Image from NERIAL online independent game Animal Farm in December 2020 the UK initiated another lockdown that encouraged stronger restrictions on the freedom of movement and wearing of masks. At the same time President Trump had all of his social media accounts removed or blocked and has been impeached. For many the lockdowns, impeachment and bans are indicators that they are morally correct and those who dissent are either right wing fascists or communist dictators. I am not an American and do not live in America but it seems some of the actions taken by Facebook and Twitter are hardly in the spirit of the First Amendment. The First Amendment guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. It forbids Congress from both promoting one religion over others and also restricting an individual’s religious practices. It guarantees freedom of expression by prohibiting Congress from restricting the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely. It also guarantees the right of citizens to assemble peaceably and to petition their government. But, Facebook and Twitter are private companies I hear you say. They are only denying access to their social media platforms. Trump can still say what he wishes but not through them.
There lies the problem. More and more information is shared on the internet through social media and who controls the flow of information is important. follow the links to see the
companies owned by Google and Facebook their businesses include Facial Recognition software and Cyber Security.
You may not like Trump, I certainly do not like him but remember when you applaud their sanctions a time may come when the words you speak or publish are deemed unfit for human consumption. Just as Trump has been suppressed so have scientists, doctors, academics and journalists. Julian Assange is in prison for publishing information that he thought the world needed to know. When challenging the dictates of the governing bodies on the Covid situation doctors have been suspended or forced to resign from practice, nurses suspended from their professional bodies and scientists smeared. Even retired doctors are not beyond being smeared listen to how Doctor Vernon Coleman has been smeared and demonised.
What is fuelling these sanctions and smears and who is behind it? Fear of an unseen threat is a powerful motivator, governments know this and have used fear on many occasions to gather support for their actions. For example, the Spanish American War in 1898, World War II 1939, Vietnam War (America joined 1965) and Iraq 2003. The obvious question many will ask is why would governments harm their own people? I am not going to attempt to answer the question here but I will respond by saying why are health professionals, scientists being sanctioned and smeared. Why is access to research papers being removed? One could argue that the general public do not understand the nuances of research therefore a little knowledge is dangerous in the wrong hands. Unfortunately, these issues are not being taken seriously and scientific enquiry and debate is not being encouraged. In a recent tweet someone said: "People in sterile environments WEAR MASKS! Surgeons, medics, dentists because they understand hygiene & viral & bacterial transmission. I’ll stick with them thanks! I’ll follow their lead." This was a response to a post about Face Masks so let us breakdown the points made. 1. The public is not being asked to wear masks in a sterile environment. 2. Health professionals in clinical areas do not wear homemade cloth masks 3. They adhere to strict hand hygiene 4. Should a mask become saturated with moisture a surgeon or scrub nurse will often have it replaced by a colleague. 5. Any health professional with a viral infection would not be expected to work in a clinical area wearing a mask. Put simply they would be risking transmission of the infection to colleagues and patient's.
6. It has become more common for health professionals to be fit tested for a face mask. 7. It is recommended that all facial hair is removed. 8. Masks are not reused. Now apply all of those points to the behaviour of the public in the sterile environment of a train, bus or shop. Then ask yourself does a mask in those circumstances actually provide any benefit. indeed could it actually be harmful?
David Steadson a Public health epidemiologist tweeted a link to an academic review of research on masks. The paper was not itself a piece of research but a review of current research. Having provided the link he made the following comment: "Short summary: Wear a damn mask!" Perhaps David was hoping that people would not read the actual paper but rather trust his professional opinion. The PNAS review published in December 2020 states that: "No RCT has been conducted into the wearing of face masks due to "logistical and ethical reasons." It ignores the largest ever RCT conducted whose findings were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine November 2020 which did not find any significant benefit to wearing facemasks which is supported by an earlier document referred to in the PNAS review. Was the RCT purposely overlooked or ignored by David Steadman and the PNAS to perpetuate a current mandate or were they not aware of the research?
As the ever increasing feverish social media posts continue both sides are becoming intransigent in their views and divisions are taking place between people who once supported each other. Meanwhile the rich become wealthier while most of society becomes poorer but many continue to demand stricter guidelines.
The analogy in regards to the suppression of speech, research papers and freedom of expression is to compare the pre-war actions of Nazi Germany with current guidelines and responses in the UK. Some may find it crass but I hope it will demonstrate how what appears to be innocent and guides how we behave can be insidious and harmful. Anti-Jewish legislation in pre-war Nazi Germany comprised of several laws that segregated the Jews from German society and restricted Jewish people's political, legal and civil rights. Major legislative initiatives included a series of restrictive laws passed in 1933. In April 1933, the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service, or 'Civil Service Law', as it was more commonly known when passed, established the ability of the Nazi-led government to legally remove undesirables from the civil service profession, including doctors, teachers and lawyers. Through the control of education and media, the Nazis were able to spread their anti-Jewish message and beliefs to the people of Germany.. In the UK in and Eire in 2020 Doctors and academics were suspended or asked to resign their positions for questioning the government position on Covid. Nurses have also been suspended while the BBC actively smears academics with opposing views. Some may argue that the BBC is a public service provider and this does not account for private news outlets, but these are owned and managed by people with money. People who have a lot to lose should a government or its agencies start to look more closely at the mechanisms of the media. Talk Radio was recently removed from YouTube for not towing the desired narrative. Since the ban was lifted it has been less vocal in its opposition. In September 1935, the Nazi leaders announced new laws which institutionalized many of the racial theories prevalent in Nazi ideology. These "Nuremberg Laws" excluded German Jews from Reich citizenship and prohibited them from marrying or having sexual relations with persons of "German or German-related blood." Ancillary ordinances to these laws deprived them of most political rights. Jews were disenfranchised (that is, they had no formal expectation to the right to vote) and could not hold public office. After the Nuremberg Laws there were further developments in the persecution of Jews. In March 1938, laws required all Jews to register their possessions with the Nazis. This was followed by the issuing of identity cards to all Jews in July By September 1941, Reinhard Heydrich decreed that all Jews in the Reich six years of age or older were to wear a badge which consisted of a yellow Star of David. Today in 2021 anyone who considers themselves to have a disability that prevents them from wearing a mask is expected to wear a lanyard when they enter a shop or travel on public transport. This is to identify them as being disabled, it does not protect others from a viral transmission but it does make the wearer vulnerable to abuse.
No one has yet been asked to declare their possessions but HSBC has declared that they will consider closing customers bank accounts if they do not comply with the mask guidelines. Meanwhile Pimlico Plumbers are trying to enforce Covid Vaccinations as part of their terms and conditions of employment
Early 2020 we were told that masks and lockdowns were temporary. Now we are being threatened with a cycle of lockdowns harsher mask mandates and enforced vaccination.
While this happens the UK is experiencing increasing unemployment, homelessness and food poverty. People who question the science behind lockdowns and mask are not always Covid deniers as the media would have you believe. They are people seeking answers and equitable solutions to the problems we face now and in the future. Their voices whether you agree with them or not should be heard so that informed decisions can be made. You cannot make an informed choice if all you hear is one voice.