Patrick Christys: If we accept lockdown we’ll end up accepting it every single winter

I feel like Project Fear is back.

The slideshows were out, the threats were there, the terrordrome was in full swing. Get your jab or we’ll shackle you back to Chris Whitty’s basement radiator, put that mask on or your very breath could kill.

The usual media types were there – why are you being so irresponsible? Why aren’t we doing a firebreak lockdown? Why aren’t we ramping up restrictions now? Why aren’t you protecting the NHS? Can’t we all just work from home you dangerous Tory lunatics?

You don’t care about the sanctity of human life. Alright, keep your hair on. As ever, I feel like the government and it’s chosen medical mouthpieces were only giving us half a story.

The actual facts show that while cases in the UK are officially higher than most other countries, we’re testing more people per 1,000 of population than any other country in the world.

So we have more cases….it’s not rocket science.

And let’s have a look at a key indicator – the key indicator…deaths. Well, we’ve basically got about the same death rate as the EU. It’s about two deaths a day per million.

This brings me on to my next point – any death is a tragedy. I think we can all agree on that. Well if we do all agree that every death is a tragedy, then that has to include deaths that are non-Covid related.

Now, I was amazed yesterday by how many people on social media and indeed in the media appear to want more restrictions, which is fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, maybe you want more restrictions and you think I’m a lunatic. Cool.

But if you want more restrictions, then you also want to increase NHS waiting lists, you want to impact children’s education, and you’re accepting that there will be an impact to our economy, mental health problems, etc.

Because of the previous lockdown restrictions and our desire to protect our beloved NHS, there are now a record 5.6m people on a waiting list. That waiting list is apparently rising by 100,000 per month.

The number of people having to wait more than 52 weeks to start treatment was 292,138 in August Some of these people will die, or at least live in excruciating pain, as a result of this backlog.

Some of these people will end up needing more care than they otherwise would have done, at a cost to the taxpayer and, obviously, their own personal wellbeing.

New research shows that disruption to children’s education could cost them £46,000 in lifetime earnings, costing the economy hundreds of billions of pounds – according to the Education Policy Institute. Of course those worst affected will be in the north of England and the Midlands. So, those who can least afford it.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I for one am so glad that we have the Nightingale Hospitals to make sure that our NHS doesn’t get overwhelmed this winter. We spent £532m on our Nightingale hospitals, the overflow carpark of the medical profession.

London’s ExCel centre treated a grand total of 54 patients during the first wave. 54. We might as well have just saved ourselves some money, rescued some elephants from a travelling zoo, painted them all white and lead them around the streets of the UK while shouting bring out your dead.

Sajid Javid is telling us all to wear masks again in crowded areas. Didn’t see any masks at the latest cabinet meeting, or at PMQs.

The Labour Party naturally took the opportunity to use the death of Sir David Amess as a chance to virtue signal about wearing masks in the Commons, despite the fact we all saw them all without masks at Labour Conference, although having heard a few of the contributors it might have been nice if some of them wore a muzzle.

Look, our cases are higher because we’re testing more people. Our deaths are basically the same as the EU, we’ve got vaccines coming out of our ears, it’s just a question of people getting their booster jabs, which I’m sure most people will and if they don’t then so be it.

The idea that we would or indeed should impose any restrictions on society as a result of our current situation is wrong. And if we accept it now, we’ll end up accepting this every, single winter.