Lockdowns
Lockdowns were the initial policy of the totalitarian government of China. Many thought such a policy would be unthinkable in the West. They were wrong, and Western societies have demonstrated that if they are fearful enough they will put up with such a draconian approach.
Lockdown was a deliberate policy though with predetermined goals unrelated to public health. They were designed to make the population suffer and to increase mortality. They heightened fear and panic and we now know contributed significantly to economic, social and political destruction.
Enforced in the UK
Due to the What’sApp messages from the Lockdown Files we can peek behind the scenes in the UK to see how a government that was not onboard with lockdowns was positioned into enforcing them.
The Telegraph's Lockdown Files
In the UK the advisory body SAGE and professor Neil Ferguson was initially instrumental in pushing for a lockdown. Based around the concept of flattening the curve, asymptomatic spreaders and a picture of overflowing hospitals.
However, we now have numerous studies telling us, not only that lockdowns were ineffective against an air borne respiratory virus, but actually resulted in higher mortality rates.
In a comment piece in the UK newspaper the Telegraph, Daniel Hannan reveals that the What’sApp messages;
show that we have been governed by petty, frightened men who valued appearance over substance...They obsess over tweets and news reports.
In the article he states that care home testing was initially rejected because the 100,000 tests a day target was seen as politically more important. School children were forced to wear masks, not because they do the slightest good, but because the Tories didn’t want to appear weaker than Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the Scottish national party and first minister of Scotland.
The What’sApp messages of Matt Hancock, the UK’s Health minister expose that having insisted on lockdowns because he believed the vaccination to be the way out, was at least consistent and argued for their removal once the jabs came in. Unlike the ‘left’ – Labour MPs, public sector unions and BBC reporters – who demanded to keep them going.
According to this piece;
decision makers knew that they would not get into any trouble for excessive caution. They could blow away billions, bankrupt businesses, ruin children’s education, and none of it would be a resigning manner.
The author of this piece was one of very few journalists criticising the lockdown policy at the time. As he writes;
Yet the facts remained stubbornly at odds with the policies. As the disease spread from China, Chris Witty, [Chief Medical Officer], pointed out that it was not dangerous enough to merit an acceleration of the vaccine approval process (no one, at this stage, was contemplating a UK lockdown).
Whitty messaged on February 29 2020;
For a disease with a low (for the sake of argument 1 per cent) mortality a vaccine has to be very safe so the safety studies can’t be shortcut.
Hannan therefore asks the legitimate question – why panic? What happened to the original plan to allow the epidemic to seep through the population?
- March 5 2020
Dominic Cummings [Chief Advisor to PM Boris Johnson];
I think the PM shd STOP saying 'business as usual'. Preparing for a pandemic is not 'business as usual' -- we are plannign to tell people to do things theyve never done before... thoughts?
James Slack [Johnson’s spokesman];
Completely agree. We aren’t telling him to say it. He’ll need to be forcibly stopped..
Cummings;
ill tell him
- March 8 2020
Slack messaged;
I think we’re heading towards general pressure over why our measures are relatively light compared to other countries.
Sweden on the other-hand, which did adopt a light touch, fared much better during Covid19. A study has found that, from 2020 to 2022 Sweden had the lowest excess mortality rate in Europe, indeed one of the lowest in the world.
The response of Britain’s political leaders to the example of Sweden was to take it as a personal affront. “Fucking Sweden argument” was how Hancock referred to it when asked to supply evidence of why Sweden was wrong.
Behind the scenes running the show like an edition of Yes Minister, or In The Thick Of It, were media spin masters and paid propagandists. When Johnson was in hospital for Covid19 it was joked that media communicator Lee Cain was left running the country.
In March 2020 Isaac Levido was recruited to improve the government’s Covid19 messaging. He was deployed by Dominic Cummings [Chief Advisor to Johnson] to persuade Tory cabinet members that lockdown policies were popular with the general public.
- 23 April 2020
Hancock;
We should do a Cabinet briefing on the polling - so they know that >50% of the public want the same or stronger lockdown - including >50% of Tories
Cummings;
Agreed -- lets get Isaac to do it next thurs
He’ll do it
Also FYI Boris called a few people tonight to say — all these attacks in Matt, I want us to stick up for him etc
This was based on a survey by Cambridge University that put public support for lockdowns at 87%.
It was Cummings who suggested on June 1 when schools reopened that;
I think we shd make it legally compulsory to wear mask on public transport (with only eg small child/disabled etc exception). It’s free, buys us some R, no real downside
Further evidence that behind the scenes that these unelected media advisors were pushing the lockdown agenda can be seen in this exchange when the rail minister proposed opening the border to France in May 2020.
Lee Cain wrote;
Quarantine surely an essential part of any exit strategy - and opening up a flank to an entire continent would seem to leave a substantial hole. Public will think (rightly) we are potty. Overwhelming support for tougher action at our borders!
Again he weighs in to the policy of mask wearing in schools;
Considering Scotland has just confirmed it will [impose them] I find it hard to believe we will hold the line. At a minimum I would give yourself flex and not commit to ruling it out…
Johnson was totally beholden to this trio of advisors which he named “Slackey”, “Caino” and “Dom”.
Whilst there is open acknowledgment within these messages that Covid19 had a low mortality rate (less than 1%) there is evidence that the government were highly concerned with appearances and their advisors played into that. See here a discussion about handshaking.
- 8 March 2020
Hancock;
FYI France has just banned gatherings of over 1000 and said no kissing or handshakes. I imagine we will get some questions over why that’s different to our approach
Slack:
I think we’re heading towards general pressure over why our measures are relatively light touch compared to other countries. Also why we aren’t isolating/screening people coming back from Italy. We’ll need to explain very calmly that we’re doing what actually works.
Cummings;
As you know I think we shd say no handshaking. People won’t understand ‘you may have to stay home for weeks to keep clear of people but don’t worry about shaking hands’
Vallance [Chief Science Office]
I think we got into the wrong place because of the view that there had to be an alternative to handshakes. I think we could just say stop shaking hands and stop worrying about offering some alternative. It won’t make that much difference but not shaking hands reminds people to wash their hands.
Evidenced in these messages that the Tory government were keen to end the lockdowns as soon as they could.
- 6 June 2020
Boris Johnson;
Am thinking hard about the 15 June.
At the moment we could do
Non-essential retail
Some more for families
A bit of outdoor hospitality
And announce that we can’t do all primary schools by July
But Slackie and lee still think the whole package will be too far ahead of public opinion
Once again we see the ever present advisors.
Matt Hancock;
I am very worried about a free-for-all around non essential retail. The rules BEIS put in place were far too slack. But I accept we have to let them start to come back.
I think it’s too soon for outdoor hospitality - and they’re not expecting it until next month. There aren’t even guidelines in place, or the legal change.
Everyone’s accepted there won’t be more on schools until Sept.
Then we could do a bit more for families eg on camping & zoos.
But all in all, with R just below 1, if we go ahead with non essential retail on 15 June, then we are sailing very close to the wind.
My view is the public are right and we need to hold our nerve.
Again, Johnson was uneasy about plunging the country into a second lockdown on November 4 of 2020. On 1 Nov Johnson shared in a group chat that Dr Carl Heneghan had told him that “the death modelling you have been shown is already very wrong”. Johnson also messaged that “The great Steve baker believes that the numbers of deaths have been exaggerated. It might be worth seeing what Heneghan is saying to telegraph.”
Government death data in black was over 4x higher than actual (in red)
What these private messages show us that there was a big contrast between public statements and the views held by the government. They falsely claimed to being led by science when it is apparent they were led by special advisors, and where public appearance was way more important then adopting policies to help the citizens of the UK.