‘Tis delicious: Karma finally reaches Oily Robbins!

The Post-Covid Madness continues unabated. Pupils are (mostly) back in school – but office workers aren’t, according to the headlines in today’s papers. Professor Whitty is rumoured to have threatened to resign should Johnson ‘push too hard’ to get people to work (paywalled link) The more significant articles on the economy and on that fabulous Covid vaccine are relegated to ‘also rans’. Since yesterday, the Sedwill replacement is officially in office – that’s Simon Case (not yet a ‘Sir’ or ‘Lord’, give it time!), and both broadsheets have a very interesting article on him. More on that below. 

Meanwhile, spare a thought and a prayer for the poor French where Macron’s government totally bollixed up their muzzle regulations, as The Times reports:

“French bureaucrats were accused of smothering businesses in red tape yesterday after publishing an almost impenetrably convoluted guide to the wearing of masks in the workplace. The guidelines set off alarm bells in companies where executives risk criminal prosecution if they fail to provide masks for their staff and to ensure they are used. The 21-page protocol was made public just hours before masks became mandatory for all French workers in an attempt to curb the country’s spiralling Covid-19 infection rate.” (link, paywalled)

If you thought that was bad enough, it gets worse:

“Employees caught breaking the rules face disciplinary action that could result in their dismissal. Executives who fail to implement the protocol can be prosecuted for endangering life, an offence that carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison. The firms can be fined up to €75,000. But Benoît Serre, vice-president of the national association human resources directors, said the protocol was “incoherent, unstable and unclear”, adding: “We no longer know where we’re at.” (link, paywalled)

Since Johnson wants everybody back in their offices and since trade unions demand workplaces must be absolutely ‘safe’ and that ‘guidance’ is needed, it’s tempting to predict that rules such as these French ones might be produced by our government as well. Give it two weeks … that seems to be the usual time span.

I went into this French farce in detail because it’ll affect the economy and the hoped-for recovery, especially if Johnson follows Macron. And that’s disregarding the rumours about tax increases planned for or not in Sunak’s budget. Paul Johnson (not a PM relative) of the Institute for Fiscal Studies believes tax rises are ‘inevitable’, proposing income tax rises of 2%, increases on VAT on ‘some’ items (wait – weren’t we told we would be able to reduce VAT post-Brexit?), rises in council taxes as well as taxes on occupational pensions. He generously said that such tax rises should be postponed for about two years because: “we still don’t know what is going to happen next in terms of Covid” (paywalled link). Phew – that’s alright then! Jam tomorrow for the taxman!

However – the Post-Covid Madness continues unabated in the corridors of power, e.g. the Dept of Health. It’s about that wonderful vaccine and if you’re not yet worried about this, you ought to be – I am, and not just because of medical issues:

“A coronavirus vaccine could be available this year with the law changed to fast track approval before Christmas, the health secretary said yesterday. Matt Hancock said that vaccine trials were going well and pharmacists, paramedics, vets and those with no clinical training could be allowed to administer a safe and effective jab to ensure that millions of people get it quickly. Speaking in the Commons, Mr Hancock attacked the “pernicious lies” of anti-vaccination activists, saying that he was encouraged by a meeting with Facebook’s Sir Nick Clegg about tackling misleading posts on social media.” (link, paywalled)

Crikey – the situation must be dire indeed in ‘Our NHS’ when not just vets but those ‘with no clinical training’ at all can be permitted to give that Covid jab! Will NHS managers and secretaries have to man the covid-jab stations as well? If anybody can give that jab, why not send those things to each household? Surely we can self-administer them? Ah – but that means ‘Our NHS’ can’t verify if we’ve all been obedient sheep and did as we were told. 

Even worse is Hancock’s little chat with Clegg (I’m not calling him ‘Sir!) about ‘tackling misleading posts’. Covid has turned into a most welcome opportunity to ‘legislate’ to prevent ‘spreading of false rumours’ on social media:

“Jo Stevens, the shadow digital secretary, said: “The rapid spread of false information could literally be a question of life and death. The fact that social-media platforms facilitate the spread of this dangerous content shows why we desperately need legislation.” (link, paywalled)

Note well: only government is permitted to spread rumours, sorry: ‘information’, and even if it’s contradictory – like the muzzle edicts or the false counting of CV-19 ‘deaths’ – it must not be queried. I wonder if the various ‘senior sources’ or ‘senior government figures’ will be exempt from censure when they spread pernicious, unverified gossip to various editors and ‘correspondents’.

Meanwhile, not much noise is being made in ‘Our MSM’ about the government’s ‘consultation document’ which contains the rather vital point on liability. You can find the whole thing here on the government’s own site. I’m not ‘spreading malicious rumours’ when I quote from that document. I hit the roof though when I read how this liability regulation, ‘Regulation 345’, came about:

“What regulation 345 does, therefore, is transpose into UK law a requirement of EU law that key actors in the medicines supply chain cannot generally be sued in the civil courts for the consequences resulting from the use of an unlicensed product, or a new use of a licensed product, that a national licensing authority is recommending in order to deal with certain specific health threats. The principle of providing immunity from civil liability derives from the Directive. Some of the critical detail, however, is left to individual EU States and countries outside the EU that are implementing this provision.” (link)

Based on this EU directive, government not only makes pharmaceutical companies not liable in the good cause of vaccinating us because: Covid! – it also creates the legal base on which non-medical personnel are allowed to administer that jab, without becoming liable. In conclusion: government is allowing unlicensed personnel to administer an unlicensed vaccine. I wonder if the muzzle apostles will go ahead and get vaccinanted under those conditions.

Didn’t the civil serpents involved in formulating this document made a brilliant ‘copy & paste’ job, using an EU Directive as template! Not one original thought needed …! Don’t even think of questioning this – that would surely come under ‘spreading false rumours’, which is forbidden. Here’s a good article which addresses the sad fact that yes, this Covid Madness will become law.

I leave you with the ‘assessment’ of the new Cabinet Secretary, Simon Case. His former colleague at the now defunct DExEU, Stewart Jackson, is full of praise although his article in the DT (paywalled link) is more about himself than about Simon Case. The truly juicy piece of information however is in The Times – how this passed their editorial Remain censorship I do not know:

“The new cabinet secretary was “pushed out” of the civil service two years ago after clashing with Theresa May’s chief negotiator, Olly Robbins, over Brexit. Simon Case, 41, yesterday became the second youngest person to lead the civil service, taking a role that has existed for a century. Boris Johnson confirmed the appointment at the first cabinet meeting after the summer recess. Whitehall sources said Mr Case’s elevation was all the more remarkable because he had been effectively forced out of Whitehall in 2018 after disagreements with Mr Robbins, now Sir Olly, who was at the time widely tipped to become cabinet secretary.” (link, paywalled)

The next quote demonstrates how ‘Sir Oily’ worked, furthering his and Ms May’s attempt to keep us In. It  provides us with proof that and how she and he actively undermined Brexit:

“Sir Olly is understood to have cut Mr Case, who was leading work to find a solution to the Irish border question, out of key meetings and left him in the dark over the government’s negotiating strategy. Mr Case left the job after only a few months, in the middle of the negotiations, to take up a role as private secretary to the Duke of Cambridge. “It was quite a tense relationship,” a source who worked with both men at the time said. “I think Olly resented how plugged in he was to Brussels and the EU. They also clashed over Ireland. I think Simon was sceptical about the Irish backstop that had been agreed by Olly, and was basically pushed out. […] The source said of Sir Olly: “I bet this is driving him crazy. This was meant to be his job but instead it’s gone to the junior guy he pushed out.” (link, paywalled)

Teeheehee for a well-deserved kick up Sir Oili’s Remain backside – karma, Oili, karma, innit! – and a quick round of mutual shoulder-slapping for all us Brexiteers who got rid of May and Oily! See – it works to

KBO!