When former UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock handed over a veritable treasure trove of personal WhatsApp correspondence – over 100,000 messages in all – to a journalist whom he had commissioned to co-author his Pandemic Diaries, it appears it did not cross his mind that she might go rogue on him and release his confidential correspondence into the public domain.
I think we can reasonably assume that the science was somewhat similar all over the world? And therefore, while not saying every country had a Handcock (they surely DID) we can extrapolate that we've been treated like children for nearly 3 years now. Rishi Sunak used a phrase in a recent interview regarding regrets over covid response... he said "I wish we'd had a more grown-up conversation with the public" That's all it would have taken.
Of course, in Ireland, the conversation in MSM is not the ramifications of making political decisions over science, but "how could the journalist betray her source, isn't it terrible, tut tut tut, is there no morality in the world..." (proclaimed out loud, while holding a tall skinny vegan chai latté, outside the hairdressers, en route to the airport).
STILL people can't and won't admit how cartoon-like the whole episode was.
I’m in Cataluña where I wasn’t allowed to go indoors and have a coffee, share food with friends or participate in any indoor activities. My son was locked in for just under 2 months (I remember him crying at the door begging us to allow him to go outside) and then had to wear a mask (😩) for seven hours per day for nearly two years. My son, who had had COVID/natural immunity) was not able to access educational provision when there was a COVID infection in his class for seven days, compared to his vaccinated peers who were able to stay at school. This was even after the zero transmission “claim’ had proved itself to be inaccurate. In saying all of this, & remembering how painfully alienating mandates were plus the alienation from the vaccinated ones, ‘this’ equates to zero when compared to someone who lost a mother, father, lover, sister, aunt, uncle, brother, grandparent whilst being ‘cared’ for under the legal ‘duty of care’ that the Secretary of State for Health & Social Care has. I’ve watched a film of a plethora of people saying their loved one was put onto ‘nil by mouth’ & the concoction that is used, as advised for medical professionals, as end of life care was administered. They say they have proof. I suspect dramatic mortality data was needed to spin the fear propaganda/compliance for the Great Reset…Build Back Better agenda. I’m also thinking of all the souls who lost their jobs/businesses etc. Dr Campbell has addressed this as has Maajid. 🙏
One of the peculiarities of Spain is that policies varied across regions. Cataluña, sadly, was one of the most extreme and inhumane regions. Madrid was one of the more moderate. Terrible things happened in Spain as they did elsewhere. No question about it. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. Navarra was not much better. But in certain ways, at least up to the stupid and inhumane vax pass system, Spain did allow more normal life for much of the pandemic than the UK. The masking in Spain was probably worse than other countries, partly because a lot of Spanish people interpreted masking "a raja tabla" and neutralised their common sense completely. In Ireland, I found a much more tolerant attitude in shops and public spaces toward people who didn't wear a mask, than in Spain. I felt very alienated from Spanish society when I saw the level of infantile conformity to the measures here. Thankfully, I have a lot of friends here who agree with me and can see how power was abused and how citizens were manipulated throughout the pandemic.
My concern with this is twofold: firstly, we need to know why two palliative drugs were used in record numbers in care homes & the consequences, of that decision, to the death quota...that's MORE important to me then Matt Hancock and his insatiable need for ego/fame/to be liked. There is an interview with Maajid Nawaz & British MP Andrew Bridgen that addresses this and points to evidence of the NICE palliative care documentation. Dr John Campbell has a video on this matter on his You Tube account. Secondly, the WHO have, over this period, gained more power consensus that if another pandemic hits (as BG likes to remind us constantly) that they will decide policy globally. Are we more distracted by the 'latch on the gate' and therefore have 'missed the horse bolting'? These two aspects weigh on my consciousness more than the disdain they 'hold' for us, which was clear to see from very early in the pandemic. And David, as you know, lockdown/mask/mandates were worse here in Spain. Emma
My main interest in the Hancock Lockdown files is not to forget all the other bad stuff about the pandemic, but to get a fuller picture of what was going through the minds of public officials. This confirms that the recklessness was accompanied by callous, reckless, and narcissistic, self-promoting ATTITUDES on the part of public officials, who were laughing at people stuck in Mandatory Hotel Quarantine and masking kids to avoid a political row with Scotland and WHO. This helps us understand the ethical root of the crisis, which is selfishness, hubris, arrogance, inhumanity, detachment from others' suffering. It is not just about Hancock: it is about understanding how all of this went so badly wrong, and how dangerous it is to empower people high up the political ladder. I agree with the rest of what you say. The issue of the palliative drugs for example is extremely worrying, and I've written about the WHO's power grab elsewhere.
As for Spain, I live in Pamplona and I have relatives who live in Madrid. For most of the pandemic life went on in Madrid pretty much as normal, other than the ridiculous masking. Hospitality stayed open, churches stayed open, entertainment and work stayed open. In the rest of Spain, things varied from region to region.
Back in March 2020 Spain was ridiculously draconian, not allowing people to exercise or go for a walk. But from May 2020 on, severe lockdowns ended and hospitality opened, to the best of my knowledge, a lot more than in the UK, even though it closed down in the winter at various points. I'm not defending Spain, but I would say its lockdown regime was more moderate than the UK's. Masking outdoors and requiring masks pretty much everywhere was ridiculous and inhumane, and brought out the very worst in the Spanish people. But many people could at least work and have a drink, a good bit more than in Ireland or the UK. Wouldn't you agree?
I think we can reasonably assume that the science was somewhat similar all over the world? And therefore, while not saying every country had a Handcock (they surely DID) we can extrapolate that we've been treated like children for nearly 3 years now. Rishi Sunak used a phrase in a recent interview regarding regrets over covid response... he said "I wish we'd had a more grown-up conversation with the public" That's all it would have taken.
Of course, in Ireland, the conversation in MSM is not the ramifications of making political decisions over science, but "how could the journalist betray her source, isn't it terrible, tut tut tut, is there no morality in the world..." (proclaimed out loud, while holding a tall skinny vegan chai latté, outside the hairdressers, en route to the airport).
STILL people can't and won't admit how cartoon-like the whole episode was.
I’m in Cataluña where I wasn’t allowed to go indoors and have a coffee, share food with friends or participate in any indoor activities. My son was locked in for just under 2 months (I remember him crying at the door begging us to allow him to go outside) and then had to wear a mask (😩) for seven hours per day for nearly two years. My son, who had had COVID/natural immunity) was not able to access educational provision when there was a COVID infection in his class for seven days, compared to his vaccinated peers who were able to stay at school. This was even after the zero transmission “claim’ had proved itself to be inaccurate. In saying all of this, & remembering how painfully alienating mandates were plus the alienation from the vaccinated ones, ‘this’ equates to zero when compared to someone who lost a mother, father, lover, sister, aunt, uncle, brother, grandparent whilst being ‘cared’ for under the legal ‘duty of care’ that the Secretary of State for Health & Social Care has. I’ve watched a film of a plethora of people saying their loved one was put onto ‘nil by mouth’ & the concoction that is used, as advised for medical professionals, as end of life care was administered. They say they have proof. I suspect dramatic mortality data was needed to spin the fear propaganda/compliance for the Great Reset…Build Back Better agenda. I’m also thinking of all the souls who lost their jobs/businesses etc. Dr Campbell has addressed this as has Maajid. 🙏
One of the peculiarities of Spain is that policies varied across regions. Cataluña, sadly, was one of the most extreme and inhumane regions. Madrid was one of the more moderate. Terrible things happened in Spain as they did elsewhere. No question about it. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. Navarra was not much better. But in certain ways, at least up to the stupid and inhumane vax pass system, Spain did allow more normal life for much of the pandemic than the UK. The masking in Spain was probably worse than other countries, partly because a lot of Spanish people interpreted masking "a raja tabla" and neutralised their common sense completely. In Ireland, I found a much more tolerant attitude in shops and public spaces toward people who didn't wear a mask, than in Spain. I felt very alienated from Spanish society when I saw the level of infantile conformity to the measures here. Thankfully, I have a lot of friends here who agree with me and can see how power was abused and how citizens were manipulated throughout the pandemic.
My concern with this is twofold: firstly, we need to know why two palliative drugs were used in record numbers in care homes & the consequences, of that decision, to the death quota...that's MORE important to me then Matt Hancock and his insatiable need for ego/fame/to be liked. There is an interview with Maajid Nawaz & British MP Andrew Bridgen that addresses this and points to evidence of the NICE palliative care documentation. Dr John Campbell has a video on this matter on his You Tube account. Secondly, the WHO have, over this period, gained more power consensus that if another pandemic hits (as BG likes to remind us constantly) that they will decide policy globally. Are we more distracted by the 'latch on the gate' and therefore have 'missed the horse bolting'? These two aspects weigh on my consciousness more than the disdain they 'hold' for us, which was clear to see from very early in the pandemic. And David, as you know, lockdown/mask/mandates were worse here in Spain. Emma
My main interest in the Hancock Lockdown files is not to forget all the other bad stuff about the pandemic, but to get a fuller picture of what was going through the minds of public officials. This confirms that the recklessness was accompanied by callous, reckless, and narcissistic, self-promoting ATTITUDES on the part of public officials, who were laughing at people stuck in Mandatory Hotel Quarantine and masking kids to avoid a political row with Scotland and WHO. This helps us understand the ethical root of the crisis, which is selfishness, hubris, arrogance, inhumanity, detachment from others' suffering. It is not just about Hancock: it is about understanding how all of this went so badly wrong, and how dangerous it is to empower people high up the political ladder. I agree with the rest of what you say. The issue of the palliative drugs for example is extremely worrying, and I've written about the WHO's power grab elsewhere.
As for Spain, I live in Pamplona and I have relatives who live in Madrid. For most of the pandemic life went on in Madrid pretty much as normal, other than the ridiculous masking. Hospitality stayed open, churches stayed open, entertainment and work stayed open. In the rest of Spain, things varied from region to region.
Back in March 2020 Spain was ridiculously draconian, not allowing people to exercise or go for a walk. But from May 2020 on, severe lockdowns ended and hospitality opened, to the best of my knowledge, a lot more than in the UK, even though it closed down in the winter at various points. I'm not defending Spain, but I would say its lockdown regime was more moderate than the UK's. Masking outdoors and requiring masks pretty much everywhere was ridiculous and inhumane, and brought out the very worst in the Spanish people. But many people could at least work and have a drink, a good bit more than in Ireland or the UK. Wouldn't you agree?