YouTube Censors Think Tank For Disagreeing With WHO
YouTube, which is owned by Google, has removed a video by a leading think tank merely because it features views at odds with the current position of the World Health Organisation. Townhall has more:
The Hoover Institution at Stanford University is one of the most prominent think tanks in America, and its fellows are some the most accomplished in their respective fields. But that doesn’t matter to Big Tech. YouTube recently removed a June 23 interview its senior fellow Dr. Scott Atlas did with Hoover because it goes against the World Health Organisation’s position on the Wuhan coronavirus. …
Atlas has continued to be a much-needed voice against the prevailing coronavirus wisdom. In a recent op-ed, he reminded readers that “only 0.2% of U.S. deaths have been people younger than 25, and 80% have been in people over 65; the average fatality age is 78.” We’ve come a long way since Spring and yet the economy isn’t fully open, he said.
“While the lockdown may have been justified at the start, when little data was known, we know far more about the virus today,” Atlas concluded. “It’s time we use all we have learned and all we have done to re-open our schools and our economy safely and get back to restoring America.”
It is perverse to ban anything that happens to be at odds with the WHO’s current position, not only because it is crucial to hear more than one point of view, but because the WHO can’t stop changing its mind. Let’s review the year so far:
- On January 14th, Maria Van Kerkhove of WHO said: “It is possible that there is limited human-to-human transmission, potentially among families, but it is very clear right now that we have no sustained human-to-human transmission.” The same day, WHO’s Twitter account stated that: “Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission.”
- On March 3rd, the WHO Director-General stated that the death rate of the new coronavirus was 3.4%.
- On March 17th, the WHO published a fact sheet that said of the new coronavirus: “Pre-symptomatic transmission… does not appear to be a major driver of transmission.”
- On June 5th, the WHO dropped its previous opposition to general mask wearing, though it still stated that mask use by the general public is “not yet supported by high quality or direct scientific evidence”. Newsnight‘s Deborah Cohen later tweeted: “We have been told by various sources [that the] WHO committee reviewing the evidence had not backed masks but they recommended them due to political lobbying.” She said the BBC had then put this to the WHO, which did not deny it.
- On June 8th, Maria Van Kerkhove of WHO said spread from asymptomatic and presymptomatic people does occur but is “very rare” and recommended focusing on tracing and isolating symptomatic people to better attack the outbreak. That was later described as a “gaffe”, which fits Michael Kinsley’s famous definition: “A gaffe is when a politician tells the truth – some obvious truth he isn’t supposed to say.”
As we’ve noted before, the poor drudge employed by YouTube to keep track of the WHO’s daily U-turns so they can make sure nothing on the platform is at odds with the latest advice must be having a nervous breakdown.
Find the interview with Dr Scott Atlas that YouTube doesn’t want you to see here.
Dr Atlas can be added to the growing list of distinguished people YouTube has censored. We can add Michael Levitt (in discussion with Toby) and Lionel Shriver, winner of the Nobel Prize and Orange Prize respectively. Who can you add? Email us here and we will publish a list tomorrow.
Stop Press: Could the deletion have anything to do with the fact that Dr Scott Atlas is currently serving as an adviser to President Donald Trump on the White House Coronavirus Task Force? No, of course, not. It’s an entirely neutral decision. Google would never do anything so nakedly partisan…
Local Lockdowns – Where’s the Data?
Dr Helen Westwood, a GP in Trafford, has sent us a copy of the letter she sent on Friday to her MP, Sir Graham Brady, about the total lack of transparency she found when querying the lockdown measures imposed on her area.
I find it reassuring to know that you share many of my concerns and are working hard to ensure that there is proper Parliamentary scrutiny of the actions of this Government.
Sadly the good news regarding the lifting of Trafford’s local lockdown was short-lived to say the least. On Tuesday September 1st all Trafford GP practices were instructed to send out an SMS to all patients stating:
“COVID cases are increasing in Trafford and with schools going back it’s really important that everyone protects themselves and their families. Please remember to follow social distancing, wear face coverings in public places and on public transport, wash your hands regularly and if you have symptoms book a test on www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test. Or ring 119. If your test is positive you need to self isolate for 10 and your close contacts for 14 days”
Later that same day the communications officer at Trafford CCG wrote to all practices with his regular “Clinicians’ Briefing”. In this he said that in Trafford our infection rates had dropped since mid-July and were currently stable.
I emailed him that evening to ask him to clarify whether cases were rising or had been falling and were currently stable as I did not want to be sending out misleading information to my patients. He replied saying that there is a lag between the official published figures referred to in the Clinicians’ Briefing and unverified data available to the public health team who had asked for the SMS to be sent out.
This caused me some concern as it was not made clear to the Trafford GP practices that the data were unverified. I therefore asked if I could see the data. Someone in Public Health in Trafford, has helpfully sent me a link to the Trafford data lab dashboard but unfortunately this does not have any information regarding whether the positive test results relate to people with symptoms or not. This is essential to know to interpret the results. It has been widely reported, in both the medical and lay press, that there is a significant concern about false positives at low prevalence levels. I have asked for information regarding symptoms in those tested as well what cycle threshold our labs are using and whether this is being reported. I have also queried whether positive tests are being repeated as per the latest guidance from the Government. I have been asking for this information for a week now and have been passed through various individuals at the council and the CCG. I am still waiting for the information. It is alarming that the local lockdown is still in force in Trafford and yet the people advising on this policy are not able to provide the information when asked for it.
I am dismayed by the latest announcement from No. 10 that as of Monday September 14th it will be illegal to meet in groups of more than six people. The people of this country voted in a Conservative Government allegedly led by a libertarian. I cannot imagine a more authoritarian regime (although I am thankful I don’t live in Australia). Now a family of five cannot legally meet up with two grandparents. A family of six can meet no-one. How can this benefit society? What sort of risk assessment was undertaken before imposing such restrictions? Has any regard been given to child development, mental health or the loneliness of our elderly? Furthermore, given that these arbitrary restrictions vary so much from country to country within the UK, does this Government believe that people will adhere to these impositions?
I feel there has been definite “mission creep” in our country’s response to this Covid situation. Initially we were asked to stay home to “flatten the curve” and avoid overwhelming the NHS. Now we no longer concern ourselves with hospital admissions or deaths. We are only interested in “cases” which are detected using flawed methods. We have used case data to implement mandatory masks on public transport, shops and schools with a complete absence of evidence for their effectiveness. Now we are no longer allowed to socialise in groups larger than six. Where is this all going to end? What is our aim with these policies?
What sort of risk assessment was undertaken before imposing such restrictions?
We know the answer to that question. Zip, zilch, nada.
Sir Graham is something of a sceptic himself, describing the Trafford lockdown as “a massive infringement of normal civil liberties” which “should be lifted as soon as possible“. Here’s hoping he will be part of a big push for freedom among Conservative and other MPs in Parliament.
BBC Propaganda
We received an email from John Church, a former oil and gas engineer.
I don’t know if you have seen the recent news article from the BBC about a new record for global infections, “WHO reports record daily rise in new infections“.
The British people are in a lot of trouble with this COVID-19 situation right now. Not the virus itself, of course, but our ongoing fear and inability to free ourselves. A large part of the blame for that can be laid at the foot of the door of the BBC. The above story is a great example. It is truly egregious that they can publish something which is quite simply naked propaganda. A trivially true fact – “The World Health Organisation has recorded a record one-day rise in the number of new coronavirus infections, with 307,930 reported over 24 hours” – is totally bastardised into a story of catastrophe when the truth is the very opposite of what they say. And it is so blatant. The third sentence in their piece states that the biggest rises are in India, the USA and Brazil. Again, that may be trivially true if they compared September 11th with September 10th, but it is wrong to state this without providing the context that the positive case numbers in the USA and Brazil have almost halved in the last month or so, in spite of all the testing. The real story here is that the epidemic is all but over in those big countries. Global deaths are down 15% in the last month with hardly any countries left showing both rising deaths and cases. India and possibly Indonesia being large population exceptions, but they will also turn, unless there is some reason why the disease behaves differently there. And at 930k deaths the current global survival rate is around 99.99%. This isn’t even an epidemic.
Cafe Without Customers
A reader wonders whether Costa Coffee in Poole has really thought through its business model.
Finding ourselves with a few hours free on a Saturday afternoon and with five and nine-year-old boys in need of exercise we hit upon the idea of scooting from Upton Country park round Holes Bay to the Costa Coffee at Lifeboat Quay in Poole. It’s a mistake we won’t make again.
Costa Coffee appears to have employed someone with the sole mission of making the whole process as difficult and rule-bound as possible.
Approaching the door we were pleased to see two tables outside at which we could sit and enjoy the sunshine. But no, each table had only two chairs and stern notices that chairs warned us they were “NOT to be moved”. Our attention was then drawn to the profusion of notices by the door, so many that we missed the sign that the door was now the exit and made our first mistake by entering the empty shop! After being warned by staff it was the exit we then wandered around the complex trying to work out where the entrance was.
Upon finding the entrance we were met with a prominent sign stating only one person from each group was to enter the (empty) coffee shop to order unless we were drinking and eating in. As we intended to sit down in the shop I went to order (masked up, as instructed) with our two boys whilst my wife made the mistake of sitting down at a table. Before I had a chance to order, shouting through my mask into the sealed perspex case the baristas now occupy, I was asked where we were sitting. When I pointed that out I was told that, no that would not be possible, as my wife had selected a two-person table. This puzzled me as there was a bench seat that the boys could have happily occupied barely two feet away. They could not have disturbed others or broken any social distancing as we were the only people in the café. When I pointed out the bench the barista told me she would have to get the permission of the regional manager. She then disappeared leaving me in stunned silence. (The regional manager? Really?)
She returned a few seconds later to inform me that only chairs could be used, not benches. This was in spite of the fact that half the tables and chairs were already marked with do not use signs and the café was empty. (I was beginning to understand why.)
The pre-order arrangements weren’t over yet. Before we could order we would have to find a table. As the only four-person table was covered in debris from its last occupants that would have to be prepared before we could order and we would have to wait.
As we only went in for a quick drink and biscuit and the dirty four-person table was in a dingy corner I then decided we would get takeout and sit on the grass outside.
Of course, this was also wrong, as by switching to take out we were then breaking not only the rule of sitting at the wrong capacity table but only one of us should have been inside placing the orders and the other three should not be in the shop.
Did I mention the café was empty?
More Cases, More Testing
The unprecedented new restrictions on our freedoms this week were justified largely by the “surge” in “cases” in the week before, as pictured. But testing also “surged” that week. Here’s what the positive rate graph looks like.
A rise, certainly. But relatively small. And deaths are still almost zero and trending downwards, and there is only a gentle rise in hospital admissions in some areas. Yet for some reason the Government continues to refer primarily to the raw case data. It’s not because they’re trying to frighten us is it?
The Plague in 1834
A reader has been leafing through Great Cities Through Travellers’ Eyes edited by Peter Furtado and found an entry by Alexander Kinglake who encountered the plague in Istanbul in 1834.
All the while that I stayed at Constantinople the plague was prevailing, but not with any degree of violence…. The Europeans during the prevalence of the plague, if they are forced to venture into the streets, will carefully avoid the touch of every human being whom they pass. Their conduct in the respect shows them strongly in contrast with the ‘true believers’: the Moslem stalks on serenely, as though he were under the eye of his God, and were ‘equal to either fate’; the Franks go crouching and slinking from death, and some (those chiefly of French extraction) will strongly strive to fence out destiny with shining capes of oilskin!…
As for me, I soon got ‘compromised’… Faithfully promising to shun the touch of all imaginable substances, however enticing, I set off very cautiously, and held my way uncompromised till I reached the water’s edge; but before my caique was quite ready some rueful-looking fellows came rapidly shambling down the steps with a plague-stricken corpse, which they were going to bury among the faithful on the other side of the water. I contrived to be so much in the way of this brisk funeral, that I was not only touched by the men bearing the body, but also, I believe, by the foot of the dead man, as it hung lolling out of the bier. This accident gave me such a strong interest in denying the soundness of the contagion theory, acting upon my own convenient view of the matter, I went wherever I chose, without taking any serious pains to avoid a touch…
Round-Up
- “Crisis in NHS hospitals with health workers unable to access COVID-19 tests” – Operations are being cancelled because there aren’t even enough tests for healthcare workers, and the Government think they can deliver 10 million a day by early next year?
- “What does a case of COVID-19 really mean?” – Professor Carl Heneghan asks in the Spectator, When is a case not a case?
- “‘We are happy with our strategy’ on COVID-19” – Anders Tegnell is justly pleased with himself on France24
- “Pointless, arbitrary and unnecessary” – Lord Jonathan Sumption talks to LBC about the Rule of Six
- “Report neighbours who violate ‘rule of six’, urges policing minister Kit Malthouse” – The Government issues a summons to become a nation of informers and busybodies, which some are embracing with unseemly eagerness
- “The call for ‘Covid Marshals’ shows that ministers are losing their grip on the nation” – Good piece from JP Floru on Conservative Home arguing that the Government “can no longer count on the moral support of the long-suffering population”
- “NHS urges GPs to see patients in person” – Yet more mixed messages from the Government. Go back to work, stay at home, go to restaurants, don’t meet people, go to the doctor, self-isolate if unwell…
- “The Rule of Six – we are being robbed of our liberty” – Very good piece on the Archbishop Cranmer blog asking if the “political policy of perpetual herd regulation” has usurped the “scientific one of necessary herd immunity”
- “The Dystopian Age of the Mask” – Thomas Crew in The Critic argues, following Ernst Jünger, that “our readiness to obscure the face” reflects the modern world’s “dehumanising tendencies”
- “The Only Thing That Needs To Be Controlled Is This Government” – Good speech from Professor of Nursing Dr Roger Watson at the Hull lockdown protest. Also retired nurse and Lockdown Sceptics reader Dr Kevin Corbett
- “Five good reasons not to wear a mask” – Dr Gary Sidley launches his new anti-nonsense blog with a comprehensive take-down of masks
- “The cure is worse than the disease” – The Mail gets into its newfound lockdown sceptic stride with an excellent piece from veteran sceptic Dr John Lee. The context is the shocking news about the spiralling waiting lists for major illnesses such as heart disease and cancer
- “Zero Covid Makes Zero Sense” – Fraser Myers in spiked on the monumental follies of attempting to eliminate the virus
- “The evidence for the ‘Rule of 6’ is not promising” – David Paton in UnHerd sets out the case against the Government’s latest torment
- “Despite 10,000 new cases a day, the French are embracing life – not imposing new rules” – It’s a sad day in Blighty to be beaten to freedom by the French
- “What David Attenborough’s ‘Extinction: The Facts’ didn’t tell you” – Ross Clark in the Spectator sets the record straight about humanity not being worse off with regard to disease now than in the past
- “This is a dark day for British freedom” – Hard hitting Telegraph editorial. Is their star columnist listening?
- “We will not obey the ‘rule of six’” – 87% say they will refuse to obey the draconian new restrictions in an online poll of over 1,600 on Conservative Woman
- “Dozens of schools have either closed or sent whole year groups home after just one positive test” – Telegraph analysis showing how over-reaction is harming our children and their education. We’ve heard similar stories from a lot of our readers…
- “Judge strikes down Pennsylvania’s pandemic restrictions” – Judge William Stickman declares: “The constitution cannot accept the concept of a ‘new normal’ where the basic liberties of the people can be subordinated to open-ended emergency mitigation measures”
Theme Tunes Suggested by Readers
Three today: “Long Way From Freedom” by The Trews, “Hysteria” by Def Leppard, and “Enough is enough” by Donna Summer.
Love in the Time of Covid
We have created some Lockdown Sceptics Forums that are now open, including a dating forum called “Love in a Covid Climate” that has attracted a bit of attention. We’ve also just introduced a section where people can arrange to meet up for non-romantic purposes. We have a team of moderators in place to remove spam and deal with the trolls, but sometimes it takes a little while so please bear with us. You have to register to use the Forums, but that should just be a one-time thing. Any problems, email the Lockdown Sceptics webmaster Ian Rons here.
There’s a problem with new user registrations on the site for those trying to register so they can comment. We’re working to fix it and we’ll let you know as soon as we’ve done that. Shouldn’t be long.
“Mask Exempt” Lanyards
We’ve created a permanent slot down here for people who want to buy (or make) a “Mask Exempt” lanyard/card. You can print out and laminate a fairly standard one for free here and it has the advantage of not explicitly claiming you have a disability. But if you have no qualms about that (or you are disabled), you can buy a lanyard from Amazon saying you do have a disability/medical exemption here (now showing it will arrive between Oct 16th to Oct 26th, so not terribly helpful). The Government has instructions on how to download an official “Mask Exempt” notice to put on your phone here. You can get a “Hidden Disability” tag from ebay here and an “exempt” card with lanyard for just £3.99 from Etsy here.
Don’t forget to sign the petition on the UK Government’s petitions website calling for an end to mandatory face nappies in shops here (now over 32,000).
A reader has started a website that contains some useful guidance about how you can claim legal exemption.
And here’s a round-up of the scientific evidence on the effectiveness of mask (threadbare at best).
Shameless Begging Bit
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And Finally…
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First!
By a country mile.
“‘Covid-19′” – please note the use of quotation marks – is a disease that doesn’t exist. It is an umbrella term for death from other causes that have been designated to give the impression of the existence of a virulent plague.”
Covid-19 in a nutshell
Exactly. I try to explain to the sheep that the common cold is a “covid” (coronavirus identified) but it doesn’t seem to sink in.
Does anyone else think that if we lived in a normal world, the public would be able to go face to face with these people making such big decisions on our behalf and call them to account?
Why are these people only ever coddled by the BBC, SKY etc?
Let’s put Hancock in front of people who’ve suffered and see him defend his policies.
It’s crazy how protected they are when making such massive changes to an entire country!
How about putting him in front of the families of all those his policies have killed
How about putting Hancock and Johnson in front of a firing squad. They are both guilty of treason, as well as murder.
Yes, like have these people walk among us not bunkered in behind layers upon layers of security
I think that has an effect on their mentality and policy.
Simply picturing the scene of matt hancock in a regular locals pub talking through his plans and having general pleasant chat makes it clear something isn’t right.
Exactly. In the days when the King had to advance in the vanguard of his troops, war was seldom declared. When the politicians (and their sons) never walk onto the battlefield, it’s much easier to go to war.
Indeed, though I remember a time when at least some journalists would give politicians a hard time about the real issues, journalists and politicians on both sides of a given issue.
This time round, there has been no debate because they all accepted, or pretended, for various reasons that there was/is an emergency akin to wartime during which debate should take second place to “fighting” the virus. Even if the virus represented an unprecedented threat, which it doesn’t, it’s really stupid to treat the challenge as some kind of battle that requires merely sacrifice and grit and doesn’t require an intellint, reasoned approach.
The only thing Hancock should be in front of is a firing squad.
Please pick me please pick me please pick me
I’ll do it and won’t even charge petrol money if you add in Johnson, Whitty and Vallance.
Oh yes!
And Cumming!! Especially Cumming! And Gove.
too humane. Should be socially distanced: two metres of rope from the top of a lamp-post.
Too bloody good for him. He should spend the rest of his worthless life in jail. Muzzled of course.
In solitary isolation.
Sorry, I didn’t see your reply and posted something similar above.
He can’t even manage a radio interview without stuttering
Should be done in public in Parliament Square
The only answer to everything is to change public EXPECTATION :
Vis : To Expect to elect POLICY : not persons / ‘ parties ‘ ( sic );
To EXPECT to ( nominate and ) APPOINT SACKABLE facilitators of THE POLICY
elected ;
On the terms and conditions SET by their EMPLOYER, the PUBLIC .
IE : NOT TO EXPECT ‘the vice versa .
Let’s cut to the chase rather than engage in all this fannying about.
Hancock needs to be put on trial, found guilty, and disposed of. Like a good many others.
Building the “coronahoax” charge sheet: reckoning culpability for the deliberate inflation of Covid-19 death
Don’t forget Johnson he has to go.
Especially Hancock would crumble like baking parchment near a lit match.
Lets take bets when he will start to cry, cower in a corner and cry “mummy, I never wanted to become a politician…”
I note the story yesterday of the police cautioning mothers for organising a tea party of more than six children A caution is a criminal conviction. You cannot have a caution recorded against you unless you consent. In effect you are pleading guilty to the allegation. As on this occasion this is said to involve the alleged safety of children this is a serious matter If you accept a caution in these circumstances it is likely that you never ever be able to get a job working with children, or as a carer, etc Many police officers (not all) con people into accepting a caution by using such terms as ‘it’s not a conviction” It will be dealt with quicker this way” “you won’t have to go to court” “just sign here and it’s dealt with” etc It’s a simpler administrative procedure for the police Is cautioning their new policy? If you refuse a caution the police can issue you with a Fixed Penalty Notice of 30 quid If you pay it. it is not a conviction, you will be able to work with children etc There are currently 10,000 plus contested FPN’s waiting to go to court. Not one… Read more »
Would getting one to court be a possible way to break the spell? If the gov don’t want it tested perhaps that’s a reason to test it.
I’ve been trying for 6 months. Only result so far, an FPN for my wife. 🙁
I’ve had a brief reflection on this. Genuinely good luck to you. Takes a bit of courage to take that on.
My evil self fancies the chance to educate some magistrates. And possibly even get into the local rag. 🙂
Plus I want to be able to wave my conviction at my grandkids in 20 years time, when they ask me what I did. 🙂
Good point. However, once the the fine is contested the onus is on the Crown Prosecution Service to instigate proceedings.
It is open to them to just sit on their hands ( I suspect they have had that instruction from above)
At six months from the date of the offence ‘Limitations On Proceedings’ kicks in and the matter is void
It’s likely that LOP applies to some of the notices issued at the start of this nonsense
Note: I am not qualified to give legal advice, but lets just say I’ve been round the block a few times
Possibly not a technical use of the word ‘caution’, Cecil. They might just have ticked them off.
That would be a ‘verbal warning’ not a caution
Trust me I know what I’m talking about
If they gave a VW, but told the press it was a caution, it’s a lie and just more propaganda
They probably gave a verbal warning, or some ‘education’, and the press fulfilled their current function.
You’re not surprised they’re spreading untrue propaganda, Cecil ?
No I’m not, but it’s an important point. Were they given a VW or were they cautioned?
It’s the difference between having a conviction and not having a conviction
If they were not cautioned, who decided to say that they were?
Iirc it’s straightforward defamation to say someone has a conviction when they don’t.
The Police would not use the word Caution unless they meant just that.
You’re ruling out the totally absurd notion that our wonderful media might be bending the truth just a weeny bit? 🙂
You say, “A caution is a criminal conviction”. Not so:
From: https://www.gov.uk/caution-warning-penalty#:~:text=A caution is not a,Barring Service (DBS) checks.
“CautionsCautions are given to anyone aged 10 or over for minor crimes – for example writing graffiti on a bus shelter.
You have to admit an offence and agree to be cautioned. You can be arrested and charged if you don’t agree.
A caution is not a criminal conviction, but it could be used as evidence of bad character if you go to court for another crime.”
Please try and stick to the facts.
For the enhanced DBS it still appears and must be declared.
See https://policecautions.uk/police-caution-procedure/
https://policecautions.uk/2017/01/31/how-long-does-a-police-caution-stay-on-your-record/
From Gov website
Introduction
Your criminal record includes all:
You might be asked about your criminal record when you apply for:
Will 77 regt trolls please butt out
I would lose my security clearance and not be allowed to work in schools either as it would be on my DBS check certificate if I was cautioned for something as stupid as this.
Have to be careful with all these loose cannon Police Officers at the moment, they don’t know the law and you can quickly end up with a caution that could ruin your career. Even if it is a mistake and rescinded I do not believe they are removed from your criminal record, we had a guy who worked with us who got cautioned because he intervened to break up a fight, he appealed and it was rescinded but when he was DBS checked he lost his job as it was still on his criminal record. The employer fired him because he hadn’t disclosed it when they employed him and it meant that he couldn’t work for the customers that require DBS checked staff.
For the police to issue a caution then the offence has to be admitted to. It may only be offered by a police officer of sergeant or above or the CPS. If you need an enhanced DBS check then you must declare it as the rehabilitation of offenders act does not apply (the non-enhanced DBS doesn’t include it).
It is up to your employer to decide whether it bars you from working with children, vulnerable people etc.
I would have thought it unlikely to affect security clearance.
https://policecautions.uk/police-caution-procedure/
Always remember the process is the punishment.
Anyone with the temerity to stand up for themselves or disagree with one of the states enforcers will have their life ruined, even if eventually not guilty, you will be made to jump through hoops and permanently banned from certain occupations.
the Batley Townswomen guild are still safe then ,, only 6 of them
Got to keep a close eye on those pensioner gangs. It starts with unruly zimmer frame use, but unchecked it ends up with gang fights over the bingo results….
A: how do you get a granny to say Fuck?
A: get another one to shout BINGO!
I’ll get me coat…
Looking at these blasted Regs the enforcement of the requirement is exercised by a relevant person (police, police community support -NB it doesn’t look like the Covid wombles can be designated a relevant person in relation to gatherings). first port of call for relevant person is to direct the gathering to disperse. Only if you point blank refuse without a reasonable excuse do you commit an offence and then only if you are over 18. You should then be given an option of a FPN (which unless you are an organiser or facilitator of a large gathering 30+ and none of the quite long list of exceptions apply when it is £10k) if £100 reduced to £50 if paid early. If you are already owner of FPN, the amount doubles for each successive FPN. You have 28 days to pay. according to CRB direct website, it is very unlikely that FPNs would appear on standard DBS and only on enhanced if you have a slew of them. in relation to cautions, the police are required to explain the implications. They’ve also got to give you time to think about and get advice. You have to give written consent. Cautions are… Read more »
A caution also counts as a Sanctioned Detection for the Officer.
ie detected a crime, solved it, got a result.
Counts toward achieving his target same as if it was a burglary.
Anybody remember the Police blogger Inspector Gadget who told of things within the Met Police before being capriciously ousted by Times reporter?
He wrote a guide to dealing with the Police
for Gentle Folk (that’s you and me).
I will be posting it right here in full at about 16.00 today.
I remember. It was Lancashire Police though wasn’t it?
Good points, no one should accept a caution or a fixed penalty. Demand your day in court.
Mixed emotions on the school run this morning. My 9 year old says daddy what is the point of play time?
Me: What do you mean?
Son: Well we cant play with balls incase we touch them, we cant play it because we cant touch each other, we cant play hide and seek as the teachers need to see us at all times and the daily mile running we used to do has been stopped as we cant socially distance as we run.
Me: That is ridiculous, I will email the head to let him know my thoughts.
Son: Nah dont bother, we just ignore the rules and play it & hide and seek anyway.
It makes me happy that a bunch of 8/9 year olds arent too scared of the virus to break the rules – but on the other hand according to Handycock & the BBC i will be dead in a couple of weeks so better get my affairs in order…..
Well done your lad and his mates. Put most adults to shame.
Great to hear about sceptical children. When I was in primary school they tried to ban conkers but we still did it anyway.
And then there was all that banned smoking going on behind the bike shed.
All kids should ignore these stupid and inhumane rules: as minors, there’s nothing much the law can really do to them, and the worst that can happen is that they get kicked out of the school. …A school where they’re essentially psychologically abused and brainwashed.
Well done to your son and his friends. More power to their elbow!
Brilliant post…..It’s stories like this that temper my resolve to NEVER acquiesce to any of this Psychological warfare. THIS is what gives me hope and determination 🙂
Sorry to hear this, I’m a primary teacher and can assure you this is not the experience everywhere, my school is nothing like this! Ridiculous and nasty way to treat children.
Just to highlight how utterly ridiculous Pillar 2 Test Results are becoming….PHE’s own Weekly Surveillance Report now showing Pillar 2 commercial lab confirmed Test Results running at 8-9% positivity in >85 Year olds. Total joke. See graphs at the bottom of page 7.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/916993/Weekly_COVID19_Surveillance_Report_week_37_FINAL.pdf
Ivor Cummins excellent 8 Sept video
Nearing 700k views
Brilliant clear analysis of what is happening using official government data.
https://youtu.be/8UvFhIFzaac
Last repost from me.
Where can I get the latest deaths and hospitalisation data for local areas, please?
Here‘s the hospitalization data for my “region”. For other regions and data (e.g. deaths) use the menus on the left hand side. I don’t know where you find data that’s a bit more local than that, and would also be interested in finding out.
Thank you. I’m in the North East – the death stats are for my region and they show a handful of deaths over the last month. The hospitalisations stats are thrown in with Yorkshire.
Multicultural, densely populated towns and cities in Yorkshire are going to have a serious skewing effect on those stats for County Durham and Northumberland making them meaningless.
Sandra Durham – Facebook
Wash your hands regularly – the government has taken care of your brain.
#JohnsonMustGo
Is trending on twitter. Actually don’t know precisely what that means but it seems good.
Masterful tweetage by Simon Dolan:
The last person in the UK to cancel Xmas was Oliver Cromwell.
After he died (from natural causes), he was dug up, hanged, decapitated, and had his head placed on a spike in London on display for the next 20 years.
Over to you @MattHancock
Hancock won’t die from natural causes. He’ll accidentally step into sunshine, or be sprinkled with holy water, and crumble into dust on the spot.
Anyone living in London should carry a clove of garlic, just in case they happen to meet him.
And don’t forget the crucifix as well.
Make sure that when you meet up for your fully legal shooting party that you have silver bullets available in case you spot a Hancock hiding in the hedgerow
I was going to suggest silver bullets as an afterthought – that way we’d achieve something even if he is (surprisingly) not one of the undead. 🙂
Christmas is the last national unifying festival we have left.Touch it at your peril.Banning grandma from Christmas dinner is not a good career move
Back in the 50’s and no doubt before that if a child in the neighbourhood started to show symptoms of measles ( a killer disease which could cause blindness and deafness), the mothers would get together and organize what was called a “Measles party” and all the local kids got together at said party to get it over with as quickly as possible:ie: herd immunity.
Obviously a drastic measure but it worked as proved by the extremely large numbers of old f**ts like me making nuisances of themselves and constantly moaning about everything.
But seriously why are a lot of people agreeing with this utter madness destroying all our lives over a mild (especially among the young) illness.
Why wait till our buggers are dead?
To do with the Brexit issue.The vague concept of international law is more important to these people than their liberties
Yes. Notable that the Remain Conservative Party is prepared to kick off over the denunciation of an unacceptable ‘deal’ that was made in the first place only because the Remain Conservative Party insisted upon it, but they are not prepared to do more than chunter over the destruction of basic human rights and liberties. The party is a waste of political oxygen. And yet Tobes seems quite taken with them this morning. Has he been got at?
All the people supporting this #JohnsonMustGo you can damn well bet, if you check, are the hardcore COVID-19 zealots who are following everything Johnson says to the letter.
Bojo Delenda Est
Is that right? We don’t have none of them fancypants classicist schools round these parts.
Karen has a new friend.
Appropriate summary?
Stay Afraid, Control the People, Save Dictators.
https://rationalground.com/why-mass-pcr-testing-of-the-healthy-and-asymptomatic-is-currently-counter-productive/
A very good article from US about testing. They recommend 34 as a cut off and that lab should report the Ct needed for reporting as positive. India has obviously adapted to this and require Ct on all PCR tests reported as positive.
Health Freedom – Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Children’s Health Defense We say “No!” Mandating an invasive medical procedure violates our most fundamental rights. All medical procedures, including vaccines, carry risks; they must be voluntary. And vaccine injuries aren’t rare – they’re approximately 1 in every 40 doses, according to a U.S. Agency for Health Research Quality 2010 study. We stand for your rights — and ours – including your right to consent. But know this: No federally-recommended vaccine has ever been tested against a real placebo. Vaccines are tested against other vaccines or vaccine ingredients, masking harm. And the government has never tested the entire childhood schedule in vaccinated vs. unvaccinated children. Vaccines are typically tested for days or weeks, not years, like drugs. Government agencies charged with vaccine safety are, in essence, vaccine companies, owning patents and earning royalties. They are sock puppets of industry. Mainstream media heavily censors information critical of vaccines. The vaccine companies spend billions every year in advertising revenue to the big media companies in our country, and they’re not only buying ad space, they are dictating content. It’s important to know you can’t sue a vaccine manufacturer for a vaccine injury or death. Instead, you have to go through a government… Read more »
The Children’s Health Defense is doing amazing work ! I just posted about their court case against Facebook censorship.
No, that is not what that report says. That figure is for “possible reactions”, for which the report says
In fact, the report does not mention the word “injury” at all. In this context, a “possible reaction” is not the same thing as a “reaction”, and a “reaction” is not the same thing as an “adverse event”, which is defined as “any health problem that happens after a shot or other vaccine” whether or not caused by the vaccination. An “adverse event” is not the same as “vaccine injury” which is a legal term covering health problems caused by vaccination so serious as to merit compensation.
Quoting a “possible reaction” figure as a “vaccine injury” figure is simply dishonest.
A study from 2010 is out of date. Vaccine injuries have risen exponentially as pharmaceutical companies have lobbied successfully to increase the number of vaccines given simultaneously for children , which cause dangerous interactions with each other.
That’s hardly the point. This 2010 report is the report apparently cited by Kennedy and it was cited dishonestly.
If “cases” are possible infections ……
The dictatorship plants stories about the decriminlisation of the non payment of the TV licence fee, and the taxing of satellite TV
Then people wonder why these organisations pump out only pro regime propaganda
Keep up folks
Retail news site reporting that masks are not good for business. Who knew!!
“Retail footfall to be negatively impacted, while face masks remain mandatory in stores”
– As face coverings are expected to remain compulsory until Covid-19 has been significantly suppressed, consumers’ reluctance to visit stores will inevitably lead to weakened footfall for the foreseeable future, contributing towards the UK physical retail market’s forecast decline of 8.6% in 2020.
https://www.retail-insight-network.com/comment/retail-footfall-face-masks-mandatory-stores/
Totally predictable
Not been in a shop since February. Clothing cost last year £775 this £0. Dining out £1100 (2019) £80 (2020).
This nonsense will only stop when the board of directors sees the bottom line of their interim results. Unfortunately, if they are bed-wetters, they will also need someone to inform them that things would be different if they were more sensible, and that may never happen.
In which case, they will get what’s coming to them (apologies to their honourable and hard-working staff who will be severely-impacted by redundancy).
YouGov surveys doesn’t even seem to be asking the right questions. They say, ability to socially distance is most important when buying cloths. While it would be true for some of the shoppers, YouGov doesn’t seem to have asked anything about masks/restrictions in shops.
https://yougov.co.uk/topics/consumer/articles-reports/2020/09/14/how-has-covid-19-impacted-shopping-habits
Not been in a supermarket or other shop since the mask mandate. My overall spending has fallen 20% since. Good for me, bad for the economy.
But why would I subject myself to any extra dystopian experiences? The bus is bad enough, but I consider my allotment an essential activity, and one that’s more pleasant than shopping.
What do they suggest should be done?
Just lie down and die?
How none of the businesses saw this coming is staggering.
As I’ve said many times, I’ve despaired at the cowardice of the High Street in kowtowing to the government’s so-called “Covid safety” diktat with some even going one step further which made shopping such a joyless and dystopian experience. Who would want to go into shops where you’re treated like a leper?
If the businesses don’t get their act together I won’t be surprised when they finally go bust.
Duh…
Your article about cafes is spot-on. Two weeks ago, I went into the local Starbucks and a more soulless place could not be imagined. I changed my order to a takeaway.
Yesterday, I went into a cafe and the manageress (wearing a mask, of course) held up her hand to block me, shouting “Stay outside, there’s already one person in here!” I walked outside and was puzzled to see an empty table. Looking back into the cafe, I shouted to the owner “It’s alright, you’ve made your decision and I respect it; I’ll go away”. Her demeanour immediately changed to a panicky “There’s a table outside!” but I am not accustomed, at my advanced age, to having a member of staff holding up her hand to block me when I wish to become a customer. I replied again “It’s alright, you’ve made your decision! I completely respect your decision; goodbye!”
As I said yesterday, I wonder who will benefit most long-term; her with that attitude, or me with my money still in my pocket?
Well done for voting with your feet.
Interesting how the word “please” seems to have disappeared in public life.
It’s almost as if they’re softening us up for something.
We are slaves. You don’t say ‘please’ to a slave unless you are a decent person, which is rare these days.
Unfortunately good customer service has gone out of the window since this madness started.
There’s no “almost” about it, but I pretty sure you know that already.
I feel similar. I used to enjoy going out for the occasional pub lunch with the family, but we’re absolutely refusing to do it so long as the insistence on taking details is in place. The thought of having to self-isolate – with three children under six at home! – because someone else who was there “tested positive” is madness.
Always pay cash, don’t social distance, never wear a mask, give fake names.
Always; I transpose two digits of my phone number, and only give my first name. I never bother with unsocial distancing unless I move back out of politeness to bed-wetters. I try to pay cash most of the time.
All of these tolerations depend entirely on the person to whom I am talking; if I like a staff member who is only doing what they’ve been forced to do, then maybe OK. Security staff or management, no latitude.
Sam Smiths’ emporiums only take cash.
Brilliant! 🙂
Let’s hope she’s kicking herself for that lost sale.
Well done! Voting with our feet and wallet is the only way these people will wake up.
I’ve gone in a Starbucks once since the madness began and that’s because I’ve got a bit of money left on their app. Happily, they didn’t challenge me or my exemption card. Couldn’t understand the poor woman at the register since her mask muffled her voice. Bought a cookie and sat there with the one other indoor patron. They’re not getting new revenue from me, just giving me what I’ve already paid for.
Not been to Starbucks or Costa since this madness began. I’d happily support independents but if its a chain I would rather go to Caffe Nero or Paul’s – the branches I’ve been to have staff who have treated me like a human being rather than Typhoid Mary
Coffee #1 has been very relaxed and almost normal. Went to the same one twice the other day, didn’t want to do the Track and Trace smartphone thing, but you can write details on the back of a receipt instead and put it in a box. The second time, I said I’d already done it that day and they were happy with that – might be a strategy to use!
That’s a good idea. Or pretend to write something and put it in the box.
There’s plenty of stupidity south of the border, many pubs and cafes near home are now becoming places to avoid. Also in Wales last week on holiday, the landlord of the pub we normally use was watching over customers as they signed in and insisting on hand sanitising being used under his watchful eye. Myself and wife declined his hearty welcome and went on our way.
I think this is great. It gives non-chain cafes a chance to claw back customers.
Big corporations are first and foremost covering their asses legally.
Mom and pop places only have themselves to answer to and can take “risks” – i.e. just act normally. Those who do will benefit.
Those of you feeling unwilling to go out, give it a try. We had a lovely meal at The Old House at Home pub in Burton, off of J18 of the M4 on the way from Hertfordshire to Cornwall today. Apart from taking our details for track and trace it was as normal, no masks on customers or staff, no nasty signs, excellent service and delicious food.
In today’s spectator…..
“Interestingly the Public Health England explanation of the methods for counting cases is as follows:
‘If a person has both a negative and a positive test, then only their positive test will be counted.
An asymptomatic person who tested positive could have two confirmatory negative tests, but would still count as a confirmed case. But in Wales, data is deduplicated on 42-day episodes; if someone is tested twice, 43 days apart, they will be included in the case count measure twice.”😂
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/what-does-a-case-of-covid-19-really-mean-
Most normal people would just think the tests are garbage but not the government.
Most ‘normal’ people seem to believe the government for some reason or other. MW
What criterion for ‘normal, can we adopt in these insane times?
Not sure, Annie, I suspect that we’ll have to settle for being considered ‘abnormal’ – it certainly feels like that sometimes. Once again, I’m very relieved to get on here and, at least mostly, feel that I haven’t completely lost my remaining marbles 🙂 MW
Covid is the gift that keeps on giving. Not remotely surprised they are counting False Positives confirmed as negative, as positive.
Every day Johnson is presented with clearer opportunities to call a halt to this insanity; the question that has to be asked is whether his failure to take said opportunities is evidence of incompetence, cowardice, malice or a deeply malign combination of the three.
Or something more sinister…
I commented there in detail, it’s an interesting exercise in Bayesian probability. The important points are that the false negative rate is much higher than the false positive rate, and that in the population at large the true positive rate is very low
Executive summary. Designating the result of a positive test followed by a negative test as positive is mainly right when there is reason to believe that population being tested has a large proportion of positives (for example people who have been exposed). As a test for the the population as a whole — for example in the “moonshot” mass testing programme — this is simply wrong. When the true positives form such a small proportion of the population under test, almost all such test results are false positive and should be designated as negative.
Thank you for your clear and objective analysis. Would you dare to put an estimation as to the FPR at the moment in the UK? Obviously it isn’t running at the 90% it would be if everyone was being tested but would you suspect it would be greater or less than 40%?
If you mean the false positive and false negative rates on a test, I’m taking it as 2% and roughly 30% respectively, based on a GOS report. The evidential value of a positive result for an individual depends on the percentage of true positives in the population. For the population as a whole, ONS data suggests about 0.2%. Hence the evidential value of a positive test is based on 0.02 times 0.998 = 2% for false positive results from true negative samples, and 0.70 times 0.002 = 0.14% for true positive results from true positive samples. So the total positive rate is 2.14% of which true positives contribute 0.14% or a proportion of 14/214 = 6.5%. Hence on this basis some 93% of positive test results are incorrect. On the other hand, suppose that you’re testing people who have some reason to believe they are positive: say those who are exposed or showing uncertain symptoms. Suppose that 25% of the people are true positive. Then the same calculation gives the evidential value of a positive test based on 0.02 times 0.75 = 1.5% for false positive results from true negative samples, and 0.70 times 0.25 = 17.5% for true positive… Read more »
This is a clear case of a social media company dangerously giving out medical advice. They are telling you which medical organizations are right and which are wrong. They are again pretending to be the experts on experts.
Social media is basically the user generated MSM arm these days.
Yeah, well, people were all for social media censorship when it was about “Russian meddling”.
The problem is that on the whole people are stupid and can’t think through the consequences of things they demand.
In respect of the WHO mask wearing nonsense
BBC Medical Correspondent Deborah Cohen’s tweet of the 12th July 2020 should tell you all you need to know.
“We had been told by various sources WHO committee reviewing the evidence had not backed masks but they recommended them due to political lobbying. This point was put to WHO who did not deny”
But no confirmed sources, so means jack!
She said she was protecting her sources because of confidentiality. Not an implausible thing, given the likelihood of severe career damage for anyone who goes off narrative in such an organisation.
Still means jack though if no one comes forwards, and it’s the BBC which no one trusts anything about what they say, so why trust them on this just because it fits what we want to hear?
I agree it’s a shame there’s not more evidence. Cohen is pretty sceptical I think, did some good work exposing the local lockdown shambles (extra testing, no-one ill etc.).
If only.
Well the WHO previously did not recommend masks at all, I believe there are still videos on line of them saying, basically, they are not recommended for healthy people, they are not effective against a virus, may risk you spreading bacteria, etc.
https://www.businessinsider.com/who-no-need-for-healthy-people-to-wear-face-masks-2020-4?r=US&IR=T
The source of their U-turn is obviously still a mystery.
Got a friend in California who has been told explicitly that wearing face masks will likely make matters worse with smoke & nasties in the air & offer absolutely zero protection…so how they’re supposed to help with covid-19 is a little bit of a mystery still to many of us.
I am not in California, but the propaganda I’ve heard is that the particles resulting from the wildfires are reeeeeeeeeally small, smaller than a virus, so those useful cloth masks do not help. I’m surprised the fabled precautionary principle hasn’t kicked in, but it may be that someone is genuinely worried about getting sued for bad advice in this case.
Our own government said they were useless many times until some bellend in No10 decided the reason the high street was dead and that muzzles would save the day.
Only knob heads believe they do anything.
Maybe you should open your own virus lab and instead of hermetically sealed positive air pressure suits you can wear an bandana.
We do need a thinning out of the clinically stupid.
Is the tweet still up? Can you provide a link?
Not sure but I have a screenshot on my FB page
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10158261285259961
Thanks! That was enough to go. The tweet is still up:
https://twitter.com/deb_cohen/status/1282244773030633473
She also says it at the end of this Newsnight article.
https://youtu.be/Bw51IudGNb8
I signed this petition recently to “Prevent any restrictions on those who refuse a Covid-19 vaccination” at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/323442. It now has over 124,000 signatures. Today I received the government response to the petition. It states: “There are currently no plans to place restrictions on those who refuse to have any potential Covid-19 vaccine”.
I feel compelled to respond to this with this response: “I do not feel reassured by this response given that at the moment many many adults, babies and children are being refused treatment from the NHS if they refuse to take a COVID test. So you may say that a COVID test is not mandatory currently but without it treatment is being refused. So can you reassure me that this will never be the case for a COVID vaccine please?”.
You can still sign this petition if you feel you agree with it’s sentiment. If you have signed it already and wish to respond yourselves to the government response you can do so at https://petition.parliament.uk/feedback or you can email your comments to petitionscommittee@parliament.uk
Great post. Agree
I also thought the response was disingenuous to say the least. Like others, I have submitted to the consultation, keeping a copy, so they cannot deny their actions at a later stage when it all goes belly up.
Yes, I signed and saw the response too. They covered their ass half-way down though:
All options are still on the table, including coercion.
They also mention this:
However, they don’t mentions that they currently have a consultation going on to use unlicensed vaccines, should Handcock decide this is a good idea:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/distributing-vaccines-and-treatments-for-covid-19-and-flu
I found the quote in full quite eye opening on a number of points. “After clean water, vaccination is the most effective and crucial public health intervention, and a cornerstone of public health that we must not take for granted. It is vital that a significant proportion of people who are offered take up a Covid-19 vaccine in order to protect themselves as well as other vulnerable individuals. Averting a second wave is a key priority for the government and high take up of a vaccine when available will greatly contribute to that.” Not sure that clean water and vaccines are even in the same league of health care interventions, given only one disease has been eradicated in the course of vaccines history. “Immunisations save thousands of lives every year by preventing outbreaks of serious infectious diseases and, in cases such as smallpox and polio, eliminating diseases in the UK altogether. Since the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1968, it is estimated that 20 million cases and 4,500 deaths have been averted in the UK. From 1970 to 2017, it is estimated that rubella vaccination has averted 1,300 babies being born with congenital rubella syndrome and 25,000 terminations. With… Read more »
Thought those of us who propagate graphs and articles amongst their social circles might appreciate links the the graphs Toby stuck in todays update. For me these should prove beyond any doubt that increased testing means increased new cases !
You will need to copy and paste each link as the comments section hasn’t rendered them correctly in the page for some reason.
https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus-data-explorer?zoomToSelection=true&time=2020-03-01..latest&country=~GBR®ion=World&casesMetric=true&interval=smoothed&perCapita=true&smoothing=7&pickerMetric=total_deaths&pickerSort=desc
https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus-data-explorer?zoomToSelection=true&time=2020-03-01..latest&country=~GBR®ion=World&positiveTestRate=true&interval=smoothed&perCapita=true&smoothing=7&pickerMetric=total_deaths&pickerSort=desc
https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus-data-explorer?zoomToSelection=true&time=2020-03-01..latest&country=~GBR®ion=World&testsMetric=true&interval=smoothed&perCapita=true&smoothing=7&pickerMetric=total_deaths&pickerSort=desc
Oh shit, the Thought Police are at the door, they have come to install a “telescreen”, you know, the one that you cannot turn off. Doubleplusungood.
Councils in the North East have written to the government begging for further local lockdown restrictions because of the rise in ‘cases’. Most of these councils are Labour except for Northumberland which deposed its leader last week after he suspended the CEO. He did this because, after he refused to support BLM in Council communications, she accused him, in writing, of an affair with another councillor. There is also a police investigation going on into an arms length company set up by the council and the local health authority which, bizarrely, has the same CEO. It would appear that there is a plot by the Labour Group and some of the senior officers of the council to undermine the Tory administration. The letter to the government begging for lockdown has, presumably, been written by officers, encouraged by the North of Tyne Mayor, a Corbyn supporter whose activities, since being elected several years ago, appear to be negligible. Northumberland is a county unitary, covering a huge, rural, sparsely populated area of market towns, villages and open moorland. The only area with any population density is the former coalfield area in the south east corner, where it borders North Tyneside. The only… Read more »
I hail from the Socialist Republic of North Tyneside, and know at first hand how things have worked in and around the local council bordering you in Northumberland. Get in touch with Linda Arkley (was mayor of NT) – she might be able to help. By way of background, Labour in that area love their little tricks – the smear normally involves something worse (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Morgan_(politician)).
Good luck.
But it will be like Sturgeon land where the grateful sheppies will thank their betters for keeping them safe and lives are more important than business.
Someone should actually create BeBopRockSteady’s “Lockdown Zealots” website, satirical like the CoronavirusCirclejerk subreddit. And the best part would be that at least one zealous prat would actually take it seriously!
A chance to signal their virtue, rat on their neighbours and slag off Wetherspoons? They’ll flock to it 🙂
Commercialize it heavily …
2nd letter to my local MP who said: “On testing, I’m afraid that I do not agree that the increase in positive results is solely due to increased community testing, as confirmed by the Chief Medical Officer.” Thought i’d send a reply with some graphs which would make my point after seeing those graphs on Toby’s page. Here it is if anyone wishes to use it for their own elected nitwit lol. Hi Dan, thanks for the quick response, I wasn’t expecting to hear anything for a few days given the current situation. I appreciate that you will no doubt be inundated with correspondance making arguments for all kinds of different approaches to the current situation. If I could, I would like to have 2 more minutes of your time to cast your eyes over some relevant data regards testing? I was dissappointed with your response regards the current situation regards ever increasing numbers of “new cases” so just wanted to highlight actual data to back up my assertion. I think/hope the three different graphs I’m going to provide links for below may possibly start to make you think differently about this. First graph shows the volume of tests per… Read more »
Send him my (ignored) letter to Hancock and Hunt about a FOI request answer I had on PCR tests: Matthew John David Hancock Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Jeremy Richard Streynsham Hunt Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee I have received and answer to a FOI request back from your department, the DHSC, about the PCR tests they are using and what the results mean. One of my questions and the most important: -supply the justification that a “positive” test means the person is suffering from the virus as is a danger to the public and must be isolated. The answer: SARS-CoV-2 RNA means the RNA is present in that sample at that point in time. It does not mean that the patient has the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Patients can have SARS-CoV-2 RNA before onset of illness, during the illness and after resolution of symptoms (all variable periods). The result has to be taken into context of symptoms present. So my question to you both in your positions as Secretary of State for Health and as the Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Health and Social Care is: SO A POSITIVE TEST MEANS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IN THE… Read more »
Here they are:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/weekending4september2020
Even allowing for the Bank Holiday, if you are looking for a second wave/surge/deadly plague/apocalypse… Sorry, there’s nothing to see here!
And here’s perhaps the biggest problem we’ve faced. John Stuart Mill argued for free speech on the basis that we can have no way of having any confidence in our own opinions about anything if they are not able to withstand free challenge by those who disagree with them, it’s imo the strongest argument made for freedom of speech. In this coronapanic we have had our information actively censored and therefore slanted, and dissenting opinions have been censored and punished. Thus the vast majority of the people who support the government line (anyone who does not actively search for dissenting opinion and information) have no basis for believing in the opinions they hold, except deference to authority and groupthink. From the beginning, dissenting scientists and mathematicians were told that expressing their opinions was “dangerous”, and found it hard to get reported. Same for other experts, from lawyers to economists and politicians. The BBC and most mainstream media, as well as big tech social media, has taken the same position – dissent is dangerous and can and should be censored. Gabriela Gomes (preprint from May at Medrxiv) has struggled to get her vital research out because: “[S]cience journals refuse to publish… Read more »
And the connected right to peaceful assembly – when one’s opinions/thoughts/beliefs can be discussed and challenged by others.
As to ‘mis-government’, I think they’ve achieved exactly what they set out to. A pretend panic response is not a panic response, Mark.
“As to ‘mis-government’, I think they’ve achieved exactly what they set out to. A pretend panic response is not a panic response, Mark.”
Clearly we lie at separate points on the cock-up/conspiracy spectrum, but tbh it’s “mis-government” (or mis-rule) either way, whether it’s intentional or incompetent.
It certainly is. I guess which one it is matters mostly in determining our response/strategy/tactics.
Yes, agree with freedom of speech and the right to peaceful assembly – many other political issues are important but all take a back seat while the corona madness and evil continue, but freedom of speech and protest seem to me to be inextricably linked – the lack of them has helped us get to where we are and are keeping us there. I think it’s going to be hard to solve one without the other.
Thanks, Mark. Nailed it!
Very well put. I have copied this, for my own library to use in potential arguments.
Thank you.
Only 1% of deaths in England and Wales now linked to Covid, ONS says
Only 1% of deaths in England and Wales in the week ending 4 September involved coronavirus, according to the latest weekly death statistics from the Office for National Statistics. Of the 7,739 deaths registered that week, 78 had Covid mentioned on the death certificate. That is the lowest number of Covid deaths in the last 25 weeks, the ONS says.
Overall deaths in the week ending 4 September were also 15.7% below the five-year average for this time of year, the report says.
https://twitter.com/Anshul__K/status/1305529431805628419?s=19
Estimate how many positives we would have had at the peak if we were testing as much as we are now – using 205,659 processed P1 & P2 tests that were reported on September 10th.
Interesting thread and an excellent chart showing the same for France lower down. It really puts everything into context.
I now understand Sebastien-Roch-Nicolas Chamfort a little better:
“A man should swallow a toad every morning to be sure of not meeting with anything more revolting in the day ahead.”
I suppose nowadays a woman should do the same, too.