Re: Snowden – lockdown enthusiast says lockdown sceptics are wrong
The most notable thing about the article is its intellectual dishonesty in conflating people who think COVID doesn’t exist with people who think lockdowns are not the right way to deal with it. In the same way, he conflates claims that hospitals are empty with those who note that hospitals are indeed full, but they always are in winter.
He presents deaths with COVID as deaths from COVID but dismisses the idea of lockdown deaths out of hand.
And he asks; “If lockdowns produce no appreciable health benefits, then why are governments voluntarily cratering their own economies for no reason? ” which suggests rather worryingly that he’s not read much of his own previous work.
MC
Actually I almost stopped reading when he introduced Ivor Cummins as a promoter of the ‘risible’ low carb diets. I haven’t really followed Cummins on COVID but I do know that low carb diets are effective.
PJF
OT, but . . .
Not really, Theophrastus; the post is a joke about pornography.
bilbaoboy
Bloke in Cyprus and MC are right
Snowden has had a car crash moment. If I didn’t know him better I would think he’s being paid. He is so far off the money that it is risible. Fortunately, the winter resurgence will shortly be over and they won’t be able to use other deaths (currently the other major killers are running at between 10 and 20% below normal) to boost the numbers. Also don’t discount the fact that Biden will solve the problem. The Dem states are already rowing back having achieved their aim.
Both Cummins and Yeadon are his scientific superiors. I (having time, not retired but lockdown killed my business activities) have read more on this subject than I did on my subject at university. From the beginning. And nothing has been published to change my mind. The pandemic existed, we made it worse and it finished before the summer. It has become endemic and is filling in the places, local, regional and countries, where it did not hit hard initially. Next year it will be another common cold and will kill frail, sick and elderly people as all respiratory viruses do and have done since the beginning of time. The PCR is indefensible and does not diagnose anything. Viruses mutate, this one already many thousands of times, to less virulent. We are counting positives as cases when they are not. There is much more and all of it shows that Snowden has come a cropper.
Look at the data on Euromomo and you can see what you need to see. The level of lying (now it is lying because it is clear they know) is off the scale.
despite the MSM trying to say otherwise, Sweden has demonstrated (and is still demonstrating they got it right. Boris before Failure Ferguson spouted off was heading exactly the right way.
Oh and the vaccines are not vaccines. They do not protect you, they do not stop you being contagious and they are not looking good for the people they are aimed at. Anyone who says they are safe is lying. They maybe, personally I doubt it, but there is a reason for the six to ten years of development and testing. We are currently testing on our old and frail and Norway has stopped because of a raft of deaths among us wrinklies.
Jack the dog
Bilbaoboy – excellent comment, and exactly my own take on the thing.
Really sorry to see Snowden (for whom I have massive admiration for his work on the nanny state) has fallen to producing that utter drivel.
Bloke in Wales
Norway has stopped because of a raft of deaths among us wrinklies.
Do you have a reputable source for this? (I doubt there’s any point in asking google if it doesn’t fit the narrative)
Absolutely! I’ve followed him for years and read his books… I can hardly recognise him in that article.
Bloke in North Dorset
Bloke in Wales,
I can’t find the original link, for some reason I didn’t post it alongside this quote when we discussed it elsewhere:
Norway said Covid-19 vaccines may be too risky for the very old and terminally ill, the most cautious statement yet from a European health authority as countries assess the real-world side effects of the first shots to gain approval.
Norwegian officials said 23 people had died in the country a short time after receiving their first dose of the vaccine. Of those deaths, 13 have been autopsied, with the results suggesting that common side effects may have contributed to severe reactions in frail, elderly people, according to the Norwegian Medicines Agency.
Statistically the age profile must have been at risk of dropping dead then without the vaccine.
I haven’t seen anything that says they stopped vaccination although I can understand if they’ve stopped vaccinating certain groups while they wait for mare data.
PJF
Norway denies ‘direct link’ between deaths of 33 elderly people and Pfzier Covid vaccine they received
They use the “old and ill” explanation that Covid sceptics are chastised for.
Matt W
Obvious.
Same bec.
PF
BB/BiC/MC
Agreed.
A thought (which I posted on the other thread but it was after most had cleared off). The autumn up-tick was receding by the end of Nov into Dec. Mostly to the north, London hardly touched, perhaps consistent with London (for example) being hit harder in the spring.
Then a new variant strain that’s more infectious… Let’s assume that just for once the blonde turd wasn’t entirely lying on this one.
If it was more infectious, that’s a higher revised R0 and hence a higher HIT%. It might be perfectly reasonable at that stage to see a revised up-tick/fresh surge (particularly as the winter timing is good in that context) as HIT seeks to re-establish a new equilibrium. Which is what we are seeing to some extent with the very latest ONS data (although it’ll only be completely clear post the Xmas / New Year yo-yo perhaps come next Tuesday).
Ie, everything that is happening now with some increased ONS deaths could be entirely consistent if this current surge is due to a more infectious strain. And, given that this latest surge peaked before the end of December, it’s already history (deaths still to lag obviously).
“WHO reminds IVD users that disease prevalence alters the predictive value of test results; as disease prevalence decreases, the risk of false positive increases (2). This means that the probability that a person who has a positive result (SARS-CoV-2 detected) is truly infected with SARS-CoV-2 decreases as prevalence decreases, irrespective of the claimed specificity.”
Coronavirus cranks may be amused at the timing of this PCR test reminder.
BniC
Our local total numbers were issued recently and there were year on year 2,600 more deaths of which Covid deaths were reported to be 1,000
The question of what the other 1,600 deaths have been caused by isn’t of interest apparently and it was suggested this was just evidence of undercounting Covid. There is the official narrative and that’s it, anything else makes you a crank.
john77
The Daily Wail article mentions that the 33 deaths are 1 in 1,000 of those vaccinated in Care Homes. The UK death rate from Covid-19 among those infected in those age groups is more than twenty times that – in Care Homes it’s more like 50 times.
Nessimmersion
For consistency in the future, all deaths within 28 days of a vaccination must be counted as death from / with vaccination complications.
That is exactly what they’ve done with Covid.
Medja are then obliged to screech about how dangewous the vaccine is ad nauseum.
Looking at Llewelyn-Bowen’s pussy before crumpets!
OT, but this fine piece by Christopher Snowdon (pbuh) is required reading for all lockdown sceptics and covid cranks:
https://quillette.com/2021/01/16/rise-of-the-coronavirus-cranks/
“OT, but this fine piece by Christopher Snowdon (pbuh) is required reading for all lockdown sceptics and covid cranks:”
As should the response from Ivor Cummins… 😉
https://thefatemperor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Snowdon-Quillette-Response-RevA2.pdf
Theophrstus: very good article.
Re: Snowden – lockdown enthusiast says lockdown sceptics are wrong
The most notable thing about the article is its intellectual dishonesty in conflating people who think COVID doesn’t exist with people who think lockdowns are not the right way to deal with it. In the same way, he conflates claims that hospitals are empty with those who note that hospitals are indeed full, but they always are in winter.
He does’t make any attempt to refute proper investigations into lockdown efficacy (like this one https://www.newsweek.com/covid-lockdowns-have-no-clear-benefit-vs-other-voluntary-measures-international-study-shows-1561656) but just sneers at the more extreme views expressed on twitter.
He presents deaths with COVID as deaths from COVID but dismisses the idea of lockdown deaths out of hand.
And he asks; “If lockdowns produce no appreciable health benefits, then why are governments voluntarily cratering their own economies for no reason? ” which suggests rather worryingly that he’s not read much of his own previous work.
Actually I almost stopped reading when he introduced Ivor Cummins as a promoter of the ‘risible’ low carb diets. I haven’t really followed Cummins on COVID but I do know that low carb diets are effective.
OT, but . . .
Not really, Theophrastus; the post is a joke about pornography.
Bloke in Cyprus and MC are right
Snowden has had a car crash moment. If I didn’t know him better I would think he’s being paid. He is so far off the money that it is risible. Fortunately, the winter resurgence will shortly be over and they won’t be able to use other deaths (currently the other major killers are running at between 10 and 20% below normal) to boost the numbers. Also don’t discount the fact that Biden will solve the problem. The Dem states are already rowing back having achieved their aim.
Both Cummins and Yeadon are his scientific superiors. I (having time, not retired but lockdown killed my business activities) have read more on this subject than I did on my subject at university. From the beginning. And nothing has been published to change my mind. The pandemic existed, we made it worse and it finished before the summer. It has become endemic and is filling in the places, local, regional and countries, where it did not hit hard initially. Next year it will be another common cold and will kill frail, sick and elderly people as all respiratory viruses do and have done since the beginning of time. The PCR is indefensible and does not diagnose anything. Viruses mutate, this one already many thousands of times, to less virulent. We are counting positives as cases when they are not. There is much more and all of it shows that Snowden has come a cropper.
Look at the data on Euromomo and you can see what you need to see. The level of lying (now it is lying because it is clear they know) is off the scale.
despite the MSM trying to say otherwise, Sweden has demonstrated (and is still demonstrating they got it right. Boris before Failure Ferguson spouted off was heading exactly the right way.
Oh and the vaccines are not vaccines. They do not protect you, they do not stop you being contagious and they are not looking good for the people they are aimed at. Anyone who says they are safe is lying. They maybe, personally I doubt it, but there is a reason for the six to ten years of development and testing. We are currently testing on our old and frail and Norway has stopped because of a raft of deaths among us wrinklies.
Bilbaoboy – excellent comment, and exactly my own take on the thing.
Really sorry to see Snowden (for whom I have massive admiration for his work on the nanny state) has fallen to producing that utter drivel.
Do you have a reputable source for this? (I doubt there’s any point in asking google if it doesn’t fit the narrative)
“Snowden has had a car crash moment.”
Absolutely! I’ve followed him for years and read his books… I can hardly recognise him in that article.
Bloke in Wales,
I can’t find the original link, for some reason I didn’t post it alongside this quote when we discussed it elsewhere:
Statistically the age profile must have been at risk of dropping dead then without the vaccine.
I haven’t seen anything that says they stopped vaccination although I can understand if they’ve stopped vaccinating certain groups while they wait for mare data.
Norway denies ‘direct link’ between deaths of 33 elderly people and Pfzier Covid vaccine they received
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9159959/Norway-denies-direct-link-deaths-33-elderly-people-Covid-vaccine-received.html
They use the “old and ill” explanation that Covid sceptics are chastised for.
Obvious.
Same bec.
BB/BiC/MC
Agreed.
A thought (which I posted on the other thread but it was after most had cleared off). The autumn up-tick was receding by the end of Nov into Dec. Mostly to the north, London hardly touched, perhaps consistent with London (for example) being hit harder in the spring.
Then a new variant strain that’s more infectious… Let’s assume that just for once the blonde turd wasn’t entirely lying on this one.
If it was more infectious, that’s a higher revised R0 and hence a higher HIT%. It might be perfectly reasonable at that stage to see a revised up-tick/fresh surge (particularly as the winter timing is good in that context) as HIT seeks to re-establish a new equilibrium. Which is what we are seeing to some extent with the very latest ONS data (although it’ll only be completely clear post the Xmas / New Year yo-yo perhaps come next Tuesday).
Ie, everything that is happening now with some increased ONS deaths could be entirely consistent if this current surge is due to a more infectious strain. And, given that this latest surge peaked before the end of December, it’s already history (deaths still to lag obviously).
Just a thought.
https://www.who.int/news/item/20-01-2021-who-information-notice-for-ivd-users-2020-05
“WHO reminds IVD users that disease prevalence alters the predictive value of test results; as disease prevalence decreases, the risk of false positive increases (2). This means that the probability that a person who has a positive result (SARS-CoV-2 detected) is truly infected with SARS-CoV-2 decreases as prevalence decreases, irrespective of the claimed specificity.”
Coronavirus cranks may be amused at the timing of this PCR test reminder.
Our local total numbers were issued recently and there were year on year 2,600 more deaths of which Covid deaths were reported to be 1,000
The question of what the other 1,600 deaths have been caused by isn’t of interest apparently and it was suggested this was just evidence of undercounting Covid. There is the official narrative and that’s it, anything else makes you a crank.
The Daily Wail article mentions that the 33 deaths are 1 in 1,000 of those vaccinated in Care Homes. The UK death rate from Covid-19 among those infected in those age groups is more than twenty times that – in Care Homes it’s more like 50 times.
For consistency in the future, all deaths within 28 days of a vaccination must be counted as death from / with vaccination complications.
That is exactly what they’ve done with Covid.
Medja are then obliged to screech about how dangewous the vaccine is ad nauseum.