Keep being afraid – very afraid …
The end is nigh – the PM told us so yesterday. That’s the ‘End of Lockdown, or rather the fizzling out of it. There won’t be a daily Hancock Theatre – what will our eminent MSM ‘journalists’ do with their free time! One of the LibDem leadership candidates (yes, ‘twas Ms Layla Moran, again …) is already moaning that this means that the MSM won’t be able to scrutinise government any longer – the scandal! What on earth did those poor dears do before the outbreak? Knit salads? Crochet cupcakes?
But don’t go out and celebrate – July 4th won’t actually be ‘Lockdown Freedom Day’. Johnson declaring that the country will come ‘out of hibernation’ on that day demonstrated by the choice of that expression that he and his Whitehall scientific advisers didn’t and don’t have a clue about life outside their Westminster Bubble. We didn’t ‘hibernate’, we tried to live in a climate of utter fear and hysteria thrust upon us by government and MSM. We tried to accommodate to the ‘rules’ imposed on us by a Whitehall drunk on their sudden power, a power not to be questioned because of “Teh Science”.
‘Our MSM’ were only too delighted to regurgitate what government scientific advisers told the PM and the nation, no questions asked, no divergent opinions allowed. Even now the broadsheet ‘health’ and ‘science’ editors are trying to educate us by asking ‘what is the science behind the PM’s decision’ (link) because without ‘science’ we’ll be lost.These are the new conditions under which we’re allowed out even though the ‘experts’ are hedging their advice:
“The bulk of the country’s hospitality, leisure and tourism industries will be able to restart from July 4 as the coronavirus infection rate continues to fall. Pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and cinemas can open if they are deemed to be safe. To allow them to operate, Mr Johnson announced that the two-metre social distancing rule will be replaced by a new “one-metre plus” regime, insisting that mitigations such as face coverings gave a “broadly equivalent” protection at the shorter distance.” (link, paywalled)
Well, hurrah and hallelujah, innit! Savour though the full idiocy of this ‘end of hibernation’ announcement, savour the never-ending opportunities for bureaucrats locally and nationally to keep interfering in our lives! Ponder what is actually meant by ‘a new one-metre-plus regime’! Is it one metre plus one or ten or fifty centimetres? Who is going to measure? Will we only be ‘allowed’ to visit ‘safe spaces’, those with plastic shielding everywhere?
This is in fact the back door which allows Whitehall and government scientists to keep us in fear and subjugation, always supported by the helpful MSM. See this for example:
“The chief medical officer for England has told people not to get closer than two metres without being “incredibly serious” about precautions and doctors said that masks should be worn outside. Chris Whitty said people should stay two metres apart whenever they could and make sure they used mitigations such as masks, screens and facing away from each other if forced to be closer. […] The British Medical Association said that people should now wear masks “as a matter of course”. Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, said that “one metre, with mitigations in place, can be equivalent risk to two metres”. (link, paywalled)
Yes, that’s the ‘New Freedom’: treat everybody you come into contact with as potential leper from whom you must protect yourself. Perhaps we might ask those who shy away from us as if we were wearing the mark of Cain: “is it because I is a CV-19 suspect”? It doesn’t stop there – The Times seems delighted to report some key points which we better keep in mind for future reference. They illustrate that, Lockdown or not, Our MSM are fine with living in a benign dictatorship where unelected Sages dictate how to run our daily lives.
Firstly, they report that “Johnson has been told” by the experts that this ‘new normal’ might risk us getting back to the times of the start of the outbreak, that we peasants must be ‘prepared’ for a return of Lockdown. SAGE and all those CV-19 experts are still poised to shoo us back into Lockdown prison, suggesting that the PM better do what experts tell him. These experts are insinuating next that we ought to ‘think of the children’, not go to pubs while schools aren’t yet open and never mind that people need to get back to work. Finally, these ‘measures’ would be in place until next spring, according to Chris Whitty. They’re not ‘risk-free’ he warns, but allow us ‘to operate in a reasonably normal way for a prolonged period’. (link, paywalled)
It’s strange that amongst all the ‘omigawd – there’s ‘a risk’ articles and reports and other articles describing the general dissatisfaction with this ‘end of hibernation’ announcement there’s again no mention about the effect on the economy, except for these observation by Matt Lynn in the DT:
“The economy could not survive much longer. Even with massive government support, businesses can’t be put into deep freeze forever, and emerge as fresh as the day you stored them. Skills rust, customers forget you, and goodwill evaporates. Another month, and there wouldn’t be an economy to come back to.” (link)
Furthermore, this is the only slight critique of the medical experts and their pronuncements in ‘Our MSM’:
“With daily deaths into the teens, and infections below a thousand a day, we face a medical challenge but hardly an emergency. There was no longer any justification for killing off tens of thousands of businesses and millions of jobs.” (link)
That begs the question if there ever was such justification. Thanks to sites such as Lockdown Sceptics those of us who’ve always taken a more jaundiced view of what ‘Whitehall sources’ have been telling ‘Our MSM’, we know that the numbers of infected and dying people were manipulated from the start. We know that ‘Our MSM’ were complicit by either smearing critics as ‘right wing conspiracists’ or by not even reporting their critical assessments.
Mr Lynn’s concluding remarks are actually more scary than the SAGE threat about future Lockdowns:
“And yet as “rules” turn into Government “guidelines” there is a risk that companies, egged on by the insurance industry and the unions, will gold-plate them, and move too slowly, and too cautiously. In truth, the only real guideline we need right now is common sense. Between them, companies and their customers should be trusted to make their own decisions about what is safe and what isn’t – and that is the only thing that will ensure the rapid, V-shaped recovery the country needs.” (link)
Sadly, I believe Mr Lynn’s warning will turn out to become the ‘new normal’ for businesses. As ‘risk’ must be avoided at all costs because ‘lives must be saved’, it’s only right that the precautionary principle must rule, to keep us all ‘safe’. It doesn’t matter, for example, that there are no sound scientific reasons for keeping people out of swimming pools – what matters is that we peasants must be kept in a state of fearfulness – there might be this second wave, you know.
It’s somewhat distressing to look at Johnson’s statement in the HoC yesterday. It shows that he’s as scientifically illiterate as the rest of the Westminster Bubble dwellers:
“I must ask the House to understand that the virus has no interest in these debates. Its only interest, its only ambition is to exploit any opportunities is to recapture ground that we might carelessly vacate. There is one certainty – the fewer social contacts you have, the safer you will be.” (link)
Turning CV-19 into a sort of human-like entity with a mind of its own, with ‘interests’, with ‘ambitions’, is as unscientific as can be. As for that last sentence – it’s meant to impose a deep, abiding fear on us by telling us that we can only be safe by avoiding ‘all social contacts’. However, even in the context of the CV-19 pandemic, Benjamin Franklin’s words still apply:
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Perhaps someone might remind Johnson of a quote by another eminent American, that US President who was Churchill’s ally in the dark days of WWII. He told his nation that “we have nothing to fear but fear itself”. Why then must we be kept in permanent fear? Is it because a fearful population is ruled more easily? And who will those ‘rulers’ be?
Keep vigilant in these increasingly sinister times but remember that these ‘rules’ are only ‘guidance’, not laws! Common sense should rule us and courage should be our guide, not fear!
KBO!
Couple of silver linings – Covid has so exposed China’s super stealthy takeover of so much of the World – Its trade attack on Australia has made everyone realise they must not be dependent on trade with China and so among many other serious things they will lose their brilliant 5G espionage ability – The Floyd rioters are sidelined from rioting about Brexit so it has a better chance of surviving and so actually happening on 31 December.
I do wonder if BJ hasn’t deliberately chosen Mr Wittery and Mr Hancock to make himself look good.
I do wonder sometimes if BJ deliberately chose Mr Wittery and Mr Hancock (giving him his high profile half hour) to make himself look good.
Hibernation be damned ! – This is more akin to house arrest, and if I’m ‘done’, maybe for not paying my TV Licence, then I hope my time under house arrest will be taken into consideration, with a cash credit taken off any fine !
Could we also start a National Drivel Award ? – Although not exclusively for our Newspapers, they would have to be in the front line to receive this award ! – None of the papers will ever be brought into my home, ever !
“Increasingly sinister times indeed”.
When BLM rioters commit Criminal Damage by tearing down statues the Police do nothing and there’s no MSM outcry.
Fly a banner with “White Lives Matter Burnley” on it, which is not a crime.. and lose your job after a MSM outcry.
Hope he takes Paradigm Precision, Burnley to an Industrial Tribunal for unfair dismissal.
Ken P – you must have posted just as I was typing.
Extreme Left Wing ‘Black Lives Matter’ mob pulls down Statues and Riot, injuring 50 odd police officers.
Result: Malicious damage and actual grievous bodily harm.
Police response – no9thing to see here, move along now.
Police and Leader of HM Opposition, plus others kneel to the mob.
Man pays for a banner to be flown over a football ground saying White Lives Matter, Burnley.
Result: Jake Hepple who ordered the banner is sacked by his employer Paradigm Precision of Burnley.
Police response: no Laws broken, nothing to see here, move along now.
Blackpool Council ”outraged by the (banner) incident”.
Burnley Football Club ”ashamed and embarrassed by the banner”.
Burnley boss San Dycke said the Banner flown over the Stadium ”was a moment nobody wanted”, but believes ”people are becoming more educated in life”.
Compare and contrast. Comments on the Zen poem at the end please.
That’s a good idea Ken P. Use an Industrial Tribunal.
The question to be asked of the employer, Paradigm Precision, is, if Mr Hepple had been black and if the banner read, “Black Lives Matter Burnley”, would his employment have been terminated? The answer is obvious, so is the unfairness!
We have to ‘face the other way’ Viv. So all get eyes in the back of our heads?
This video is straight up Flyer’s street. But everyone needs to see it. It concerns our possible future regarding tracking & tracing and other things. It’s what coming down the line – And it makes Orwell’s 1984 seem like a vicar’s tea party.
Digital DNA Cybernetic New World Order
https://youtu.be/j7965-_qY-4
… and whatever you do
DON’T MENTION VITAMIN D3!
Were this to catch on, then, after the CCP Virus has finished fading away because of lots of pale skins in glorious summer sunshine, it might be gone for good! And the next one might never get going!
Just think about it. All that lovely control ripped away, all those 2-digit IQ busy-bodies with their 2-digit IQ rules forced back into their holes!
Bye-bye to the bitter taste of East Germany or Communist China UK style.
D3 is one of the things that work.but not in Boots sized miniscule profitable doses.. You’ld probably need an act of parliament .Mind you, you could probably sell your right wing.
I was paying homage to the Great God ASDA a few days ago.
Standing to one side of the one way aisle, looking at the produce, I ‘felt’ someone looking at me.
I turned around to see a man wearing goggles, a mask, rubber gloves and a suit of armour (actually only a slight exaggeration) in the middle of the aisle.
‘Can I help you?’. ‘I’m waiting for you to move forward’. ‘But the aisles are at least eight feet wide’. (at this point I started to walk backwards – did I mention the adult nappy?).
He backed up into a comparatively ‘naked’ little old lady who roughly pushed him aside saying ‘grow up’ (to him – not to me). She was followed by another six jostling him out of the way, making random comments ‘about other things to do’, ‘shopping with kids is bad enough’, and similar.
In short, this true story is indicative of public common sense I have observed for a couple of months now.
More lockdown examples if you want them.
I call them ”the cringers” – ones that shrink away from you as if you have ye blacke deathe. I wouldn’t want to invade their space if that’s how they feel, but if they really do consider themselves to be THAT ”vulnerable” then they shouldn’t come out. There is plenty of help for people like that. They should leave real life to the rest of us – of ANY age or state of health. Most of us just want to get on with it.
The crisis has not even begun yet. Still in fantasy world about the economy.
Fascinating bit in my local paper. Man running several cafes etc can’t pay the rent. Asking landlords to take 10% of turnover, But if landlords don’t get the full rent they can’t pay the bank. Hmm.
Mike – I’m glad you said this, I wholeheartedly agree. Unfortunately, I can see only too clearly what is and is going to happen and it’s giving me nightmares.
People need to wake up and go into this with their eyes open, at the moment they are sleepwalking into a nightmare, all while our politicians issue smiling reassurances and insist that they have everything under control.
For many of us older folk we’re unlikely to see what we would consider to be normal ever again.
Flyer, Totally agree but the UK has been a dysfunctional economic and social nightmare for the last twenty years or so, most people wouldn’t know normal if they were locked in a cell with it. Like god, we don’t do ‘normal ‘these days.
Chain bankruptcies. David Rosenburg US economist proposed ‘the homebody economy’ with much more self-sufficiency. Thing is they can’t tax doing things for yourself and it deprives those needing cashflow to pay debt. At the beginning of the Great Depression there was a mug’s rally in the market and people thought getting back to normal. It could go two ways, The Marxists get control via Labour or propulsion of a real conservatism. A lot depends on Farage. Pocket money still being handed out but not for long so we can’t gauge the prospects yet.
”People need to wake up….” And do what, exactly?
Entirely up to you, I take it that you would like to survive this, the only value your life has is the value that you choose to place on it.
Booked a staycation for the end of July for myself and my mother who suffered a lot psychologically from the lockdown with her entire social sphere cast into the long grass and having never gone more than 200yds from her house for 3 months until a couple of weeks ago. Zoom doesn’t quite cut it.
How’s this for sinister then:
“EU Continues To Beg China To Become Allies”
https://youtu.be/86lBwdVJFZU
If you ask me, the EU and the Chinese Communist Party are perfect bedfellows. I’ve been expecting something like this for a long time and have sometimes written about it.
I’ve always thought that Brexit had the potential to alter the whole political strategic alignment of the world and it looks like this could indeed be the case.
The situation with China is starting to look extremely dodgy again, we need to decide who our real friends are, hint: it isn’t the European Union.
I’m not impressed with Iain Dales opinion on other matters but EU wanting to be closer to China is just another reason for us breaking ALL ties with EU.
Interesting about our past administrations getting closer to Communist China.
Iain Dale is very mealy mouthed. Could he be frightened to speak ‘out of turn’? Look what happened to Nigel.