stress that’s likely to be placed on the NHS this winter from the backlog of patients who weren’t able to access hospital care this spring. But they would do well to remember that the reason those patients were turned away was because of apocalyptic predictions about the “surge” in demand for critical care that turned out to be wildly inaccurate. Let’s not repeat that mistake.
But I regret to say I missed something which a lecturer in mechanical engineering has flagged up to me. Which is that the report’s authors haven’t created their own model, but have relied on the notoriously flawed Imperial College model. Yup, their 119,000 number has been spat out by the same gimcrack computer model held together with sellotape and chewing gum that produced the 510,000 figure back in March.
My eagle-eyed informant writes:
Ignoring appropriate academic practice, the report’s authors are not transparent about how the modelling was carried out. Following up references 42 and 46 on p.12 reveals that it is the Imperial College model, and Ferguson appears in the acknowledgements. A casual reader might assume that the report team did the modelling. They are claiming that “The modelling estimates 119,900… hospital deaths between September 2020 and June 2021” . Have these people learned nothing? Prediction 510k (or 250k, depending), 45k actual (for “with covid” deaths). To suggest that the number of deaths likely to occur is nearly three times greater than shoving the infectious elderly back into care homes is unfathomable. I assume that hospitals will not be repeating that calamity.
Sartre famously said “hell is other people”, but I think I can improve on that. Hell is exactly the same people being wheeled out to provide cover every time the Government wants to take away another of our liberties.
Stop Press: I will keep you posted about the below, spotted on Twitter earlier.
Sceptic of the Week
One voice spoke for the nation in the House of Commons yesterday – or, rather, that tiny part of it that is sceptical. And that man was Sir Desmond Swayne, Conservative MP for New Forest West.
“Nothing would make me less likely to go shopping, than the thought of having to mask up!” he bellowed across the chamber when Matt Hancock made his announcement.
I’ll leave it to Michael Deacon, the Telegraph‘s parliamentary sketch writer, to tell the rest.
He was aflame with indignation. It was quite out of character. Normally in the Commons Sir Desmond prides himself on his calm concision, challenging himself to ask questions in the fewest words possible. His record is believed to be three, which he set in May 2018 following a promise by the then Transport Secretary to pursue a “digital railway strategy”. Sir Desmond’s question, in full, was: “What is it?”
Here, however, he was so enraged that he flung brevity to the wind. This was no time for holding back. An Englishman’s face, after all, was his castle.
“Was this consultation with the police force,” he fumed, “and in particular with the chief constable of Hampshire? For it is she who will have to enforce this monstrous imposition” – he spat out this phrase as if it were a maggot in a mouthful of apple – “this monstrous imposition against myself, and a number of outraged and reluctant constituents!”
Competition to Find Best Riposte to Crazy Masked Lady
A reader has been in touch with an interesting brain teaser:
I’ve just received a stern telling off for not wearing a mask on the tube by a crazy masked lady with a posh voice telling me she’s lost six (I tell you six!) family members to the “virus”. I must admit I was left a bit lost for words but obviously still mask free. What should my response have been?!
Please email your answers to me here. I’ll publish the best tomorrow.
No Mask Enforcement in Supermarkets
Got an encouraging message from a reader who works for a high street supermarket chain.
This morning (14/07) we were told that employees would not be expected to wear face coverings, but customers would. However, we should also wait for further advice from head office.
This afternoon, further advice came. The present position is that we have been told “under no circumstances to try and enforce this rule on customers and put ourselves at risk”.
I think everyone should be encouraged that enforcement may not occur at all. Certainly, most of my colleagues have said they won’t be wearing one.
One in the Eye for Pravda
Good spot from regular Lockdown Sceptics contributor Guy de la Bédoyère yesterday morning:
The BBC’s self-appointed role as the Government’s Pravda slightly backfired this morning when Naga Munchetty interviewed the virologist Professor Jonathan Ball of the University of Nottingham at about half past eight. Her opening, loaded and leading, question was: “Can you explain why (her emphasis) it is important that face coverings are worn in particular environments such as shops and public transport?”
Ball obligingly explained the theory but went on… “the reality is that we know face coverings trap large droplets and therefore if somebody coughs or sneezes it will reduce the chances of them spreading those droplets but unfortunately when people go about their daily lives they often touch those masks; if they are infected they’ll contaminate their hands and they’ll go on to contaminate surfaces so I think that it’s very important everybody understands that the evidence for mask wearing isn’t great but also it may come with hidden risks that they may help spread the virus.”
As ever the Government trope that somehow scientific opinion is a unitary force was exposed once more as nonsense. So now we face 100 quid fines for wearing things that might, in one scientist’s view at least, actually have the potential to extend the virus’s reach.
What’s next then? Street corner marshalls accosting shoppers to inspect masks and how often they’ve been cleaned? Hazmat suits? Why not just dynamite every high street in the country to protect people from shops altogether?
Round-Up
And on to the round-up of all the stories I’ve noticed, or which have been been brought to my attention, in the last 24 hours:
- ‘Compulsory face masks are proof the British bulldog has become the scaredy-cat of Europe‘ – Allison Pearson on top form in the Telegraph
- ‘First masks were useless, now they’re compulsory – Boris might as well stop “following the science” and start tossing a coin for all the sense he makes‘ – Good jeremiad by Janet Street-Porter in the Daily Mail
- ‘Face Masks Pose Serious Risks To Healthy Individuals‘ – A neurosurgeon spells out the dangers of face nappies in Principia Scientific
- ‘Masks Are Neither Effective Nor Safe: A Summary Of The Science‘ – Good summary of the evidence, or lack of it, concerning face coverings in Technocracy News and Trends
- ‘This ludicrous mask decision shows this is a Government driven by fear‘ – Strong piece by Philip Johnston in the Telegraph
- ‘The problem with face masks is moral, not medical‘ – Lively piece in the Article by Sean Walsh
- ‘Face masks in all public places under consideration‘ – Of course they are. Looking forward to reading the Academy of Medical Sciences on why this is essential to prevent [checks notes] a gazillion deaths
- ‘The Science and Law of Refusing to Wear Masks: Texts and Arguments in Support of Civil Disobedience‘ – Useful compendium of the law around face masks and what you’re legally permitted to do – or, rather, not do
Small Businesses That Have Re-Opened
A few weeks 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. 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.
Note to the Good Folks Below the Line
I enjoy reading all your comments and I’m glad I’ve created a “safe space” for lockdown sceptics to share their frustrations and keep each other’s spirits up. But please don’t copy and paste whole articles from papers that are behind paywalls in the comments. I work for some of those papers and if they don’t charge for premium content they won’t survive.
I know it becomes difficult to navigate the comment threads after 24 hours. One alternative to continuing to post below my updates is to move to the forum on Lockdown Truth. The creator of that site has extended a warm welcome to everyone here (and he’s launching a crowdfunder to mount a legal challenge against the face mask edict which you can read about here).
Shameless Begging Bit
Thanks as always to those of you who made a donation in the last 48 hours to pay for the upkeep of this site. It usually takes me several hours to do these updates, which doesn’t leave much time for other work. If you feel like donating, however small the amount, please click here. And if you want to flag up any stories or links I should include in future updates, email me here. I’ll try and get another update done soon.
And Finally…
For those miscreants who haven’t yet subscribed, here’s a link to the latest episode of London Calling, mine and James Delingpole’s weekly podcast. This week we discuss Prince Harry’s hostage video, my looming holiday in Italy and the horror – the absolute horror! – of mandatory face masks.
To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.
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This comment under the Janet Street-Porter article linked by Toby shows the kind of puerile thinking we are up against:
“65% less infection at least with masks – Vietnam 100 million people all masked from day 1 cases only 372 no deaths.”
Well that’s a slam dunk then. Make masks mandatory forever, everywhere.
I have visited Vietnam twice in the last five years and do not recall seeing anyone wearing a mask, at any time, for any reason.
What evidence is there that all 100 million people in Vietnam were wearing a mask from “day one”? When was day one? What is the source for the 65% figure? How reliable are the cases/deaths statistics? Are there any other factors which could explain these statistics? And so on.
I see similar comments all the time – “universal” mask-wearing is responsible for the better pandemic outcomes in various Asian nations. If mask-wearing were truly universal, why did a number of those countries mandate masks at some point in the pandemic? And why did those countries have so many cases (noting that some of them, like Japan, didn’t even do mass testing). Full of holes, just like their lousy cloth masks.
If they stop it, why do they always wear them, they never seem to get rid of any virus’ in those countries
pollution.
If face masks were so affective why did covid-19 leave Wuhan and infect the world.As for Japan no lockdown but like us at the beginning they quarantine infected and suspected people.This is why Japan as only suffered 1000 deaths even though they population is twice ours. This is how you control a pandemic not this constant change for change sack.
The problem is the age old correlation/causation fallacy. There are a million and one reasons why Asia may have better outcomes – if it can be truly shown that they do have better outcomes. Here’s one: they had sars1. Maybe they have more exposure to other coronaviruses and have a lot more immunity. I wouldn’t stand by that, either, and we shouldn’t pretend that we know the answers any more than these stupid mask people believe that “they wear masks and have lower deaths, therefore…” is a slam dunk. Any scientist who published something based on that sort of data would be fired on the spot.
Would always favour nature over big brother
maybe their govt did not order the health service to record every death as cv nor ventilate the sick immediately?
Same on Radio 4 today. Japanese people wear masks. Japanese people have fewer deaths with Covid. Ergo masks prevent Covid. You could not imagine a more bovinely stupid conclusion.
I blame modern education, especially the social sciences. They just don’t seem to embrace logical rigour and scientific method.
Post hoc ergo proctor hoc. They’re all at it. Ask them what a syllogism meant and they’d probably think it was some sort of premature ejaculation.
That should be “post hoc ergo PROPTER hoc”.
Logic should be a required course of study for every child. Plus remedial courses each step along the way to refresh their memory and keep their powers of logic faultless.
Except Japanes people have greater incidence of flu despite mask wearing reaching fetishism levels in Japan.
https://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/influenza-pneumonia/by-country/
Japan hasn’t had a lockdown and under one thousand deaths.
As the old joke goes, ‘21.2% out of 23 respondents said that 51.232% of statistics are completely reliable’.
Good news, I’d heard that 85% were made up.
At least 2 decimal places to give the comfortable reassurance of spurious precision. 84.83% is the number you were looking for.
Shouldn’t there be a 33 in there somewhere?
And let’s not forget presentation. Useful words and phrases: “under” to suggest low, “over” to suggest high, “majority” despite it being a minority when don’t knows are taken into account, and “respected” polling outfit (when it’s actually run by new Labour apparatchiks).
Schoolboy error. You should play with the confidence interval in which case you’ll find a mere 24% were made up or, alternatively, a damning 98% if you prefer.
A surge in made up statistics, a terrifying second wave of them
The table in the Mail article shows that masks are obligatory in shops and parks in France.
They aren’t (yet anyway)
Masks are obligatory in France in some shops, not supermarkets, on public transport, on entering/leaving/moving around a restaurant but not seated, places like hairdressers. As from 01 August all public places, but the Government has yet to issue a list of public places that will be included. For example, offices, hotels – will they be included?
Zero new deaths currently, single digits for weeks, very few new infections since end of May. But… it’s all to stop that pesky second wave.
I’m going to get on to this. I have a friend living in Hanoi. I’ll email her now in the hopes she hasn’t gone off to bed yet.
My Hanoi correspondent has told me they were being worn back in January. She is yet to tell me, however, if they are still being worn by everyone in the country.
Thanks for checking this out. Apparently it was made mandatory in public by the Vietnamese government on March 16th, much earlier than most other countries. Whether this has anything whatsoever to do with the low cases/deaths is still an open question.
If it has, why effective in Vietnam not Wuhan and why do mask wearing Countries still have serious influenza epidemics?
My friend in Hanoi responded to m question:- “Is everyone now wearing a mask all the time”
No ..perhaps 70% of folks in buses – mandatory when boarding a plane.
Then she sent me a short video of people noshing in her husbands work canteen. People sat shoulder to shoulder and not a mask in view.
Vietnam, like China, is run by the Communist Party and so statistics are produced to order.
“Well that’s a slam dunk then. Make masks mandatory forever, everywhere.”
Slam dunk? Er, no, not exactly. I’m not sure how you arrive at that conclusion. A random anonymous thought from someone on a DM comment thread is not definitive, is it?
This is currently the top rated comment on that thread:
“Making masks compulsory in the 4th month of a pandemic is like bringing condoms to a baby shower. (not my credit) but good grief what a incompetent government.”
A little better.
Good point, constant vigilance is required to avoid confirmation bias and projection. Maintaining a clear, rational thought process is a constant challenge.
Classic deliberate and desperate cause and effect mix up.
But you cannot reason with a fanatic, least of all with one who is part of a like minded crowd- see Brexit…
Your recent early morning updates have been a salve to this father currently in the mire of night feeds, Toby – thank you! I feel slightly more optimistic about the mandatory muzzle edict after having a day to digest the news. Something is telling me that as this ramshackle shitshow of a Government lurches from one idiosyncratic, trigger-happy ruling to the next, a great fire of utter resentment for them will start to burn across our land. From bizarre quarantine orders to the locking down of Leicester, to the continued assault on the high street and small businesses by this dehumanising, rotten command to suffocate on our own exhalations as we traipse around these places. Add to that the inevitable nastiness that is already present on the likes of Twitter, but will invariably spill out into wider society as we enter a new shaming culture perpetrated by hysterical muzzealots. Your average punter will become very pissed off with it all, very quickly I’ll bet. I feel this will gradually precipitate a trickle of scepticism towards these oppressive measures within the general public, and the flock will start to slowly thin. People previously cowed into silence may soon find their voices.… Read more »
The sooner, the better. I can’t take this for much longer. I have a hidden disability, so I have plenty of discrimination to look forward to over the coming months. It’s posts like this that keep me going.
“I can’t take this for much longer.”
You can. Yes, you can.
I’m very glad I can put you mildly at ease Andy, although I feel incredibly angry that people such as yourself could potentially suffer abuse and intimidation from the muzzealots simply for suffering from a nonobvious disability that would exempt you from wearing a mask.
I’d suggest a very brightly-coloured lanyard with the words “MASK EXEMPT” emblazoned across it, many are now available via eBay if this assists you. Hopefully, that would repel the bulk of the bedwetters!
I hate the ‘papers please’ aspect of this, though. Since when have we ever had to show any proof of anything to enter a shop?
Hi Andy
Keep smiling – we’re all in this together and we WILL prevail 🙂
Stay strong, we are in this together.
Don’t forget: Freedom is slavery.
War is peace.
Ignorance is strength.
Great post, really boosts my morale this morning. Thanks Scotty.
Well said Scotty. Toby’s post and your comment has made my day! 🙂
And you may be right. Someone on You Tube wondered if this will be Boris’ Poll Tax moment. We might not have to wait until October for the shit to hit the fan.
Yes, I thought Poll Tax moment too. They introduced it in Scotland in 1989, a year earlier than in England. Few down south seemed that bothered about what was happening close by. But that changed with a vengeance when they attempted it in England. The civil disobedience led directly to the fall of the Thatcher government.
The parallels with the current situation and mood seem compelling. And Johnson has far, far less residual goodwill than Thatcher.
And of course Johnson will have it far worse because of the soaring unemployment and bankruptcy rates. I don’t think we’ve seen the worst of it yet but come September when the next rent cycle begins and October when the furlough scheme ends, its not going to end well.
Yep, storm clouds gathering everywhere for Planet Johnson. And the clown will be too stupid to have realised it yet.
This is not going to end well for him. Despite the sheep conforming to the muzzles and going “I’m all right Jack” the silent majority are getting restless. If the government thinks that they should be afraid of the BLM protesters they should be even more afraid of Joe and Jane Public who having lost their jobs and homes will start to believe that they have nothing to lose by rioting.
If only Bart. I’m quite disgusted with my fellowmen, I can’t understand how easily they fell for this stunt. So many accept these draconian rules without so much as a wimper of resistance. There is so much going on here than meets the eye.
Going back to work two days ago was a real eye opener because I’ve never seen so many brainwashed people in one room in my entire life.
As I told Mr Bart, I’m convinced that over half of them would willingly join the Stasi if it existed here.
When I was young I used to wonder how Nazi Germany happened and comforted myself that it could never happen here. I am no longer so complacent….I see all to easily how it could happen. Its no coincidence that its called ‘herd immunity’…thats what the human race is…a herd with no individuality…except for the good people on this site of ALL political persuasions.
Have you read ‘They Thought They were Free: The Germans 1933-1945’ by Milton Mayer? It leaves little room for doubt as to how easily a population can be made to embrace totalitarianism. And I agree with you about this site. An oasis for many of us, wherever we’ve come from. (‘Love your handle, by the way 🙂 )
Aw thanks Corporal Jones lives on but I am sure Dads Army will be banned one day. Thanks for that reference it sounds a very interesting book. I shall try and get hold of that.
That’s a good recommend, many thanks.
what about the USSR in 1917?
The little black book of communism
Exactly. Even the Soviet Union during the Great Purges was the same, the veneer of civilisation is only skin deep, underneath is the thick layer of barbarism. What we’re seeing now is barbarism and one that’s causing greater damage than those inflicted by the Germanic tribes in the run up to the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
Totally agree, been saying that meself lately. Another of life’s mysteries solved. Now to the mystery of where our politicians have all gone, and why their collective (metaphorical) b*lls have shrivelled to the size of frozen peas (ie slightly larger than their brains).
They would have also surrendered to Hitler in September 1939.
To quote Gerald Celente, “when people lose everything, they lose it.”
It’s all about where you get your information from.
My asthmatic friend has been happily living in her lockdown bubble, listening to iplayer and discovering the joys of having her food delivered. She has been very indignant about people who dared to cycle or walk through the village.
When I’ve complained about lockdown, she’s given me the “but what can you do about it, might as well make the best of it, just accept that’s what’s happening right now” etc etc etc.
Yesterday, she had a rant about how young people’s futures have been unnecessarily destroyed. I quietly pointed out that I’ve been angry about that since April.
Hopefully the penny is starting to drop.
Worried that 99% of the population have been successfully brainwashed by government (so called) leaders, the media and social media lockdown zeolots, excluding a few of my free thinking, enlightened friends (4 out of 5 being in medical professions – human and animal but silenced by employment contract terms). Have posted different credible and detailed peer reviewed published scientific and medical articles on my own FB page and in local groups and received silence from all but my medic friends, some FB friends ‘unfriending me’ in response, or they have posting rude or challenging comments (with government propaganda or social media untruth. From the 4 local groups it brought me a torrent of quite shocking, aggressive and mostly personally directed abuse each time. A few locals have ‘liked’ my posts and the brave ones commented they were interesting, only to have other group members then round on them with invective; the least aggressive simply add laughing emojis. After receiving more of the same this morning following a share of 2 of the articles flagged up at the end of Toby’s letter on the ineffectiveness and harmful consequences of wearing masks, I have decided to continue with my posts in the… Read more »
This will be over when the majority realise it’s a scam. Keep at it..
People fear death more than loss of liberty.
Even if it’s just a small risk.
It’s very sad, isn’t it.
I can honestly say that if we had to live like this forever, I’d rather be dead. (And I tihnk the suicide rates probably back me up – terrible that all the truly *alive* people will be killing themselves whilst all the braindead drones are left alive)
That’s just what I have been thinking. I am just so so lonely. I moved to this area recently and had just started to join some groups and make contacts. And then lockdown. So now I am all alone, with a husband who is too busy with his own stuff to care that I am totally alone and depressed. And I can see no end to it. All the groups I had just joined have shut down. How on earth do I meet anyone now? I am just so so lonely and depressed.
maybe there’s somewhere else we can go and live?
The BLM protesters were mostly young trendy middle class girls…hardly something to quake in your boots about…though admittedly there were some thugs on the fringes.
Agreed. In January, I’d have said there’s no chance of a rebellion but it was all about bread and circuses till then. With the circuses (Love Island, X-Factor et al) forced out, all it will take is for the bread (via the furlough scheme) to stop flowing in time for Winter of Discontent – the sequel.
I’m of the opinion the furlough scheme will never end, but will morph into UBI or whatever they will call it. Already they are ramping up the fear porn for the second wave this coming winter so it seems unlikely they will stop furlough in October, on the cusp of winter. “Free” money forever seems to be the mantra of governments around the world and has been for some time now.
That will still be unsustainable. The BoE are already sounding the alarm over QE and the ballooning debt. They can’t be printing money forever and once various sectors such as hospitality, retail, tourism, culture and heritage flounder there won’t be any money to bail them all out.
Governments have been on an unsustainable footing for years. The bailouts never really ended from the last time. As for the BoE sounding the alarm, they are the ones causing the conflagration. Never allow the arsonist to act as firefighter. They shouldn’t be printing money, but that doesn’t mean they won’t test the bounds of what was previously though unthinkable. I certainly hope they won’t, because you are absolutely right, it is unsustainable, distorting and immoral. I fully expect them to continue on this path though because if they stop, the real crash begins.
Agree. We are heading for a crash anyway come what may, the UBI won’t help especially when people realise that it will be useless when it comes to paying their bills.
It’s vitally important that every one of us starts local trade systems (LETS) with locally issued currency. Under Gates’ vision for Global Reset, free market enterprise will cease to exist. This is why Western economies have been demolished. Only state partners will actually trade. The rest of us will have jobs. And there won’t be access to jobs or bank accounts without your vaccination record / digital ID / social credit score.
The only solution to this and the only means by which economic freedom can be re-established or maintained is to have local trade networks and currencies that are outside the control of this system. Such schemes were popular in the 70’s and we urgently need to revive them now. They hold the key to freedom.
A town in New York has started up a LETS using currency printed on wood using an old fashioned printing press. But there are also many pre-rolled packages for the creation of digital currency.
Perhaps skeptics could even start a national network of trade and counter economics. This is highly subversive stuff. Expect it to be made illegal. But it’s the key to freedom itself and it’s therefore absolutely crucial.
Start here https://www.letslinkuk.net/
We’ve got one here in Sussex –
https://www.thelewespound.org/
I’m not far from Lewes and never knew about their £
God knows there was nowhere to spend them in Lewes until very recently. Very ‘Guardian’, Lewes. Cliffe High Street is a bit more capitalist. Must be the Harvey’s…
I recommend looking into Bitcoin. It’s a much steeper learning curve than using wood (!), but it is the only sound money of the digital world as far as I know. It is slowly taking off in those countries with currency collapse (Venezuela, Lebanon) amongst the younger population. It is a rabbit hole though, so not something one can look into without adequate attention.
Bitcoin?
I don’t think so.
Video of Saifedean Ammous at Mises Institute in 2019. 20 minutes long. A good primer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkNhSPxFsnY
Some call it digital gold. Bitcoin isn’t yet for everyone, you really need to be somewhat technical but it appears to be the best chance for a new currency outside of the state.
The problem with Bitcoin is that it’s too volatile, it has fluctuated from £4,000 to £10,000 in the last year. You quickly lose a lot of money on it. The other thing is it’s pretty much tied to China now as that is where the majority of the mining takes place, I think that dip to £4,000 was because China said they were had plans to regulate bitcoin.
Also, only 60% of bitcoin is in circulation, 40% is basically unusable due to lost keys.
There’s definitely a long way to go before it can be considered an alternative currency and achieve mass adoption. Volatility being the main problem for many. You certainly wouldn’t want to put your savings in it at the moment. I’m not sure about the 40% figure for lost keys as no one can really know what the figure is. You might be right, but even so, the price adjusts to reflect this over time. As for being tied to China, I don’t know enough about mining locations to comment. I do know that states, even China, will find it hard to regulate Bitcoin. They can make decrees and try to confiscate the low hanging fruit, but there are ways to avoid state censorship/confiscation. Despite that dip you mention, the price is back up suggesting the Chinese regulation plans either don’t hold much water, or people aren’t too concerned about it (maybe they should be?). Even so, I don’t doubt all states will do everything they can to stop the rise of a competing currency. The monopoly on money is the most important tool of repression a state has in its arsenal. Again, it’s not going to replace GBP or USD… Read more »
I am a huge fan of Lockdown Sceptics living in Tokyo (no such lockdown here fortunately!) I am a heavy bitcoin miner (Bitcoin Cash to be more precise). I chose to locate my mining hardware in China at a private mining farm set up at a hydro electric plant by enthusiasts. China has very cheap electricity prices so market forces are behind the high prevalence of mining in China, but it doesn’t mean bitcoin is “tied to China”. I’m 100% in control of my mined bitcoins which are transmitted daily to my phone wallet. Also, many dismiss bitcoin on grounds of price volatility but they need to zoom out and look at the longer term price performance. Bitcoin (and it’s forks) has appreciated exponentially, even going through six major crashes in it’s 11 year existence. Volatility continues to reduce as usage in commerce increases. There’s a thriving community of Tokyo bitcoiners who use Bitcoin Cash every day to buy beer in bars, food in restaurants, pay bills, move money instantly around the world and use for flights and hotels, all without touching banks, government payment services and avoiding surveillance. And there are many such communities around the world who are… Read more »
The main problem with BTC is that it requires access to Telecoms networks. It may not be possible to get on the internet in future without your digital ID. The currency needs to be totally independent of government control. Otherwise it’s pointless.
You might be right, although I wouldn’t go so far as saying it is pointless. Even in countries with severe repression/hyperinflation that have tried to use Internet kill switches, etc., Bitcoin’s use has grown. There are also technical ways around the telecoms issue. None that most people can possibly do now, but that could change.
I agree though, the currency needs to be totally independent of government control. I still think Bitcoin is the best shot we have.
edit: I fully support your comment that says “Perhaps skeptics could even start a national network of trade and counter economics”.
Will you marry me? Our future predictions are almost %100 same we could be a good couple :))
Bitcoin can be stored offline and transmitted through any network, or even printed to paper. Ad-hoc mesh networks can be created by individuals without the need for “last mile” ISPs who are controlled by governments. Mesh networks can be created/joined with nothing more than a mobile phone or domestic router. Join a bunch of mesh networks together and you can have a metropolitan area network free of any ISP control. join a bunch of those together and you have a free decentralised internet, and the ISPs and governments effectively get orphaned. You can further protect yourself from surveillance by always using a good VPN like Mullvad which you can purchase anonymously using Bitcoin Cash.
Precious metals is what Peter Schiff and other economists recommend. Also dry goods you can barter if everything goes down. Time to prep.
And ciggies. And spirits. Good barter goods, even if you don’t smoke or drink yourself.
How soon before they help themselves to our savings, all done as doing our civic duty.
They already are sadly, with low (and already negative in real terms, but soon to be negative in nominal terms as well) interest rates.
Done to the Greeks in recent years, according to my plumber who has Greek relatives. Private pension and savings pots all raided directly. If use of cash is banned because it is dirty and can harbour virus particles, we will not even have the option to hide it under the bed!
In Cyprus in 2012 depositors had their savings looted by the government in what has been described as a ‘haircut’. In Greece and recently in Hong Kong, ATM withdrawal limits were put in place preventing people from accessing their funds. And in the UK to pay for Covid related government incompetence, the government is already looting so called “dormant” accounts. So if you’ve not touched your savings for a pre-determined period the govt will simply help themselves. Basic rule to remember is, money you deposit at the bank doesn’t belong to you any more, it belongs to the bank, which is an arm of the government who can do what they like. You simply have a claim to the amount you deposited. In times of economic crisis, due to fractional reserve banking system, the government and all other depositors will have a claim to the bank’s limited reserves and you could be left high and dry. The other sinister method they use to get access to your wealth is inflation, which they control through the supply of money in circulation (i.e. printing it out of thin air). Bitcoin’s is outside of the reach of government control and has a limited… Read more »
There is no reason why electronic money printing cannot carry on forever if the Central Bank is really determined to press the self destruct button….and lets face it who could rely on them not being willing to do this. Some kind of constitutional limits need to be placed on governments in terms of how far they can pursue the ‘funny money’ illusion or we are all doomed. I say that as an economist who has always been an admirer of JM Keynes. I think he would have thought the QE pantomine was a disaster.
Agreed. That UBI will have some very long strings attached. No doubt big tech will be involved with something more disturbing than China’s social credit system.
Something like this maybe:
https://www.mintpressnews.com/africa-trust-stamp-covid-19-vaccine-record-payment-system/269346/
They always test things on the voiceless first. Although, with our muzzles, we will be the voiceless.
It is unclear how much the Wellness Pass initiative is motivated by public health concerns as opposed to free market considerations. Indeed, the GAVI alliance, largely funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates and Rockefeller Foundations, as well as allied governments and the vaccine industry, is principally concerned with improving “the health of markets for vaccines and other immunization products,” rather than the health of individuals, according to its own website.
Yeesh!
Could well be. I’ve been thinking it was on the cards for a while as a consequence of increasing automation. This just accelerates the timetable. Whether that’s convenient or not, I’ll leave to other’s judgements.
David Icke has been regarded as a crackpot and he has strange theories but in some respects he is spot on. One theory he had that lockdown is deliberately designed to create mass unemployment. Lockdown is the perfect way to achieve this and we have seen huge job losses created by lockdown.
When you are unemployed your financial independence is taken away from you are dependent on the government for your income which gives the government power over you. The unemployed have suffered benefit sanctions and being forced on workfare schemes. It is scary to think Icke might be right.
Over here in America it’s been pretty obvious to many they want Trump to lose. Since he’s taken credit for the good economy they want to ruin that to beat him in the next election. Pretty crazy sounding. But for many Washington politicians it’s personal.
By whipping the masses into a panic over this “plague” they’ve encouraged them to obey orders and stay home. No matter what.
Even Trump fanatics were fearful and thought the slightest breath of air blown on them could “cause certain death.” A quote from one of the sheeple. On both sides politically.
My own mom refuses to believe the government is not interested in our well being. Insists it’s all done through sheer concern for our health. Sorry. I’ll believe the pandemic death rates are exactly as reported and lockdown saves lives long before I’ll trust any bureaucrats in Washington.
I see good cop – bad cop working as normal – but I love to be proved wrong and find a saner and more inspiring life and world to live and share in. Lockdown deaths are assigned to ‘covid19’ as well as is almost any other death. Death by all causes is the most reliable statistic and apart from deaths resulting from lockdown we are seeing roughly what happens every year but interpreted by intent to terrorise and insinuate a new normal of human beings as perpetual and persistent vectors of infection. That this accurately described consciousness with regard to totalitarian agenda is masked in code. For many, the horror of man’s inhumanity to man – in our time, in our country and in our town is too terrifying to face, and though the full consequence has yet to become apparent, cutting off life support does not make us ‘safer’. But the sense of protection from an overwhelming horror is whatever mask can be hidden behind. But ‘who told you your were naked?’ WHO told you that you were defenceless, had no immunity, and would be overwhelmed by contagion but the voice for fear? The capacity to feel and face… Read more »
It may be that disclosures are in the open but framed in way that discredit or invalidate them. (Nothing is really hidden so much as masked). I do not focus on the persons so much as on resonance and relevance to who I accept myself to be. Narrative identities operate filters and rules – as is so obvious in any polarised issues in which the issues are personalised as a means of getting identity from, whether by agreement or in opposition. The other quality I look for is coherence, congruency and integrity. Icke has persisted in ‘exposing a corrupt society’ but insofar as I have found has a vendetta against THEM – and is a brand of all about how THEY do it to us – without a real opening into who we make a version of THEM and react to it as real. Icke talks a bit ABOUT a ‘higher vibrational state’ or aligned and conscious purpose – but I don’t feel resonance with his presentation. So I can listen without needing to defend against – and feel through the noise to the signal – as with anyone else. I have a sympathy for the reptilian idea because the… Read more »
Well, the poll tax was really used by pro-EU forces to unseat Thatcher. It was just a convenient way for Heseltine etc to make her leadership increasingly difficult.
Yes, I’m sure there was something in what you say, although I think the PT was the main driving feature used by those with an anti-Thatcher agenda. As I recall, Heseltine voted for the Poll Tax implementation in Scotland, but was all put out about it in England.
The EU feature has more parallels with today.
Yes it was undoubtedly predominantly about the Tories’ beloved EU. Remember it was them who took us into it whilst Labour then were divided over it. The main Tory opponent was Enoch Powell…see Simon Heffer’s excellent biography. Politicians like Sir Geoffrey Howe,John Major and Cameron and May were EU fanatics determined to take us ever further in. Johnson was never a serious EU critic…he just rode the wave to climb to power himself. And my god look what the cretin has done with it.
I think it was much more the ‘No No No’ speech in the House of Commons which did for Mrs Thatcher. The Tory establishment could not bear to hear of their beloved EU talked about in such ways. The Tory party was stuffed with Remainers then even more than now. Most of the top brass even wanted the Euro currency. Fortunately John Major’s utter disaster with the ERM saved us from that fate.
Yes, but the poll tax invited universal opposition. This crap has a majority in favour.
Not only do I want Bojo gone but for Hancock to be strung up! It didn’t take much for him to don his jackboots, The unrelenting attacks on our civil liberties are an outrage, and yet plenty of idiots out there do not mind at all. Where will this end?
I would want to revive the Code of Hammurabi especially for both Hancock and Ferguson – its the least that they deserve: “If any one ensnare another, putting a ban upon him, but he can not prove it, then he that ensnared him shall be put to death.”
North Korea?
Wish I shared your optimism.
I do. Johnson and the lockdown stalinists have made a very serious tactical error over nappies.
In contrast to back in March, the opposition is vehement, coalescing, and gathering momentum. It isn’t going to go away.
It appears that neither the supermarkets nor the police are going to enforce nappy wearing.
I give it 50-50 that by 24 July Johnson will have climbed down from the nappy policy, and having given that ground he will be effectively finished, although he may limp on for a bit.
I really hope so.
Help to make it so!
Gosh I do so hope so. I need some hope today.
I agree, the opposition feels stronger this time. I’m trying to be hopeful.
Agreed. There is just so much information available that masks are bad for people that most will eventually catch on.
Re masks:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/14/coronavirus-mask-wearing-in-english-shops-will-be-difficult-to-enforce
The measure has had broad cross-party support, despite Swayne’s objections. One Tory source said there was privately “lots of unease” at enforcement via legislation but few wanted to raise concerns publicly.
So much for our elected representatives!!
Even Ukip issued a statement on Tuesday condemning right-wing commentators who have criticised the move. “It concerns us that so many like-minded, free-thinking people in the UK are objecting to this, calling them ‘muzzles’ and ‘face nappies’,” the party said in a statement. “We too would not support the move if the science wasn’t compelling.”
That’s very revealing!
The Guardian, and ‘Tory Source’. Who are UKIP?
It might not need much to make the ‘lots of unease’ come out in the open.
Odd to see UKIP going along with the Guardian.
They all meet round the back somewhere.
They will do as they are told – and that will be anything to keep the narrative going while the regulatory and enforcing measures are put in place such that nothing can move without attracting penalty. I do not see national politics playing any role excepting to give over power to a vertically regulated global dictate at granular or local level. But if more political sideshow is required we can always go to war or suffer a bio attack. Now I may be wrong – I would like to be wrong – but the controlling ‘class’ has committed to this ‘reset’ for generations as the basis for retaining ‘control’ even to the extent of managing collapse of the world economy and engineering of society as a system if bio-technocratic control – or perhaps lab rats. There is no humanity in those who sacrifice it to eradicate their pet hates – be that nationalism, capitalism, human viruses – whatever. Hate drives a blind agenda as self-righteous exceptionalism – and so does not see its own destructive intent or act as destructive – but as necessary or simply collateral damage. Ted Heath talked of how politicins can be ‘persuaded’ by – “you… Read more »
I really really hope you’re right in this Scotty . It currently feels like we’re going backwards not forwards and any light at the end of the tunnel is being covered up again.
The light at the end of the tunnel is actually the tail exhaust from a nuclear missile heading in our direction.
I hope that’s not how you feel! lol
Sorry Scotty, I can’t share your optimism.
I’ve just wasted an hour skimming the comments under the Allison Pearson and Philip Johnston articles in the DT. The overwhelming majority are “wear a mask, it’s s minor inconvenience, it’s your civic duty”. I despair!
I fear that the many silent sceptics will do the bare minimum to conform, shop as little as possible and mainly online, thereby failing to get a key element of the economy (the High Street) back in its feet.
I agree. It’s always tricky using online comments as a barometer, but if the pushback doesn’t come from those with a Telegraph login, then it’s not going to come from anywhere. I think may favourite comment has been “just do as your told”.
The genuine telegraph readers struggling to keep their jobs feed their family probably will struggle to stand out against an army of up to 20,000 full time information warfare agents – the 77th brigade – funded by the same people who are loosing everything as a result of having information warfare waged against them by the British army.
The top comments are rather more hopeful, but still!!!
For feel8ngs of dispair getting out to the real world and seeking brief conversations with ramdom people is a good thing. Comments are a cincentration of views. I am finding ample views as I go about that people are at least questioning through to full on where to we march. Obviously many are sucked in by fear too.
To help with dispair a polite repectful few words can help.
The government has a huge army of propagandists and behavioural psychologists poisoning the well of online discourse. You can spot them at work on Twitter very easily since they often all use the same phrases. Like leaving lights on during the blitz was used by hundreds of these nudge accounts on Twitter. The Telegraph comments have seen some powerful truths spoken so it’s not surprising it would be targeted. Especially as Johnson’s resignation is being openly called for. Johnson and Cummings have a strange echo chamber around them. Mostly middle aged women with a crush I think. These aren’t Conservatives, they are proBrexit but they are hard-line authoritarians. Pro big government, pro extreme punishment. Maybe they aren’t real people at all. Either way, I don’t doubt their views mirror those of their heroes and that is frankly terrifying. Leave comments on the Telegraph but don’t engage with the muzzle zealots. They aren’t worth the bother. The resistance is rising.
I would not mind ‘engaging’ with the muzzle zealots….in a boxing ring!
I agree. Interestingly, if you ask if they’re trolls they often disappear – no doubt to return under a different pseudonym.
The main thing is not to clog up the comments section by interacting with trolls, unless it’s very early in a spat and you can get some hard evidence in there that hopefully will be spotted by a non-troll.
Well maybe the resulting economic disaster then will finish Johnson. Whilst the DT has been the best of a terrible bunch as far as the lockdown has been concerned most of the older Tory Telegraph voters are middle class bedwetters on secured pensions and who differ little from Guardian readers on this issue. I know some people like that myself but lets just say relations have been somewhat strained of late! If their smug pensions end up collapsing I will not be offering any sympathy thats for sure.
So many of those sound the same that I’m not convinced they aren’t mostly trolls – some of those names are well known to be.
There are loads of anti-muzzle commentators posting evidence against.
All we can do is keep up the commenting. At least it gives us a public voice and provides a viewpoint other than the propaganda.
I already hate this government with a passion
Its the worse government of my lifetime…by a country mile…nothing else comes close. And I voted for the bastards!
You only have yourself to blame then.
Bloody fools the lot of you.
My only defence is the other 2 were worse! Yes I know I should have spoiled the ballot and will in future but its sad all we had was liblabcon.
What government? I cant see any real governance going on. Why hate the crisis actors who dare not move off script? But phases of a multi-generational mission creep are oversees under different frontmen or women. The ‘governing’ is being effected by huge leverages of finance – applied to globally orchestrated regulatory structures brought in on the back of fomented or hijacked movements, issues, crusades or philanthropic projects. Feeling what you feel is self-honesty – but if you stay in hate you will poison yourself and the tyrants work is done for them by your own ‘hand’. The shit is hitting the fan – albeit the fan has been unplugged and is being retargeted to point away from those who own all the bases. IE – all arenas of influence and control. No one wants the hate pain of loss that comes with being the target of blame and so the manipulation of the mind or narrative is the first base of any coup. Take the radio and tv and media tell them its all a done deal – tell them anything that undermines their ability to question or challenge, and everything that induces them to consider compliance. There must be… Read more »
Things will only kick off when the enormous job losses become evident
They need to be public sector losses they’re enjoying the furlough too much.
They will avoid those, as their Common Purpose power-base in largely employed there.
I do hope so I feel very very low after the latest fear about winter Covid deaths and mask wearing. Partly my despair is at never being allowed to visit my elderly father who lives in a care home. How can they ever feel safe with this heightened fear. Another part of my despair is that when can it possibly be safe to stop wearing face coverings? We will need to wear them until next spring at least according to the winter deaths modelling. I don’t think I can cope with the continued levels of isolation and separation. Surely it is in humane. Sorry to be negative, very low today.
My husbands mother hasnt seen her family since Feb. My brother in law was due to see her the day before they locked down Leicester again! I don’t blame you for feeling low I think this is totally cruel and humane.
They want you to feel low sadly.
And it’s working…
If in a hole stop digging: I think they hope for a ‘second wave’ to justify it all, so instead of doing what they should months ago —own up, apologise, we panicked, sorry— they just keep ramping it up.
“Stepp’d in so far that, should I wade no more,
Returning were as tedious as go o’er”
Months ago, they only needed to provide some fudged stats to prove lockdown was successful and we could all go back to work and school, well done!
For some reason they have produced lots of fudged stats to deliberately prolong the lockdown, to kill the high street and huge sectors of the economy. I can’t believe that’s merely because one lie begets many more.
They have a huge and very successful propaganda machine at their disposal. Arse-covering would never have been a problem.
They are not just killing the high street!
Very well said!
But what is happening in the UK is not unique. It is being repeated throughout Europe and parts of the USA. Some of it is copy-cat, group-think. UK masks everywhere 24 July, France 01 August. Actually I think France announced first, then UK Govt thought it would get in first on implementation.
it is tempting to see a pattern, that this, like the climate ‘science’, is being managed globally.
I can’t stop thinking about why I’m not dead… So, I work with 16,000 colleagues in Leicester hospitals. For the first two weeks of Covid-19, we weren’t allowed to wear any masks unless our patient told us they were coughing or had a high temperature. Later, after many staff had been coughed on by patients who had lied, we were eventually allowed to wear masks for all patient care. We didn’t wear masks with each other until 2 weeks ago though and although we tried to distance, we are human and therefore prone to gathering to talk and laugh. Definitely a lot less hugging and touching at work and even better hand hygiene but it’s rare for people to be 2 metres away. Note our ventilation systems are terrible. Even many of our windows don’t open. In total in our hospital, we’ve had under 2000 people admitted with or for covid-19. Of these, 450 ish have died, the rest recovered. We have 50 people currently inpatient. Sadly ONE member of staff who was in his sixties and on sick leave with a serious chronic illness has died. My point is, where are the other deaths and hospital admissions from our… Read more »
Were many staff infected?
Some, but not many. I only know numbers in my own department. 4 or 5 doctors out of 100…
Had a couple of doctors from Leicester view my house a few times now since lock down eased. No distancing or silly ppe. I think they know the score
Was there any evidence of increased admissions to your hospitals following the “surge” in cases in Leicester which led to the recent lockdown?
No
Admissions and deaths have continued to fall.
‘450 died from Covid’ – got some proof ‘doctor’?
Why so aggressive? That’s not what was written.
Here it is:
… admitted with or for covid-19. Of these, 450 ish have died, …
Well spotted.
Smell of kipper off this one is powerful.
Peter and John Smith – he doesn’t say 450 died from Covid! Please re-read and maybe apologise? Same mistake people are making when reading and misinterpreting the daily death totals!
PPE works and mortality in under 45’s is normally very low not increased greatly by COVID19. Now if you worked in a nursing home, things might be different.
My point is that we didn’t have ppe for a long time. Also we are not all under 45. We are mostly under 65 but not all and many are obese / have other health problems of their own.
It all comes down to enforcement.
If the police don’t enforce the gag, and the shops don’t enforce it, it’s dead.
If some shops enforce it, and others don’t, the enforcing shops are dead.
According to Janet S-P in the Mail, the unions are complaining. If that’s true, there is hope!
Masks are of the Devil. In my case I mean that quite literally. Let’s shame the devil, and all the zombie demons in their dirty nappies.
The Karens will enforce it.
You can ignore them!
Or hug them lol!
From the Grad:
Paddy Lillis, the general secretary of shopworkers union USDAW, said …. “We welcome the indication that shop workers will not be expected to enforce the wearing of face coverings,” he said. “They are already dealing with more abuse than normal and this could be another flashpoint.”
Unfortunately, the experience in Scotland is that almost everyone will wear a muzzle, the social pressure to conform being so great no Police action is needed. It is becoming more and more apparent that Boris, Sturgeon and around 80% of the population are complete and utter cretins incapable of critical thinking. I fear that, until the unemployment rate goes through the stratosphere, the majority of the population will do anything the politicians tell them to keep “safe”.
Quite agree; the conformity here is staggering.
I’ve noticed on my early morning walks, that passers by-walkers with and without dogs, runners and some cyclists are bare faced and friendly. We all smile and greet one another.
However, come shopping time,when the Coronafritters appear, the atmosphere changes rapidly: anxiety, suspicion, disapproving evasive glances, avoidance.
I’ll make an attempt to visit the greengrocer’s today, as the proprietors value custom and are friendly,despite wearing cloth gags over their faces.
To reiterate, my niece in London has a mask made for her by a friend, which she’s never washed. She’s perfectly well .
Tried to read the comments under Janet Street-Porter’s excellent article and had to give up, thoroughly demoralised by the group think: think isn’t appropriate; blind faith is.
This is the new replacement for religion: mass acceptance of unproven dodgy assertions underpinned by fear and compliance.
Yes, and don’t forget this winter we have the Shadow virus coming. You must be frightened of your shadow.
‘The Shadow knows’…
Yes I think if the Govt told the population to wear cybermen suits to keep safe they would do. Mind you I used to love the cybermen on Doctor Who as a kid….and the ice warriors and sea devils. Doctor Who was great then…no woke shit…happy days!
What makes you think unemployment will cause them to see the light? Many of the comments on twitter and elsewhere are along the lines of “Wear a mask so we can stop wearing masks sooner…”. When unemployment strikes, the last thing these people will think is that the lockdown and social distancing caused it. They’ll think that earlier lockdown and stricter measures would have helped the economy.
Went as an experiment to the local Coop this afternoon to see what it was like. We live in Scotland, so this is the first time since last Friday when the became mandatory. Last week very few people wearing masks.
Today, neither my Dad or I were wearing masks on the grounds of disability, if anyone asks. We were the only ones in the place without masks. Even the shop assistants, who throughout have not been wearing masks, were wearing the things. Very sad to see, but Dad and I came out unscathed – until our next visit.
What has happened to our Parliament, who have we elected? They are becoming the most draconian in the world, they have been easily bought for a long time but this is getting out of control. There are hardly any voices singing out of tune. My MP asked me ‘why I was against this temporary measure’
Can I suggest you reply to ask, if it is temporary, where is the clarity on either the end date or the circumstances under which the measure will be lifted?
Actually I already have asked that, also asked him if he was supporting Sir Desmond Swayne’s stance, no reply as yet. The DM this morning is hyping it up to the hilt, getting everyone so paranoid they will win just through that alone, its physiological warfare
The DM stinks to high heaven – always did!
All the newspapers seem to share the same smell now lol…might as well just make them one and call it Pravda.
We no longer seem to live in a Parliamentary democracy, but in a State governed by fiat law.
From Simon Dolan’s letter to MPs:
” legal mandating of face masks is just another dictatorial move adding to the 91, out of 102 coronavirus-related statutory instruments which have been passed without Parliamentary debate.”
134 and counting
https://www.hansardsociety.org.uk/publications/data/coronavirus-statutory-instruments-dashboard#total-coronavirus-sis
Anybody who thinks we still live in a Parliamentary democracy at this point is deluded.
Anybody who thinks we still live in a Parliamentary democracy at this point is deluded
I knew we didn’t even before this clusterf**k…
Wow, you are lucky to even get a reply!
Could we start a movement where if asked about a face mask just say ‘I Can’t Breathe’
I agree, that’s what I am planning to do. Or “I have breathing issues” I.e I want to breathe.
What Parliament?
Spotted yesterday at Waitrose:
Yorkshire Tea 80 bags was £2.99 now £1.99
Looks like the Great British Public has been voting with their wallets and feet.
That’s appalling, your friend should complain because I would. I wouldn’t even waste my time complaining to the Duty Manager and go straight to Head Office instead.
Admittedly I’ve not had any problems with Waitrose during this crapfest.
Bad that even Head Office was awful. They should really be worried given that John Lewis is struggling and they can be next.
I have been fortunate that the three Waitrose branches I’ve been to are OK, will go to the one near my work today to see how I get on.
Agree about their coffee – its crap and they love to virtue signal about it by taking away the disposable cups. Of course now its all moot as because of this crisis they’ve had to stop their free coffee offer.
Glad that you are getting some justice out of this. We little people have to stick together to fight this madness.
They’re worse even. They see local delis and artisan outlets as competition and try to win that trade by stocking the products that they stock.
Stopped going to our Waitrose as they are the same, now doing click and collect from Sainsburys, in and out in 2 minutes
Just boycott them…any companies that are woke or bedwetting will never get my money if I can help it,
Staff at Waitrose are a nightmare, always have been. They’ve been made “partners” in the business (for some miniscule reward) and they imagine this makes them all mini entrepreneurs who are superior to the plebs they have to serve. Some even parade in the store in smart suits, doing nothing.
Yesterday I was officiously told to stand on the markings at the checkout. I replied that they will no doubt return to being glad of my custom when this is all over so it will pay to be polite. Her face said “doesn’t compute”.
Again I would complain. I’m going to the Waitrose near my work today after 4 months, so let’s see. I have been fortunate with three other branches so far so will it be a continuation of the lucky streak or not.
Tesco have taken all their markings away
Yes – it will be interesting to see how their much more relaxed and friendly (at least in the store I use) approach goes come 24th July.
Our local Waitrose is very low key. The only grief I’ve ever had there has been from other customers.
(and I’ve never been tempted by their coffee … 🙂 ).
My son noticed early on that mask wearing seemed to weaponise the trolleys of his local Waitrose customers. He often complained that the few mask-wearers seemed totally oblivious of other customers.
I suspect that interesting times await!
I’d have been inclined to let her checkout all my shopping, then walk away without paying, leaving her to uncheck everything and have it put back on the shelves.
I used to do all my shopping at a big local Sainsbury’s because they had stuff I couldn’t get anywhere else. Once they started to replace the checkout staff with robots, I became less enamoured and discovered a little Aldi just down the road from me.
Smiley, chatty staff even throughout lockdown. Altogether, a very pleasant and much quicker shopping experience.
It’s funny how much stuff I can’t get from Aldi but don’t miss in the least!
Yes the ‘partner’ idea is to make it resemble a worker co operative. Interestingly the more stalinist communists dislike worker co ops as they ‘elevate the particular above the general’. Maybe the old tankies had a point on that one!
No….. this is deflation. I have noticed this everywhere. Do you know what follows this?
Well usually Tylean ,consumers postpone their spending which plunges the economy into recession. Japan got stuck in this in the 1990s.
Yes boycott the woke.
Who wants to be ripped off there anyway?
Good – weren’t Yorkshire Tea calling everyone who didn’t follow BLM racists whose custom they didn’t want?
Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/07/14/face-coverings-public-places-consideration/ (paywall)
Aaargh! Gove really should do something about those trousers!
The official police policy is that food shops should refuse entry to non face nappy wearers. The plan is to starve refuseniks into submission. It’s in the nature of refusenikism (no it’s a made up word) that some will never comply and die
Even in the Soviet gulags the prisoners were occasionally fed
Can Imperial College come up with a model to predict how many will die
As we descend further into this madness, my local A+E has decided to close
It serves 400,000 people. The press announcement declared we will only be able to attend there by appointment (no I’m really not making this up). The clever sods decided not to explain how you book an appointment (I want to book in for a heart attack next Tuesday)
After two hours of phone calls etc, I found the number to ring to book said appointment. Clever bunch you, you guessed right, it just rang and rang
Could Boris’s scientist predict how many this little jape will kill?
Ah, genocide under a Dictator, don’t you just love it
Who’s clapping now?
Partly what this is about, the lack of clapping on 72nd NHS anniversary. The mob working out what’s really happened.
Yes! Keep that thought in mind! Yes, it was a contrived mess on the 72nd.
A street where the beeb cameras were and a hospital helipad of nurses and that was it. Keep that in mind – how they built it up, trailed it and swept past it.
Of what significance is a 72nd birthday? What a joke.
I never did…pure North Korea.
Ah, they will just come back with Starkey’s ‘How can it be genocide when there are so many of these damn plebs still out there’!
Can you post us a link please.
A tsunami of stupidity.
Went to Central London yesterday to do a few errands and to paraphrase Michael Jackson, its bad, its bad and you know it. Oxford Street – slightly more traffic but buses mostly only had five passengers or less, one that sped past me was even empty! People milling about and there’s virtually no anti-social distancing. Hardly anyone going inside the shops, no queues in Primark or Sports Direct. Argyll Street (Liberty area) and Regent Street – the same despite the windows advertising sales of up to 70% off. A few tried to entice me to come in by asking “can I help you?” I would say “no thanks” and walk away. There was a queue outside the Apple Store but not as large as during the first day of reopening, saw them turn away a woman not wearing a muzzle despite her saying that she had COPD. Appalling. Covent Garden – again virtually empty. A few saddos queuing outside Apple Store. If this is the state of the High Street now, the mandatory muzzling come 24 July will be another nail in the coffin of Central London and other High Streets up and down the country. Boris and co, you… Read more »
Bart – how did you travel in?
Underground. I live in NW London and I have an exemption badge so have not been wearing a muzzle.
Yikes! This was yesterday and they were already demanding muzzles?!
Funny how the muzzle wearing was announced yesterday evening after my trip. Obviously no-one in the government has gone shopping and see for themselves that antisocial distancing has been a disaster for the high street and this muzzle wearing will only hasten their demise.
Seems like they really want armegeddon.
Indeed we did but in this instance one of his songs was too good not to quote 🙂
The logic of mask wearing is something like this: you may be a carrier but have no symptoms. The virus will always be around, because even when a vaccine is found this won’t be 100% effective. The virus is deadly, so almost any action possible must be taken to combat the spread, even if it saves just one life. So I see no end to masks, forever.
Granted the muzzle zealots will be fine with that, but while they are numerous I can’t believe they are in a majority. I think those who are going along with this to be helpful, as the next phase of flatten the curve, will be pretty disappointed when they begin to realise it’s probably forever.
It may be a good argument to use, with some. How long are you happy to mask up for, given that it will be as a minimum anywhere indoors.
If you are asymptomatic, you are NOT coughing and sneezing so you will not be forcing out large numbers of covid-laden aerosol!
Covid-laden aerosol is a good description of Boris. Is he really so dumb that despite having had covid and unfortunately surviving he thinks wearing that ridiculous mask helps anyone?
It is not deadly, not from the WW numbers. It is infectious but not deadly that is why it was downgraded in March
You would have thought they would have taken the napkin away with them to chuck it in the bin would you? If they were so obsessed about protection they would do so.
However I have learned that joined up thinking isn’t many people’s strongest suit.
I hate to depress everyone but the latest Imperial offering creates the perfect fair accompli for a “successful lockdown” in the autumn at the slightest sign of a rise in “infections” anywhere in Europe. The government have their ducks in a row to claim “success” whether they don’t lock down again, “it was the face nappies what won it”, or they do, “it was the lockdown what won it”. That there won’t be a second wave of the cough is now immaterial, the government can take credit for beating it anyway.
Is it really all about jabbing us, all of this physiological warfare?
Yes!
No, I don’t think so; I am with Orwell when he wrote that the purpose of power is power!
I know there is lots of mask wearing in Europe, but I don’t know exactly how widespread it is. I imagine there’s not much in Sweden, and possibly in some of the more central and eastern countries (Hungary, Czech Republic). They’ll need to explain to people how it is that those countries survive the winter without carnage (assuming they do) – if of course anyone here is paying attention.
So in NZ (winter), got relatives there, they are living as normal, even been to theatre. No masks, nothing
They are carrying on as normal but have closed their borders and will have to keep them closed until there is a vaccine which could be never.
Yes, although people are coming in still but quarantine is forced for 2 weeks, they had 4 ‘escape’ last week. But closed borders and normal life for the people sounds like bliss
I can assure you it’s not. But I’m in the minority I think. Most people here in NZ smugly think we are doing so well. But it’s a false sense of bliss. Only achievable by keeping us cut off from the rest of the world. Very hard for those of us with family overseas. If it continues like this airlines will just stop flying here, and then what? And this state of “bliss” is costing us millions to maintain, both in terms of lost tourism and forced quarantine of returning citizens. No one seems to be asking our (NZ) government about whether this money would save more lives by being spent on other health issues.
Unfortunately, Julian, people have been so consumed by the propaganda about Sweden that defending their policies is akin to holocaust denial. I bought Private Eye, out of interest, the other day and there was not a single piece, anywhere that questioned the woke lockdown orthodoxy. Sadly Hislop has carried on his disgraceful editorial prejudices.
Anecdotally a lot of people I speak to think that there has been carnage in Sweden. It needs to be hammered into people until they start listening.
Ask for a refund.
Macron is currently doing tge mask preambke same as sturgeon and boris did. France will be masked within a week I expect. Macron just needs to add, “Zoot Alors seat belts!” and they are there.
The test used cannot tell the difference between CV19 and any other Coronavirus INCLUDING the common cold. From the US CDC
“If you test positive
A positive test result shows you may have antibodies from an infection with the virus that causes COVID-19. However, there is a chance a positive result means that you have antibodies from an infection with a virus from the same family of viruses (called coronaviruses), such as the one that causes the common cold.“
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/testing/serology-overview.html
That doesn’t mean it “cannot tell the difference”. There is a chance that you will test positive not having had Covid but it’s only about a 0.05% chance. Nothing in life is perfect but tests can still be useful.
The chances that you test negative for antibodies but have still had Covid are much higher– probably at least 50% if not more.
Sorry but That’s not correct No one has confirmed what the % +\- %is.
The testing is utter nonsense.
Multiple tests on same people giving opposite results.
Australian health authority said they cannot tell live /dead virus fragments. So they can’t tell if you have it now or had a CV (whether 19 strain or common cold)
If one person is tested 5 times. That’s 5 new tests for the stats but out of those 5 tests you will get one positive.
The volume of testing now is so high if you only have a 1% false positive that’s 1000 a day testing positive. Its statistical nonsense by a government who have fcked up so badly they are trying to dig/bluff their way out!
The live/dead fragments issue is for PCR testing not antibody testing. The PCR test is to tell if you have Covid now. It’s close to 100% specific (but less if you include recently recovered people who will have virus fragments lying around as you say) but the sensitivity is not so great (more like 70% or 80%). The antibody tests tell you if you have had Covid in the last few months. These are the ones that CDC article is talking about. They’re usually about 90% specific and 90% sensitive or so. The exact result depends on the test kit and what the threshold value is. Set it too low and you get false positives, but too high and you get more false negatives. Most studies using these validate the manufacturer figures themselves. Your last point is exactly right. If prevalence is very low, the specificity of the test becomes very important. This is starting to be the case for PCR testing in places like the UK now– the test needs to be better than 99.97% specific for the latest ONS Covid-19 Infection Survey results to have actually found anything. But 99% specific would be fine and only result in… Read more »
To ‘protect you’ is one of the biggest virtue signalling cons the media have come out with to make people feel obliged, ask most people and they say, so I dont get covid
Its those who think reality shows are real, they will be our downfall
Perhaps a new Ministry of Silly Walks? Masked, of course.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCLp7zodUiI
A Karen on the door at a hardware chain yesterday instructed me to ‘wait there for me’. Then later ‘In you go now’. Call me Mr Sensitive, but I didn’t like her tone. She asked another customer ‘How are we today?’. Reminds me of Greg on Masterchef with his ‘Off you go’. Is Karen a primary school classroom assistant moonlighting while on furlough?
Officious shop assistants are one of the worst aspects of this lockdown. Plus there’s nothing that drives me more nuts than being asked to do something “for me” by the females of the species.
Am always tempted to give the Fascist salute to these customer service assistants (and I speak as one who works in customer service in the heritage sector)
Gov website with instructions how to make a mask from a T shirt 😂😂
No this isn’t Viz
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering
Laughable!
It brings back childhood memories of Protect & Survive ‘advice’ in the 1980’s: ‘When you here the air attack warning hide under the table you have draped in blankets.’ Same level of moronic thinking
I remember that! We also had to take off an internal door and put it against an internal wall at an exact angle (use a protractor) and pile cushions against it. All in the space of the 3 minute warning, The inner core or refuge. Oh and order 28 pints of milk from the milkman (When The Wind Blows)
Germolene ! Don’t forget the Germolene …
How to wear: The ear loops fit over your ears.
Well I never!
Fiction:
The lockdown is still on and guidelines must be followed
Law:
Unreported by the media, quietly at 00:01am on 4th July the government revoked the lockdown restrictions in almost entirety and replaced with a “No. 2” set by the same title but far reduced. Since 4th July, a list of businesses required to close remains but has been shortened. Otherwise, the only general restriction remaining in England is not to gather in groups of more than 30, increasing from 6 previously.
http://www.laworfiction.com/2020/07/lockdown-laws-in-england-have-been-revoked/
Oh? Interesting. Got link, will repost elsewhere.
Several good articles on there for businesses.
My guess is the latest Boris horseshit mask nonsense is more of the same. A statement with no law behind it.
http://www.laworfiction.com/2020/07/risk-assessments-an-important-chink-in-the-lockdown-armour/
Masks will be law. Already are on public transport.
Laws made by referring to a law that says they can make up any law they want without any scrutiny which had zero reading / discussion before it was rammed though in a day.
The parallels with North Korea is very disturbing.
And NZ. They have done that here too.
So are masks advisory only? The government claimed schools closure was only advisory but we wouldn’t have known that but for Simon Dolan.
I thought they were making the masks thing law under the Public Health act rather than the Coronavirus Act.
Well if it is done under the Public Health Act, hopefully this will hang Hancock out to dry, hoisted by his own pink tie. He needs to go, now.
I thought the same about Scotland. Mandatory coverings do have legislation here. Published on the morning of the first day – about 10 hours after coming into effect afaik.
I wonder if the backbench MPs know all this.
Come to think of it, I wonder if half the Cabinet know this!
Yesterday I had occasion to visit my GP’s office and found the warm, welcoming ambiance replaced with a detached, distanced reception laced with, perhaps, the overtone of fear.
I was sure that, today, Toby would have been excoriating the Government on its gagging order on NHS staff (Surrey Consultant and other sources) that highlights the frailty of the covid narrative. I wonder if he still thinks this debacle is still just a government cock up.
At the start of this nonsense who gave the order to transfer patients from hospitals to care homes, killing 20,000 people?
What advice did that person receive before making the decision?
If they were told of the risks and went ahead anyway this is prima facie evidence of manslaughter
Best perhaps to keep the facemask pot boiling
Exactly, panic= deep****, deflection
The law suits have already stated naming Hancock
Good, there are a few who have stayed right in the background, Raab for instance ready to move in when he is dumped, and hopefully Boris too. Cant see them wanting the economy to hit the bottom while they watch
Take your filthy rotten stinking bio hazard masks home with you sign required?
We need more people with a Voice to change the narrative. The left wing media, our Politicians in this country have got away with too much for too long they consume everyone with their view, the silent majority have to got to speak up and be heard.
What we’re lacking currently are some big names around which to start to form a movement – rebel MPs threatening to form a new party in Parliament – something that cannot be ignored. Not much sign of it so far, hopefully some are privately plotting and will lose patience shortly. Parliament is going into recess soon, not that they’ve done much, so the govt will have free rein this summer.
We’re not a silent majority, we’re a minority. The majority are either lockdown zealots, frightened out of their wits, or just plain lazy and don’t care.
Yes, like him or loathe him, we need someone with a bit of a following and charisma like Farage. His views on the Lockdown are however somewhat unclear!
Left Wing Media? Like the DT and what is has become? And the BBC being the official government cheer leader?
This government are Blairites, all have been since Thatcher went and the arch enemy of Britain became PM
BLiar has definitely become that Hitler person who we should all strive to kill in infancy if we ever get to go back in time.
See a new clenched-fist-salute statue has unofficially appeared and replaced Colston in Brizzle. Munchucklebutty could hardly contain her excitement. Presumably the Council will be removing it without delay? No, thought not (can you imagine the fuss if say Footy Lads dragged it into the docks?) The usual double standards of the Left
From the DT – where did Hancock get these figures about shop worker deaths?:
“Mr Johnson has faced a backlash from his MPs and ministers over the decision to force people to wear masks in shops, and last night a row broke out between retailers and Matt Hancock over a claim by the Health Secretary that deaths among shop staff had been “disproportionately” high.
Mr Hancock told the Commons that Covid deaths among male sales and retail assistants were 75 per cent higher than the average, and 60 per cent for female staff, but Archie Norman, the Marks & Spencer chairman, said the claim was incorrect and “will make it less likely that people feel comfortable being in shops in the short term”.”
Hancock has to go now!
Glad someone’s called him out on this.
Agree as anecdotal evidence has suggested otherwise.
As biker said in the stores he knows of, no one has caught it. In the 3 stores members of my family work in it’s the same. Not one case.
No one in my local Sainsbury’s has caught it.
Is the depopulation agenda starting to be filtered in?
https://news.sky.com/story/decline-in-fertility-will-see-global-population-shrink-triggering-radical-shifts-in-economic-power-report-12028364
I’m still bothered by Hancock’s assertion that shop workers are 75% more likely to die than the gen pop. I’m sure this must be wrong. Can anyone direct me to the numbers, or do the calculation themselves? I’m suspicious that he might actually mean they’re 75% AS likely to die, i.e 25% LESS likely to die, than anyone else, thus proving that shops are actually safer than anywhere else.
If wrong, we need to get the message out to the mainstream, he shouldn’t be allowed to get away with such blatant lies especially as that statistic was part of his reasoning for mandating masks. And people might start to question what they’re told a bit more.
Even if they actually are 75% more likely to die, by which I assume he means they have 175% the risk of death of anyone else, 75% of a small number is still a small number (even if he did think 75% sounded like an impressively big percentage). So if the overall risk of death is, say, 0.5%, a shop workers risk would only rise up to around 0.8%. Hardly justification for compulsory masking I would say!
Of course the numbers of deaths occurring now are so slow that even at +75% this would probably mean something like 0.01 dying per day!
They’re making it up as they go along. Mask wearing is a nonsense when the virus is dying out and they’re having to test people in order to find it! No this is a serious attack on our Rights. Whats next Mandatory Vaccination? The fact many people cannot see the route this is taking, they’re blind to the consequences of accepting these draconian rules.
Havent read this anywhere else, msm dont seem to making a thing of it, maybe too extreme even for them
That’s good, perhaps someone more intelligent realised his mistake and it got hushed up.
Simon Dolan put this on Twitter this morning re shop workers having covid-19. Turns out very few have had it.
https://twitter.com/simondolan/status/1283300870780854273?s=20
AC, I had a quick look here. It’s a bit impenetrable, split into ‘major’ and ‘minor’ occupations, although you could edit it together for analysis if you could be arsed.
In the major groups, shop workers have lower deaths than any other, so how can they be *any* percent higher?
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/datasets/coronaviruscovid19relateddeathsbyoccupationenglandandwales
Thanks, that’s really helpful. He should be sacked on the spot.
PS I’m currently re-reading Guards! Guards!
Join The Watch, and let’s get rid of the Patrician!
I always thought that the Patrician was an interesting insight into Terry Pratchett’s political philosophy. He comes across as a left of centre democrat in almost everything else, but the Patrician is a Machiavellian philosopher-king, never above being cruel and vindictive, but he rarely intervenes mostly content to let Ankh Morpok run itself as a cheerful anarchy. And it’s clear that this is the best possible way to govern the city.
Off topic, but just a thought.
Our ‘patrician’ needs a visit from the character that speaks ALL IN CAPITALS 🙂
There are an awful lot of parallels to the current situation, although I can’t help thinking that I’d rather be living in Ankh-Morpork governed by a fire-breathing dragon, than under Hancock’s control.
I posted about this yesterday, Hancock is technically correct:
Male working age death rate per 100K of working age population=19
Male Shopworkers. =34.2per 100K, i.e 175% of 19;
43 actual deaths ,’with’ Cov19;
Female death rate=9.7
F shopworkers 15.7, i.e. 162% of 9.7
actual deaths 64
But the absolute numbers are small, probably vanishingly small if those whose sole cause of death (no comorbidities) were known. An example of how when numbers are small, even a small increase looks scary!
Archie Norman, head of M&S, said only 3 of their 78K employees had died.
It’ all a bit strained, isn’t it? All that really matters is your last line. And that’s my concrete experience. But they can say and do what they want.
Imagine the MSM reporting that 1300 people are dying every day, every year, as standard – would the sheep be horrified?
“Archie Norman, head of M&S, said only 3 of their 78K employees had died.”
And my guess is that they almost certainly all had serious pre-existing health issues.
Thank you Sylvie, this is a helpful summary.
I wish people should stop using percentages on small numbers.
So the data says that there were just over 15 extra deaths per 100k for male shop workers, compared to those who weren’t working in shops. It’s not statistically clear.
Yes, correct. All the explanations are here, it’s quite readable as the supporting datasets are separate:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/bulletins/coronaviruscovid19relateddeathsbyoccupationenglandandwales/deathsregisteredbetween9marchand25may2020
Thanks Sylvie, I worded that badly. I was attempting to say that a difference of 15 in 100,000 does not seem statistically significant enough to conclude that working in shops is far more risky and worthy of special measures (which might not work anyway).
When my misses comes home, there is a 100% increase in the number of people in the house! Not only that, but the population is then *200* percent of what it was!!
It’s all true.
But don’t those big numbers sound impressive?
sounds like propaganda, he is getting desperate. His big control plan is failing and the lies are getting bigger
I finally cancelled my Conservative party membership, along with a strongly-worded email to CCHQ. Feel sorry for the poor sod who will have to read it who likely doesn’t care but I sincerely hope that CCHQ is getting quite a few of these emails and it will create an overall mood that the party is starting to haemorrhage its support. That’s the one place we can really hurt them – at the ballot box.
It was the mandatory masks which was the final straw. I tried to hold on as long as possible because I know I’m an asset to the party (early twenties, female) but every time I opened my wallet and saw my membership card, I actually felt a sense of shame that I was supporting a government that has perpetuated such a monstrous fraud on the British people and who are Conservative in name only (CINO). They are a government which no longer align with my principles, what with enormous public spending and some of the most draconian laws ever enacted in peacetime. Enough is enough.
Well done Poppy!
Always, always stick to your principles. The Conservative party is winding up loads of people but they haven’t got the guts to cancel their membership…you’ve done it. Vote with your feet, and that applies to any and all things that displease you. Good move.
The first election I could ever vote in was 1997. I voted conservative then and have done ever since, but I’ve never joined any party, because I’ve always believed that I couldn’t commit to any party I didn’t agree with 100%.
I wish I had joined the Conservative party though, so I could resign my membership now. Well done, Poppy.
I’m strongly tempted to join, specifically so that I can then cut my membership card up in front of them!
Well done by sticking to your principles! From reading the news looks like you’re not alone.
Well done Poppy! I’m not a paid up member of the Party, but I have written to them and told them in no uncertain terms that this is the final straw of a lot of straws in the last few months, and that I will never vote for their Party again. Ever.
Well done Poppy, I’m sure there are many more in the same boat as you. Have you considered joining the Libertarian Party UK? A lot of new members recently and now is a good time to align all free thinking libertarians together.
You are not alone. A lot of angry former Conservative Party members have been showing photos of cut up membership cards this week on twitter.
I was a party member in my youth, even helped with campaigning, but over the past thirty years it has become ever harder to vote for what had become the least worst option. Conservative? may as well have voted for Corbyn.
Yes! Well done Poppy. I wonder if there are members who have worked for the party for years that feel the same way. I was a member until a couple of weeks into the lockdown.
It seems that the only power a member of the party really has is electing a new leader. I was disgruntled about the last leadership election, for various reasons and thought it was a stitch-up to ensure the right result. Despite the Hobson’s choice, I stuck with it. After being elected I supported Johnson, and was pleased when he won the general election.
However, perhaps the greatest power that a conservative party member has is to leave. When realizing that the party has no heart. Beneath the marketing, data science, slogans and the shiny exterior, there really is nothing remaining. Just the desire for power for its own sake. The party has forgotten its identity.
Let’s hope something far better comes along!
Good for you! Local associations should be holding their MPs to account. MPs should be holding the government to account. They are on the issue of Huawei. Why not on facemasks and other lunatic covid policies?
I am going to do the same. Was already thinking about it, but this is the last straw. I can’t look myself in the mirror and support a party that is wilfiully destroying the economy and people’s lives and implementing harmful policies deliberately to confuse the narrative and deflect from their own incompetence. Enough.
Do it – I also cut up the membership card with the same scissors I use to cut my toenails, that’s what I think of these tossers.
well done Poppy. hope this becomes a trend. I voted brexit & was optimistic after the election, but I have never felt so let down by this useless bunch of career politicians. First the lockdown, then the feeble response to BLM, now face nappies. No better than Sadiq Khan..
Very much understand Poppy and I must admit I was surprised to hear you were a member….they certainly do not deserve you. I am actually a former Labour Party member from the 1980s but regard Labour now as utterly beyond the pale. The last few decent Labour MPs like Frank Field and Kate Hoey have now departed. As for the Conservative Party they have clearly been CINO since 1990 being ruled by such figures of the Blairite Left such as John Major,David Cameron, Teresa May and now the ultimate CINO Boris Johnson. You have to go back to the 1980s to find any vestige of conservatism under Mrs Thatcher though even that was probably really neo liberalism rather than conservatism. However I am sure you would have found that much preferable to the present ghastly shower. I am currently reading her latest book ‘Stateside’ written in 1990. Whether you agree with her or not its hard to avoid,reading it,that she was a towering colossus compared with Johnson and his pitiful cabinet. As Peter Hitchens (no fan of Mrs Thatcher himself) says its like being ruled by teenagers. You are a much bigger loss to the Tory Party Poppy than they… Read more »
I share your frustrations (as it seems does Desmond Swayne MP) but you have to be in something to change something. 26 yrs in HM forces taught me whingeing and moaning on the sidelines achieves nothing. You can’t win every battle, but that is not an excuse for not to battle on. Throwing in the towel (thedarkhorse) is not “guts”. Tape your membership card back together, Poppy, you’re needed.
I’ve just resigned my membership also, on the specfic issue of masks. I take the point about needing to be inside the tent, but we have no say on this issue and need the wonks to sit up and take the voters seriously.
I’m feeling increasingly irritated by the number of discarded disposable masks I’m finding. In the left leaning liberal area where I live I’m surrounded by the vocal self righteous who loudly disapprove of non mask wearers but go strangely quiet when I comment about the excess litter.
I know one who constantly bleats about the environment but is also fantatical about mask wearing “to protect others” as she constantly says. However when I pointed out that masks be it of the disposalble or the cloth kind are equally environmentally unfriendly, nowt a peep from her.
Sounds like a good time to move…unless you like cringing dinner parties where free speech is banned.
Hancock has just told Sky news that masks will NOT be recommended for offices
He neglected to add the words “this week”
As near as I can work out, if a cabinet minister says today that something will not happen, tomorrow it will
Hancock is digging one big hole and spouting even bigger lies to cover it up
So true.
Hancock was just on the Today programme saying that we know CV spreads much less easily outside than indoors – hence the risk of a ‘second spike’ in the winter when we spend more time indoors.
Just as well then that the TJN family made a point of spending as much time as we could out and about last March-April when he was insisting that we all ‘stay inside’.
Prat.
Why did they only allow us outside once a day back in April, then?
The are absolute Fools, trying to appeal to their masters?
“Their masters?”
Please provide names and evidence
I get really tired of these sorts of assertions.
I’m assuming from groups like WHO, who seem to have been pressuring governments around the world and much of the messages from what we hear are vague and incorrect. Why are you tired, if you are tired dont respond, dont listen, dont read
Yet no journalist is pulling him up on his blatant lies ,I’ve never despised a politician as much as I do this bar steward … although back in the day William Hague as a 16yr old at the Tory party conference with Thatch was irritating 😄
And Hague certainly has not improved with age!
Now he is a CINO!