Saturday , October 12 2024

A long overdue welcome to “Freedom Day”

It is welcome that all COVID restrictions in England (barring international travel and self-isolating requirements upon being “pinged” by the NHS app – which goes away on the 16th of August for those fully vaccinated and under 18) FINALLY go away today. Frankly, the restrictions have gone on way too long and its claim to have “saved lives” is dubious when comparing the case study of locked down versus non-locked down US states (almost all US COVID restrictions have now been abolished, even in left wing states) or Sweden versus the rest of Europe. It is welcome too that the government is trusting people to use “common sense” rather than the heavy hand of the law to deal with the coronavirus.

With that being said, this fight is far from over. This is shown in the symbolism of Boris Johnson not giving a pro-freedom Churchillian themed speech, as planned, but rather the twice vaccinated Prime Minister, who famously had a very bad bout of COVID, is self-isolating to mark the occasion due to close contact with the double vaccinated COVID positive health secretary Sajid Javid. That healthy, vaccinated people are self-isolating is a farce and would be a joke – were it not for the fact this “pingdemic” is depriving people of their work and school children of their education. And it is a pingdemic – there are over one million people told to isolate this week alone. This requirement is absurd and its abolition date should be brought forward and never brought back. The government’s “guidance” too is a bit nannying.

Further, there is storm clouds of dark assault on liberty coming soon. There is talk of COVID passport requirements, as will be the rule in the Republic of Ireland, being mandated by the government if businesses don’t join in the scheme – despite the government previously ruling them out. There is even much more worrying talk of having lockdown restrictions of some kind this winter – whether for COVID or flu or a combination of the two – because the blessed “envy of the world” NHS will be “unable to cope” with a surge in infections – despite the population overwhelmingly vaccinating themselves for both diseases. (And despite the Prime Minister and Health Secretary calling the road map out of lockdown “irreversible.”). While this publication has always opposed lockdowns, the old logic for them has completely gone. As one time Daily Globe contributor Chris Rose perfectly said on Twitter:

“January 2021 was last time the UK reported over 50k cases, the total of daily deaths was 1,280. Yesterday, the UK surpassed 50k cases, with only 49 daily deaths reported. Vaccines work. Personal responsibility from Monday is correct. We seriously need to move away from Hysteria.”  

With the above caveats, today is a day of liberation to be cherished. Not to be grateful for – after all it is not the government’s right to take away your liberties. But to be appreciated. It is wonderful that weddings and funeral can be full. It is wonderful that the roar of full stadium crowd can now be heard. It is wonderful you can dance the night away. It is wonderful that people can sing in church. It is wonderful that people can sit or stand at a bar at their favourite pubs with their friends. It is wonderful that (unless you are on Sadiq Khan’s London underground) you can smile at people without fear of recrimination. This wonder of life can and should never be given back to the hand of the state and creepy, authoritarian scientists. Enjoy a return to normalcy and never, ever, take it for granted again.

About Ted Yarbrough

Ted is the co-founder and editor of the Daily Globe. He is a long-time blogger on British politics and has written a thesis on Thatcherism.

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