DFor libertarians, it has been another alarming week as the political class continues to use emergency measures to control their populations and the COVID-19 narrative.
In France, (absolutely not because there is a presidential race in April), Emmanuel Macron has admitted he wants to "piss off" his country's 5M unvaccinated, exacerbating the divide between the jabbed and the unjabbed.
In Canada, infamous repeated user of "black face", Justin Trudeau accused the unvaccinated of being racist and misogynist.
In Australia, Novak Djokovic was detained in a hotel on arrival in the country, accused of not complying with local entry restrictions (arguing that he tested positive for COVID-19 on 16th December 2021 and so has natural immunity to further infection).
In the United States, firebrand Democratic congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, was accused of rank hypocrisy for attending a party in mask free Florida, despite the President's draconian beliefs on mask wearing.
The banning by Twitter of the eminent virologist, Dr Robert Malone pointed to the continuing pattern of suppression of free speech and open debate on COVID-19.
In the United Kingdom, Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, Chairman of the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation ("JCVI") has stated "we cannot vaccinate the planet every 6 months", suggesting that beyond the existing booster programme, further jabs must be targeted at the most vulnerable, opening up the debate on the efficacy of continually vaccinating the population.
Sir Keir Starmer contracted the virus again and has now missed over 60 days through self isolation in the last 12 months.
Our world in data excess mortality data confirmed that the UK is running at around 70,000 excess deaths a year from non-COVID-19 related causes since the start of the pandemic, almost equivalent to the number of deaths attributed to the virus since it arrived here.
The Online Safety bill, which may well be largely laudable in its intent, further threatens free speech around COVID-19 by facilitating the cancellation of dissenting voices that are perceived to be "legal but harmful".
Almost 2 years on from the first official infection in the UK, with over £400Bn of taxpayers money expended, COVID-19 continues to loom large over sustained economic recovery.
Whilst there are green shoots such as the removal of the need for PCR tests for British nationals returning home, the government's propaganda machine remains in full flow, with millions of pounds a week being spent on an advertising campaign advocating vaccination on broadcast and static media.
Whilst new infections remain high, hospitalisations and deaths resulting from COVID-19 remain relatively flat. As over 95% of the population now has antibodies, it is time to see the lifting of all restrictions, including face masks and vaccine passports and the demonisation of the unvaccinated.
Devolution will almost certainly mean that England will see the lifting of restrictions before other nations. It is for those living under the devolved administrations to determine if their governments are acting in their best interests.
