SIMPLY NOT SERIOUS
Covid and Liberty
Anyone who does not have any concerns about the curtailment
of liberty created under the draconian, albeit necessary, response to Covid is
not fully awake. Once accrued governments rarely roll back powers. Once having
acclimatised the population to restrictions governments are apt to become
trigger happy in imposing them. That stated, the threat from Covid is all too
real and no right wing (UK), or left wing (US), conspiracy theory can alter this reality.
These two competing challenges create serious problems with
respect to safeguarding against abuse of power, not helped by the legions of
fruitcakes taking to social media and or the streets selling their own
specially concocted brand of crazy. The threat these people create to public
health has proved disastrous in the US and to a lesser extent here in the UK
Most pernicious are the so called ‘anti-vaxxers’ who have
contributed immensely to the failure to stem the tide of infection in the US.
Even here, however, the issue is not quite as clear as it
might seem. After thalidomide it became impossible to trust wholly in the
pharmaceutical industry and people need to be clear eyed about the risk of side
effects. These have to be weighed in the balance against the, often greater,
risk of infection. These are grown up decisions that apply equally to parents.
One of the grotesque ironies of the whole Covid crisis has been the sight of protesters
against vaccine science who owe the existence and life expectancy to
advancements in disease control and eradication, including vaccines against
smallpox, polio, and other, often fatal diseases.
So, given these tensions how should we respond? I would
argue that the First step is to understand the nature of liberty in a complex
democratic society. Liberty is not the right to do as you please regardless of
the consequences. Nor should free speech, a precious liberty, extend to the
right to knowingly spread disinformation or facilitate the dissemination
of opinion as fact without consequence. Just as the minority needs protection
from the majority the reverse is also true. Thus, whilst all citizens have the
right not to be vaccinated, others, the majority have the right to protection
from being infected by dangerous viruses. Thus, if you chose not to be vaccinated
this will have consequences for your lifestyle, you may be refused admission to
bars, restaurants, nightclubs. [1]This
is how such tensions are managed in a free society.
At root understanding and accepting these tensions is simple, consequently until the anti-mask, lockdown, and anti-vaccination crowd address these tensions they are neither being serious or honest.
[1] There
are, of course, even darker implications in a free society. For example, should
citizens choosing not to be vaccinated have equal access to those who do so
protect themselves, should bedspaces become scarce? This of course has other
implications for smokers and heavy drinkers, there are no easy answers here,
certainly I have none.