sluggerotoole--2020-04-01--We must co-ordinate Northern and Southern responses to Covid-19…

To quote W.Edwards deming “ In God we trust , all others bring data ” .
When I wrote my first article for slugger in February , I did an overview of Covid 19 and how epidemiologically it may be difficult trying to manage an outbreak on an island with two different approaches .
This review will review the current public health approaches to managing Covid .
There is a lot more evidence about what works , what doesn ’ t work , and what may work .
Epidemiology is a science based on common sense and the general public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread more widely and quickly in Europe and US .
It is hard to imagine that any government would have planned to let the virus go out of control to protect the economy and then to do a massive lockdown 2 weeks later to reduce loss of life .
Unlike countries such as Singapore , South Korea , China , most European countries had an abysmal first response trying to contain this virus .
They did this because too many scientists and policy makers made too many assumptions about the virus .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Covid management .
Policies are always trying to catchup with a virus that moves exponentially .
The Covid virus had several properties making it difficult to contain from the start .
It was easily transmitted .
However , probably the most crucial factor in this outbreak has been the asymptomatic or minimal symptoms experienced by a significant proportion of people .
Follow that with a 5-day incubation period , another 5 days of mostly minor illness before people get sick and seek hospital care , exponential growth , the surge arrives unless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the community .
People can have high levels of virus in their respiratory secretions when they do not have symptoms , and talking is enough to produce droplets .
Yet until social distancing health policies were introduced , containment strategies were based on symptoms or travel history .
The only other policy aimed at trying to reduce the introduction of infection from asymptomatic people was the quarantine of people who were re-patriated to the UK from Wuhan .
Testing strategies have failed ; the evidence for this is the unfolding human disaster @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major social distancing with incremental changes starting on 16 March .
This is to flatten the curve .
There is another epidemiological concept called the basic reproduction number Ro .
Ro is the number of secondary infections generated by a single case .
For Covid 19 it varies between approximately 2.5-3.5 .
That means on average one infected person tends to infect between 2.5 and 3.5 other people .
Social distancing is our attempt to reduce Ro .
However the benefits of the current massive social distancing will be lost if we do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to bring Ro < 1 .
In an outbreak if you get Ro to less than one , ie every infection causes less than one new infection , the outbreak burns out .
As long as infections are not introduced from outside , and Ro < 1 can be sustained over time , the outbreak will be over .
As a vaccine seems quite distant , trying to reduce Ro < 1 is our only tool .
The Republic of Ireland introduced social distancing 4 days before UK , and thereafter there were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two jurisdictions but the social distancing policies have converged .
Whether people exercise more or less than 2 km from their house is probably not a major policy difference .
However , there is a major fundamental separation in the additional policies trying to reduce Ro < 1 .
The Republic of Ireland is trying to find cases , test more extensively , isolate contacts , and stop transmission chains .
UK/NI seems to have given up on any community testing and is only testing people in hospital .
There is advice to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ etc.
, but there is already proof that asymptomatic people could be infectious .
The social distancing policies are very disruptive to people ’ s lives , and are detrimental to the economy .
The additional testing and case finding would augment social distancing and would allow more control of the community transmission and allow earlier relaxation of some of the social distancing policies .
Trying to find contacts and cut down transmission chains is easier when people are social distancing and contacts are fewer and more memorable .
I can remember all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which is unusual , but this is an added benefit of social distancing .
We know that the widespread testing policies , isolation of cases , and tracing contacts works , as we have proof from China , Singapore and South Korea and decades of applying this concept to other outbreaks .
One of the most important lessons in managing this pandemic is the need to be agile , and understand local epidemiology and develop strategies that are responsive to the local outbreak .
If the basic principle that the most cautious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , then we may be able to catch up with the virus instead of running faster and faster and finding it hard to catch up .
There is a big argument for trying to contain an outbreak within a country .
Less affected areas will then be in a better position to provide ventilators , PPE , healthcare workers to help the affected city .
China was a good example of that when it shut down Wuhan , and then pulled in resource from less affected areas of China .
We have no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long-term , it might and I hope it does , but no proof , and certainly not enough evidence to form a basis for a large-scale public health policy .
Many infections provide immunity once infected eg measles .
Some infections do not provide any immunity or it is short-term .
There are occasional infections for example dengue , where a second infection leads to a more severe outcome than the first episode .
In addition to policies aiming to reduce the number of new infections caused by one case ( Ro ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ introduce new infections into the population .
In the short-term , the reduction in international travel and social distancing will help reduce that .
However , once there is control then there will need to be a significant response to prevent new infection chains being introduced from outside .
That may include forced quarantine for 14 days when arriving on the island .
Being an outlier in public health policy will isolate countries , and they will find borders that were normally open closed .
The most pressing border for us is on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difference in policy continues , then ROI will have no option but to shut the border .
If this were allowed to happen based on UK public health policies , the difference in policies would become clear .
The South of Ireland is trying to emulate countries like South Korea , where the epidemic is under control and deaths will be considerably less .
The UK policy is not quite clear .
There was an initial good attempt to contain , and then mitigate .
However , there was a change to suppression @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too large .
There has been no attempt to systematically start reducing Ro to less than 1 , the magic number needed to bring an epidemic under control .
This suggests that there is still some reliance on the unproven herd immunity theory .
Initially NI public health policies were dictated by Imperial college London modelling data from a different island .
NI wasn ’ t even in the original model .
We continue to rely on centralized policies and seem unable to use the fundamental advantage we have of being an island @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why UK and Ireland are rabies-free compared to many other countries in the world .
Cutting and pasting somebody else ’ s policies will not bring the best outcome .
Photo by 15734951 is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA

To quote W.Edwards deming “In God we trust, all others bring data”.
When I wrote my first article for slugger in February, I did an overview of Covid 19 and how epidemiologically it may be difficult trying to manage an outbreak on an island with two different approaches. This review will review the current public health approaches to managing Covid. There is a lot more evidence about what works, what doesn’t work, and what may work. Epidemiology is a science based on common sense and the general public understand the principals involved.
The virus spread more widely and quickly in Europe and US. It is hard to imagine that any government would have planned to let the virus go out of control to protect the economy and then to do a massive lockdown 2 weeks later to reduce loss of life. Unlike countries such as Singapore, South Korea, China, most European countries had an abysmal first response trying to contain this virus. They did this because too many scientists and policy makers made too many assumptions about the virus. This has been one of the fundamental problems with Covid management. Policies are always trying to catchup with a virus that moves exponentially.
The Covid virus had several properties making it difficult to contain from the start. It was easily transmitted. However, probably the most crucial factor in this outbreak has been the asymptomatic or minimal symptoms experienced by a significant proportion of people. Follow that with a 5-day incubation period, another 5 days of mostly minor illness before people get sick and seek hospital care, exponential growth, the surge arrives unless there are active surveillance and containment strategies in the community.
People can have high levels of virus in their respiratory secretions when they do not have symptoms, and talking is enough to produce droplets. Yet until social distancing health policies were introduced, containment strategies were based on symptoms or travel history. The only other policy aimed at trying to reduce the introduction of infection from asymptomatic people was the quarantine of people who were re-patriated to the UK from Wuhan. Testing strategies have failed; the evidence for this is the unfolding human disaster in hospitals across Europe.
NI introduced major social distancing with incremental changes starting on 16 March. This is to flatten the curve. There is another epidemiological concept called the basic reproduction number Ro. Ro is the number of secondary infections generated by a single case. For Covid 19 it varies between approximately 2.5-3.5. That means on average one infected person tends to infect between 2.5 and 3.5 other people. Social distancing is our attempt to reduce Ro.
However the benefits of the current massive social distancing will be lost if we do not add in other components to try to bring Ro<1. In an outbreak if you get Ro to less than one, ie every infection causes less than one new infection, the outbreak burns out. As long as infections are not introduced from outside, and Ro< 1 can be sustained over time, the outbreak will be over. As a vaccine seems quite distant, trying to reduce Ro < 1 is our only tool.
The Republic of Ireland introduced social distancing 4 days before UK, and thereafter there were some minor difference in policy between the two jurisdictions but the social distancing policies have converged. Whether people exercise more or less than 2 km from their house is probably not a major policy difference. However, there is a major fundamental separation in the additional policies trying to reduce Ro<1. The Republic of Ireland is trying to find cases, test more extensively, isolate contacts, and stop transmission chains. UK/NI seems to have given up on any community testing and is only testing people in hospital. There is advice to self-isolate if symptoms of a cough, etc., but there is already proof that asymptomatic people could be infectious.
The social distancing policies are very disruptive to people’s lives, and are detrimental to the economy. The additional testing and case finding would augment social distancing and would allow more control of the community transmission and allow earlier relaxation of some of the social distancing policies. Trying to find contacts and cut down transmission chains is easier when people are social distancing and contacts are fewer and more memorable. I can remember all my contacts in the last 7 days, which is unusual, but this is an added benefit of social distancing.
We know that the widespread testing policies, isolation of cases, and tracing contacts works, as we have proof from China, Singapore and South Korea and decades of applying this concept to other outbreaks.
One of the most important lessons in managing this pandemic is the need to be agile, and understand local epidemiology and develop strategies that are responsive to the local outbreak. If the basic principle that the most cautious approach based on current evidence is used, then we may be able to catch up with the virus instead of running faster and faster and finding it hard to catch up.
There is a big argument for trying to contain an outbreak within a country. Less affected areas will then be in a better position to provide ventilators, PPE, healthcare workers to help the affected city. China was a good example of that when it shut down Wuhan, and then pulled in resource from less affected areas of China.
We have no concrete evidence that herd immunity will work long-term, it might and I hope it does, but no proof, and certainly not enough evidence to form a basis for a large-scale public health policy. Many infections provide immunity once infected eg measles. Some infections do not provide any immunity or it is short-term. There are occasional infections for example dengue, where a second infection leads to a more severe outcome than the first episode.
In addition to policies aiming to reduce the number of new infections caused by one case (Ro), it is also important not to introduce new infections into the population. In the short-term, the reduction in international travel and social distancing will help reduce that. However, once there is control then there will need to be a significant response to prevent new infection chains being introduced from outside. That may include forced quarantine for 14 days when arriving on the island. Being an outlier in public health policy will isolate countries, and they will find borders that were normally open closed. The most pressing border for us is on the island. If such a major difference in policy continues, then ROI will have no option but to shut the border. If this were allowed to happen based on UK public health policies, the difference in policies would become clear. The South of Ireland is trying to emulate countries like South Korea, where the epidemic is under control and deaths will be considerably less. The UK policy is not quite clear. There was an initial good attempt to contain, and then mitigate. However, there was a change to suppression when the number of potential deaths seemed too large. There has been no attempt to systematically start reducing Ro to less than 1, the magic number needed to bring an epidemic under control. This suggests that there is still some reliance on the unproven herd immunity theory.
Initially NI public health policies were dictated by Imperial college London modelling data from a different island. NI wasn’t even in the original model. We continue to rely on centralized policies and seem unable to use the fundamental advantage we have of being an island with low population density. Just think why UK and Ireland are rabies-free compared to many other countries in the world. Cutting and pasting somebody else’s policies will not bring the best outcome.
Photo by 15734951 is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA


sluggerotoole--2020-04-01--Covid-19: “If we are to be in the same boat, then it’s a boat we may, together, have to build…”

I hate to pour cold water on some folks who think arguing over whether London or Dublin ‘ have been the best ’ in their respective performances against Covid-19 , but , to borrow a phrase from the movies ( I think ) , this shit is about to get real .
We don ’ t have enough of anything to cover what ’ s coming .
Nurses and doctors and people who work in retail will throw themselves into a hazardous front line whilst the rest of us thank our lucky stars we don ’ t have to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ primarily , is to stay safe and take the burden off their shoulders .
That means avoiding injuries if we can .
The relatively empty streets are doing us all a huge favour in that regard , one by avoiding contagion , and two bringing down normal accident rates .
The skies are clearer and the streets far less full of particulates , so that when a car passes you ( we tend to walk to local shops rather take the car ) you can smell its exhaust and feel it waft away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Even the light is clear enough to make things look the way they would on a Donegal hillside in spring .
And yet nothing in our living past ( or even that of our parents and grandparents has quite prepared us for what is about to happen .
As this piece in history workshop by Guillaume Lachenal and Gaëtan Thomas notes : Historians need to resist the comforts of comparison , which while seeming innocuous , ironically fall in line with Gwyneth Paltrow ’ s recent Instagram comment , “ I have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ referring to her past role in the film Contagion and her present act of being on a plane wearing a very expensive mask , as COVID-19 looms large .
No , we have not yet been in this movie .
Maybe it is our responsibility as historians to say it .
For history , to follow again Marc Bloch , is a science of change and newness .
And our greatest peril is “ to think late ” ( “ penser en retard ” ) .
I tend to think that Ireland has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early stage , possibly for two reasons : • One , paradoxically , being less thoroughly committed to a given scenario ( London had already developed a flu-based scenario before the disaster hit ) it may have been less encumbered with pre-conceptions .
• Two , even though the republic is as centralised as the UK , being a smaller country it has been able to assemble its responses far more quickly in areas like testing .
We will need to speed up our ability to think far more quickly and much more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not just believing in ) six impossible things before breakfast .
With death figures doubling every three days or so , we will face a wall of grief .
In Unherd , Stuart Ritchie has plenty to say on the supposedly ‘ failed ’ models of behavioural psychology , but the key focus is to move quickly and shift focus and finding ways to change the shape and the scope of the problem going forward… Now , I see some folks railing against bodies like the WHO which in Ireland have been used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gold standard , for waiting too long to emulate some of these more successful countries .
But that goes to the unfixable historic mistake problem .
Perhaps we should have better studied how they handled earlier outbreaks and perhaps anticipated the need for a suite of practical responses in stockpiling enough PPE both for frontline staff and citizens .
But this falls into the category of prepping for the wrong war ( a la the French military in 1940 ) .
Not that helpful at this moment in time , but it must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through this alongside , what kind of society is best able to cope with COVID ?
Yesterday ’ s memorandum with the Republic is welcome , but it is at home we have the problem of horses in the same team not pulling together , as if the people of Northern Ireland really did have the luxury of imagining they were not all in the same boat .
…the biggest questions that the COVID crisis puts to us are whether we can recognize genuine expertise and act on it , whether we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ austerity and widening inequality , whether we actually do care for each other , whether we can manage our way through the crisis without inviting the extension of authoritarianism , and whether we can invent , rather than nostalgically restore , a society where we are in touch without touching .
If we are to be in the same boat , then it ’ s a boat we may , together , have to build .
[ Emphasis added ] If any of you are still listening in there ?
We don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when people are dying , losing loved ones and putting themselves in harm ’ s way .
They need leaders , safeguarders and caregivers .
They want to see the bags under your eyes and the lost sleep you will never get back .
They need to believe their political leaders , who have more power and relevance to real people ’ s lives than ever before , are bursting themselves just to get us all through .
And even if you have to let them down , be as honest as you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as best you can however sharp and chaotic it is on the inside .
Photo by sabinevanerp is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA

I hate to pour cold water on some folks who think arguing over whether London or Dublin ‘have been the best’ in their respective performances against Covid-19, but, to borrow a phrase from the movies (I think), this shit is about to get real.
We don’t have enough of anything to cover what’s coming. Nurses and doctors and people who work in retail will throw themselves into a hazardous front line whilst the rest of us thank our lucky stars we don’t have to be there with them.
Our job, primarily, is to stay safe and take the burden off their shoulders. That means avoiding injuries if we can. The relatively empty streets are doing us all a huge favour in that regard, one by avoiding contagion, and two bringing down normal accident rates.
The skies are clearer and the streets far less full of particulates, so that when a car passes you (we tend to walk to local shops rather take the car) you can smell its exhaust and feel it waft away to the local hills in its wake.
Even the light is clear enough to make things look the way they would on a Donegal hillside in spring. And yet nothing in our living past (or even that of our parents and grandparents has quite prepared us for what is about to happen.
As this piece in history workshop by Guillaume Lachenal and Gaëtan Thomas notes:
Historians need to resist the comforts of comparison, which while seeming innocuous, ironically fall in line with Gwyneth Paltrow’s recent Instagram comment, “I have already been in this movie,” referring to her past role in the film Contagion and her present act of being on a plane wearing a very expensive mask, as COVID-19 looms large. No, we have not yet been in this movie. Maybe it is our responsibility as historians to say it. For history, to follow again Marc Bloch, is a science of change and newness. And our greatest peril is “to think late” (“penser en retard”).
I tend to think that Ireland has been better at handling this early, early stage, possibly for two reasons:
One, paradoxically, being less thoroughly committed to a given scenario (London had already developed a flu-based scenario before the disaster hit) it may have been less encumbered with pre-conceptions.
Two, even though the republic is as centralised as the UK, being a smaller country it has been able to assemble its responses far more quickly in areas like testing.
We will need to speed up our ability to think far more quickly and much more realistically, whilst performing (ie, not just believing in) six impossible things before breakfast. With death figures doubling every three days or so, we will face a wall of grief.
In Unherd, Stuart Ritchie has plenty to say on the supposedly ‘failed’ models of behavioural psychology, but the key focus is to move quickly and shift focus and finding ways to change the shape and the scope of the problem going forward…
…the critical task for now is not to try and get inside people’s heads, but to learn from the experience of other countries (like Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore) that have been more successful in containing covid-19; and to build realistic mathematical models of the epidemic, and to pour resources into medical advances — like tests, vaccines, and antivirals — that might help us to track and inhibit the transmission of the virus and prevent its symptoms.
Now, I see some folks railing against bodies like the WHO which in Ireland have been used by some particularly tribal commentators as the gold standard, for waiting too long to emulate some of these more successful countries.
But that goes to the unfixable historic mistake problem. Perhaps we should have better studied how they handled earlier outbreaks and perhaps anticipated the need for a suite of practical responses in stockpiling enough PPE both for frontline staff and citizens.
But this falls into the category of prepping for the wrong war (a la the French military in 1940). Not that helpful at this moment in time, but it must be a priority question when we get through this alongside, what kind of society is best able to cope with COVID?
Yesterday’s memorandum with the Republic is welcome, but it is at home we have the problem of horses in the same team not pulling together, as if the people of Northern Ireland really did have the luxury of imagining they were not all in the same boat.
As Steven Shaplin puts it…
…the biggest questions that the COVID crisis puts to us are whether we can recognize genuine expertise and act on it, whether we can repair some of the damage done by austerity and widening inequality, whether we actually do care for each other, whether we can manage our way through the crisis without inviting the extension of authoritarianism, and whether we can invent, rather than nostalgically restore, a society where we are in touch without touching. If we are to be in the same boat, then it’s a boat we may, together, have to build. [Emphasis added]
If any of you are still listening in there? We don’t need another f*cking tribal war, when people are dying, losing loved ones and putting themselves in harm’s way. They need leaders, safeguarders and caregivers.
They want to see the bags under your eyes and the lost sleep you will never get back. They need to believe their political leaders, who have more power and relevance to real people’s lives than ever before, are bursting themselves just to get us all through.
And even if you have to let them down, be as honest as you can and keep them in the loop as best you can however sharp and chaotic it is on the inside.
Photo by sabinevanerp is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA


sluggerotoole--2020-04-02--Who wants to be a hero?

Who wants to be a hero?

Anne Madden , former Health Correspondent of The Irish News and freelance writer .
All views my own .
In recent commemorations we ’ ve looked back in anger and dismay at the atrocious waste of life during World War 1 .
A century ago feckless army generals sent thousands of young soldiers ‘ over the top ’ with mere hand rifles and bayonets into the line of machine gunfire .
The ‘ glorious dead ’ were celebrated as heroes willing to sacrifice their lives for the nation .
While everyone was clapping last Thursday night for the NHS heroes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I know many healthcare staff did too .
Yes , it was a well-intentioned , positive gesture but the sight of Conservative politicians applauding the NHS which they have stripped off resources for more than a decade was nauseating .
No one in the NHS wants to be a hero , they just want to do their jobs .
But this pandemic has bounced everyone out of their normal jobs and into very unfamiliar , indeed , terrifying territory .
From cleaners to consultants , everyone is scared .
Scared for themselves and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is expected to operate a ventilator ; an outpatient nurse is sent to work in ICU ; a final-year medical student is minding critically ill patients before they even graduate .
An already demoralised workforce , with nurses in Northern Ireland fresh from strike action over pay , is simply expected to step up in this time of crisis .
It ’ s all hands to the pump .
Jolly good chaps !
Of course healthcare workers will step up and have been since this virus first emerged .
They have already been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GP surgeries , nursing homes and hospitals with little to no protective gear .
Despite government knowing since January that this plague was on its way , supplies of personal protective equipment ( PPE ) have been tragically scarce .
This is the face masks , visors , goggles , aprons , gowns and gloves that all healthcare workers should be wearing right now .
Instead staff , from GPs to care home workers , have been left exposed to the virus that could have been coughing over them again and again .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of retired healthcare workers that have agreed to return to the frontline .
Jolly good ol ’ boy !
People are certainly capable of great heroics in a crisis .
The government PR machine has been at great pains to highlight these valiant warriors and shout down the growing clamour for the personal protective equipment ( PPE ) .
What ho !
It ’ s on it ’ s way… Deputy Chief Medical Officer , Dr Jenny Harries insisted at the government press conference earlier this week that there is enough PPE supplies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the case , why have schools across Northern Ireland been asked to empty their cupboards of masks and aprons from science classrooms ?
Why have NHS trusts across England been asking schools to donate science goggles ?
There has also been a massive amount of confusion about guidelines for what PPE should be worn in particular scenarios e.g .
full gown versus apron , or visors v. goggles .
Some face masks are little more than dust masks offering no protection .
Specific FFP masks , fit-tested for the person ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ close proximity to an infected patient .
The WHO had established guidelines but Public Health England which Northern Ireland follows , has been reviewing and adapting them – in the middle of a crisis !
The result has left many medical staff distrustful of the guidance and pondering if these are being diluted because of the supply chain debacle .
NHS staff are rightly concerned about the risk they are taking .
To date at least 66 doctors have died in Italy and three so far in the UK .
As nurses and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sickest of patients they are exposed to a higher viral load which puts them at much greater risk of a serious strain of the infection .
Compare the precautions taken when medical staff deal with highly contagious TB ( Tuberculosis ) patients .
All staff are suited and booted with masks , gowns , gloves – and yet TB is a curable condition .
So imagine your normal job , stressful as that is , has been turned upside down and you ’ re being expected to put your life on the line @ @ @ @ @ @ @ factory workers for Moy Park and Linden Foods in Northern Ireland simply walked out over fears their lives were being jeopardized because they claimed companies had not implemented adequate social distancing policies .
Our healthcare staff face a much greater threat and yet it would be socially unacceptable for them to even contemplate a walk out ?
The outpouring of hero-worship , heartfelt as it is , helps keep a lid on the grumbling and genuine fear on the frontline .
Public discourse rightly hails them as heroes , but history may judge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more harshly .
Of course our boys and girls will go over the top and take the fight to COVID ( 20 ) 19 .
But consider this , when the pandemic is over who will be left to look after you or your sick relatives because if the virus doesn ’ t get them , fatigue , trauma and anger towards the NHS will see many leave in their droves .
“ NHS ” by LoopZilla is licensed under CC BY-SA

Anne Madden, former Health Correspondent of The Irish News and freelance writer. All views my own.
In recent commemorations we’ve looked back in anger and dismay at the atrocious waste of life during World War 1. A century ago feckless army generals sent thousands of young soldiers ‘over the top’ with mere hand rifles and bayonets into the line of machine gunfire. The ‘glorious dead’ were celebrated as heroes willing to sacrifice their lives for the nation. While everyone was clapping last Thursday night for the NHS heroes, I found it deeply unsettling and I know many healthcare staff did too. Yes, it was a well-intentioned, positive gesture but the sight of Conservative politicians applauding the NHS which they have stripped off resources for more than a decade was nauseating. No one in the NHS wants to be a hero, they just want to do their jobs. But this pandemic has bounced everyone out of their normal jobs and into very unfamiliar, indeed, terrifying territory. From cleaners to consultants, everyone is scared. Scared for themselves and their families.
Overnight a lab consultant is expected to operate a ventilator; an outpatient nurse is sent to work in ICU; a final-year medical student is minding critically ill patients before they even graduate. An already demoralised workforce, with nurses in Northern Ireland fresh from strike action over pay, is simply expected to step up in this time of crisis. It’s all hands to the pump. Jolly good chaps!
Of course healthcare workers will step up and have been since this virus first emerged. They have already been putting themselves at risk by working in GP surgeries, nursing homes and hospitals with little to no protective gear. Despite government knowing since January that this plague was on its way, supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) have been tragically scarce. This is the face masks, visors, goggles, aprons, gowns and gloves that all healthcare workers should be wearing right now. Instead staff, from GPs to care home workers, have been left exposed to the virus that could have been coughing over them again and again.
The government is delighted with the thousands of retired healthcare workers that have agreed to return to the frontline. Jolly good ol’ boy! People are certainly capable of great heroics in a crisis. The government PR machine has been at great pains to highlight these valiant warriors and shout down the growing clamour for the personal protective equipment (PPE). What ho! It’s on it’s way…
Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Jenny Harries insisted at the government press conference earlier this week that there is enough PPE supplies for the whole NHS. If that is the case, why have schools across Northern Ireland been asked to empty their cupboards of masks and aprons from science classrooms? Why have NHS trusts across England been asking schools to donate science goggles?
There has also been a massive amount of confusion about guidelines for what PPE should be worn in particular scenarios e.g. full gown versus apron, or visors v. goggles. Some face masks are little more than dust masks offering no protection. Specific FFP masks, fit-tested for the person’s face, are deemed essential if in close proximity to an infected patient. The WHO had established guidelines but Public Health England which Northern Ireland follows, has been reviewing and adapting them – in the middle of a crisis! The result has left many medical staff distrustful of the guidance and pondering if these are being diluted because of the supply chain debacle.
NHS staff are rightly concerned about the risk they are taking. To date at least 66 doctors have died in Italy and three so far in the UK. As nurses and doctors deal at close range with the sickest of patients they are exposed to a higher viral load which puts them at much greater risk of a serious strain of the infection. Compare the precautions taken when medical staff deal with highly contagious TB (Tuberculosis) patients. All staff are suited and booted with masks, gowns, gloves – and yet TB is a curable condition.
So imagine your normal job, stressful as that is, has been turned upside down and you’re being expected to put your life on the line for your fellow countrymen? Last week factory workers for Moy Park and Linden Foods in Northern Ireland simply walked out over fears their lives were being jeopardized because they claimed companies had not implemented adequate social distancing policies. Our healthcare staff face a much greater threat and yet it would be socially unacceptable for them to even contemplate a walk out?
The outpouring of hero-worship, heartfelt as it is, helps keep a lid on the grumbling and genuine fear on the frontline. Public discourse rightly hails them as heroes, but history may judge their generals in government and the NHS more harshly. Of course our boys and girls will go over the top and take the fight to COVID (20)19. But consider this, when the pandemic is over who will be left to look after you or your sick relatives because if the virus doesn’t get them, fatigue, trauma and anger towards the NHS will see many leave in their droves.
“NHS” by LoopZilla is licensed under CC BY-SA


sluggerotoole--2020-04-02--The Biopolitics of Covid-19

The Biopolitics of Covid-19

It ’ s like that Wizard of Oz moment , when the curtain gets pulled back , and we are confronted with the reality , that systems of social administration and political governance appear to be in want : and political leadership has failed in its primary role , to protect the health of the people .
Such is the Potemkin-like nature of many globalised societies now , it ’ s taken a pandemic to see through this façade , of mediocre management and amateur political leadership driving the global polity .
And as the virus flows through this sea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responses , to see how well their government and its systems perform .
In an age of social media , this pandemic is like no other , and the world watches , in real time , how the virus spreads , and how governments respond .
Thankfully , and given its global impact , one of the first decisions good political leadership took was to rely on science rather than rhetoric to deal with the virus .
Winning this ontological debate , on how we know what we know about the virus we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make epidemiological plans on how to tackle it .
While some , like South Korea , implemented authoritarian methods , of test and trace strategies , others , like Sweden , the USA the Netherlands and the UK , adapted a more liberal approach .
But with the publication of the Imperial College Report , a medical model appeared to predominate in the UK .
This ontological turn , is now being viewed as a transformational event , in an as yet unquantifiable way .
Noticeably , as this scientific approach evolves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major ideological and systematic change as it pivots away from an ‘ acceptable level ’ of viral violence , to maintain its legitimacy .
What had started as a ‘ herd immunity ’ strategy , and ‘ nudge ’ approach to social change , quickly gave way to the provision of Universal Credit , and an increase in state agency to protect the population and preserve the economy as it went into lockdown .
Yet , such change is evidence of state failure , and as the population logically processes this harsh reality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of austerity to reveal a new sense of hope , that a new raison d ’ état is emerging , to transform the mentality of government from ‘ fight the virus and support the economy ’ to fight the virus and support the people .
Such a transformational event is manifest as the population comes to terms with the everyday reality , of protecting itself , from a pandemic .
And as social distancing becomes the new ‘ norm ’ the population is now having to re-evaluate its mentality of government , of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to each other , and to the systems of state designed to protect and preserve the people .
With a growing experience of having to live through a pandemic , sometimes with only the dispersal of £94.00 a week , to cover the productive consumption of basic human needs , for the next three months , people are now beginning to re-evaluate how best to care for themselves and others , in this state of emergency .
And with this ontological turn , as the population attempts to cross this paradigm , of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emerges , on what ethical value system can best guide the population across this process of social transformation .
In pivoting hope , away from the clutches of economy , this epidemiological turn inevitably focuses the gaze on a deeper philosophical discussion , about population health , from the quarantined area up .
As people face a three-month lockdown , how this debate evolves will ultimately decide if this point of transformation delivers a healthier society or a sick one , with further pandemics inevitably to follow .
In a sense , this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and biopolitics , which have been ongoing since the introduction of public health medicine , back in the nineteenth century .
While many will be familiar with the idea of geopolitics , few will know it was first enunciated by the Swedish theorist Rudolf Kjellén , in 1905 .
Somewhat intuitively , Kjellén also enunciated the concept of biopolitics , the politics of life , which he viewed as a means to govern , administrate and deliver a democratic society , to produce a healthy population and a state predicated on social well-being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus , their tool of choice in how to logically explain and systematically deal with the politics of life through a pandemic , will greatly determine whether their economies grow , or fall , in the on-coming post-liberal , post-viral , global political age .
So , in this struggle with the virus , a state ’ s choice , of the geopolitical path or the biopolitical one , is of critical importance .
Increasingly , states will have to choose between the ‘ bare life ’ theories of Italian theorist Giorgio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theories of French philosopher Michel Foucault .
Agamben argues , left to their own devices , states will provide minimal social security and maximum disciplinary powers .
In contrast , Foucault argues , if a population becomes aware of its power , it can radically transform a state through the everyday administration of social care so people can better take control of life or death issues .
In support , the Italian theorist , Roberto Esposito suggests , Foucault ’ s aim for social care offers new opportunities to immunise communities from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the medical .
If a biopolitical choice is made , Foucault noted , this will create a ‘ rupture ’ in state power , and a community ’ s ‘ freedom and resistance ’ will inevitably become ‘ the necessary precondition for the exercise of power ’ .
In so doing , ‘ innovation ’ will come to the fore and more people will look to themselves for solutions .
As the failures in UK state reason have demonstrated , people are already looking to the World Health Organisation ’ s epidemiological @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of analysis and methodology on how to explain , engage , immune , secure , conflict manage , and inoculate , a population .
In so doing , and by promoting Public Health medicine as a preventative methodology , more communities will ultimately move towards the production of biopolitical labour for self-preservation .
As this pandemic deepens , and wider philosophical debates emerge , on Public Health medicine , this biopolitical debate will increasingly come to the fore , to examine , assess and explain a cure for state failure .
Now , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the ontology of science predominates , this paradigm shift towards a deeper interest in the politics of life , will either shift states towards the delivery of a scared life or a bare life : and on such metrics , nation-states will be judged by their post-pandemic polities .
Photo by padrinan is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA

It’s like that Wizard of Oz moment, when the curtain gets pulled back, and we are confronted with the reality, that systems of social administration and political governance appear to be in want: and political leadership has failed in its primary role, to protect the health of the people. Such is the Potemkin-like nature of many globalised societies now, it’s taken a pandemic to see through this façade, of mediocre management and amateur political leadership driving the global polity. And as the virus flows through this sea of humanity, people are comparing state responses, to see how well their government and its systems perform. In an age of social media, this pandemic is like no other, and the world watches, in real time, how the virus spreads, and how governments respond.
Thankfully, and given its global impact, one of the first decisions good political leadership took was to rely on science rather than rhetoric to deal with the virus. Winning this ontological debate, on how we know what we know about the virus we are dealing with, enabled many states to make epidemiological plans on how to tackle it. While some, like South Korea, implemented authoritarian methods, of test and trace strategies, others, like Sweden, the USA the Netherlands and the UK, adapted a more liberal approach. But with the publication of the Imperial College Report, a medical model appeared to predominate in the UK.
This ontological turn, is now being viewed as a transformational event, in an as yet unquantifiable way. Noticeably, as this scientific approach evolves, the UK is having to implement major ideological and systematic change as it pivots away from an ‘acceptable level’ of viral violence, to maintain its legitimacy. What had started as a ‘herd immunity’ strategy, and ‘nudge’ approach to social change, quickly gave way to the provision of Universal Credit, and an increase in state agency to protect the population and preserve the economy as it went into lockdown.
Yet, such change is evidence of state failure, and as the population logically processes this harsh reality, it pivots away from the politics of austerity to reveal a new sense of hope, that a new raison d’état is emerging, to transform the mentality of government from ‘fight the virus and support the economy’ to fight the virus and support the people. Such a transformational event is manifest as the population comes to terms with the everyday reality, of protecting itself, from a pandemic. And as social distancing becomes the new ‘norm’ the population is now having to re-evaluate its mentality of government, of how people, and communities, relate to each other, and to the systems of state designed to protect and preserve the people.
With a growing experience of having to live through a pandemic, sometimes with only the dispersal of £94.00 a week, to cover the productive consumption of basic human needs, for the next three months, people are now beginning to re-evaluate how best to care for themselves and others, in this state of emergency. And with this ontological turn, as the population attempts to cross this paradigm, of eradicating viral violence, a deeper discussion emerges, on what ethical value system can best guide the population across this process of social transformation.
In pivoting hope, away from the clutches of economy, this epidemiological turn inevitably focuses the gaze on a deeper philosophical discussion, about population health, from the quarantined area up. As people face a three-month lockdown, how this debate evolves will ultimately decide if this point of transformation delivers a healthier society or a sick one, with further pandemics inevitably to follow. In a sense, this pivot now exposes the struggle between geopolitics and biopolitics, which have been ongoing since the introduction of public health medicine, back in the nineteenth century.
While many will be familiar with the idea of geopolitics, few will know it was first enunciated by the Swedish theorist Rudolf Kjellén, in 1905. Somewhat intuitively, Kjellén also enunciated the concept of biopolitics, the politics of life, which he viewed as a means to govern, administrate and deliver a democratic society, to produce a healthy population and a state predicated on social well-being. While states struggle to deal with the virus, their tool of choice in how to logically explain and systematically deal with the politics of life through a pandemic, will greatly determine whether their economies grow, or fall, in the on-coming post-liberal, post-viral, global political age. So, in this struggle with the virus, a state’s choice, of the geopolitical path or the biopolitical one, is of critical importance.
Increasingly, states will have to choose between the ‘bare life’ theories of Italian theorist Giorgio Agamben or the ‘social care’ theories of French philosopher Michel Foucault. Agamben argues, left to their own devices, states will provide minimal social security and maximum disciplinary powers. In contrast, Foucault argues, if a population becomes aware of its power, it can radically transform a state through the everyday administration of social care so people can better take control of life or death issues. In support, the Italian theorist, Roberto Esposito suggests, Foucault’s aim for social care offers new opportunities to immunise communities from a raft of pandemics, from the economic to the medical.
If a biopolitical choice is made, Foucault noted, this will create a ‘rupture’ in state power, and a community’s ‘freedom and resistance’ will inevitably become ‘the necessary precondition for the exercise of power’. In so doing, ‘innovation’ will come to the fore and more people will look to themselves for solutions. As the failures in UK state reason have demonstrated, people are already looking to the World Health Organisation’s epidemiological studies, to unearth a vast array of analysis and methodology on how to explain, engage, immune, secure, conflict manage, and inoculate, a population.
In so doing, and by promoting Public Health medicine as a preventative methodology, more communities will ultimately move towards the production of biopolitical labour for self-preservation. As this pandemic deepens, and wider philosophical debates emerge, on Public Health medicine, this biopolitical debate will increasingly come to the fore, to examine, assess and explain a cure for state failure. Now, as the raison d’état transforms, and the ontology of science predominates, this paradigm shift towards a deeper interest in the politics of life, will either shift states towards the delivery of a scared life or a bare life: and on such metrics, nation-states will be judged by their post-pandemic polities.
Photo by padrinan is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA


sluggerotoole--2020-04-02--How Covid-19 is affecting the new laws on abortion…

The COVID19 crisis has brought with it a lot of alarming news , like that of a young woman who tried to take her own life , when refused an abortion at a local hospital , despite abortion now being legal here .
She had been unable to travel to England due to flights being cancelled because of the COVID emergency .
The feminist websites that have provided abortion pills for over a decade now report that COVID lockdowns in a number of countries mean they can not guarantee a service to the island of Ireland at the moment .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ulster University shows that women in Northern Ireland are able to follow remote instructions and self-manage EMA safely , even when the threat of prosecution was hanging over them .
For over a decade , hundreds of women a year have accessed abortion pills from Women Help Women or Women on Web and completed their abortion without the support of any health care professional .
The study also funded a full module on attitudes to abortion in the 2016 NI Life and Times Survey ( NILT ) and a smaller number of questions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provided strong evidence of public support for the reform of abortion law here .
A large majority ( 82 per cent ) of people believe that abortion should be legal where the life or the health of the pregnant woman is at risk .
Where there is a fatal or serious foetal abnormality ( 81 per cent and 75 per cent respectively ) are in favour of abortion being legal and 78 per cent believe this should be the cases of rape or incest .
A majority ( 63 % in 2016 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that “ It is a woman ’ s right to choose whether or not to have an abortion ” .
It is important to note that the NI Life & Times Survey is not another opinion poll as Prof Gillian Robinson explains here .
With the regulations governing the legal abortion service which should be available from 1st April now published , anyone needing an abortion should be able to access an early medical abortion from their GP or family planning clinic or , if over 10 weeks gestation , from a local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and hospitals overwhelmed with Coronavirus patients , what is someone with an unintended pregnancy to do if they need a termination ?
This has highlighted the need for an Early Medical Abortion ( EMA ) service to be established here as soon as possible .
Policy developments in the Republic of Ireland and in England & Wales suggest that such a service ought to be via telemedicine , at least for the duration of the COVID crisis .
The World Health Organisation and the Royal Colleges of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and of Midwives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the safest way for doctors to provide and for women to access EMA during the pandemic .
Scotland has now joined England and Wales and the RoI in making EMA available by remote consultation .
Without a similar move here , Northern Ireland will , once again , be the only part of these islands where women who have an unwanted pregnancy can not access abortion safely .
How are those who are self-isolating to access abortions if they can not travel to England and EMA is not available via remote consultation ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ medications by remote consultation – to protect their own health and that of their patients .
Many of the medicines they are prescribing can be dangerous – unlike abortion pills which , according to the World Health Organisation , are extremely safe .
Certainly , they are far safer than Viagra which is available over the counter without a prescription .
Unless they are very young or otherwise vulnerable , it is always the case that when someone finds themselves with an unwanted pregnancy , they want to move quickly to end that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4 out of 5 of those contacting Women Help Women for pills were under six weeks gestation when they sought help .
They know that an earlier abortion is easier physically and emotionally , as well as much less painful .
As we all follow public health guidelines and stay at home , too many women will be isolated at home with an abuser .
They may be coerced into having unprotected sex .
Even if they are in happy relationships and having consensual sex , there is expected to be an increase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While some of these will be welcomed , some will not be and we need to make it as easy as possible for anyone wanting an abortion to get it as early as possible .
That means allowing our doctors to protect themselves from the virus and to prescribe medication for Early Medical Abortion remotely .
Goretti Horgan , Ulster University , You can follow her on Twitter : @ gorettihorgan

The COVID19 crisis has brought with it a lot of alarming news, like that of a young woman who tried to take her own life, when refused an abortion at a local hospital, despite abortion now being legal here. She had been unable to travel to England due to flights being cancelled because of the COVID emergency. The feminist websites that have provided abortion pills for over a decade now report that COVID lockdowns in a number of countries mean they cannot guarantee a service to the island of Ireland at the moment.
The ESRC funded research carried out at Ulster University shows that women in Northern Ireland are able to follow remote instructions and self-manage EMA safely, even when the threat of prosecution was hanging over them. For over a decade, hundreds of women a year have accessed abortion pills from Women Help Women or Women on Web and completed their abortion without the support of any health care professional.
The study also funded a full module on attitudes to abortion in the 2016 NI Life and Times Survey (NILT) and a smaller number of questions in the 2018 NILT survey. This provided strong evidence of public support for the reform of abortion law here. A large majority (82 per cent) of people believe that abortion should be legal where the life or the health of the pregnant woman is at risk. Where there is a fatal or serious foetal abnormality (81 per cent and 75 per cent respectively) are in favour of abortion being legal and 78 per cent believe this should be the cases of rape or incest. A majority (63% in 2016, 71% in 2018) also agree that “It is a woman’s right to choose whether or not to have an abortion”. It is important to note that the NI Life & Times Survey is not another opinion poll as Prof Gillian Robinson explains here.
With the regulations governing the legal abortion service which should be available from 1st April now published, anyone needing an abortion should be able to access an early medical abortion from their GP or family planning clinic or, if over 10 weeks gestation, from a local hospital. But with GP surgeries closed and hospitals overwhelmed with Coronavirus patients, what is someone with an unintended pregnancy to do if they need a termination?
This has highlighted the need for an Early Medical Abortion (EMA) service to be established here as soon as possible. Policy developments in the Republic of Ireland and in England & Wales suggest that such a service ought to be via telemedicine, at least for the duration of the COVID crisis. The World Health Organisation and the Royal Colleges of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and of Midwives have all produced guidance promoting telemedicine as the safest way for doctors to provide and for women to access EMA during the pandemic.
Scotland has now joined England and Wales and the RoI in making EMA available by remote consultation. Without a similar move here, Northern Ireland will, once again, be the only part of these islands where women who have an unwanted pregnancy cannot access abortion safely. How are those who are self-isolating to access abortions if they cannot travel to England and EMA is not available via remote consultation?
GPs are currently prescribing a range of medications by remote consultation – to protect their own health and that of their patients. Many of the medicines they are prescribing can be dangerous – unlike abortion pills which, according to the World Health Organisation, are extremely safe. Certainly, they are far safer than Viagra which is available over the counter without a prescription.
Unless they are very young or otherwise vulnerable, it is always the case that when someone finds themselves with an unwanted pregnancy, they want to move quickly to end that pregnancy. In our study, almost 4 out of 5 of those contacting Women Help Women for pills were under six weeks gestation when they sought help. They know that an earlier abortion is easier physically and emotionally, as well as much less painful.
As we all follow public health guidelines and stay at home, too many women will be isolated at home with an abuser. They may be coerced into having unprotected sex. Even if they are in happy relationships and having consensual sex, there is expected to be an increase in unintended pregnancies during the lockdown. While some of these will be welcomed, some will not be and we need to make it as easy as possible for anyone wanting an abortion to get it as early as possible. That means allowing our doctors to protect themselves from the virus and to prescribe medication for Early Medical Abortion remotely.
Goretti Horgan, Ulster University, You can follow her on Twitter: @gorettihorgan


sluggerotoole--2020-04-02--MLAs: If You Can’t Raise Your Game Now…

MLAs: If You Can’t Raise Your Game Now…

It would be interesting to know how many people who were eager for the return of the Assembly now feel the same way after witnessing the spell of – largely – flailing around , procrastinating , point-scoring and mixed messages we ’ ve endured since Coronavirus really hit the local headlines .
And one place where the true motivation , character and talent of individual political representatives has been laid bare ?
Social media .
While some are making their mark , the old fallbacks of political bunkers , blame culture and needless sniping at the nearest electoral competitor are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the accursed ‘ question social media post ’ – where a political rep asks a gallery-playing question despite it being their role to research and answer the question for themselves then educate their audience – is a grim reminder that in our politics a three word truth reigns supreme : plus ça change .
Even in the face of rising death tolls .
A crisis is a great leveller and a great revealer .
After all , what could be a better litmus test than an emergency impacting everyone in a constituency ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to type or doubling-down on old habits when real leadership is needed ?
Here ’ s a simple test : Take each of your your chosen rep ’ s last ten social media posts in March on any platform .
• Supported any decision outside their political comfort zone : Add one point • Asked a question they should ’ ve researched and shared themselves : Minus one point You may well find that the ‘ when every problem is a hammer….
’ cliché is glaringly evident .
Even in the face of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Pessimist It ’ s said that the optimist and the pessimist will both arrive at the same destination but one will have a much nicer journey .
For some of us , the cheap sniping , leadership vacuum and conspiratorial bollocksology seen locally in response to Coronavirus will have shaken our existing view of local politics and altered our view of social media platforms a little ( especially if we caught ourselves being optimistic enough to expect any different ) .
Yes , there have been glimmers of hope and even some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who rarely look beyond from their political and behavioural blinkers .
But , beyond politics , some particularly sickening sights have come to the fore : some in the media lazily undermining isolation guidelines for the sake of something to say and also the prevalence of trolls with a degree in virology from the University of WhatsApp drowning out lifelong specialists who are trying to pass on life-saving information .
Even in the face of rising death tolls .
An ( Even More ) Simple Question As always , we ’ re clearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thanks to one question : do they communicate what they are for or what they are against ?
Many political reps are making it very obvious which of these describes them in a crisis .
To those leaders : if you ’ re paid to represent people and you can ’ t raise your game during a global pandemic…perhaps you have no game to raise .
Even in the face of rising death tolls .
Photo by Pixabay is licensed under CC0

It would be interesting to know how many people who were eager for the return of the Assembly now feel the same way after witnessing the spell of – largely – flailing around, procrastinating, point-scoring and mixed messages we’ve endured since Coronavirus really hit the local headlines.
And one place where the true motivation, character and talent of individual political representatives has been laid bare? Social media.
While some are making their mark, the old fallbacks of political bunkers, blame culture and needless sniping at the nearest electoral competitor are all very evident.
Worst of all the accursed ‘question social media post’ – where a political rep asks a gallery-playing question despite it being their role to research and answer the question for themselves then educate their audience – is a grim reminder that in our politics a three word truth reigns supreme: plus ça change. Even in the face of rising death tolls.
A Simple Test
A crisis is a great leveller and a great revealer. After all, what could be a better litmus test than an emergency impacting everyone in a constituency?
So, is your own MLA reverting to type or doubling-down on old habits when real leadership is needed?
Here’s a simple test: Take each of your your chosen rep’s last ten social media posts in March on any platform.
Have they…
Supported any decision outside their political comfort zone: Add one point
Add one point Published useful information: Add one point
Add one point Attacked a political opponent: Minus one point
Minus one point Asked a question they should’ve researched and shared themselves: Minus one point
You may well find that the ‘when every problem is a hammer….’ cliché is glaringly evident. Even in the face of rising death tolls.
The Optimist vs The Pessimist
It’s said that the optimist and the pessimist will both arrive at the same destination but one will have a much nicer journey.
For some of us, the cheap sniping, leadership vacuum and conspiratorial bollocksology seen locally in response to Coronavirus will have shaken our existing view of local politics and altered our view of social media platforms a little (especially if we caught ourselves being optimistic enough to expect any different).
Yes, there have been glimmers of hope and even some apparent road to Damascus moments from those who rarely look beyond from their political and behavioural blinkers.
But, beyond politics, some particularly sickening sights have come to the fore: some in the media lazily undermining isolation guidelines for the sake of something to say and also the prevalence of trolls with a degree in virology from the University of WhatsApp drowning out lifelong specialists who are trying to pass on life-saving information. Even in the face of rising death tolls.
An (Even More) Simple Question
As always, we’re clearly seeing the value of individual political representatives thanks to one question: do they communicate what they are for or what they are against?
Many political reps are making it very obvious which of these describes them in a crisis.
To those leaders: if you’re paid to represent people and you can’t raise your game during a global pandemic…perhaps you have no game to raise.
Even in the face of rising death tolls.
Photo by Pixabay is licensed under CC0


sluggerotoole--2020-04-02--Eight ways we can each self organise to get ‘us’ safely through the #COVID-19 crisis…

Get your own grip on the problem .
Most of us won ’ t die from Covid 19 .
However , if it gets to you and you are not distancing you speed it to those who don ’ t have the means to fight it more quickly .
More immediately , in passing it on you will help overrun a health system that is not built for the number of patients who will require intensive care all at once .
By isolating and distancing early , you are helping not just your neighbours and vulnerable members of your family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ service to get through a sudden and insane demand for intensive care .
We aren ’ t China .
They faced this sort of danger many times before and so are better prepared to deal with this with a vast testing regime and plentiful supplies of masks and goggles .
Nor are we a police state ( yet ) .
As well as collective action between countries to get health supplies moving , as citizens we need to sacrifice our freedoms .
Distancing and voluntary isolation now may prevent the need for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new habits ( good ones are hard to acquire , bad ones hard to get rid of ) .
I had no idea how to wash my hands in a way that prevents the spread of disease .
In the old days before hand-sanitisers , no junior doctor was allowed to touch a patient until he or she could prove to the ward sister they could wash their hands properly .
Find a video and check you ’ re doing it right now , and your kids ( prepare yourself for a row @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Social distancing will become a habit when the deaths start rising , but the earlier you do it the more lives you will save .
Fear , anger and complacency are not useful ( for now ) .
Our natural fight/flight reflex to run or to be fearful does nothing to deal with complacency in others .
None of them are much use to those whose lives we need to save .
Loud expressions of anger drive unwarranted anxiety in countless others who are already doing their best to stop the virus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ they may need to fight the disease if/or when it comes to them .
Don ’ t get your news from social media .
Anything you hear relating to Covid-19 may be wrong even if your ‘ friend ’ is a health care professional .
Proprietary networks like Facebook and Twitter exist to make money from people sharing human emotions , that spreads , like , well , a virus .
That makes all of us susceptible to a contagion of .
Get your facts from professionals and opinion from experts .
Use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stories ( not scaremongering ) and plug yourself into enabling networks – and grassroots ways to organise help for others where it matters most , in your own area .
Look after the most vulnerable .
40 , 000 people in Northern Ireland has a letter over the next day or two to tell them to self-isolate for the foreseeable future .
Be practical , if you know who they are , do get in touch and offer whatever help or support you can safely provide .
This can be done informally , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people we know directly .
But maybe we could be bolder – work with the mobile phone companies so an army of young people can call the 40,000 to see if they are okay and find out what services they need .
Innovation will change the scale and the shape of the problem .
Yes , this is going to get worse before it starts to get better .
But international collaboration is fast forwarding testing techniques so we will get more precise information about who has the virus and who has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to medium term and then a vaccine in the longer term .
If you ’ re a journalist please use the positive as well as the negative data to give us all a more rounded picture .
Hospitals are telling you the numbers of successfully treated patients , please report that too !
If you do get the virus , you want to be ready as you can .
Eat as well as you can .
And drink lots of water ( 2 litres a day ) .
Cut your alcohol intake .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ your spirits up .
If you have a sunny window somewhere in your flat or house , spend time in there ( for the Vitamin D ) .
With far less traffic about , the air is much fresher and clearer than normal so open your windows !
Covid-19 may be nasty but it is not airborne .
On your daily walk , enjoy the peace ( and the birdsong ) .

Get your own grip on the problem. Most of us won’t die from Covid 19. However, if it gets to you and you are not distancing you speed it to those who don’t have the means to fight it more quickly. More immediately, in passing it on you will help overrun a health system that is not built for the number of patients who will require intensive care all at once. By isolating and distancing early, you are helping not just your neighbours and vulnerable members of your family, you are helping your own health service to get through a sudden and insane demand for intensive care.
We aren’t China. They faced this sort of danger many times before and so are better prepared to deal with this with a vast testing regime and plentiful supplies of masks and goggles. Nor are we a police state (yet). As well as collective action between countries to get health supplies moving, as citizens we need to sacrifice our freedoms. Distancing and voluntary isolation now may prevent the need for a more extreme lockdown later on.
Learn new habits (good ones are hard to acquire, bad ones hard to get rid of). I had no idea how to wash my hands in a way that prevents the spread of disease. In the old days before hand-sanitisers, no junior doctor was allowed to touch a patient until he or she could prove to the ward sister they could wash their hands properly. Find a video and check you’re doing it right now, and your kids (prepare yourself for a row with the impatient stroppy ones). Social distancing will become a habit when the deaths start rising, but the earlier you do it the more lives you will save.
Fear, anger and complacency are not useful (for now). Our natural fight/flight reflex to run or to be fearful does nothing to deal with complacency in others. None of them are much use to those whose lives we need to save. Loud expressions of anger drive unwarranted anxiety in countless others who are already doing their best to stop the virus. Needless anxiety burns the energy and resources they may need to fight the disease if/or when it comes to them.
Don’t get your news from social media. Anything you hear relating to Covid-19 may be wrong even if your ‘friend’ is a health care professional. Proprietary networks like Facebook and Twitter exist to make money from people sharing human emotions, that spreads, like, well, a virus. That makes all of us susceptible to a contagion of. Get your facts from professionals and opinion from experts. Use social media to connect with real human stories (not scaremongering) and plug yourself into enabling networks – and grassroots ways to organise help for others where it matters most, in your own area.
Look after the most vulnerable. 40, 000 people in Northern Ireland have had a letter to tell them to self-isolate for the foreseeable future. Be practical, if you know who they are, do get in touch and offer whatever help or support you can safely provide. This can be done informally, as we reach out to the handful of people we know directly. But maybe we could be bolder – work with mobile phone companies so an army of young people can call the 40,000 to see if they are okay and find out what services they need.
Innovation will change the scale and the shape of the problem. Yes, this is going to get worse before it starts to get better. But international collaboration is fast-forwarding testing techniques so we will get more precise information about who has the virus and who has had the virus now in the short to medium term and then a vaccine in the longer term. If you’re a journalist please use the positive as well as the negative data to give us all a more rounded picture. Hospitals are telling you the numbers of successfully treated patients, please report that too!
If you do get the virus, you want to be ready as you can. Eat as well as you can. And drink lots of water (2 litres a day). Cut your alcohol intake. Have a routine, it will keep your spirits up. If you have a sunny window somewhere in your flat or house, spend time in there (for the Vitamin D). With far less traffic about, the air is much fresher and clearer than normal so open your windows! Covid-19 may be nasty but it is not airborne. On your daily walk, enjoy the peace (and the birdsong).


sluggerotoole--2020-04-03--Liberté, égalité, and a Secular Ireland…

In France they have a law which has its written roots in 1905 but the principles steam back to the 1790 revolution which saw ‘ Liberté , égalité , fraternité ’ emblazoned into the national character and constitution of this large European nation .
The law is called laïcité and it is at serious odds with Anglo-Saxon inherited concepts of what it is to be tolerant within a community .
So much of our own understanding of modern Europe and modern Ireland stem from the thinking of this era , above all the concept of the nation state being the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But in Ireland and Britain this is mainly manifested through the idea of popular sovereignty which saw a comeback in the Brexit debates with the country dividing down the middle on its interpretation with little thought to the minority who argued that sovereign rights of the state is more often at odds with the sovereign rights of an individual .
So too there is a debate when it comes to the expression of spirituality in the public square .
To explain laïcité I will borrow from Foreign Policy magazine : Laïcité “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all French citizens , the new [ 1905 ] law read .
This law was given further elaboration in the constitution of the Fifth ( and current ) Republic : Laïcité “ assures the equality of all citizens before the law , without distinction to their origin , race , or religion .
It respects all religious beliefs.
” So far it reads like a carbon copy of the American first amendment which bars the way for their congress to establish any religion or bind the conscience of their citizenry .
But there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ negative ’ form of religious liberty ( See Berlin Two concepts of Liberty ) .
In France nobody is permitted to involve religious symbolism in public life .
To give full context it must be said that the constitution of France does obviously guarantee a negative right to religious liberty and this is of course unimpeded as in every nation adhering to the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms .
The marked difference , harshly claimed as a ‘ Fundamentalist Secularism ’ by detractors , is that in public life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identity of being French .
This thinking is rooted in the revolutionary patriotism that was rife in France throughout the 19th century where like Ireland since the Williamite wars the suffered through a cycle of revolution and counter revolution .
This has , it must be noted , been used as a great stick by the far right to argue against the assimilation of Islam into French society .
They argue that Islam is incompatible with ‘ French values ’ like secularism , however I feel that this is wrong and many point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a ‘ weaponization ’ by the far right as they do with all minority groups and with all symbols of national prestige in every country ( for instance ‘ Britain First ’ attempt to do this with Reformed Christianity in England and here ) .
The far right ’ s obsession here with halal meat is akin to the obsession with the head scarf in France .
The principle of laïcité units the centre left and right in France , it is an issue of little dispute among the mainstream .
The links @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 19th century period is deep , Napoleon Bonaparte was ( according to Zamyski , Napoleon 2018 ) unimpressed with the united Irishman leader Thoebald Wolfe Tone .
However , this is for another article and another debate .
The united men agonised over Irish intolerance and longed for the same model of secularism as adopted by the French .
Unfortunately for posterity by 1905 such ideals had receded greatly in Ireland , Protestants of course continued to engage within nationalism but by the time of Yeat ’ s publication of “ Responsibilities ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ significant fault lines as explained by Gerald Dawe : [ the poems ] …question the dreamy Celticism of his previous work and turn , often with bitterness , upon nationalist leaders of a cause Yeats had long espoused ( independence from Britain and the fostering of a national literature ) but which he saw turning into narrow dogma .
Responsibilities records his disillusionment .
By the time he was decrying the onset of Catholic ascendency in the Southern State it was already too late , the dream of a secular united state was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unification ( see Yeats ’ 1925 Seanad Speech ) .
Irishness , sadly , became infused with the allegiance to the Southern State and with the Roman Catholic hierarchy .
Protestants retreated into a new Britishness that was post imperial , defensive and dealing with the realities of managed decline .
But what about today ?
Could a more French understanding of secularism be a true catalyst to healing national fracture ?
This is broader than the mere jurisprudence of French human rights law , but consider this ; France is one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is a theology long associated as by incompatible with secularism ( especially in the northern protestant mind with many Christian dominations all shielded behind what they view as an Anglo-Saxon legal order and a way of life ) but for a century and more the French have been united by an inclusive secular national identity that you are first French , everything else is secondary .
If it works in France then perhaps it is time to examine it working in Ireland , the disillusionment with the Catholic establishment is the catalyst @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of approval would be a constitution with these strong secular safeguards and a liberty of conscience that would create a unifying sense of Irishness to the envy of all of Europe .
“ “ Liberte – Egalite – Fraternite ” = Liberty , equality , fraternity ( brotherhood ) ” by Tilemahos Efthimiadis is licensed under CC BY

In France they have a law which has its written roots in 1905 but the principles steam back to the 1790 revolution which saw ‘Liberté, égalité, fraternité’ emblazoned into the national character and constitution of this large European nation. The law is called laïcité and it is at serious odds with Anglo-Saxon inherited concepts of what it is to be tolerant within a community.
So much of our own understanding of modern Europe and modern Ireland stem from the thinking of this era, above all the concept of the nation state being the first point of contact on global affairs. But in Ireland and Britain this is mainly manifested through the idea of popular sovereignty which saw a comeback in the Brexit debates with the country dividing down the middle on its interpretation with little thought to the minority who argued that sovereign rights of the state is more often at odds with the sovereign rights of an individual. So too there is a debate when it comes to the expression of spirituality in the public square.
To explain laïcité I will borrow from Foreign Policy magazine:
Laïcité “assures the liberty of conscience” of all French citizens, the new [1905] law read. This law was given further elaboration in the constitution of the Fifth (and current) Republic: Laïcité “assures the equality of all citizens before the law, without distinction to their origin, race, or religion. It respects all religious beliefs.”
So far it reads like a carbon copy of the American first amendment which bars the way for their congress to establish any religion or bind the conscience of their citizenry. But there is a marked difference from the American ‘negative’ form of religious liberty (See Berlin Two concepts of Liberty).
In France nobody is permitted to involve religious symbolism in public life. To give full context it must be said that the constitution of France does obviously guarantee a negative right to religious liberty and this is of course unimpeded as in every nation adhering to the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
The marked difference, harshly claimed as a ‘Fundamentalist Secularism’ by detractors, is that in public life religious symbolism is subordinate to the national identity of being French. This thinking is rooted in the revolutionary patriotism that was rife in France throughout the 19th century where like Ireland since the Williamite wars the suffered through a cycle of revolution and counter revolution.
This has, it must be noted, been used as a great stick by the far right to argue against the assimilation of Islam into French society. They argue that Islam is incompatible with ‘French values’ like secularism, however I feel that this is wrong and many point to this as being nothing more than a ‘weaponization’ by the far right as they do with all minority groups and with all symbols of national prestige in every country (for instance ‘Britain First’ attempt to do this with Reformed Christianity in England and here). The far right’s obsession here with halal meat is akin to the obsession with the head scarf in France. The principle of laïcité units the centre left and right in France, it is an issue of little dispute among the mainstream.
The links between Ireland and France throughout 18th and 19th century period is deep, Napoleon Bonaparte was (according to Zamyski, Napoleon 2018) unimpressed with the united Irishman leader Thoebald Wolfe Tone. However, this is for another article and another debate. The united men agonised over Irish intolerance and longed for the same model of secularism as adopted by the French.
Unfortunately for posterity by 1905 such ideals had receded greatly in Ireland, Protestants of course continued to engage within nationalism but by the time of Yeat’s publication of “Responsibilities” in 1914 there already appeared to be significant fault lines as explained by Gerald Dawe:
[the poems] …question the dreamy Celticism of his previous work and turn, often with bitterness, upon nationalist leaders of a cause Yeats had long espoused (independence from Britain and the fostering of a national literature) but which he saw turning into narrow dogma. Responsibilities records his disillusionment.
(2020 Sound of the Shuttle)
By the time he was decrying the onset of Catholic ascendency in the Southern State it was already too late, the dream of a secular united state was dead and with it any hope of unification (see Yeats’ 1925 Seanad Speech). Irishness, sadly, became infused with the allegiance to the Southern State and with the Roman Catholic hierarchy. Protestants retreated into a new Britishness that was post imperial, defensive and dealing with the realities of managed decline.
But what about today? Could a more French understanding of secularism be a true catalyst to healing national fracture? This is broader than the mere jurisprudence of French human rights law, but consider this; France is one of Europe’s largest Catholic majority nations which is a theology long associated as by incompatible with secularism (especially in the northern protestant mind with many Christian dominations all shielded behind what they view as an Anglo-Saxon legal order and a way of life) but for a century and more the French have been united by an inclusive secular national identity that you are first French, everything else is secondary.
If it works in France then perhaps it is time to examine it working in Ireland, the disillusionment with the Catholic establishment is the catalyst, in any unity arrangement the seal of approval would be a constitution with these strong secular safeguards and a liberty of conscience that would create a unifying sense of Irishness to the envy of all of Europe.
““Liberte – Egalite – Fraternite” = Liberty, equality, fraternity (brotherhood)” by Tilemahos Efthimiadis is licensed under CC BY


sluggerotoole--2020-04-03--The Irish News should buy the News Letter…

I have been thinking about the death spiral of newspapers .
If the internet was not bad enough , along comes Covid-19 to wipe out sales and advertising revenue .
In particular , I have been contemplating the fate of the News Letter .
As you may know , it is the oldest English language daily newspaper still in publication , having first been printed in 1737 .
Now whatever you think of its politics or the opinions of some of its writers , you would have to agree from a historical and cultural perspective it is important it survives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ JPI Media , a massive media company with over 150 titles .
But they have been going through their own financial misfortunes .
With sales down to only 11k , the News Letter is in bad shape .
To be frank they could be looking at more cuts or even closure .
On the other hand , the Irish News is in decent shape , selling about 30k copies a day .
It is now the top-selling local paper .
The once mightly Belfast Telegraph is a shadow of its former self on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cost-saving synergies to be had by the Irish News buying the News Letter .
They can share offices , tech platforms , ad sales , administration , printing facilities etc .
Because the market for each title is so diverse very few people buy both so it would be easy to share politically non-contentious content between the two titles eg business news , sport , features etc .
They can still keep their respective political viewpoints with separate political journalists .
Now the obvious stumbling block .
The Irish News is owned by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the most prominent Catholic families in Northern Ireland – not an obvious fit for the Unionist leaning News Letter .
BUT hear me out .
The Fitzpatrick family respect and represent local journalism .
They also respect culture and tradition .
The News Letter needs a stable owner , and the Fitzpatricks could deliver that .
As I said with Covid-19 all newspapers are getting hit hard and I am sure the Irish News is bleeding cash at the moment like the rest of the industry .
This proposal assumes some kind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a return to life as normal which will happen at some stage .
I suspect you could buy the News Letter at zero or a very low cost , JPI Media might be more than likely be happy to get it their books .
Can I stress this is only my idea .
The Fitzpatricks might have absolutely no interest in buying the News Letter .
Jim Fitzpatrick may be in his late 80s now , but I wonder if the thought of pulling off one last big deal would be tempting ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ sense in buying an asset in a market that is declining , but owning the oldest English language daily newspaper is an attractive prize .
Photo by stevepb is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA

I have been thinking about the death spiral of newspapers. If the internet was not bad enough, along comes Covid-19 to wipe out sales and advertising revenue. In particular, I have been contemplating the fate of the News Letter. As you may know, it is the oldest English language daily newspaper still in publication, having first been printed in 1737. Now whatever you think of its politics or the opinions of some of its writers, you would have to agree from a historical and cultural perspective it is important it survives.
The News Letter is owned by JPI Media, a massive media company with over 150 titles. But they have been going through their own financial misfortunes. With sales down to only 11k, the News Letter is in bad shape. To be frank they could be looking at more cuts or even closure.
On the other hand, the Irish News is in decent shape, selling about 30k copies a day. It is now the top-selling local paper. The once mightly Belfast Telegraph is a shadow of its former self on paid sales of 25k.
There are cost-saving synergies to be had by the Irish News buying the News Letter. They can share offices, tech platforms, ad sales, administration, printing facilities etc. Because the market for each title is so diverse very few people buy both so it would be easy to share politically non-contentious content between the two titles eg business news, sport, features etc. They can still keep their respective political viewpoints with separate political journalists.
Now the obvious stumbling block. The Irish News is owned by the Fitzpatrick family, who are one of the most prominent Catholic families in Northern Ireland – not an obvious fit for the Unionist leaning News Letter. BUT hear me out. The Fitzpatrick family respect and represent local journalism. They also respect culture and tradition. The News Letter needs a stable owner, and the Fitzpatricks could deliver that.
As I said with Covid-19 all newspapers are getting hit hard and I am sure the Irish News is bleeding cash at the moment like the rest of the industry. This proposal assumes some kind of government support for local publishing and a return to life as normal which will happen at some stage. I suspect you could buy the News Letter at zero or a very low cost, JPI Media might be more than likely be happy to get it their books.
Can I stress this is only my idea. The Fitzpatricks might have absolutely no interest in buying the News Letter. Jim Fitzpatrick may be in his late 80s now, but I wonder if the thought of pulling off one last big deal would be tempting? There would likely be very little financial sense in buying an asset in a market that is declining, but owning the oldest English language daily newspaper is an attractive prize.
Photo by stevepb is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA


Glossary: The #Thuggerati…

Much as I ’ d love to claim the bragging rights , checking Twitter , thuggerati turns up sporadically over the last six years to describe a targetted badgering of individuals who speak against a given party or even a government ’ s position .
Although the behaviour is prevalent here it is not specific to Northern Ireland .
It is associated with authoritarian leaderships of both left and right and its specific aim is the organised suppression of dissent .
This was my own first use of it on Twitter… It ’ s an extension of the ‘ fair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier posts in the Glossary category here on Slugger ) .
It is an often well-organised part of a ‘ re-tribalising ’ process as described in Jamie Bartlett ’ s The People vs Tech : Anonymous Thuggerati operate as a sort of “ fog machine ” aimed at sowing doubt and discouraging critical discussion of otherwise tractable realities .
It features the introduction of taboos on specific forms of information or categories of news .
It involves the simplification of complex matter of common interest , confirmation of ingroup bias and endless repetition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ views towards a given party or government and isolate and ostracise unfavourable ones .
Thuggerati behaviours are also associated with controversies like Gamergate and the use of forums like 8Chan to co-ordinate and pre-prove attack lines on targets , which can scale the antisocial effect of the outputs of a relatively small number of players .
This behaviour thrives in unmoderated network platforms like Facebook and Twitter that have , by default , become the backrooms of western democracy .
It is a shadow opportunity provided by their homophilous filter bubbles .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bug .
Its overall effect is to increase cynicism and apathy while it reduces available opportunities for purpose-led debate , materially engaged conversations amongst peers and open-ended , tolerant and transformative dialogue between opponents .
Photo by MetsikGarden is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA

Much as I’d love to claim the bragging rights, checking Twitter, thuggerati turns up sporadically over the last six years to describe a targetted badgering of individuals who speak against a given party or even a government’s position.
Although the behaviour is prevalent here it is not specific to Northern Ireland. It is associated with authoritarian leaderships of both left and right and its specific aim is the organised suppression of dissent. This was my own first use of it on Twitter…
https://twitter.com/mickfealty/status/1245223439050452994
It’s an extension of the ‘fair game‘ rule (well documented in earlier posts in the Glossary category here on Slugger). It is an often well-organised part of a ‘re-tribalising’ process as described in Jamie Bartlett’s The People vs Tech:
…opponents can only be incoherent babblers, sinister Machiavellians, oppressors who don’t understand your suffering. Disagreement over practical issues starts to involve purity and impurity: at which point there are no negotiable principles, just team loyalities. ‘We’ are good and pure, while ‘they’ are evil and corrupt.
Anonymous Thuggerati operate as a sort of “fog machine” aimed at sowing doubt and discouraging critical discussion of otherwise tractable realities. It features the introduction of taboos on specific forms of information or categories of news.
It involves the simplification of complex matter of common interest, confirmation of ingroup bias and endless repetition of memes in order to inculcate favourable views towards a given party or government and isolate and ostracise unfavourable ones.
Thuggerati behaviours are also associated with controversies like Gamergate and the use of forums like 8Chan to co-ordinate and pre-prove attack lines on targets, which can scale the antisocial effect of the outputs of a relatively small number of players.
This behaviour thrives in unmoderated network platforms like Facebook and Twitter that have, by default, become the backrooms of western democracy. It is a shadow opportunity provided by their homophilous filter bubbles. So it’s a feature, not a bug.
Its overall effect is to increase cynicism and apathy while it reduces available opportunities for purpose-led debate, materially engaged conversations amongst peers and open-ended, tolerant and transformative dialogue between opponents.
Photo by MetsikGarden is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA