Fraser Nelson was a classic fence sitter. Ok, he allowed some scepticism in the Spectator, but he was still arguing for the 3rd Lockdown to run on. I expect you can still find a debate with him & Kate Andrews back in June 21. Andrews arguing for the idiocy of the lockdown to end, Nelson arguing that it was still too soon.
He wasn't alone. Rod Liddle was an arch-lockdowner until late 2020. Douglas Murray kept sctumm. Andrew Neil was calling for vaxx refuseniks to be locked up.
With the honourable exception of Toby Young & to some extent Dan Hanna, the libertarian right were pretty hopeless.
Toby saved the sanity of countless thousands by creating Lockdown Sceptic.
The FSU looks like becoming an historically significant organisation.
The 'limited hangout' accusation tends to come from people who convince themselves they have all the answers but can never quite manage to articulate those arguments to others.
Have you ever heard of the Bulgarian percentage? It was an ironic way to describe election results in communist countries. It was always 98-99% in favor of the communist party. Then 1989 came and we discovered that consensus was fake. There is a lot to learn from Marxism and communism; currently we live in similar environments when it comes to lockdowns, vaccines, climate change, Etc….
"Now it was very difficult in those days to challenge anything because if you did you'd be described as a nutter. If you're an academic you'd have your reputation come after you."
This was/is so true. I remember having the feeling something wasn't right,didn't fit with previous epidemics I'd lived through and been involved with on the front line. The scale, according to Ferguson ,was bodies in the street territory.. The MSM and government seemed to be addressing the crisis with a less than mature attitude. Gradually saner voices, heroic ones, were beginning to appear. My misconceptions were not mine alone, my undergraduate knowledge was after all not too far off line.
We all owe a debt to these people and across the pond their expertise and independence of thought is being recognised. We should have a roll of honour for the home end.
A necessary inconvenience, not just an inconvenience! Who else would take pharma's mass medications purporting prevention, that is really to support the economy, in a logic that only an economist could fathom.
If Mackey is not reading TTE he needs to be given honorary membership
That horse has well and truly bolted I'm afraid. What finally chased it on its way was the brilliant coining of the term "conspiracy theorist" as a get out of jail free card for enablers among journalists and media should anyone try to hold them to account..
Here's Rex Leeper, the Head of the Political Warfare Executive, in the opening months of the Second World War explaining the workings of the Emergency Powers to civil servants:
"The people must feel that they are being told the truth. Distrust breeds fear much more than knowledge of reverses ... The people should be told that this is a civilians’ war, or a People’s War, and therefore they are to be taken into the government’s confidence as never before. … What is truth? We must adopt a pragmatic definition. It is what it is believed to be the truth. The government would be wise therefore to tell the truth and, if a sufficient emergency arises, to tell one big, thumping lie that will then be believed..."
As to what was the thumping lie this time, I have my suspicions.
Fraser Nelson was a classic fence sitter. Ok, he allowed some scepticism in the Spectator, but he was still arguing for the 3rd Lockdown to run on. I expect you can still find a debate with him & Kate Andrews back in June 21. Andrews arguing for the idiocy of the lockdown to end, Nelson arguing that it was still too soon.
He wasn't alone. Rod Liddle was an arch-lockdowner until late 2020. Douglas Murray kept sctumm. Andrew Neil was calling for vaxx refuseniks to be locked up.
With the honourable exception of Toby Young & to some extent Dan Hanna, the libertarian right were pretty hopeless.
Agree-but Toby Young was a bi of a limited hangout too. Still is, TBH.
Toby saved the sanity of countless thousands by creating Lockdown Sceptic.
The FSU looks like becoming an historically significant organisation.
The 'limited hangout' accusation tends to come from people who convince themselves they have all the answers but can never quite manage to articulate those arguments to others.
We're all ears.
Carl SAVED my sanity here in Canada during covid. Will never stop subscribing as a tiny token of my gratitude.
Well said.
"Fraser Nelson was a classic fence sitter. "
I guess the classical "Of Course, I never believed ..............."
but at least great acknowledge of Carl; well done Carl; a mighty figure of granite!! True Yorkshire grit!!
Well said!
Have you ever heard of the Bulgarian percentage? It was an ironic way to describe election results in communist countries. It was always 98-99% in favor of the communist party. Then 1989 came and we discovered that consensus was fake. There is a lot to learn from Marxism and communism; currently we live in similar environments when it comes to lockdowns, vaccines, climate change, Etc….
"Now it was very difficult in those days to challenge anything because if you did you'd be described as a nutter. If you're an academic you'd have your reputation come after you."
This was/is so true. I remember having the feeling something wasn't right,didn't fit with previous epidemics I'd lived through and been involved with on the front line. The scale, according to Ferguson ,was bodies in the street territory.. The MSM and government seemed to be addressing the crisis with a less than mature attitude. Gradually saner voices, heroic ones, were beginning to appear. My misconceptions were not mine alone, my undergraduate knowledge was after all not too far off line.
We all owe a debt to these people and across the pond their expertise and independence of thought is being recognised. We should have a roll of honour for the home end.
Has Sir Jim Mackey been reading TTE?
NHS sees patients as an inconvenience, says new bosshttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/cfcc4663a633af89
A necessary inconvenience, not just an inconvenience! Who else would take pharma's mass medications purporting prevention, that is really to support the economy, in a logic that only an economist could fathom.
If Mackey is not reading TTE he needs to be given honorary membership
That horse has well and truly bolted I'm afraid. What finally chased it on its way was the brilliant coining of the term "conspiracy theorist" as a get out of jail free card for enablers among journalists and media should anyone try to hold them to account..
Here's Rex Leeper, the Head of the Political Warfare Executive, in the opening months of the Second World War explaining the workings of the Emergency Powers to civil servants:
"The people must feel that they are being told the truth. Distrust breeds fear much more than knowledge of reverses ... The people should be told that this is a civilians’ war, or a People’s War, and therefore they are to be taken into the government’s confidence as never before. … What is truth? We must adopt a pragmatic definition. It is what it is believed to be the truth. The government would be wise therefore to tell the truth and, if a sufficient emergency arises, to tell one big, thumping lie that will then be believed..."
As to what was the thumping lie this time, I have my suspicions.
Who would have thought it….so many emperors ….naked as the day they were born.