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.


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