One thing which remains true, even in uncertain times, is that human beings have far more in common than we give ourselves credit for. From saints to serial killers, All of humanity is on an unending search for meaning. What is our individual place among the 7 billion companions we share this planet with? Who knows? Some turn to God to complete the circle. In anticipation of retribution or salvation once they have shuffled off this mortal coil. They live their lives with one eye on what dreams may come in that eternal sleep?
For others it is to die to sleep, no more. A life of four score years and ten. They take the world as it is, and for better or worse, seize the day in the knowledge there is no ever after. And then in the middle is every other iteration of humanity, each unique and individual take on our shared existence. Our uniqueness is our greatest strength, and yet also, it is our worst enemy.
Since it has become plainly obvious that Nietzsche was right - God is dead, and we have killed him - A great deal of the killing done by the church itself, ironically - something else was sorely needed to replace the space formerly occupied by the almighty. A new man-made religion was required to fill the vacuum which nature so abhors. So mankind decided to devote himself to kindness at any cost. Even at the cost of kindness itself. First came the elevation of normal, regular conversation and political discourse into the sphere of fundamentalist religious extremism. What was formerly acceptable disagreement on the grounds of critical thinking for the benefit of free expression, has become the new heresy. Scepticism of any kind, be it over the climate, Lockdowns, injections, woman face or race, is immediately stamped with the judgement of “denial” and allegations of “far rightism.” It’s powerful stuff. Climate deniers! Lockdown Deniers! Vaccine deniers! Common sense itself is now a far-right conspiracy theory, as our good friend Sadiq khan reminded us this week to mixed reviews.
What a charming - if thin-skinned - chap this kind of progressive is. There are positives though, The new religion is very inclusive and diverse and easy to feel part of, as adherence demands no meaningful interaction with the truth - quite the contrary in fact - The only thing a disciple of the new religion really needs to do is sign up to the doctrines and signal them virtuously on unending repeat, whilst calling anyone who doesn’t do the same, a far-right, bigoted racist, climate-denying, anti vaxx, conspiracy theorist. Simples! They aren’t even hindered by having to adhere to the very doctrines they preach - as the “climate crisis” doomsday cultists - globe-trotting from conference to conference in their private jets - so consistently and irritatingly prove.
The same is true of the Lockdown fanatics. Those in the regime, the opposition to the regime and the media who pushed so virtuously for longer and harder lockdowns, have had to do something deeply unfamiliar this week - called soul searching. Rapidly reverse ferreting on some of their more extreme positions and the truth slowly looming into view.
Matt Hancock, in his infinite wisdom, decided to share 2.3 million words of WhatsApp communications with a journalist who isn’t particularly famous for keeping confidences. One would have thought that breaking such a large story would have the media in conniption fits, but as it is, the completely impartial and not in any way political hacks on today’s program, rather than patting Ms Oakshot on the back - for this mega data dump of ministerial stupidity - decided instead to shoot the messenger. Nick Robinson attempted to hastily assemble something resembling dignity and chose to take a pop at Isobel’s betrayal of Matthew ahead of Matthew’s betrayal of our freedoms.
Forgive me for finding none of this particularly interesting. You see us “far too right, far too often extremists” who managed to hold on to a morsel of critical thinking during the persistent “Chinafication” of Britain in these past years, knew that this day would come. The slow and carefully managed reveal. The slow awakening from the dream of the extremely deadly pandemic. The plot had too many holes, you see. Now we must all stare in cold wonder at the sheer enormity of the calamity.
Those of us who, by dint of birth were born with curious and sceptical minds - so reviled and persecuted in this time of the new religion - watch this stage managed to reveal with a sense of foreboding. The foundations of a narrative are being set. They will have to confess the cock up, but will they confess to what the cock up covers up? I am not holding my breath. It’s going to take more than a few million leaked WhatsApps to wake people up.
So where does this leave us? That is the question. Matthew is off to QVC, that much is clear. But what about the broader picture? This oddly coincidental cock up, which just happened to take place all around the world at exactly the same time? The merest mention of a possible drive towards one world government these days is instantaneously shut down with that ever-lazy allegation of anti-semitism. New dog. Same old tricks.. What about preventable deaths? The excess deaths? Why was drug repurposing shut so severely down? What about Midazolam? Matthew? What about the vaccination of children, pregnant women and the healthy? What about exercise? What about vitamin bloody D for crying out loud? The truth dies in darkness. And these WhatsApps do not bring us much closer to the light.
So, I for one will not be applauding Act 2 of this so far predictable tragedy, until the full truth, in all its uncomfortable ugliness is laid out for all to see. There must be no stone left unturned. No alleyway of enquiry was cordoned off to spare blushes. There must be a full, open and honest enquiry about this dark time in human history. But already the voices asking for that debate are under fire again. Slandered and ridiculed, despite the fact that time upon a time they have been proved right - far too right. Far too often to be ignored. If we do not learn from history, we are destined to repeat it. Free speech, thought and enquiry is the vaccine to prevent future infection. But free speech is the only thing this new religion - will not - and cannot tolerate.