Sumption says

Baggs, thank you SO much for this article. Says exactly what I think but in a more concise and articulate way by far. Furthermore, you have introduced me to an institute and personna I never even knew existed. Yep, I'm that ill informed!! Today will remedy that big time. This is when GN comes into its own hugely for me. Such a wealth of diverse knowledge, hobbies etc. I just opt out when the bickering starts. Thanks again. Terrific.

Nevertheless, the infection is gathering speed again and countries all over the world are suffering. Its nasty long term effects are appearing too. I dont want this infection and was and remain happy to have my 'liberty' curtailed in the interests of myself and others.

Thanks for this article. A voice of reason. I earlier read an account of what life is like in Wuhan now, where it is thought Covid-19 originated. They have had no new cases since May and life seems to be back on track. How have they managed that? Do our politicians/scientists compare notes with other countries? Perhaps they should because we cannot keep living like this.

As soon as I read "American Institute for Economic Research", alarm bells started ringing. The AIER is a libertarian think tank, based in Great Barrington and is the home of the Great Barrington Declaration, a seriously flawed theory for handling the pandemic. Essentially, it supports eugenics and is unworkable in practice without millions of deaths.

Sumption is erudite, persuasive and writes very well - I've read a number of his articles and heard him on the radio.

However, he's not an epidemiologist or any sort of scientist so I'm afraid for now I'm sticking with mainstream scientific opinion.

Some months back on the radio he talked about it's up to him if he wants to take the risk and attend a theatre, and I remember for a moment thinking, yes he's right we have to assess our own risks; but I soon came to my senses because if I pick up the virus at the theatre then come home on public transport, well that's how this will spread even further.

Today I read that many hospitals are at 90% already.

90% capacity that should read.

Sarnia How have they managed that?

Wuhan have managed that because the people have to be totally compliant with government ruling..... or else!!! Did you not see sick people being dragged out of their homes back in February/March?

How do you manage it baggs ???

Can I please put a big 'like' on here for Jane10's message.

Gosh - well b****r personal liberty! At a time like this there are sacrifices to be made and a degree of personal liberty is one of them.

However erudite he might consider himself to be, he is not an epidemiologist so has a right to voice his opinion, just as we all have a right to ignore it.

Can't get past the headline of that article. It's plain stupid.

Ferrari drivers have their liberty curtailed every time they're forbidden from driving over 70 mph, as are paedophiles when the law says they can't indulge their fantasies.

yes, a 'like' for jane10's comment and likewise to Riverwalk !

Common sense!

Anarchy is not an attractive concept

Sarnia I earlier read an account of what life is like in Wuhan now, where it is thought Covid-19 originated.
It seems covid was around long before lockdown in Wuhan. It has been traced in Italy Sep 2019, South America, California and Paris Dec 2019, and Spain in Jan 2020. We don't know the half of it.

I hadn't come across the AIER before and it appears Sumption made the comments before AIER re-published them.

None of the responses here surprise me. Thst's not the point. The point is that it's useful to look at things from all perspectives, I think. And I'm not going to dismiss out of hand those of someone who probably knows more about the minutiae of personal freedom and liberty than most gransnetters (not to mention the rest of the population).

I think Sumption's views on this are interesting and worth listening to. I think lots of things are interesting, including views I don't agree with.

ww, I "do it" by listening to all sorts of stuff and following all sorts of people on Twitter thereby getting a range of views on anything. It's not difficult. Give it a go; it might widen your horizons ?

Anyway, even of only one person who mightn'thave come across Sumption's views (or whatever) before, and is glad to do so after something has been pisted on Gransnet, then that's a good reason to post.

If nobody else is interested: shrug and no big deal.

But I have that’s why I feel able to dismiss it out of hand as you put it.

But I think if you look back on your posts and links there will be zero left of centre articles very few centre and almost all right wing and in some cases very far right.

I don’t mind at all, especially if you made perfectly clear your bias, but to suggest as you do that you look at all viewpoints, well there is very little evidence.

Yes, he did make them before they were republished Baggs. I seem to remember there was a thread on GN about his comments at the time. I disagreed with them then and I disagree now.

A man whose intellect I respect and who is always worth listening to, but this time I believe he is wrong.
Sweden was the example of a country which eschewed lockdown and at first that course of action seemed to be vindicated.
But not now- their deaths both in care homes and in the community have risen exponentially and even the King has apologised publicly for what appears to have been a misguided policy.

Interesting to hear about Sweden and now South Korea, the other much vaunted 'success story' is in trouble too. With many of the other European countries in the same situation as us its hard to know how it could all have been best handled. Maybe just no easy answers.

I am happy to read whatever someone publishes; but we are in a very serious situation and if anything that is written persuades just one person that they can ignore the necessary precautions, then that one person becomes 2, then those two become four.............and so on.

There are those out there who are making this pandemic worse by finding reasons to ignore the precautions - we do not need people, however erudite, feeding these folk with more excuses.

We have a mutated virus (as they always do) which has greater infectivity - we ALL have to take this seriously.

I am in tier one, but just a walk down the road takes me into South Wales - how can tier one be safe within walking distance of a place with some of the worst infection rates on the country? It is all so random and encourages dissent and non-cooperation. What a pity that all parts of the UK cannot just pull together - but how can they when they are all trying to be realistic but BJ is in cloud cuckoo land?

Sarnia

Thanks for this article. A voice of reason. I earlier read an account of what life is like in Wuhan now, where it is thought Covid-19 originated. They have had no new cases since May and life seems to be back on track. How have they managed that? Do our politicians/scientists compare notes with other countries? Perhaps they should because we cannot keep living like this.

My friend lives in China. When he had to quarantine his door was sealed with an alarm. Had he tried to leave the flat the police would have been notified immediately. He was in lockdown for months & months.