A “Careful and Limited” Christmas
Ministers from all the UK nations met yesterday to agree plans for the festive period. According to the Cabinet Office, they haven’t yet reached an agreement, although it tried to spin this as “progress”:
Welcoming the good progress made by all administrations over the past few days to design a single set of arrangements that can apply across the UK, Ministers reiterated the importance of allowing families and friends to meet in a careful and limited way, while recognising that this will not be a normal festive period and the risks of transmission remain very real.
As such, Ministers endorsed a shared objective of facilitating some limited additional household bubbling for a small number of days, but also emphasised that the public will be advised to remain cautious, and that wherever possible people should avoid travelling and minimise social contact.
The Sun was one of several papers briefed on the plans under discussion:
What Brits can do this Christmas:
It is believed a limited number of households will be able to meet up indoors including at the pub
This effectively scraps the rule of six over the five-day period
The relaxed rules will likely come in on Christmas Eve through to the Bank Holiday on December 28
All four UK governments are working on a plan that will allow Brits to travel to meet family
Social bubbles will have to be announced in advance and social distancing is still in place – so hugs are still banned
Assuming the four nations can agree this ‘Christmas bonus’, are we supposed to be grateful? As the Mail on Sunday‘s political columnist Dan Hodges pointed out on Twitter, 12 months ago the idea that the Government would be “allowing” us to spend Christmas with our families and loved ones would have been unthinkable. Have we really been so cowed by the Government’s lurch into authoritarianism that this is good news?
Pubs and Restaurants Bear the Brunt Again
Once again, the hospitality industry is to bear the brunt of Covid restrictions after the national lockdown ends on Dec 2nd. The Telegraph has the story:
Hospitality businesses in Tier 3 will only be allowed to offer takeaways, while those in Tier 2 will only be able to serve alcohol with “substantial meals”.
The measures – which are significantly tougher than under the previous tier system – were described as “catastrophic” by pub chiefs on Sunday night, with a warning that one million jobs are now on the line. While there is bad news for pubs, other restrictions will be lighter than under the old tier system. All shops will be allowed to open in all tiers, together with gyms and places of worship, while recreational sport, including golf, tennis and organised team sports can resume. Cinemas will be allowed to reopen in Tiers 1 and 2, and the advice to “work from home if you can” will remain across the country
What’s particularly cruel about this decision is that there’s no evidence that pubs and restaurants are a major source of infection. According to PHE’s own data, only 4% of COVID-19 outbreaks can be traced back to the venues. On what basis, therefore, is the Government decreeing that non-essential shops, cinemas and gyms can reopen, but pubs and restaurants in Tier 2 and Tier 3 areas have to remain closed?
Opposition is mounting on the Tory back-benches, with the 70-strong Covid Reform Group set to oppose the measures (see round-up below). But that will be small comfort to the affected businesses, particularly as Labour has said it will vote with the Government to get the new restrictions through.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UK Hospitality, said the news was “far worse than anyone could have anticipated”.
She said: “This a cruel decision and it just feels as if the whole sector is being thrown to the wolves.
“If the tiers had stayed as they were until March, we were already expecting 94% of businesses in Tier 3 and 74% of businesses in Tier 2 to go to the wall. Now we have restrictions that are even worse.
“We make 25% of our profits in the run-up to Christmas and the Government is taking that away.
“This will have a catastrophic effect on a large number of businesses and all those jobs that were furloughed will now be lost. You are talking about the prospect of a million job losses and 30 to 40,000 premises closing their doors for good.”
Worth reading in full.
Stop Press: Iain Duncan Smith has written an excellent comment piece in today’s Daily Mail about the catastrophic impact the lockdown-in-all-but-name will have on the economy.
Papiere Bitte!
Several readers have drawn our attention to a new Government scheme which enjoys the backing of the former Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt. Details in the Mailonline:
Britons are set to be given Covid ‘freedom passes’ as long as they test negative for the virus twice in a week, it has been suggested. The details of the scheme are still being ironed out by officials in Whitehall, who hope it will allow the country to get back to normal next year.
To earn the freedom pass, people will need to be tested regularly and, provided the results come back negative, they will then be given a letter, card or document they can show to people as they move around.
The certificate would be stored on a phone, according to sources, and would allow people to live a relatively normal life until the Government’s vaccination programme gets up to the speed. It would even allow Britons to get away without wearing a mask, it is thought, and visit family and friends without the need to socially distance.
A source told the Telegraph: “They will allow someone to wander down the streets, and if someone else asks why they are not wearing a mask, they can show the card, letter or an App.”
The connotations of such a scheme are of course, pretty grisly. Aren’t we supposed to be freeborn citizens living in a liberal democracy? Why should we have to earn our freedom every two days? It is worth remembering that Brits were carrying their wartime ID cards until 1952.
The Telegraph reports on talks between the Government and De La Rue, the passport manufacturers, to produce Covid travel certificates for those who’ve recently tested negative and who want to travel abroad:
Ministers have asked passport makers to provide Britons with secure certificates to prove they are not carrying coronavirus and help pave the way for a return to normality next year. City sources said companies including De La Rue are discussing certificates guaranteeing travellers have taken tests for the disease and are not infected. However, talks are at an early stage and could come to nothing, with uncertainty among officials about how to navigate an exit from the pandemic.
Worth reading in full.
We’re not convinced these certificates would only be necessary until a mass vaccination programme gets underway. If they’re put in place, what’s the betting that in six months time you won’t be able to go to the pub or go on holiday without a vaccination certificate?
Churches go Underground
Regular church-goers are following the example of religious people in Communist China and holding clandestine services. The Guardian has more:
Minimal information – time, directions – is quietly given with pleas for discretion. Once everyone is assembled in a barn on a remote farm – “away from prying eyes,” says the organiser – it begins.
This is no rave, but an English church service under lockdown, and the organiser is a Protestant pastor. The Christians who will gather illegally in the west of England on Sunday morning – as they have for the past two Sundays – will pray, read from the scriptures, sing hymns and listen to a sermon.
“We’ve been holding clandestine services since this lockdown began,” the pastor told the Observer, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It feels weird for us to act this way. People have said it feels more like an underground church in China.”
“I never thought I’d say this in Britain, but churches are going underground. These are not isolated cases – and the longer it goes on, more churches will join the movement,” said Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, a conservative evangelical group, and a member of the Church of England’s ruling body, the General Synod.
Andrew, a minister at a London church, said: “We’ve carried on as normal [during the current lockdown]. We’re holding a couple of services each Sunday, with about 160 people attending in total.
“We’ve asked people to be discreet. This is not a stunt we’re pulling, we’re not seeking publicity. It was a big decision – I’ve never practised civil disobedience before.”
Worth reading in full.
The story comes hot on the heels of the closure of bookshop and tearoom – The Mustard Seed – in Gedling which cited the Magna Carta in its bid to stay open. From the BBC:
The owner of the Mustard Seed in Gedling, Nottinghamshire, had already been fined a total of £17,000 for breaching coronavirus rules, the Council said.
She had argued she had a right under the Magna Carta and “common law” to remain open.
On Friday magistrates in Mansfield granted a closure order.
This means the business has to close immediately. Failure to do so could lead to imprisonment, a fine, or both, according to Gedling Borough Council.
Anyone visiting could face the same punishment
Stop Press: A hasidic syngogue in Brooklyn pulled off quite the coup in hosting a maskless wedding for the chief rabbi’s grandson. Details in the New York Post.
A Pots and Pans Protest
It’s hard to come by news of the Danish Government’s reverse ferret on its new, draconian epidemic law – there’s been nothing in the mainstream media – but Lifesite seems to think it’s definitely true.
Nine days of public protest and criticism from medical and professional sources have reportedly forced the Danish Government to back down from its plan to impose a special law regarding diseases that are considered to be “socially critical”.
The draft “epidemilov”, or “epidemic law”, had provisions allowing the use of police to force vaccinations on certain groups defined by the state. While the ruling Social Democrat coalition Government intends to come back with a new or an amended draft law, public outrage has already ensured that it will be under intense scrutiny, especially since all parties except the Social Democrats have voiced their opposition.
This important news turned out to be hard to pin down and is still being presented as fake by Danish commentators on social media, with a number of users claiming to live in Denmark saying they had heard of no demonstrations or change of mind on the part of the Government. Indeed, mainstream international media, including MSN, were silent about the event, which would have gone unnoticed if it were not for local social media users who posted videos of the “pots and pans protest” that put pressure on Danish authorities.
The story has prompted several of our readers to suggest similar action here. We got this yesterday, for instance:
Bash pans for freedom every Thursday
The Danish overturned a mandatory vaccine law by crowds standing outside their Parliament for two weeks apparently though it’s difficult to confirm.
Nevertheless, every Thursday the whole country could come out and bash saucepans for freedom from government tyranny by safety-ism. When was it? 7pm?
No consent to covid-pass. No consent to mass testing. No consent to mandatory vaccination. No consent to Big Pharma given a free pass on financial responsibility for dangerous vaccines. No consent to fascistic policing. No consent to petty fines. No consent to their divide and rule of people with woke policies. No consent to draconian regulations or Acts of Parliament. No consent to rule by dictat
And from another reader:
I read with interest the idea of a pots and pans protest action. What about a service station protest? Where people meet at their nearest service stations, stay in their individual cars and honk their horns/display messages of freedom? I do think people need to be in the same space physically for it to have any impact and I suspect any ban on protesting will remain after lockdown
Even in Japan
A reader has been in touch with more on the Japanese protest outside Shinjuku station in Tokyo that we flagged up a few days ago.
Thought you might be interested to know that resistance is building even among the super polite, face mask-fetishising Japanese. I chanced upon a protest today outside Shinjuku station in Tokyo. There are minimal restrictions here, but the participants are still angry about the pressure to wear face masks at all times, social distancing requirements, Zoom-only university classes, and the constant Corona ‘case numbers’ updates. “We know it’s all bullshit and we’ve had enough,” said one of the organisers I spoke to. There are apparently three separate sceptic groups here but they collaborate closely. There were 800 gathered outside the Japanese Diet building last week, and there was a ‘no mask excursion’ on one of the train lines recently. Interestingly, this protest was extremely good natured, jolly even, and there were zero police in attendance.
Oh, and the sign reads “Corona is a farce”.
Clarification
Yesterday’s item on asymptomatic spread suggested that the results of the Wuhan study were at variance with new guidance from the CDC. This was to misread the CDC’s guidance which was in fact talking about the risk of presymptomatic and asymptomatic spread combined, not just warning of the risk of asymptomatic transmission. Consequently, the CDC’s advice is compatible with the results from Wuhan – at a pinch.
Round-Up
- “Waste that will make you weep” – Great splash in today’s Daily Mail based on a joint investigation with the Taxpayers’ Alliance that has discovered the public sector is squandering £5.6 billion of taxpayers’ money
- “The woke police are ensuring we have the gloomiest Christmas in memory” – Zoe Stimpel in the Telegraph on the continuing erosion of free speech
- “New ‘chumocracy’ row as Matt Hancock hands health department job to a lobbyist friend from university” – Another tale of government cronyism from the Mailonline (originally in yesterday’s Sunday Times)
- “This isn’t the end of lockdown. It’s the next phase of a ruinous cycle of illogical restrictions” – A gloomy but accurate warning from Ross Clark, this time in the Telegraph
- “Sadiq Khan warns Covid pandemic has created an ‘existential threat’ to central London because commuters will choose to work in offices in suburbs in future” – Has the penny finally dropped? From the Mailonline
- “Was what I said on Facebook really ‘hate speech’?” – Patrick West, in the Spectator, reflects on his run-in with the social media giant’s standards on hate speech
- “WHO COVID envoy fears third wave, calls Europe response ‘incomplete” – David Nabarro of the World Health Organisation appears to have resiled on his position that lockdowns should only ever be considered as a “last resort”. From Reuters
- “Pub landlord who claimed chilli eating contest was exempt from lockdown rules because its an ‘elite sport’ is hit with prohibition notice” – A sorry turn of events in one publican’s enterprising challenge to lockdown rules
- “The Pogues saga says more about us than the BBC” – Simon Evans on the preliminary skirmish of this year’s festive culture wars in Spectator Life
- “Hackers try to steal Covid vaccine secrets in intellectual property war” – Hostile state actors from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are trying to seize proprietary information about the Covid vaccines in development, according to the Guardian
- “Asymptomatic Spread Revisited” – The AIER‘s take on the implications of the mass testing results from Wuhan
- “Experimental drug used on Donald Trump receives emergency approval by FDA” – The Regeneron drug gets the go-ahead, and demand is expected to be high.
- “German police barge into the house of anti-lockdown activist Dr Andreas Noack, arrest him during YouTube livestream” – Chilling video from Germany
- “Anti-lockdown rally in New York demands we question authority and take back our lives” – The Post Millennial covers the protests on today’s rally in the Big Apple.
- “A ‘data error’ is blamed for doubling fatalities to 398 after 141 deaths were excluded from Saturday’s figures” – A strong sense of déjà vu in this story on Mailonline. But the good news is yesterday’s daily case numbers were down 25% on the previous sunday
- “The real cost of COVID-19: Ruth Sunderland’s terrifying dossier” – The Daily Mail business editor crunches the numbers, and they are astronomical.
- “What would wartime Britons make of this surrender to the virus tyrants?” – Byron Dean considers an interesting question for the Conservative Woman
- “Mark Harper: Read the full letter signed by me and my Conservative colleagues, 70 of us, calling on the Government to demonstrate the necessity and proportionality of any new restriction” The Covid Recovery Group has written to the Prime Minister saying its 70 members cannot vote for further restrictions without seeing a cost benefit analysis
Theme Tunes Suggested by Readers
Five Today: “Year of the Plague” by Steven Wilson, “Here Come Those Tears Again” by Jackson Browne, “Tears of A Clown” by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, “My Life” by Billy Joel and “Take Back The Power” by The Interrupters
Love in the Time of Covid
We have created some Lockdown Sceptics Forums, including a dating forum called “Love in a Covid Climate” that has attracted a bit of attention. 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.
Sharing Stories
Some of you have asked how to link to particular stories on Lockdown Sceptics. To do that, click on the headline of a particular story and a link symbol will appear on the right-hand side of the headline. Click on the link and the URL of your page will switch to the URL of that particular story. You can then copy that URL and either email it to your friends or post it on social media. Please do share the stories.
Social Media Accounts
You can follow Lockdown Sceptics on our social media accounts which are updated throughout the day. To follow us on Facebook, click here; to follow us on Twitter, click here; to follow us on Instagram, click here; to follow us on Parler, click here; and to follow us on MeWe, click here.
Woke Gobbledegook
We’ve decided to create a permanent slot down here for woke gobbledegook. Today we bring you a multi-coloured mural of Winston Churchill in Cannon place in Brighton, which attracted complaints – but not for the reason you think. The Telegraph has more.
A multi-coloured mural of Winston Churchill wearing stockings and suspenders was bound to raise eyebrows when it appeared on a wall in one of Brighton’s busiest streets.
However, it is not the former Prime Minister’s suggestive lingerie which has attracted complaints from locals – but the trademark “V” sign he is making with his right hand.
The owner of the property next to where the mural is painted, in Cannon Place, was shocked when he received a call from the Council to say a passer-by had found the gesture offensive. They seemingly believed that Churchill was swearing.
Mr Phillips, who runs the Sandpiper guest house, told the Telegraph he was flabbergasted it was not Churchill’s near-naked bottom half which had prompted criticism, but perhaps the most iconic symbol of Britain’s victory in the Second World War.
“The mural was painted a month ago and a week later the Council contacted me. I thought the complaints were going to be about the stockings – and people told me politicians do a lot of strange things! But people take pictures in front of it all the time. This is Brighton after all, and it’s better than having graffiti on the wall.
“The Council said someone would come over to paint over the hands, which would look really bad. They called me half an hour later and apologised and said it was going to stay.”
Worth reading in full.
“Mask Exempt” Lanyards
We’ve created a one-stop shop 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 (takes a while to arrive). 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 £1.99 from Etsy here. And, finally, if you feel obliged to wear a mask but want to signal your disapproval of having to do so, you can get a “sexy world” mask with the Swedish flag on it here.
Don’t forget to sign the petition on the UK Government’s petitions website calling for an end to mandatory face masks in shops here.
A reader has started a website that contains some useful guidance about how you can claim legal exemption.
If you’re a shop owner and you want to let your customers know you will not be insisting on face masks or asking them what their reasons for exemption are, you can download a friendly sign to stick in your window here.
And here’s an excellent piece about the ineffectiveness of masks by a Roger W. Koops, who has a doctorate in organic chemistry.
The Great Barrington Declaration
The Great Barrington Declaration, a petition started by Professor Martin Kulldorff, Professor Sunetra Gupta and Professor Jay Bhattacharya calling for a strategy of “Focused Protection” (protect the elderly and the vulnerable and let everyone else get on with life), was launched last month and the lockdown zealots have been doing their best to discredit it ever since. If you Googled it a week after launch, the top hits were three smear pieces from the Guardian, including: “Herd immunity letter signed by fake experts including ‘Dr Johnny Bananas’.” (Freddie Sayers at UnHerd warned us about this the day before it appeared.) On the bright side, Google UK has stopped shadow banning it, so the actual Declaration now tops the search results – and Toby’s Spectator piece about the attempt to suppress it is among the top hits – although discussion of it has been censored by Reddit. The reason the zealots hate it, of course, is that it gives the lie to their claim that “the science” only supports their strategy. These three scientists are every bit as eminent – more eminent – than the pro-lockdown fanatics so expect no let up in the attacks. (Wikipedia has also done a smear job.)
You can find it here. Please sign it. Now approaching 700,000 signatures.
Update: The authors of the GDB have expanded the FAQs to deal with some of the arguments and smears that have been made against their proposal. Worth reading in full.
Update 2: Many of the signatories of the Great Barrington Declaration are involved with new UK anti-lockdown campaign Recovery. Find out more and join here.
Update 3: You can watch Sunetra Gupta set out the case for “Focused Protection” here and Jay Bhattacharya make it here.
Update 4: The three GBD authors plus Prof Carl Heneghan of CEBM have launched a new website collateralglobal.org, “a global repository for research into the collateral effects of the COVID-19 lockdown measures”.
Judicial Reviews Against the Government
There are now so many JRs being brought against the Government and its ministers, we thought we’d include them all in one place down here.
First, there’s the Simon Dolan case. You can see all the latest updates and contribute to that cause here.
Then there’s the Robin Tilbrook case. You can read about that and contribute here.
Then there’s John’s Campaign which is focused specifically on care homes. Find out more about that here.
There’s the GoodLawProject’s Judicial Review of the Government’s award of lucrative PPE contracts to various private companies. You can find out more about that here and contribute to the crowdfunder here.
The Night Time Industries Association has instructed lawyers to JR any further restrictions on restaurants, pubs and bars.
Christian Concern and over 100 church leaders are JR-ing the Government over its insistence on closing churches during the lockdowns. Read about it here.
And last but not least there’s the Free Speech Union‘s challenge to Ofcom over its ‘coronavirus guidance’. You can read about that and make a donation here.
Samaritans
If you are struggling to cope, please call Samaritans for free on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. Samaritans is available round the clock, every single day of the year, providing a safe place for anyone struggling to cope, whoever they are, however they feel, whatever life has done to them.
Quotation Corner
It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.
Mark Twain
Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, one by one.
Charles Mackay
They who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin
To do evil a human being must first of all believe that what he’s doing is good, or else that it’s a well-considered act in conformity with natural law. Fortunately, it is in the nature of the human being to seek a justification for his actions…
Ideology – that is what gives the evildoing its long-sought justification and gives the evildoer the necessary steadfastness and determination.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
No lesson seems to be so deeply inculcated by the experience of life as that you never should trust experts. If you believe the doctors, nothing is wholesome: if you believe the theologians, nothing is innocent: if you believe the soldiers, nothing is safe. They all require to have their strong wine diluted by a very large admixture of insipid common sense.
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
Nothing would be more fatal than for the Government of States to get into the hands of experts. Expert knowledge is limited knowledge and the unlimited ignorance of the plain man, who knows where it hurts, is a safer guide than any rigorous direction of a specialist.
Sir Winston Churchill
If it disagrees with experiment, it’s wrong. In that simple statement is the key to science.
Richard Feynman
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.
C.S. Lewis
The welfare of humanity is always the alibi of tyrants.
Albert Camus
We’ve arranged a global civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces.
Carl Sagan
Political language – and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists – is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.
George Orwell
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.
Marcus Aurelius
Necessity is the plea for every restriction of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.
William Pitt the Younger
Shameless Begging Bit
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And Finally…
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Hi.
Unless the government get major kickback from the hospitality industry this could go on forever, or at least until all tearooms, pubs and restaurants have closed. Apart from a select few in posh areas where the snotocracy can have their ” business lunches”.
They should launch a legal case against the government who are using the dodgy PCR data to implement disproportionate law.
Part of an ongoing campaign against the licensed trade as we warned when they first came for the smokers.
Home drinkers will be next with your purchases checked against your Health Passport as it morphs into CCP style Social Credit.
Don’t even remind me of that… I smoke pipes and cigars and i absolutely hate it how, despite the prevailing evidence, they’re lumped in with cigarettes. So yeah, it wouldn’t surprise me that they will outlow fun and relaxation altogether. Welcome to Airstrip One! Actually no, it’s worse than that. Even in the dystopian hell that is 1984 they were allowed cigarettes and gin.
The proles had pubs and beer
In my city every ery single working class boozer that did not have an outdoor area that could be designated for smoking had closed within a few years of the smoking ban.
Alcohol Concern loved the collateral damage.
We’ve surpassed 1984. 1984 is a dreamland compared to this nightmare; its only going to get worse. What will it take for the cowardly people of this nation to say enough is enough?
a match (no pun intended).
They won’t say enough until it’s far too late and once vaccinated there’s no way back.
The cigarette smokers are more numerous than cigar smokers. You should join up and fight this BS together instead of complaining.
I rather expect them to encourage the right sorts of people to hasten their own demise. They used to say that smokers were a net benefit to society because they died relatively quickly soon after retirement.
And paid a fortune in tax.
likewise with the travel industry – government have given little/no support. Agents trying to be optimistic with little scraps of changes (corridors, tests etc) but probably not make any significant difference.
I suspect it is deliberate as it doesn’t fit with their ‘green’ agenda and want the oiks to stay at home and be slaves to the system – how dare they want to have a holiday in the sun! Travel will be the luxury of the rich as was back in 60s/70s
Great masses of people do not fit in with their green agenda. They have the vaccines to put that right.
The Jet Set as they were known and toadied over by the BBC.
Puritan=Totalitarian.
So, it’s being proposed that we need ID cards based on medical evidence just to walk around, and going to church may carry a prison sentence. Of course that’s going to soften people up for an experimental vaccine with unforeseen outcomes.
It’s a weird kind of Stockholm syndrome. Instead of people rebelling against an authoritarian state, they ask for more restrictions in the hope that there will be less restrictions.
They still think the government is benevolent.
There’s two kinds of people: those that think the government is working for them, and those that think.
I agree, a lot of people I know believe that the government is doing the best it can in the face of this ‘terrible disease’!
It’s like that saying where you constantly feed a crocodile in order to keep it happy and to avoid being eaten. Trouble is the food will run out at some point and the crocodile in the end will eat you.
Well, I don’t know much about vaccines, but I’m assuming that knowledge of (say) the Pfizer vaccine’s long term consequences will still be quite limited 6 months from now?
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/pfizer-fined-2.3-billion-illegal-marketing-off-label/story?id=8477617
Pseudo-medical evidence. This has nothing to do with real health or well being.
And you have to remember that the vaccines will probably not even provide sterilising immunity, so they will not prevent you spreading CV-19, making the health passports pointless even in their own terms.
It’s just about control.
If the ‘vaccine’ minimises symptoms for the infected it will create those very asymptomatic carriers that we are supposed to worry about.
yes, it’s all just about control. and what people don’t seem to realise is the vaccine issue is for sure an issue of the now, but as with the restrictions we’ve seen already, once people give up their body autonomy what else is there. and the vaccine makers have over 150 more types of vaccines they are working on. the who had already got the goal (ambition) that vaccination should be extended to all adults. if enough of us don’t come together to find ways to stop all of this .. hard to find words
I’ll soon need a small bell to walk the streets.
Graham, I think we’ll all need a large one.
Except the dire consequences of the vaccines will be known all too well for those who are pushing the agenda, which is their way of ridding the planet of its great masses and to save it just for themselves alone. Years ago, Bill Gates was telling those would listen, that vaccines were the perfect tool for carrying out global genocide. He must be a very happy man, now watching his wildest dreams become reality.
And your present Prime Minister admires Mr. Gates very much.
Indeed he does what a fu**wit!!
“What Brits can do this Christmas.” Just settle your eyes on those words for a moment. Could you ever envisage in your wildest dreams that on March 23rd, when we were asked to sacrifice 3 weeks of liberty to “flatten the curve” that it would possibly lead to the above sentence appearing in a major newspaper? You’d have called me mad for even suggesting it. Turns out that the largely naive and scientifically illiterate people of the UK have been taken for a ride by possibly the most ruthless and mendacious government this island has ever seen – so much so that a significant proportion of the public will be hanging onto every word that Dear Leader Johnson utters at his propaganda broadcast tonight. Flanked by his shroud-waving experts in pseudoscience, he will no doubt predict that Armageddon will be upon is if we spend just one extra day over the festive period in blind ignorance to “the rules” – visit Auntie Edna on Boxing Day or New Year’s Eve and Pandora’s Box will spring open, unleashing the festering plague upon our green lands once more. It’s high time that the people of this country simply start ignoring everything that… Read more »
Seeing how gullible people are is sometimes pushing me nearly to despair. How much of an idiot do you have to be to not see the BS coming out of government. Nevermind the data. Let’s say you don’t trust what lockdown sceptics are saying. But just the chain of contradiction should be enough to ring alarm bells.
“We won’t lock down again. It’s the nuclear option.”
“Oops. We’re going into lockdown again. But don’t worry. It’s only for a month and not a day longer, and it’s to save Christmas!”
“Oops. We’re going to have to extend that lockdown. And about Christmas… do you think you can have it in Summer instead…?”
“We need to close restaurants. But not completely. And you’re not allowed alcohol. For reasons. And no hugs!”
How can you, at the very least, not realise that these people either have no idea what they’re doing, or are lying to the entire country with absolutely no shame? I cannot understand how people are just satisfied to give away absolutely all of their freedoms and all of their rights away, without even a complaint. It’s unbelievable to me.
The trouble is the masses still think this is a very dangerous disease and if they dont do as they are told they are going to die. Cummings the master wordsmith did his job too well. People are just waiting for their next instruction. As you say unbelievable and unfortunately I dont see an end to it. There are not enough dissenters – when the likes of Dr Mike Yeadon and Prof Carl Henegan get taken off social media for daring to go against the narrative it really is an uphill struggle.
Social media holds the monopoly on this. Before we could gather in small groups face to face and discuss these things. But now these face to face discussions have moved on social media, and they’re being tightly regulated. There simply is no way to get through to people.
Take a hint from Douglas Bader (reach for the sky) and short circuit the usual channels. There’s ways of getting messages across whatever the authorities do.
How, exactly?
Well I think of the poorly funded campaign against a North East regional assembly that tied a large helium balloon white elephant to the Tyne Bridge to make their point. And similar guerilla tactics in the fight against a congestion charge for Greater Manchester. And I solved a parking problem outside our house with posters taped to (5 litre) water bottles and a lot of time spent sitting in the street explaining things to people. And then there was the anti-Glazer campaign by Manchester United supporters, putting “love United hate Glazer” stickers on lamp posts all over the place. There’s always things that can be done, and social media etc. can be used to coordinate a nationwide campaign. We just need to get organized!
wish you hadn’t mentioned the last one, they are still there with their puppet. Sounds just like the globalists and Johnsion.
My father is not on social media and he remains terrfied. His only source of news is the BBC.
I think this is why they are so desperate to close pubs, people meet in pubs, they share opinions with people they love, trust and respect, and people listen to each other properly. It’s so much harder to share opinions online without getting a digital mouthful and being accused of being practically a murderer or deluded tin foil hat wearer.
But even in the face to face conversations that I still have with other people, they are seriously and conscientiously working out what they can now do or not do, instead of saying, like me, ‘Hang on, this is ridiculous’.
When they say “I can’t visit Granny anymore’ and I reply “of course you can, if it was fine to do so yesterday why should today be different”, they are shocked; oh no mustn’t break the rules!
Yes, Judith; there was a twitter “conversation” which I read, just to see how warped the other side are; the number of comments along the lines of (insert whining hand-wringing voice here) “If only people weren’t so selfish and obeyed the rules, then we wouldn’t need to have these lockdowns”. Or similar shite.
Heneghan has been taken off Social Media? If so that is incredible. Like Pravda 1982, maybe even worse, they were right about the Americans, look what came later.
Prof Heneghan HAS NOT been taken off social media. There are dozens of interviews and articles out there. This attitude suggests this place is becoming further silo/echo chamber like.
And he still has not signed The Great Barrington declaration!
Prof Heneghan HAS NOT been taken off social media. There are dozens of interviews and articles out there. This attitude suggests this place is becoming further silo/echo chamber like.
And he still has not signed The Great Barrington declaration!
His Spectator article about the Danish RCT mask study gets fact checked.
‘You have nothing to fear but fear itself’
Don’t despair, it’ll make you weak and ill. Let’s face it, moaning about those who don’t value freedom just makes us feel worse.
It’s hell to accept, but the root cause of all this was that in March people really feared there was A HIGHLY INFECTIOUS KILLER VIRUS on every door handle, in every closed space and on everyone’s breath. A lot of people are not interested in politics or how they are governed when they got the fear and the government and media weighed in with all the it up with fear porn & RULES. They are still frightened. That has not dissipated, they are not going to lose that fear anytime soon.
No way am I capitulating but let’s concentrate on what we can do to spread the alternative view, to make people sceptical. Have friends round for a meal or drink or if they won’t come do as much outside as possible.
This is so true. My sister and bother in law nearly wouldnt even come for a walk with us yesterday round the local lake. They did come out in the end in masks (I explained to them that there is nothing to fear).
We started walking, many families out enjoying there day, no masks at all and in many numbers. They took off there masks half way round….its the isolation that helps fan the fear. We had a long chat and polite debate about it all and by the end they were much more chilled.
What I am most angry about more than anything is the fear campaign propaganda implemented by this government through mainstream media!
They did it on purpose, they knew it wasn’t a bad virus they knew what it was and yet they put the fear of god into everyone.
My brother in Law told me he knew someone in SAGE who was telling him that its even more dangerous than they let on. Like they are withholding the truth about how bad it is!
I said no its the other way around.
SAGE I want investigated!
“SAGE I want investigated!”
No. I don’t want them investigated. I want them sacked. With Ignominy.
Fear is thrilling. I feel a substantial majority have so little of value in their life they actually enjoy playing at a gigantic LARP in which you could be caught by an invisible killer at any moment.
Instead of seeing our Xmas release as a sign of bozos weakness, since he dare not cancel it outright, they will wave flags and thank him while quite looking forward to putting their feet up for most of January.
In truth, Labour are worse than the Tories on this issue and the UK is under occupation from the World Economic Forum, as is every other country in the world. The WEF’s goal is to parasite off indefinitely and to own and control humans using tech for the benefit of the banks, Pharma, Bill Gates, tech industries (Covid-Pass etc) and other vested parties
It’s global coup of fascistic opportunism – a flu d’etat
Flu d’etat – genius!
Too bad it doesn’t work in French. Flu in French is grippe. English is a much better language for manufacturing puns.
I completely agree Scotty . Why would anyone even listen to these chancers .Turn off the tv completely or better still smash it and remove to bin ,Unless you feel you are making a difference then get off social media as well because its poison .This technology i’m using right now is in fact enslaving us and is the means those in power are using to control us .Without it they are nothing and can’t send out their orders, thats why as people have said none of this could of happened 20 years ago ,with no smart phones and social media they would of found it impossible to get their messaging out .All we have to do is ignore them and carry on with our lives . This christmas coming like all the others before and in the future is OURS not theirs so celebrate it how you fucking like and until then and after go and see your family and mates if thats what they want and carry on as normal . You were born free and can die on your feet or live on your knees it’s up to us ,so don’t let no disgusting bully whether in… Read more »
I got totally off social media 6 months ago. Interestingly, the execs of the likes of Google and Facebook don’t let their kids use those very same platforms.
I will never watch BBC, Sky news etc ever again. Complicit 100% in this propaganda campaign!
It’s up to each of us to choose to not follow the “rules”.Hold head high and be bold. Aura. Choose to be free whatever others do is their choice. It is up to each one of us who is enlightened to simply BE free, not just talk about it. Love.
I totally agree; “You were born free and can die on your feet or live on your knees”. I think the film was called Eastern Promises (a waste of Viggo Mortensen’s acting talents) but it had a very notable scene in it.
Viggo’s character (a Russian hit-man) gets star tattoos on his knees with the explanation “The stars mean he will never kneel again before anyone”. When I saw that scene, I determined the same. I will comply or not, but I will never kneel to anyone again. Ever. Figuratively or literally.
Of course the biggest issue is that if you think like a muggle where your news comes from BBC, they think they are going to die just by going out or hugging your kids. How do you get past that? Because that nice mr Morgan said we should stay in. They have no idea who Yeardon, Cahill, Lee, Cummins, Gupta et al are. Because they don’t see them on the news. I would love to see Delores with Pies Morgan, bloodbath or what!
I’d like to see a full out smackdown, WWF, Jerry Springer style. Go Do!
Well said Scotty. Looking back what has happened, I also think this is the culmination of the gradual lowering of standards in education especially with the young. When I was growing up in my home country and doing my undergraduate degree (in education & history) we were always told that the West had a good standard in education because the vast majority of people didn’t have to go to university in order to get jobs and move up the ladder. Unlike where I grew up where even then you needed a degree for even the most basic of jobs. Fast forward when I moved to the UK, I realised that it was no longer the case especially when my husband and I were looking for jobs. Talking to my colleagues many of who are millenials opened my eyes to the shortcomings of education in the West and erosion of standards. The lack of knowledge even with basic science, statistics, probability even logic is astounding and shocking. This is pretty much what we’re up against. People who have been wedded to dogma and fear that they refuse to look into other sources and listen to other points of view, those who… Read more »
Turn off your cellphones. Turn off location history, GPS and any other apps that are following you around.
I’ll repeat yesterday’s comment, as I think it could be useful for a poster:
Jabbed, tagged and gagged.
NO!
No passeran!
I wonder if Mabel Cow would create something eye catching. Suggestions welcome, as always.
No pasarán.
My bad! Catalan is not one of my strong points!
Spanish, not Catalan.
Thank you teacher; you’ve corrected my home work;point made.
B+ !
Thank you! I used to get D for maths!
CNN can go stuff itself again.
https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Witt/status/1330735180148072448
Fauci says at no point in history has any respiratory virus been spread by asymptomatic people:
https://twitter.com/pknuts10/status/1330744247994245120?s=20
Surely this is just logic? Viral load is require for the virus to spread. If a person is asymptomatic, how, exactly, is the viral load shed by them, and if it is, how would that load be great enough to infect other people?
My opinion is that most asymptomatic people aren’t actually what you might consider asymptomatic. As in, they’re not infected with the virus but show no symptoms. I believe that they are not infected at all, and what the test picks up is either virus debris or false positives.
Professor Bhakti has also been saying same thing since March.
Worth watching his recent interview in English at Triggernometry.
“Slept, awoke, slept, awoke, miserable life.”
― franz kafka
He forgot ‘worked’ after awoke.
Worked is now a thing of the past for many
Exactly how I felt this morning. Even if I had a job, I would be on furlough (Hospitality).
https://www.spiked-online.com/2020/11/23/the-unreason-of-germanys-covid-propaganda/
Germany and Covid heroes
https://www.rt.com/op-ed/507340-uk-police-lgbt-rainbow-epaulettes/
Impartiality seems to have bypassed the police.
Anyone breaking the Covid restrictions is at risk of being arrested by rainbow rozzers.
Rainbow Rozzers beat you into submission with pink dildos and spray amyl nitrate in your face before they strap a pink face nappy on your face.
🤢 O no! I’ll steer well clear of them!
Any idiot can see that as soon as they lift the restrictions for Christmas, it will be worse than Walmart on a Black Friday. And then what will the papers do? Instead of pointing out how much of an idiot you’d have to be to create policy that limits people’s choices, forcing them to all flock into stores over a period of hours rather than weeks and months, they’ll just call everyone “covidiots” and blame them for everything.
And what the heck is this “alcohol only with a substantial meal” bullshit? How does that make any sense? These people are just anti-alcohol, pure and simple. Using a pandemic to further their personal interests. It’s incredibly disgusting.
They aren’t anti-alcohol. You can buy alcohol at a supermarket and drink it at home till you pass out. They’re anti-fun, they’re anti-sociability, they’re anti-human, they’re anti-life.
Bring back human contact NOW!
They will come after home drinking next, for our own good of course. Either by monitoring your intake via Health Passport or by incremental tax rises to maintain the income stream as they have been doing with tobacco for fifty years.
They already have the power to take away your driving license if you drink more than the recommended intake of alcohol. I know because they did it to me after I foolishly admitted to a doctor that I drank more than that amount. The doctor was as horrified as me that they have such power.
!
You mean their ridiculous 3-4 units per day for men (2-3 for the ladies) ?
I’ve been doing more than that for the past 45 years, still here to tell the tale, clean drivers licence and max no claims.
Don’t ever tell your doctor because they have to share that information with the DVLA if asked… and the DVLA have the power to remove your license even if, like me, you have done absolutely nothing wrong.
Actually don’t tell your doctor about any of your lifestyle “vices” because they do track what you tell them and then at some point in the future you will get nagged about it. Like Cristi.Neagu above, I smoke a pipe and the health service are incapable of distinguishing between pipe/cigar smokers and cigarette smokers. It leads to questions like, “How many do you smoke a day”. I don’t, I smoke pipe I reply. They don’t know how to deal with that on the proforma questionnaire but they mark you down as a smoker.
When the finally get round to doing a data filter you end up with a text message saying, “We see from our records that you are a smoker and we would like you to attend a smoking cessation clinic”. My reply is, “I stopped back in January”. I didn’t stop and I haven’t stopped. But it does get them off your back. Right at this moment it’s one of the few pleasures that I have left in life.
If the government believes alcohol brings people together, it will eventually ban alcohol too. It will be like prohibition.
Conveniently for the government, Asda was recently bought out by a Muslim partnership who previously banned the sale of alcohol in other establishments they took over. Others like the now grotesquely left-wing Sainsbury’s will follow suit.
Over time, I think we will see the sale of alcohol tapering off. We might get government tickets to ‘buy’ alcohol like they do in Russia, in a very controlled sterile way. Meanwhile, the black market will boom.
They want all discussion and debate filtered through a controllable prism, social media. It is an absolute disgrace that pubs are being forced out of business whilst glorified restaurants are free to trade.
Free Assembly > Better Communication > Resistance !
Exactly.
Particularly “anti-social”. They don’t want people talking about this; alcohol lowers inhibitions, to the point where people might accept that a sceptic is making a valid point.
Wasn’t it Boris in his tenure as Mayor of London who banned alcohol on the London Underground?
Yes. And what’s more the ban applies outside London in places served by TFL Rail. Where we didn’t even get the chance to vote for him.
Exactly my suspicions too; it’s the same trick they pulled on VE day, encouraging street parties and then making sure their journos were in place to get some good shots for a ‘Shame them!’ splash on the next day’s front page.
Sorry didn’t mean to give thumbs down, couldn’t get the up button to work
Puritannical Public Health has taken over and it’s our fault..
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-britain-isolation/uk-to-announce-self-isolation-no-longer-required-for-contact-with-covid-19-cases-the-telegraph-idUKKBN2820UK
According to this (Reuters from DM)no need to self isolate if in contact but instead daily test fo 7 days and you can move around freely.It seems testing industry is the only boom industry at the moment.Lunacy.
Which begs the question, why did that chap in Edmonton, Alberta, piss on his winning lottery ticket? Something along the lines of ‘freedom’ being priceless, I imagine.
We’re either doomed to tyranny or revolution. There’s going to be a lot of mess to clear up – of that I am certain.
These fuckers need to hang.
I would like to abduct the Australian Prime Minister, cover him with blood and throw him in a river full of hungry crocodiles.
nowhere, but nowhere, has Doris ever thought mmm what is the cost of this. Apparently its £120 per test, so thats £840 big ones to Serco and their pals for every trace. You can see who is pushing this. 1 positive ‘case’ 6-10 contacts, £5040 to £8400 x say 20,000 ‘cases’ a day = £168 million pounds a day, £5 billion a month to Serco. Fuck me sideways Doris, what have you been smoking to even this about this. And thats 200,000 more tests a day minimum on top of the current load.
Corrupt disgrace.
What the heck is going on? Freedom passes? Brits refuse to have national ID cards (which, btw, would make life incredibly easier), but you watch the useful idiots flock to get their covid pass and flaunt it over social media. Unbelievable. And now everyone’s told what they can and can’t do in their homes. For Christmas! What is this insanity? Who gave government the kind of agency to impose such restrictions?
Labour. And the majority of Tory MP’s of course. We need to do something in the May locals, especially if this nonsense is still going on.
Infections falling before lockdown, (reported) deaths down last week having peaked the week before at half the level of the Spring peak (and deaths genuinely caused by cv likely even lower of course). This peak less than 2 weeks after lockdown, suggesting that the reduction in deaths was not caused by lockdown. A lot different to the 4,000 daily deaths of that computer model. What exactly is their justification for carrying on with these economy destroying, child suicide causing restrictions again?
And who to vote for? Tories and Labour are out of the question (unless your MP happens to be one of the very few that actually fought for our rights). Are we really going to vote Reform UK? Is that really the last chance for freedom?
If we are ever able to vote again I certainly will put my cross against their candidate, and how!
The key point to your comment there is: ‘if we are ever able to vote again’.
Truth is though, if voting ever made a difference we wouldn’t be allowed to do it.
Reminds me of the election slogan of the Ukrainian communist party – vote for us, we will never bother you again
If there are only mainstream candidates standing in your area you can always spoil your ballot paper, e.g write none of the above
“Infections falling before lockdown”
‘Infections’ aren’t what they are implied to be – merely PCR+ results.
The actuality is that nothing unusual has been happening since May. All is totally normal.
Mid April really.
Actually the peak of infections was in the middle of March…
Local BBC Radio are ramping up the fearmongering with a piece from one of the main hospitals in the county. Staff wailing about the fact that they have 100 people from 18 to 97 admitted with covid. So I took a look at the UK dashboard and the total number of “cases” between the two counties is about 1800 out of a total population just short of 800,000 people.
So fuck all really in the grand scheme of things.
I fear there are two hopes of any future elections. Bob and no come to mind.
There are still a lot of people who are literally terrified of getting covid and dying and they are convinced that they might catch it and fall down dead at any moment. It seems to be related to the attitude that advertisers are playing too when they advertise cleaners and disinfectants that kill 99% of bacteria, people just have this idea that all bacteria must be killed when they are an integral part of the living world.
Unfortunately the Government and the Health Gestapo have played to this irrational nonsense, enough people are still terrified and they can get away with anything if it means protection from covid death.
Conversely the people who are not terrified seem to be the people engaged in the practical trades building, groundworks, plumbers, electricians, forestry and estate workers etc. they have had to carry on regardless in order to keep body and soul together and then found they are not infected or dead and the fear has drained away. This is a significant group and is a reason for some hope.
Had two lads over the other day to take a look at my boiler. They couldn’t be bothered with wearing masks. My girlfriend was telling me that we have to wear masks when they come (in her defense, it was for their benefit, not because she thinks masks do anything), but didn’t even reach for hers when she saw that they don’t care at all. So yeah, it seems like the more hard working people are, the more no-nonsense attitude they adopt, the less susceptible to this BS they are.
Masks are banned in our house. Weapons of state terrorism!
When the plumber called recently, I asked him to remove his mask, as I live in a mask free home; he gladly complied and was bare faced on his 2nd visit.
Last week, the owner of a local salon-now forced to close for another 3 weeks-said how pleased she was to see a bare smiling face-mine.
This shows how the workers who are keeping us all afloat are possessed of a sturdy common sense which seems to have deserted the affluent members of the mad establishment.
I think people coming to our homes wear masks so as not to offend us, and we wear masks so as not to offend them. Which is why i won’t wear a mask unless directly asked to do so. I have no interest in having statistical and ideological battles with my plumber.
To date, I haven’t battled with anyone;even GP was onside.
I will not wear a mask anywhere and certainly not inside my own home. My cleaner is relieved that I don’t expect her to and anyone else who comes is informed that they don’t need to. The man who came to service the boiler told me that his company required it ‘for the insurance’ but that he had tested himself with a carbon dioxide monitor after wearing one for some time and was concerned at the level. I also don’t do ‘social distancing’ any more than is already part of the culture in our rural county. My farmer friends think the whole thing is bollocks and ignore most of it. They won’t be told what to do on their own land. Good for them!
Very well said and I do the very same.
My cleaner was vastly relieved too that I didn’t insist on masks. I much prefer to rely on good ventilation and elderberry tincture to chase any bugs away.
My rule is: this is smoke free, pet free, mask free, free house. Welcome!
Not that I have any objections to pets, I’d love to have something furry and cute residing with us but Mr H is allergic!
The rise in germophobia is an interesting one. My father, a long since retired environmental health officer, has a few interesting things to say about “infection control” over the years. He is also of the view that things have gone way over the top even before the coronavirus thing. One of his particular peeves is the wearing of gloves in food preparation areas: In his words, “They are absolutely no fucking use at all. To be of any use the operative would have to change them between each customer transaction and they don’t”. I extend this analogy to the wearing of face masks. To be of any use you would have to change them more frequently than people do.
Moderna vaccine has a micro needle platform. Remove the patch and the fluid will penetrate your skin and enter your blood stream. Lovely.
Was speaking to a sceptical young man on the supermarket till today. He was most uncomfortable wearing his muzzle. He says that he knows of NO-ONE who has contracted this mild virus, and he has worked in several other branches. I’m not surprised he was miffed.
“Keep the kids busy while I take mum upstairs for a quick hug”
‘That’s why I love you darling, such a daredevil’.
Very much like self flagulation the more I give away the more I will be given. What an odd situation. The strange thing is everybody I have met all think this is all lies and BS. I only know one girl who is a believer?
This is an encouraging story from Buffalo, New York. It’s worth watching the video. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/11/get-go-get-warrant-business-owners-buffalo-new-york-stand-cuomos-covid-orders-kick-sheriff-health-inspector-video/
I know people mounting a huge campaign to promote hugging. They are turning the human race into monsters. We MUST have physical contact or we will expire. Watch this space!
Hug a human TODAY!
Ha, the only hug Mummy got from outside the family on the day of Grandma’s funeral on Wednesday (I never saw Grandma after March as she was in a care home – for her own good or something) was from a well wisher from our courageous prayer group (somewhere in the North…).
I’d say The Hague for those responsible, but sometimes I wonder if that;s too good for them.
Oh well, keep buggering away everyone…
Huggering away.
🙂
Silly hugger 🙈
Hugby union – 15 a side or Hugby league with 13 ?
Not just hugging even something as small and insignificant as a handshake.
My builder who I had round the other day for a quote while unmasked and remained so wouldn’t shake my hand and insisted on the “Wuhan elbow bump”. But in further conversation appears to be conflicted with basic human behaviour conceded that it was irrational.
Contrast that my local Indian restaurant where I am on first name terms with the staff: They don’t wear masks either but the owner offered me his elbow for a bump on my last visit and I said, “For fuck’s sake Mo, if I can’t trust it to be “clean” in here…” as I offered my hand for a handshake. Without hesitation he shook my hand and agreed that there was a great deal of nonsense out there.
But the strange thing was how “clandestine” it felt to greet another person in that way.
There was a joke in Nazi Germany – two men could be seen sitting opposite each other on a train. They both had blankets on their laps but their hands were moving under the blankets. Question: what were they doing?
Answer: they were deaf-mutes telling each other political jokes.
It is starting to become a bit like that.
I still proffer my hand – guy who’s going to prune the apple tree shook it without thinking.
Morning All I suspect many of us are having the odd bouts of insomnia. I’m lost for words on what’s happening. The lunatics have definitely taken over the asylum. When I got up at 4am, I was heartened to find a new interview between one of my heroes Peter Robinson and John Anderson. For those who don’t know Peter, he was Ronald Reagan’s speech writer and is just brilliant. Very thoughtful, measured and insightful. One thing that was mentioned in the interview is a nasty thought that I’ve had for some time. In short, it appears that every few generations the masses need to lose their liberty to really value it. I’m old enough at 50+ to remember stories from my grandparents and parents on what it was like to live through WW2. I also remember the 70s with power cuts, strikes and three day weeks. Both made a big impression on me and I think have helped me understand whats at stake. Reagan himself said: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the… Read more »
I remember the strikes and powercuts of the 70s, and what it was like to have normality switched off (literally) by an arbitrary power.But I don’t remember the entire population gibbering hysterically about how much they loved having their lives switched off, and I don’t remember demands that anybody who dared to suggest restoring the electricity must be put in prison.
That is the effect of social media and the complete polarization of corporate news. Before there was a lot of resistance to new ideas, because you couldn’t convert a big mass of people at once to act as your ideological zealots. The crazy people were few and far between, and couldn’t band together. So when crazy ideas entered society, they would be stopped before spreading too far. But these days all the crazies are on Twitter and Facebook. Any crazy idea is adopted like wildfire. I am firmly convinced that social media is at the root of everything that is wrong with the western world today.
Watch The Social Dilemma on Netflix. Shows that what you fear is EXACTLY what happened!
It is THE main driver of this total societal break-down. By design. That’s what it’s for.
Hitler the great orator managed it. He took peoples worries and made them into fears, he used newspapers, rallies, radio and leafletting. Joseph Goebbels was great at twisting every issue, create the problem to be fixed in the minds of the people.Its been done before and now there are even better ways to brain wash people.
Yep, we just got on with it. Candles and all!
is my memory playing tricks on me or did we have that in the 80’s as well?
Where I come from we did have 6-7 hour power cuts daily in the early 1990s
They usually told you when areas were going to have a power cut in the evening so, as schoolboys, we just visited each others houses accordingly. Pete was never so popular since his home was next door to the waterworks and never got cut off.
In later years we would go to the pub which still still used hand pumps and mechanical tills leaving mum and dad to shiver at home in the dark.
Not in these electronic days.
I live on the outskirts of a city, and our power used to come over fields from the same circuit which fed the old mental hospital (remember them!). So we never got any “Rota” cuts, but were regularly affected by bad weather…
Generators are pretty cheap these days. Obtaining petrol might be an issue at some point, I guess.
They were completely different times.
The 70s was never like this dystopia – an oasis of optimism in comparison, with minor inconveniences for short periods.
I love looking at pictures of that era. As you say – optimism about the future. High speed trains. Concorde. Early computing. All those brutalist concrete shopping centres and flats might be “ugly” but they were not covered in Grenfell cladding.
I was a child in the 70s but that experience has stuck with me all this time. I well remember my parents reading the newspaper for details on the timing of power cuts to various areas so they could plan hot meals for us. I well remember Christmas that year by Tilley Lamp. What I didn’t realise until I read the history of the period was how rampant inflation was and how much higher food prices were as a proportion of income back then. My parents were never what could be called “wealthy” and at times they must have really struggled.
And now we face a return to much the same scenario, if Boris doesn’t tell that stupid bint Carrie to wind her “Green” neck in. I’m just waiting for the inevitable week-long anticyclone this winter, with no wind, gloomy skies and sub zero temperatures. I’ve test run the genny,, filled the Jerry cans, and charged all my batteries….
Woodburners are our friends …
And “They” have been making noises about banning them ….
Heh, hundreds of thousands of years of tradition up in smoke. 🙂
<gets coat>
It was always freezing. Our menopausal teachers opened all the windows at school and we wore thick T shirts under our uniforms. The boys’ school didn’t appear to have any heating at all, although there must have been radiators because my father once tied a teacher’s gown to one while he was droning on! There were petrol coupons issued, although not used, and a particular sweet shop was always open on the way to school because it had gas light.
However, we were properly fed, including at school, and much healthier.
Heh heh – nice one your dad !
The difference is that the mass media back then were not in favour of the strikes and power cuts.
I love Reagan. One of my favourite US presidents.
I have no living memory of the Soviet Union, Berlin Wall, 3 day week etc because I’m too young but I still realise how important freedom is. People of today have been complacent for too long and you are unfortunately right when you say that people will need to lose freedom first to realise its value.
Poppy, watch “Hypernormalisation” – available forever on BBC iPlayer – and come back to me on Reagan!
He also did so much damage to mental health. Undid all the good work done by Jimmy Carter. Reagan basically cancelled mental illness… you’ll be shocked!
https://www.salon.com/2013/09/29/ronald_reagans_shameful_legacy_violence_the_homeless_mental_illness/
Reagan also gave the pharmaceutical companies a big kick start.
https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/15/us/reagan-signs-bill-on-drug-exports-and-payment-for-vaccine-injuries.html
https://www.republicbroadcastingarchives.org/windows-on-the-world-with-mark-windows-sept-1-2020/
Janie Elizabeth Lee of Strand Publishing recently published a book on the NHS.
Better yet Poppy, try to see The Trap and Century of Self on Youtube..That will explain the brainwashing propaganda we are all subjected to on a daily basis.
And “The Power Of Nightmares”
Spitting Image on President Regan. A classic, Well worth a watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keP17ZU6_RU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpnW2_YnCnY
Ronnie Reagan is/was responsible for the mess we are all in now. He turned listening to the siren voices of Big Pharma, Big Ag and the MIC into a way of life. His kind of freedom was for Big Money to do what it wanted and to hell with the consequences. Not that there haven’t been worse presidents since, but Ronnie was the one, who really flung the door open for the bastards that now have full rein over every aspect of our lives. Now roll up your sleeve.
I truly believe this our generations fight for freedom. Never would have I imagined our countries’ government closing businesses, fining and arresting people, stopping protests, censoring discussion, government fear campaigns, I wont let this go by the wayside!
The best argument I have heard this weekend is that the bringing forward of the banning of internal combustion engines to 2030 by Prime Ministerial decree is an undeniable change to our ‘way of life’ that nobody voted for. It is highly likely that because of this, soon after that date, people’s lives will be changed fundamentally. It will affect everything, from where it is viable to live, how people work, and how they spend their leisure time. It will make the owning of cars something that only the rich can do. This is not something that most ‘conservative’ voters would wish to see, and yet it is going ahead at breakneck speed. Obviously, it is something that Labour supports, too – although they’ll find aspects to complain about, of course. It will be nodded through parliament. The issue is not whether the country can convert to electric vehicles in time – it can’t, but even thinking this would be unbelievably naive. The whole reason for doing this is to change the way we live. Conspiracy or not, it is ‘The Great Reset’ on steroids – and by sheer coincidence is a global policy. It is the equivalent of issuing… Read more »
It’s all insane but I imagine they are only talking about banning new cars with internal combustion engines. That all NEW cars post 2030 will be electric, right? You’ll be able to drive existing cars until they are ready for the scrap heap. With so much crap going on let’s be careful not to over-dramatise possible dystopian scenarios. Let’s try to find SOMETHING to be positive about. Anyone?
Here’s one way of looking at it. The crazier it all becomes, the more people will be motivated to act. We should maybe celebrate every time that the technocrats bring out some more mad freedom infringing diktats as it’ll open people’s eyes quicker.
If you’re going through hell, then go through quickly.
OK, so living in the countryside only becomes totally non-viable in 2040 – just about the time I had pictured myself living in the Yorkshire Dales. This is what I object to: the closing down of our dreams on the basis of mock science and dogma.
They will raise taxes so much on ICE engines, you won’t be able to drive them. I wouldn’t be surprised to see 15 pounds per day if you want to start your car.
Already done – from 1st January that’s exactly what it costs in the extend ULEZ in London (essentially the entire area within north and south circular). 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Not sure there are any residential exemptions but could be wrong
A bit off topic but in my opinion, for a whole host of practical, political, economic and logistical reasons, I do not think it will ever be possible to replace all internal petrol engines with electric cars. In a way this covid nonsense is a way of softening us to the idea that in future we may not each be able to have our own vehicle (maybe an electric bike!). I regard freedom of movement as a key freedom and is one I hold dear and so the loss of individual vehicles will be a significant restriction on this freedom.
I do foresee a growth industry in car renovation and restoration in order to keep old petrol/diesel vehicles going as long as possible.
Why do you not think it possible? Because electric engines cannot sustain our way of life? Well, that’s the point. Sustaining our way of life is not a priority. In fact, they mean to radically change it.
I get the impression they want most people on bicycles, roller skates, pogo sticks, etc..
Think about it, if you look at The Ukraine and its war (thank you very much, Brussels!) it seems that people are scratching coal from open cast, illegal diggings to keep themselves warm. When economic reality catches up (as it will if they continue to destroy our economy), I think a lot of this will go out the window, one way or another.
This is true. There is not the precious metal resources currently known about (let alone mined with high energy input) to replace the current ICE fleet of vehicles. This is before we even address the situation of infrastructure and energy required to charge the things.
And what there is is mined by child slave labour.
There are promising noises with AL-air batteries both here and in India (where they see it as a way of reducing dependence on China). These are different to Li-ion because rather than charging the battery, you swap it out and the spent cell can then be “regenerated” rather than recharged. This makes it as quick to refuel as ICE and elminates the problem of people not having access to a charging point at home. Add the facts they are talking about a range of 1600 miles and that aluminium is plentiful, widespread and relatively easy to work with and it starts to look a lot more viable.
Why am I thinking thermite ?
It’s not really about making things greener. It’s about making things harder and more expensive, so that there will be no incentive to travel or own a vehicle, other than a bike. And of course, this only applies to those few who haven’t fallen in the great Covid-19 vaccine reset.
Until they’re ready for the scrap heap? Oh great, we’ll end up like Cuba!
They wont need to ban driving old cars just make fuel prohibitively expensive, win win for them.
They need to be very careful about circumventing the need for oil. What else does the Middle East have? It can’t feed itself (oil sales do that) and it has a massive, very young, very macho, largely religiously devout population. Coming to a coastal town near you!
Already here, aren’t they ?
That’s just what I’m expecting, and is the same sort of “Coercion” as requiring Covid certificates in order to go about your daily business…
Ironically, the only thing that lockdown was useful for was to show the dire effects of pollution caused by the internal combustion engine.
But rationally dealing with the problem is a different matter.
was to show the dire effects of pollution caused by the internal combustion engine
Actually, it made little difference:
https://notrickszone.com/2020/04/19/lock-down-exposes-diesel-ban-folly-as-air-quality-fails-to-improve-other-factors-in-play/
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2020/09/09/decline-in-vehicle-use-in-lockdown-had-no-impact-on-reducing-toxic-particle-emissions/
It’s easy to come out and say that new petrol & diesel cars will be banned by 2030, but reality will overtake during the next 9 years. Why do you think that the car manufacturers aren’t kicking up a fuss. They can spot bullshit along with the rest of us!
We won’t be driving anything by 2030.
It’s all bullshit. It isn’t going to happen. Period.
November 2019:
“Xmas next year won’t look anything like Xmas this year. Why not? Because the government will issue rules and new laws that will make it illegal to have the type of Xmas gathering you’re used to. Pubs won’t be open. Xmas nights out with friends from work will be illegal.”
“Bullshit, it isn’t going to happen. Period.”
The creeping of totalitarianism is now a brisk trot.
(not have a dig at you, btw)
Yay Annie! Those numbskulls don’t even know what the heck they’re doing. They are just idiot dreamers and are going to needlessly waste billions of dollars and pounds of our money on a pipe dream.
An opium induced pipe dream most likely.
I hope that Al Johnson et al have just added to this list –
https://cei.org/blog/wrong-again-50-years-of-failed-eco-pocalyptic-predictions/
Or
Tuvalu is still with us, was supposed to have sunk beneath the waves 10 years ago.
“Civilisation still exists” – really? It has all been a bit closer to Orwell this year than I would like.
“World democracy has risen 536%” – Interestingly precise percentage point, perhaps depending on what you define as “democracy”.
Some of the other claims may prove to be going into reverse, like life expectancy.
Unfortunately he isn’t merely predicting the end of the world as we know it; he is doing it.
Fair point! I seriously hope that it’ll backfire in time. Up until now, most people haven’t felt any direct impact of the eco-loon policies as its been hidden via indirect taxation in energy prices. Now that there’s a direct and very visible attack on people’s way of life then I hope it’ll wake them up.
Well, not sure what the game plan is going to be going forward, but it might stay unchanged. Before covid, the idea was that you would use tax money to make electric vehicles economically viable for people (use everyone’s money to fund the spearhead). The people that would get electric vehicles would be tied into the ecosystem now, and they would tell everyone how the car pays for itself, so more people would get them. This would go on until tax money would not be enough to sustain this charade, but by this point public opinion would have swayed towards electric vehicles. So when the downsides start becoming apparent, it’s already too late.
The trouble is that the game plan is bunk. One of the comment trails on the Telegraph on the subject included a post from someone with a Nissan Leaf they’d had from new. As the car had aged the range had dropped from 95 miles to 40 and Nissan were quoting them £9500 for a new battery. Given that most people don’t buy cars from new, if the battery range drops so dramatically in the course of a few years then there will be no way people will be buying electric secondhand – certainly not if it costs that much to make them viable – so you won’t get the take-up required to shift public opinion. From a personal perspective, I could afford a new electric car, but I just don’t see the point: the range even when new is pathetic and I’m not the kind of person who buys a second vehicle for virtue-signalling purposes. I don’t see hydrogen as the future either: the refuelling time may be better, but you still sacrifice a lot of boot space to the fuel tanks and there are serious issues with the transport and storage of pressurised, flammable gases (this is why… Read more »
Nearly the whole floor pan of a Tesla is one huge battery filled with 1000’s of 18650 Lithium Ion batteries, just like the kind that power vape machines for vaping. I find this amazing. The car owner does not own the battery, ever, they lease the battery from Tesla. The battery is more than two thirds of the total cost of the car.
The range is about 250 miles.
Even on a fast charger it will still take at least 45 mins to charge your car.
A slow charger will take 8 or 9 hours.
If an electric vehicle is involved in an accident specialist crews will be needed to render them safe. An EV poses a serious hazard when it is in a damaged state. With a real risk of electrocution, fire and explosions.
Yer EV’s rock.
As a lot of us know, there is nothing conservative about the conservative party.
And yes. This whole push towards electric vehicles is precisely because they want to restrict freedom of movement. The communists use to ration petrol.
If one wants to reduce carbon emissions, one immediately becomes a firm advocate of nuclear power. If someone is calling for lowering emissions but is against nuclear power, that means they either are incredibly dishonest or a useful idiot.
100%
The “not the Conservative party”? How I miss the late, great Christopher Booker. I’d love to know what he’d have made of all this.
Outside London there are six fields each with 200 to 500 abandoned Black Cabs abandoned by their owners (trade down by 95%). or repossessed by finance companies.
Many of them all electric £65k a pop.
Going cheap at an auction near you shortly.
Interesting, I didn’t know that. Crazy. I bet the batteries will quickly degrade if these vehicles are just left idle.
You know the biggest problem with electric cars? The all need recharging. What nobody tells you is how the electric companies will make enough electricity to deal with this. Especially as all your heating and cooking will now be offf the same grid. Fast chargers for cars burn enormous amounts of energy and each home will need at least two. We do not make this much energy. Like all these green schemes they are knee jerk and not thought through. Cant wait for the suggestion that we all get Fred Flintstone cars and new trainers.
Totally agree and this crossed my mind at the weekend regarding electric cars. People say “ahh but we won’t have the infrastructure for electric cars, or not enough raw materials for batteries etc etc”. The government know this and don’t care. The objective is they don’t want us ‘the little people’ to have the same car ownership as we enjoy today. It will be for the politburo/rich folks only who can afford an electric car and therefore enjoy the freedoms this offers. Everything points to this with ‘smart cities’, bike lanes galore, electric cars, talk of charging per mile some extortionate cost etc. This is what they want to fit with the climate and global agendas!
Once again all predictions of a ‘future’ turn out to be wrong, so cheer up !
Just because these people have stupid ideas does not mean that we have to accept them. Boris is a dunce. I live in Montreal, Quebec. Our Premier made a similar announcement just last week. His target year is 2035. Silly, really, because most of the cars that I see around the streets of Montreal and most of Quebec are small, economical, fuel efficient automobiles.
HOW CAN MEMBERS OF THE SUPPOSED OPPOSITION PARTIES BE PERSUADED TO SHOW SOME GUTS?
Today’s editorial contains a series of depressing and worrying items about further pointless restrictions and measures that will impinge on our civil liberties.
How on earth can this misguided malevolent madness be stopped?
The only parliamentary opposition to the imposition of these measures is from the Covid Recovery Group of 70 Conservative MPs.
The Labour party has indicated it will support these measures and most of the supposed opposition parties seem to be in favour of even more stringent action.
Surely there must be a significant number of MPs who have seen the blindingly obvious light and disagree with their parties’ approach?
How can they be persuaded to stand up and be counted?
One obvious thing is for everyone to write to their MPs now, well in advance of parliamentary debates and votes.
What other routes of action could be taken?
I wrote to my MP. She made it clear that she voted following her party’s interest, not the interest of her constituents. I quote:
No, it doesn’t go on to say “in order to protect people” or anything like that. That is the end of the paragraph.
So i have 0 hope that my Labour MP can be persuaded to see any semblance of reason.
Well if you fancy direct action, put up posters around your constituency, and outside the headquarters of your mp’s party listing some of the key reasons why this is a bad idea until they get the message.
My MP was one of the founders of the Covid Recovery Group. I have been in contact with him and sent some suggestions to the group’s leaders
Could you suggest a vote of no confidence in Johnson. It’s one vote you can guarantee Labour wouldn’t back the Government on and it might actually result in a change.
You are very fortunate. I’m just trying to decide whether it’s worth even writing to my useless “bullying” cabinet member MP again. She just regurgitated all the lies from Matt Hancock and is clearly more interested in remaining in cabinet than acting in her constituents’ interests.
I may spend 10 minutes on it later just to let her know the contents of her last letter are not factually correct and some of her constituents are watching her.
You seemed to have forgotten the fact that most of our MP’s are corrupt and on the take
I expect most of us are cynical about many MPs.
Although it may be hard to make a meaningful difference, there is no benefit in just getting angry and doing nothing about it.
There will be a short window of opportunity before this goes to Parliament so let’s come up with some ideas of what actions can be taken now to influence things.
not from big pharma, I suppose? (and I’m assuming that that’s why my favourite food Apricot kernels got banned from being sold as a food by the EU).
We’ve started cracking our own, Hugh. (It does mean we eat a hundredweight of apricots in the summer.). 🙂
Were it as simple as that. No point in creating comfort blankets.
These are the first countries in Europe bending the curve downwards. Armenia and Switzerland no lockdown. France and Belgium hard lockdown .Czech republic lockdown. Netherlands ,as usual ,lockdown “lite”. See any different in curves? This virus has its own trajectory regardless of any interventions. Total illusion that it is controlled by legal means and suspect SD in practice minimal impact on a virus which has aerosol transmission.
Thank you Swedenborg, I have been trying to find a graph that was, briefly posted on the BBC that showed the relative situations in various countries, including the UK, but haven’t been able to find it. Have you seen it anywhere.
Yes, thanks swedenborg. Your technical posts are one of the best bits of this forum.
Again – Swedenborg, these curves don’t represent anything significant in terms of illness.
They are only about the detection of certain RNA fragments – of interest only in a theoretical frame.
… and that steep peak raises more questions than it answers.
I agree that mass testing exaggerate cases, deaths and hospitalization but one cannot deny that Czech republic has now a serious outbreak compared to the April wave with full ICUs etc,The timing of all countries is the same as happens with a seasonal virus. I wouldn’t deny a seasonal wave in Europe but overcounting due to mass testing is a fact but the symmetry of the curves speaks for a the seasonal wave.
I agree. The similarities can still be informative.
We also can speculate, with my tin foil hat on, that there is a coordination between counties to inflate and deflate the numbers in concert? Why not?
Is it possible that the outbreak is Flu, not Covid?
Seems that those with the highest peak have had the most rapid decrease. UK following soon…
We haven’t gone as high and are already on the way back down because we have reached effective herd immunity in most areas because we didn’t lock down, the first time, as early and as hard as the likes of Spain, France and the Czech Republic.
Quick note. Switzerland is currently operating on cantonal basis. About one-third the country (French and Italian speaking cantons and — as of today — Basel) is effectively in lockdown. The rest is, and hopefully will remain, open.
There would need to be a consensus in Bundesrat to impose national lockdown, and I judge — and pray — that that will not happen (SVP members will oppose it).
Today In their online article the BBC write about the upcoming court case of the ‘ teenage runaway ‘ Begum
They declare there is ‘Sooooo much at stake ‘ in the case
Really? As I remember it the BBC didn’t give a FF when we all got locked up
The BBC truly are the enemy of the people and should be treated as such
BBC = Globalist propaganda mouthpiece
Interesting take on vaccines in this twitter thread by Francois Balloux, especially his warning of mutated strains and vaccines. Read between his lines, let us see how safe this vaccine is when used in the priority groups but other might disagree to this reading. https://twitter.com/BallouxFrancois/status/1330742543764615168
At least he has some common sense – the vaccine can’t be rolled out to all who want it when they want it.
Hancock could take note of Balloux’s comment:
“Public health measures work best in a climate of trust, respect and cooperation. Planning coercive and/or punitive measures that are not even materially enforceable in the short term can only backfire by further undermining trust in health and political authorities.”
‘Hugs are still banned.’
Even after nine. months of bullshit, that one still makes my mind reel.
They know no one will listen. Anyone who still refuses to hug loved ones after 9 months of this needs to get their head checked.
I hug all my friends I see and my wife’s family members ..Her brother and his wife is a complete lockdown fanatic and now never visits anymore as the last time he was at my house I told him to take the mask down or leave…I also post Mabel Cows memes on the family What’s App group and now they all think I’m crazy..Fuck them, I had enough of peoples feelings. Like I really good meme on the webs said: Please don’t drag me into your own psychoses!
You are correct. The health passports are not intended to be temporary. Ultimately they will form the basis of an electronic control grid; the pretext for their introduction is the vaccination programme, which is why the regime has been pushing it so hard, even though CV-19 is of negligible danger. Once they have gone live, the UK will no longer be a free country. It will resemble the USSR and Apartheid era South Africa, with their internal passports. Your ability to go about your business will be conditional on an arbitrary and unscientific definition of your ‘health’ that has nothing at all to do with your actual state of health. This status can be withdrawn at any moment, wrecking your life. Just think how useful this will be to keep people in line. You can rest assured that the regime has exactly this in mind for the planned WEF ‘green’ future where living standards are drastically cut for normal people (not billionaires like Gates or Soros) and there will be a danger of unrest. This is why all the arguments about t-cells, masks and asymptomatic transmission are like water off a duck’s back to the regime. It has this New… Read more »
“Oh, Twitter told use you’ve been saying bad things online… Well… it would be a shame if somehow one of your biweekly covid tests were to get contaminated…”
Precisely.
Or…health passport goes red due a to a ‘computer glitch’ – just after you went to a meeting where a dissident happened to be speaking. And for some reason the ‘helpline’ won’t pick up…
“We are so sorry, but there was a mistake. Unfortunately it will take a few days to a week to clear up and then you have to be in quarantine for a month. Yes, i understand you didn’t have it, but that’s our procedure, can’t do anything about that.”
Yep. Totally plausible.
Reminds me of working in the DHSS long ago, if anyone kicked off or abused staff their file would be mysteriously “lost” for several days. No giro until it’s found!
There was a clip from China on YouTube showing someone looking at his phone while exiting his office building after being told by his phone to self isolate.
He dances a little jig when his phone suddenly decides he is fit after all.
So far as I’m concerned, I’m not having covid tests. Seriously, will it be like the enclosures in previous centuries – thrown off your land and left to starve to death, or get hung for stealing a sheep (or a lamb)?
It sent poor old John Clare mad…
This needs to be quoted to Johnson every day:
https://www.boris-johnson.com/2004/11/25/id-cards/
Read it and laugh derisively.
They are based on the Chinese social credit score.We can talk about the science all day long on here but it has no effect but this is no longer about a virus.
It could have the effect of finally waking a lot of people up.Even sceptics who believe this is all due to Government incompetence and bungling.
It was never about a virus. I saw this coming a week after the first lockdown. The technological infrastructure wasn’t there in years before, now it is and here we are. I am just surprised it is all happening so quickly as sudden change alerts too many people; that is why the Covid hoax is actually genius. Well played. But it is made much easier when people believe the TV over their own experience.
The tech infrastructure is not there. You think it can just be switched on? It’s doable but it’s not there, especially when I think of the scale you are talking about.
I have been working on large IT implementations for 10 years and even within a single corporation it is a mammoth task. With cloud tech it’s gotten a lot easier, but it still fails often. And the end product still takes years of further support to fix design issues.
I just want to say that because it means we will have many opportunities to prevent this. It won’t happen overnight and I hope that takes away some of the fear for people.
AI, drones, mass surveillance tech, integrated health tech. Its all there now and gives many power hungry people wet dreams. However such people think the IT boffins can just deliver it. Nope, sorry. We sell It boffins to large corps with next to zero skill. They wing it every day and do so very well I might add
Yes, it won’t happen overnight. That is not what I said. It is happening though, and every move made now is a movement towards it. As others have observed, it will start with health passports based on tests and move to vaccination passports and on it will go. My ‘happening so quickly’ comment was the speed at which they are altering society and what people expect as their normal; it is no longer the frog being slowly cooked alive, as in previous eras.
What happens if a well time massive solar fare bollox the whole shebang. Nature always wins in the end, so be of good cheer..
I disagree. It will be even worse than either. More North Korea, but with a bit more wealth.
Where is Peter Hain now?
As often the case, not entirely wrong, just too much emphasis on intent, implicitly claiming too much unwarranted supposed knowledge of intentionality among too many people.
Are there powerful people with these kinds of thinking and conscious intentions out there? Undoubtedly (though of course they will be dressing it up for themselves with all kinds of noble goals to do with environmentalism and such). Do they include Johnson or people “controlling” him?Highly unlikely. They are opportunists taking advantage of this situation, or in many cases opportunists who don’t exist today but will exploit these structures once they are in place.
And get yourself an identity of your own, you lazy, rude inconsiderate lout! Lazy, because you can’t be bothered to create your own identity. Rude, because you’ve never had the minimal courtesy to respond on this point even when approached with perfect politeness early on, and inconsiderate, because you are gratuitously creating confusion.
Mark, did you mean to reply to yourself?
Exactly the kind of confusion this new “Mark” is creating by simply refusing to do the minimally polite and considerate thing of choosing an identity that is not already in regular use.
Ah, now I see! Sorry, I was looking and trying to figure out who you might have been talking to.
Solutions, we need solutions.
For the first time in over forty years, I shan’t be going to church this Christmas. Not going will hurt, but to be amidst a little gaggle of muzzled, anti-socially distanced, silenced, cowering, grovelling Covidian ghouls would be far worse.
Christmas and Easter have always been the times when ‘fringe’ sort-of Christians flock to the churches. Not this year.The Anglican church has made itself irrelevant. It’s finished.
Our local church now requires customers to buy and download a ticket online.
Seat numbers are allocated and printed on the ticket
No I am not joking
My parish does this. It’s not great, but remember that churches have to follow the bible, which is very clear that Christians should obey legitimate authority (Titus 3:1). I wouldn’t personally say that a government that make mass illegal is legitimate, but it’s not so easy for bible-following churches to disobey the law.
Sorry, that’s plain wrong. The prophet Daniel continued to pray three times a day after the state told him not to. “We must obey God rather than men” – the apostle Peter.
Yes indeed. The church has forgotten the doctrine of the ‘Lesser Magistrate’. If the state commands what the Bible forbids or the state forbids what the Bible commands Christians must obey God rather than men. See ‘Lex Rex’ by Samuel Rutherford.
The prophet Daniel lived in captivity in Babylon, hardly a legitimate government. I personally think that a government that makes mass illegal is not legitimate and I would be having secret masses at rocks in the countryside, like they did in penal Ireland, but that is a prudential judgement and I don’t think we should be too harsh on people who come to different judgements than we do. Disagree, yes, but scorn no.
Scorn?
Sorry, wasn’t accusing you of scorn, I was thinking of the original post
That’s the laws of the land;If they interfere with Gods work then they are there to be ignored.
By your logic your church would collaborate in the murder of Anne Frank Sinatra
Oooops forgot…….. They did
Yes…I’m sure Jesus would just say to his apostles: Well if the Romans tells us we cant gather, pray and sing together than we better listen to what they say. See you all in 6 months…. Bullshit, Jesus was a rebel , a prophet and a defender of the little man, he would be leading mass pray sessions in the Park if he was alive today.
Annie, I would describe myself as agnostic. Used to be a full-on believer since my teens but twenty years ago, a visit to Bethlehem and Jerusalem, where we were shepherded round by a professor of archaeology called Moses, changed all of that. We have never been inside a church voluntarily since then, apart from weddings or funerals.
However, I would defend totally your right to have a different belief to mine. The massive irony is that the Christian church uses Christmas to celebrate the birth of someone called Jesus, the Christ. If churches are not allowed to operate properly at this time of year, then why is the government making such a fuss about CHRISTmas?
Because their ability to maintain control has reached tipping point. They hope to recover their advantage once Christmas is over.
Even though you won’t be in church, my instinct is that you’ll be much closer to Him than all of the flock.
Heartened to read about that “underground” church above (I think). Hardly anyone wears a mask at our church (which will remain secret for obvious reasons – unless the covid spies are better than I think). Surely there must be some C of E in Wales that are standing up to this? Or if you can stomach other denominations? Say, I think we should all have a big public carol singalong somewhere, just to make a point to those who want to “ban” Christmas. Keep “huggering” away! We can do something ourselves, even if Church leadership doesn’t. Don’t let the anti-huggers get you down, that’s what they want!
What people seem to forget is that ALL churches used to be underground. That is how Christian religion operated for the first 300 years.
I am so sorry Annie, I can only imagine how painful this must be for you.
A neighbour stopped yesterday to tell me that her local church-where she is an Elder-is now closed for the next three weeks, thanks to Sturgeon’s Tier 4 directive.
She’s quietly angry and I sympathise ,despite being an atheist. Recently, I’ve found myself defending beleaguered Christians who want to worship as normal.
What a crazy world this is.
No – it’s not a crazy ‘world’. It a designed dystopia, created by a disgustingly out-of-control political class that needs to be reigned in and brought to book.
HOW that’s done is the only question in a situation where the populace is willing to buy into the most egregious lies and fantasies generated by the exploitation of fear.
Dystopia =psychotic/crazy world to me, Rick
It will be done with your consent even though you were not asked to consent.
I am sorry, Annie; this is a terrible state of affairs. It’s very hard to know what to do when it seems that one’s community has lost its mind. It’s an experience of betrayal and enormous disappointment.
There is a clarity in the perception of it, but what is one to do from there?
I wish you could find one of the house churches mentioned on the site today. I am so desperate to be with people, and so deeply convinced of the social, psychological and ethical importance of embodied presence, that I would attend one myself if I could (and if they would let me: I’m not a Christian).
Ha, I read an article a while back suggesting that quite a number of people who attend church are not strictly speaking Christian. In any case, quite a large part of Christianity is simply loving your neighbour. I’m sure you’d be fine!
Annie, I feel exactly the same as you, I’m an occasional Catholic but I haven’t been able to bring myself to attend Mass as I can’t/won’t wear a mask and it would upset me so to see all those masked faces. Missing Midnight Mass and the carols beforehand is awful, I never believed in all my years we would ever come to something as horrible as this…so sad. Sending hugs.
Yes in answer to the question WWJD I think laying down and not protesting would never be an answer. But here we are….
I have several years of Carols from Kings to see me through Xmas day
It baffles me how the vicar sincerely believes in God yet is terrified of a virus.She is over 70,but if you believe heaven awaits you and God is in control, it is very odd.
Good to hear there is old fashioned medicine still alive in the former Eastern Europe (UK guidelines almost treat autopsies like EBOLA virus victims)
https://twitter.com/tlowdon/status/1330608284068311040
“Slovakia performs autopsies on most deaths where the deceased was Cov2 positive. On Nov 9, 127 (35%) of 366 Cov2 positive deaths were found not to have been caused by COVID-19. “So if we didn’t do a detailed investigation, we would have had significantly more deaths in Covid-19.”
Surprised it’s that high a percentage, to be honest. I had suspected true COVID deaths now (rather than back in March/April) are about 10pct of total. And maybe about 50pct at peak.
What made you think it was 10%?
The main thing really is that we don’t do it. It’s just another sign that we are willfully inflating numbers. If we did that here in Northern Ireland right now our 7 day rolling average of CV-19 deaths would be less than 1 based on the Slovak figure. It would be way down the table for causes of of death.
It would also indicate how sensitive the tests are and would demand that we better diagnose hospitalisations for CV-19, so those numbers would also collapse.
Piers Morgan was praising Matt Hancock this morning for the testing prison he has built in the UK. We are being played like fiddles, the window has shifted and, while some of the the mainstream see holes in the government lines, their solutions are based on acceptance of lies that have gone before. Therefore their solutions will just inflict more pain on tbe population.
I think the percentage is rather low.
When they did autopsies in Hamburg in spring, they found none of the 127 persons died of covid.
Anybody here seen this TV series from 1977 with Edward Woodward? It depicts Britain under an oppressive socialist government.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075469/
1990
In a dystopian future, Britain is under the grip of the Home Office’s Public Control Department (PCD), a tyrannically oppressive bureaucracy riding roughshod over the population’s civil liberties.
StorylineGreat Britain, 1990. The population is now governed by an increasingly corrupt bureaucracy headed by the Home Secretary and backed by the tyrannical Public Control Department (PCD), who have done away with the rights of the individual and maintain control through ID cards, rationing, censorship and electronic/audio/physical surveillance. Free speech is forbidden. The rule of law no longer protects the weak and defenseless.
1984 is being used as an instruction manual, not a warning.
Has anybody seen Demolition man lately? Future controlled with everything computer controlled, no touching or sex, no profanity, computers telling you how great you look so you get joy joy feelings. And people driven underground eating rat burgers who do not believe.
Lots of talk here today about freedom passes, and how a planned totalitarian nightmare is almost upon us.
Personally I am still unsure as to whether this is conspiracy or rank opportunism following mass panic, but what really strikes me is just how unaware most people are.
That is the variable that is the most different to any other regime change in history. The average person on the street seems blissfully unaware that masks, closures, bans on seeing families etc, are even a problem. This is far more Brave New World than 1984. Blissful ignorance.
People are so dumb they call these things a ‘conspiracy theory’ when they are being told by the people who will implement them that they are happening.
Yes, brainwashed idiots. It’s incredible.
“announced in advance”? To who?
To the people that matter, which doesn’t include the population of the United Kingdom.
Sorry, I should have given more context. According to the Sun, Christmas “social bubbles will have to be announced in advance”.
If the case – the only announcement should be a loud raspberry followed by ‘Fuck right off’.
I am unable to practise any religion properly.
I am barred from family life.
I am unable to access dental and medical services for which I have paid.
I cannot travel freely within my own country.
These restrictions have been imposed by diktat on the basis of bogus data. Winning a thumping majority and having the means to pass decrees does not legitimise government. This government has exceeded its powers: it is not legitimate. These ‘laws’ have no moral or rational authority.
And I think of that “law” that was brought in a few months ago one day at about 9pm, details given at 11pm, and meant that people in some areas of the North who had people to stay for the night would have been breaking the law by the time they got up the next day. Madness! And who voted for any of this?
It’s not ‘the law’ by any sane definition.
Let’s get that out of the way.
I look back to the General Election – this was all there in plain sight. The Conservatives ran the worst election campaign in UK Parliamentary history. Johnson refused to do key interviews. He knew he was going to win the election and yes, I do believe it was rigged on a number of levels. The MSM’s vicious, malicious, vitriolic campaign against Corbyn was unprecedented in UK Parliamentary History and none of it true. My goodness the establishment had to work extremely hard to keep him out of office, they trotted out every trick in the book. The mass fake news, propaganda and vitriolic personal campaign against him was truly shocking. Johnson knew the establishment would ensure he got in with a huge majority so he didn’t have to do anything at all. The establishment knew this was coming, it has all been planned, they didn’t want an independent thinker like Corbyn as PM who would consider things very carefully, seek appropriate advice and think things through and would challenge the establishment view when appropriate. So, he had to go an Comrade Dictator Keir Stalin was duly elected – a charlatan, fraud and deceitful liar just like Johnson is. Whatever people… Read more »
Added to which a worse than useless opposition party.
Yep add to that, can’t play golf, the most socially distanced game in the world, cant go to the gym, can’t go out on a date, no schnu schnu, no cruises, no foreign holidays, no nights out down the pub, no having all your friends round for a meal. Someone remind me why I am living and who made doris and handjob our Dictatorship? What s mess
What happened to the theory that the CCP used a nasty new cold virus to suppress protesters in Hong Kong by imposing quarantines and masks, then, seeing how effective it was, trolled the rest of the world with it, leading to most western governments taking the bait and digging themselves into holes that only admitting criminal behaviour would get them out. Anyone?
Did we ever find out if that “novel coronavirus” originated in a lab in Wuhan (as our people believed from the start)?
https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/renowned-european-scientist-covid-19-was-engineered-in-china-lab-effective-vaccine-unlikely
Not to be ruled out, but a lot more evidence will be needed before the theory can be proved and the Chinese will certainly not be helpful in providing that evidence!
Nobody took the bait, they all followed, and are still following, the plan.
There is a certain irony in the Christmas situation. A lot of the key workers such as in healthcare care and other emergency services will be working over that period and instead of an alternative celebration either before or after Christmas they won’t be able to. I hated to 2 minute clapping.
I know because I’m working Christmas Eve and Boxing Day! Normally we arrange a family get together around my shifts, my son (a chef) and his fiancée (a nurse).
Similar thing in our household in recent years. “Christmas” day on another day to fit in with people’s availability. Don’t expect government to think that one through though.