10ial

National Security

Penny Mordaunt's Two Challenges: Competence and Honesty

Penny Mordaunt's ability to be Prime Minister may well be compromised by her ability to be competent and honest. We explore why her being Prime Minister could result in irrevocable harm to the country.

National Security

Could English Devolution save the UK?

Given it is hard to roll back the tide of devolution in the UK, creating an equitable devolution settlement for the UK may well help preserve the Union in the whole of the UK, not just offer fairness to England.

COVID-19

UK Vaccine Taskforce Plays Another Brexit Blinder

The Vaccine Taskforce have played a blinder and successfully gotten ahead of other countries in ordering the most effective booster vaccines. At the same time, the EU have bought 60 million vaccines that are not effective boosters for those initially dosed with Pfizer vaccines.

COVID-19

UK Government Incompetence Risks Omicron Catastrophe

The past few years have shown the outstanding ability of biotech to counteract the most devastating effects of the pandemic, and the leading role the UK's science base has played in these efforts. From finding the first life-saving treatment for COVID to creating an at-cost vaccine, Britain has led the

COVID-19

How Gaming Vaccination Statistics Can Lead to Future Lockdowns

Expert decisions affect the efficacy of vaccines far more than is currently discussed. Instead of expert decision makers blaming antivaxers, they must take responsibility of their own decisions to avert future lockdowns.

COVID-19

Continued Mask Mandates Present a Risk to Security and Social Cohesion

As the risk of COVID-19 disappears, we are starting to see the security harms of face masks. The politicised nature of face mask policy will inevitably lead to an outcome whereby legitimate concern of the security risks of face masks will be ignored by proponents, thus damaging social cohesion.

North Korea

Fact Check: No, Britain Is Not North Korea

North Korean concentration camps, visible from Google Maps, have been described by an ICC judge who is an Auschwitz survivor as "worse" than those of Nazi Germany. The UK hosts one of the largest North Korean refugee communities in the world.

COVID-19

New Zealand, Vaccine Handouts & Lockdown Isolationism

New Zealand's isolationism has led it to contribute only $0.71 per head to the GAVI vaccine alliance despite drawing from humanitarian COVAX supplies. By contrast, the UK has paid $39.37 per head and not drawn any vaccines, despite also taking the cost of developing the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.

COVID-19

Hard Lockdown Countries Depend on Vaccine Handouts

New Zealand, South Korea and North Korea are dependant on the UK-funded COVAX humanitarian programme to receive vaccine doses in Q1 2021, after struggling with vaccine supply chains and placing orders too late.

COVID-19

The Real-World Impact of a "Zero COVID" Lockdown Policy

With 0 confirmed COVID-19 cases or deaths, North Korea's "extreme lockdown" approach appears to be a success. This neglects the reality of the low life-expectancy rates and a mounting threat of famine, in a country where hospitals lack running water and surgery is performed without anaesthetics.

COVID-19

Lockdown Advocates are least Likely to Comply with Lockdown Rules

Data from UCL's COVID-19 Social Study shows that lockdown compliance is lower amongst the wealthier, younger, urban-dwelling and BAME groups; despite such groups containing the greatest number of "lockdown fundamentalists".

COVID-19

Wales bans "Non-Essential" Goods like Books and Cleaning Supplies

Wales has become an international laughing stock after First Minister, Mark Drakeford, has banned the sale of "non-essential" goods like books and cleaning supplies despite such items being available for next-day delivery from Amazon Prime. Alcohol is considered essential.

COVID-19

Understanding COVID-19 Death Data

Eurostat All-Cause Mortality (to Week 35 of 2020) shows that the real risk of COVID-19 remains small, but national economic well-being continues to be most important driver in national death rates.

COVID-19

2020 EUROSTAT All Cause Mortality Update (to W26 & W32)

Germany and Portugal continue to have the worst all-cause death rates in Western Europe. Sweden continues to have one of the lowest all-cause mortality rates in Europe as the UK achieves a lower death rate than Spain after easing lockdown.

COVID-19

Devi Sridhar is not a medical doctor and is not qualified to give medical advice

Despite making incorrect comments on COVID-19 treatment and interventions, Devi Sridhar is not a qualified medical professional. The public should instead seek advice from regulated medical professionals instead of politics graduates.

COVID-19

Britain's COVID-19 Hero Scientists Don't Sit on SAGE

Of 29 academic members of SAGE, 22 are from "Golden Triangle" universities (Oxford, Cambridge and London-based universities). This is in stark contrast to the three key British professors driving worldwide efforts on vaccination and treatment.

COVID-19

How the Media Misrepresent Sweden's COVID-19 Approach

Mainstream media tells us that Sweden has learnt the error of its ways in refusing to lockdown, but the reality is that Sweden still has no mask wearing, no social distancing, no school closures and rational debate instead of propaganda. Now more scientists speak out against pseudoscience.

COVID-19

Roughly 7,540 Excess Deaths Caused by Panic Buying & Hoarding in the UK

Increased virus transmission during 5 weeks of 2020 resulted in approximately 2,621 excess flu and pneumonia deaths and (when modelled to COVID-19) approximately 4,919 excess COVID-19 deaths. This coincides societal fear, including panic buying and stockpiling of hygiene goods.

COVID-19

(The Lack of) Evidence on COVID-19 Suppression Measures

In lieu of randomised control trials; data is increasingly showing that lockdown policies appear to be ineffective but cause substantial unforeseen harm. Less virulent infections like flu remain in circulation despite lockdown measures and lockdown severity is correlated to increased excess deaths.

COVID-19

ONS All-Cause Mortality Statistics are Disastrously Wrong

The UK's ONS claim the country has the worst death toll in Europe, but their methodology is flawed and their data is littered with statistical errors. In reality, the UK has a lower all-cause mortality rate than Portugal, Italy and Germany. Sweden is lower than Finland, France and the Netherlands.

COVID-19

How close are we to a COVID-19 vaccine?

Initial deliveries of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine are expected within a matter of weeks, alongside a request to UK regulators for emergency use authorisation.

COVID-19

Finding the First Life-Saving COVID-19 Treatment: The Untold Story

On the 16th June 2020, the first proven life-saving COVID-19 treatment was found. Approximately 650,000 lives will be saved over the course of 6 months due to this discovery - almost 16 times the UK death toll.