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#COVID19

Interesting comment in The Telegraph today...

Of course the Left are against easing lockdown restrictions. They've had a good crisis

As a classicist, the Prime Minister will undoubtedly be aware that Alexander the Great once solved the intractable problem of the Gordian Knot with a single decisive stroke. After nearly eighteen months of restrictions curtailing our basic freedoms, ranging from mild inconvenience to draconian, the decision to lift the remaining restrictions draws a fitting parallel with the legend of antiquity.

There are however those on the left for whom the opportunity to resume a semblance of normal life has become an occasion of unbridled pessimism rather than cautious optimism. Across print, radio, television and social media we have repeatedly seen politicians and social commentators alike use hyperbole to weaponise the lifting of restrictions, catastophising every aspect of the pandemic. A daily drip-drip of anti-Government performative vitriol within an echo chamber that revels in infection rate spikes and unfavourable comparisons of international death tolls (despite not being intra-comparable) for the chance to leverage another oh-so-clever tweet prophesising the demise of the nation.

Any setback in the fight against the virus is seized upon as a Pyrrhic victory, framing problems faced internationally as unique to the country. Sir Keir Starmer is no stranger to this tactic. Never one to miss an opportunity he gave his obligatory contrarian soundbite, branding the lifting of restrictions as “reckless” whilst offering no tangible solution. A hypocritical stance to adopt for a man who had no such concerns whilst benefitting from the easing of restrictions to attend the Euro 2020 Final with 60,000 other fans and foreign visitors less than a fortnight ago.

For these harbingers of doom, what circumstances would make lifting restrictions acceptable? How is a post-pandemic future achieved with perpetual restrictions in place, as unwelcome as they would be unfeasible? Zero Covid is all but realistically impossible, no country successfully keeping the virus at bay, merely temporarily successful in halting its inevitable advance.

The coterie of left-wing opposition to a return to normality appears to be rooted in the feverish ideological commitment to the support of the big state they have long wished for. The caution of those who continue to push for restrictions to remain in place and see any relaxation as irresponsible are the same individuals who have no truck with the idea of personal responsibility, who can look only to a central authority to inform their decision-making, providing it is one with which they already agree.

There is a certain irony in that the same politicians and social commentators who so often describe the Government as fascists are equally critical at their restoration of liberty and the removal of restrictions that have dictated so much of our lives; Schrödinger's fascists, if you like.

The impact of eighteen months of restrictions upon the education and development of children, to stalled careers and to struggling businesses, to the mental health of so many has been immense; a burden that will be shouldered for years to come. To continue to wilfully inflict such a costly and extreme solution to a country where such a significant proportion of the population is partially or fully vaccinated would be nonsensical. The hidden cost is already too great.

The Gordian Knot was solved by Alexander the Great’s bold and direct solution to the problem. Given the success he went on to achieve, perhaps one Alexander can serve as inspiration to another.
 
Interesting comment in The Telegraph today...

Of course the Left are against easing lockdown restrictions. They've had a good crisis

As a classicist, the Prime Minister will undoubtedly be aware that Alexander the Great once solved the intractable problem of the Gordian Knot with a single decisive stroke. After nearly eighteen months of restrictions curtailing our basic freedoms, ranging from mild inconvenience to draconian, the decision to lift the remaining restrictions draws a fitting parallel with the legend of antiquity.

There are however those on the left for whom the opportunity to resume a semblance of normal life has become an occasion of unbridled pessimism rather than cautious optimism. Across print, radio, television and social media we have repeatedly seen politicians and social commentators alike use hyperbole to weaponise the lifting of restrictions, catastophising every aspect of the pandemic. A daily drip-drip of anti-Government performative vitriol within an echo chamber that revels in infection rate spikes and unfavourable comparisons of international death tolls (despite not being intra-comparable) for the chance to leverage another oh-so-clever tweet prophesising the demise of the nation.

Any setback in the fight against the virus is seized upon as a Pyrrhic victory, framing problems faced internationally as unique to the country. Sir Keir Starmer is no stranger to this tactic. Never one to miss an opportunity he gave his obligatory contrarian soundbite, branding the lifting of restrictions as “reckless” whilst offering no tangible solution. A hypocritical stance to adopt for a man who had no such concerns whilst benefitting from the easing of restrictions to attend the Euro 2020 Final with 60,000 other fans and foreign visitors less than a fortnight ago.

For these harbingers of doom, what circumstances would make lifting restrictions acceptable? How is a post-pandemic future achieved with perpetual restrictions in place, as unwelcome as they would be unfeasible? Zero Covid is all but realistically impossible, no country successfully keeping the virus at bay, merely temporarily successful in halting its inevitable advance.

The coterie of left-wing opposition to a return to normality appears to be rooted in the feverish ideological commitment to the support of the big state they have long wished for. The caution of those who continue to push for restrictions to remain in place and see any relaxation as irresponsible are the same individuals who have no truck with the idea of personal responsibility, who can look only to a central authority to inform their decision-making, providing it is one with which they already agree.

There is a certain irony in that the same politicians and social commentators who so often describe the Government as fascists are equally critical at their restoration of liberty and the removal of restrictions that have dictated so much of our lives; Schrödinger's fascists, if you like.

The impact of eighteen months of restrictions upon the education and development of children, to stalled careers and to struggling businesses, to the mental health of so many has been immense; a burden that will be shouldered for years to come. To continue to wilfully inflict such a costly and extreme solution to a country where such a significant proportion of the population is partially or fully vaccinated would be nonsensical. The hidden cost is already too great.

The Gordian Knot was solved by Alexander the Great’s bold and direct solution to the problem. Given the success he went on to achieve, perhaps one Alexander can serve as inspiration to another.

There is nothing interesting in the telegraph.
 
I notice that this guy has little to zero objection to people NOT on the left who want restrictions to remain.

Here is my take,

It is all downhill now for Johnson and, quite possibly the Tories.

The Left can smell a weak government that is in decline.
The Libertarian right now hate him and his Tories, probably as much as the left do.

Johnson cannot have too many friends or political capital left. And the after effects of lockdowns are still to be faced which will be greater than the lockdowns themselves (health, jobs, economy, businesses, poverty etc, etc.)

IMO Labour have been thrown a lifeline by Boris. Earlier this year, probz up until last month, it was looking like two to three full terms of Tory governments.

That's now gone. Very poor handling and not reading the room. Again.
 
Here is my take,

It is all downhill now for Johnson and, quite possibly the Tories.

The Left can smell a weak government that is in decline.
The Libertarian right now hate him and his Tories, probably as much as the left do.

Johnson cannot have too many friends or political capital left. And the after effects of lockdowns are still to be faced which will be greater than the lockdowns themselves (health, jobs, economy, businesses, poverty etc, etc.)

IMO Labour have been thrown a lifeline by Boris. Earlier this year, probz up until last month, it was looking like two to three full terms of Tory governments.

That's now gone. Very poor handling and not reading the room. Again.
I don't think Labour have much of a lifeline tbh. Even if they did, they are barely breathing anyway at the moment so its too little too late.
What the tories really need to do is get rid of BJ and have someone incredibly boring as PM who will do basically nothing except try and return things to how they were before coronavirus. I think Cummings sees this.
If they can do that, Labour is dead.
 
I don't think Labour have much of a lifeline tbh. Even if they did, they are barely breathing anyway at the moment so its too little too late.
What the tories really need to do is get rid of BJ and have someone incredibly boring as PM who will do basically nothing except try and return things to how they were before coronavirus. I think Cummings sees this.
If they can do that, Labour is dead.

Rishi and Javed show?
 
I don't think Labour have much of a lifeline tbh. Even if they did, they are barely breathing anyway at the moment so its too little too late.
What the tories really need to do is get rid of BJ and have someone incredibly boring as PM who will do basically nothing except try and return things to how they were before coronavirus. I think Cummings sees this.
If they can do that, Labour is dead.
Labour seem to be in almost terminal decline. Starmer was brought in to stabilise and revamp but has done nothing at all.

Tories can get away with wheeling out a ‘safe pair of hands’ but Labour have some serious work to do if they want to be relevant again in the next decade.
 
I don't know if you've moved or not yet but during your time at Watnall did you ever try to roll in neutral from the Queens Head to the Three Ponds? I've tried it a few times but never had no traffic behind me and so had to step on accelerator. Yesterday I had a clear road behind me and managed it. You struggle a bit when you get to the first speed camera (low 20s MPH) but after that you piss it. I even went left at the ponds and rolled under the bridge put then had to get foot down.
Strangely enough, although I never tried that particular trick, I used to use that run to perfect my "pulling a wheely" technique on the old Kwack 125, I fell off a couple of times but I did make it from the allotments down to the park gates once.
 
It reflects on the nation that they all feel dull when they have to actually entertain themselves and only feel content when out in crowds and maybe on the pop. For me lockdown has made little difference to my life, theres more to do at home than ever in my lifetime, the internet gives us the entire world, I have bikes and trainers and pets and gardens, online poker, sports, movies, friends, the lot.

All about perspective perhaps sure, I genuinelly appreciate my life, theres a million ways it could be worse, just go look at the homeless or poorer nations. 'We' are so spoiled and dont even realise it

Social media is poisonous. It’s no longer a way of keeping with friends, but a platform for people to troll, to send vile abuse and just generally try and cancel anyone with a different opinion or call them unjust names.

Fair enough that your life is very together and Covid hasn’t impacted you, but that’s why you have no qualms in saying things shouldn’t be eased.

What’s your message to kids aged 19 who’ve yet to experienced a night out with their friends where they can legally drink alcohol and meet new people? I assume you had that liberty and enjoyed doing it when you were younger - why should that basic right that everybody else got to experience be dismissed?

I disagree that people feeling dull is a reflection on the nation - it’s a reflection on people’s circumstances. Humans are social butterflies that like to mix - that’s not strange, it’s been in our DNA forever. You’re clearly more introvert and enjoy this, maybe a bit like ORF and that’s no problem - each to their own… but I absolutely take offense to you criticizing the nation for not enjoying lockdown cus other countries in the world are poorer? It’s irrelevant.
 
hmmm, actually most of the world right now thinks UK is acting irresponsibly, its been publically stated by the big bodies


We have more people with Covid than the USA and a lot of the world are damming our Govt and especially Johnson

There are calls for him to be arrested after Cummings released more evidence against about the lockdowns

There is more to come from Cummings he is holding back the big stuff but its coming
 
We have more people with Covid than the USA and a lot of the world are damming our Govt and especially Johnson

There are calls for him to be arrested after Cummings released more evidence against about the lockdowns

There is more to come from Cummings he is holding back the big stuff but its coming
Who is calling for Johnson to be arrested and for what?

That's a bit chilling isn't it?
 
hmmm, actually most of the world right now thinks UK is acting irresponsibly, its been publically stated by the big bodies

And most of the rest of the world. Not sure why he
We have more people with Covid than the USA and a lot of the world are damming our Govt and especially Johnson

There are calls for him to be arrested after Cummings released more evidence against about the lockdowns

There is more to come from Cummings he is holding back the big stuff but its coming

U get the feeling he is waiting for the right timing. Dont think it will be a surprise when it comes, more a comfirmation he is the **** we all think he is
 
And most of the rest of the world. Not sure why he

U get the feeling he is waiting for the right timing. Dont think it will be a surprise when it comes, more a comfirmation he is the **** we all think he is
Covid cases going through the roof and its all the fault of Boris? Well what a surprise. Ive had a sore throat, slight cough and generally dont feel 100% and in todays world that doesnt mean that ive got a cold.