ukcolumn--2020-04-24--UK Column News - 24th April 2020

UK Column News - 24th April 2020

Mike Robinson and Patrick Henningsen with today 's UK Column News , bringing you the latest Coronavirus updates .
START – CoronaVirus statistics update Bill Gates article : the first modern pandemic This is not about the pandemic , it is about permanently changing human behaviour… Why the lockdown… ?
European death rate has barely changed 21 Wire : Calfornia – new study shows higher CV cases with much lower death rate The new driver of fatalities : alcoholism , spousal abuse , child abuse , anxiety , depression These fatalities are only happening because of politicians choosing to lockdown… @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are far lower than lockdown areas UKC Twitter poll : Should UK public trust Bill Gates – 92 % do not trust him 19:40 – Dominic Raab : armed forces working side-by-side with NHS offers reassurance 77 Brigade : waging information warfare on the British people Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden : we ’ ve rebutted 70 false CV claims per week Many of these false claims came from the MainStream Media… 1984 : Julian Knight MP asks the public to snitch on people over ‘ false ’ CV information Intellectual research is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MSM 29:32 – The Economist : is China winning… ?
China ambassador rages at West for adopting ‘ gunboat diplomacy ’ to ‘ bully ’ China West rails against China while adopting all of China ’ s CoronaVirus policies The Nightingale gesture : ‘ A Big Idea ’ … ‘ Made in China ’ …a photo op No patients treated at Birmingham ’ s Nightingale hospital so far after opening 10 days ago Temporary hospitals in US taken down after treating zero patients… Is this a good way to spend public money… ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ air in China Mosquito spraying in the Middle East has led to an increase in cancer 21 Wire : Palantir hired to track Americans with Chinese-style surveillance App… CoronaVirus : no bigger fatality rate than a seasonal flu 48:02 – George Soros : the EU should issue perpetual bonds Perpetual bonds : interest to be paid in perpetuity… ONS : retail sales drop 5.1 % in March ( before lockdown was fully in place ) The lockdown is not justified - very big economic problems lie ahead

Mike Robinson and Patrick Henningsen with today's UK Column News, bringing you the latest Coronavirus updates.
START – CoronaVirus statistics update
Bill Gates article: the first modern pandemic
This is not about the pandemic, it is about permanently changing human behaviour…
Why the lockdown…? European death rate has barely changed
21 Wire: Calfornia – new study shows higher CV cases with much lower death rate
The new driver of fatalities: alcoholism, spousal abuse, child abuse, anxiety, depression
These fatalities are only happening because of politicians choosing to lockdown…
Save Lives: non-lockdown area death rates are far lower than lockdown areas
UKC Twitter poll: Should UK public trust Bill Gates – 92% do not trust him
19:40 – Dominic Raab: armed forces working side-by-side with NHS offers reassurance
77 Brigade: waging information warfare on the British people
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden: we’ve rebutted 70 false CV claims per week
Many of these false claims came from the MainStream Media…
1984: Julian Knight MP asks the public to snitch on people over ‘false’ CV information
Intellectual research is not achieved by only following the government and MSM
29:32 – The Economist: is China winning…?
China ambassador rages at West for adopting ‘gunboat diplomacy’ to ‘bully’ China
West rails against China while adopting all of China’s CoronaVirus policies
The Nightingale gesture: ‘A Big Idea’…‘Made in China’…a photo op
No patients treated at Birmingham’s Nightingale hospital so far after opening 10 days ago
Temporary hospitals in US taken down after treating zero patients…
Is this a good way to spend public money…?
Drones spraying ‘disinfectant’ from the air in China
Mosquito spraying in the Middle East has led to an increase in cancer
21 Wire: Palantir hired to track Americans with Chinese-style surveillance App…
CoronaVirus: no bigger fatality rate than a seasonal flu
48:02 – George Soros: the EU should issue perpetual bonds
Perpetual bonds: interest to be paid in perpetuity…
ONS: retail sales drop 5.1% in March (before lockdown was fully in place)
The lockdown is not justified - very big economic problems lie ahead


ukcolumn--2020-04-23--Exercise Cygnus: UK Government Exercise Justifies Covid-19 Lockdown

It ’ s April 2020 , and since March , the UK has swiftly commissioned and built vast , temporary , intensive care hospitals , in readiness for a predicted epidemic number of severe COVID-19 cases .
They are called NHS Nightingale Hospitals , and to date there are seven of them , either open or planned .
The first one was announced on 24 March by the Health Secretary , Matt Hancock , and was opened almost immediately on 3 April at the London Excel Centre .
It has a capacity of some 4,000 beds .
The other temporary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Birmingham , Bristol , Exeter , Harrogate , and Washington .
Additionally , over the last month , some 8,000 beds in private hospitals have been re-assigned for Covid-19 use , along with other NHS beds in hospitals all over the UK .
By the beginning of April , one third of all non-ICU beds NHS beds had been converted into potential ICU beds for possible Covid-19 patients .
Yet , by 12 April , the London Nightingale had treated just 19 patients , and to date , only 41 patients have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unusual and unprecedented .
We regularly have seasonal infectious illnesses spread throughout the population ; in fact in recent years , some of these epidemic diseases were also predicted well in advance .
Yet no new mega-hospitals , temporary or otherwise , were ever built to cope with them , nor were they seen to be needed .
Why now ?
According to the King ’ s Fund , over the last thirty years , the number of ICU beds has declined , at a time when the population has risen .
Over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ general and critical care beds in England have been lost .
Peter Donaghy , an independent data analyst , reports that the UK now comes near the bottom of the world league in the number of hospital beds per head of population : in 2019 , and across the four UK nations , he found that there are about 5.7 ICU beds per 100,000 of the population [ interpolation of his figures mine ] .
Cyprus has double that number , Germany has 29 , the USA 34 , and even Kazakhstan and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bed shortages are not news , however .
In 2008 , it was revealed that 32,000 beds of all types had been cut in the decade since 1997 , when , ironically , the Blair government came into power on a ticket of increasing the number of hospital beds .
Between 2010 and 2017 there were 70,000 fewer intensive care beds in the UK : In 2016 , the Royal College of Surgeons had complained of chronic bed shortages , so much so that the occupancy rates had gone beyond 89 % , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safe level .
This complaint was made just before the British Medical Association chimed in , reporting on the shortage of beds being more severe than in other Western countries , and that such overcrowding can lead to the spread of infections .
And in 2018 , the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine ( FICM ) astonishingly reported that across the UK , 80 % of intensive care units were sending patients to other hospitals , either because of a lack of beds or a shortage of staff , particularly nurses .
To @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was being reported by the British Medical Association that ICU beds had begun to be used for patients recovering from routine operations , and that when more emergency beds were needed , a policy of “ escalation beds ” came into force .
The BMA drily reported that there was “ little sign of this practice ending ” .
When one thinks of the NHS , intensive care is at the heart of most people ’ s perceptions of it .
Yet the decline in the number of ICU beds over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s as if some monster deus ex machina has intervened and decided not only that the general numbers of hospital beds are of little import , but that intensive care beds are even more expendable .
But whatever the case , in the event of a mass epidemic , the consequences of ICU bed shortages were indeed grim prior to 2020 .
What official policies have the post-Blair governments been maintaining throughout this decline in the number of ICU beds ?
To get a general feel , looking back to 2011 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pandemic Preparedness Strategy Paper , outlining what the official response to a hypothetical pandemic should be .
This paper appears to have been written largely in response to the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak .
Its precautionary approach stresses that actions following the emergence of a pandemic , which could occur suddenly at any time : • be proportional to the level of threat • emergency powers must last no longer than 30 days Significantly , it states that during any pandemic , it should be “ business as usual ” and notes that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier , 2007 , National Framework paper ’ s “ defence in depth ” approach to a pandemic .
The Pandemic Preparedness Strategy Paper also makes clear that military personnel are not to be redeployed during a pandemic , but must remain on their normal defence duties .
So of course , this means that they were not to be used to help build vast temporary hospitals , transport patients , or manage the public .
In fact , the paper is silent on any hospital bed policies ; it takes it as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ICU beds for the treatment of pandemic disease patients – for in 2009 ’ s H1N1 swine flu outbreak , generally , hospitals may have just coped with finding enough beds for acute H1N1 patients .
There were 540,000 cases of swine flu in England , and 138 fatalities at the time , or 0.026 % of those infected .
Following the publication of the 2011 preparedness paper , however , the number of ICU beds continued to fall .
Then , five years later , government held an unusual and secretive event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government departments , all local authorities , and the NHS , right across the UK .
Its report has not been published for “ national security reasons ” and so as not to “ frighten the public ” .
However , according to those with first-hand knowledge of the operation , Cygnus ’ script contained a scenario of a patent lack of capacity in ICU beds and personal protective equipment .
Based on its given hypotheses , it predicted that thousands more critical care beds would be required , large parts of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to redeploy staff , frail patients would be denied care , and mortuaries would be overwhelmed .
Was this just an experiment to see how the public sector actors involved would react to each other , like some kind of Grand Guignol ?
Did the exercise take its inspiration from the memorably twisted 2012 London Olympics ceremony , in which rows of thousands of NHS patients in hospital beds , in a dark auditorium looking like a Nightingale Hospital , were danced around by strange beasts and actors wearing scrubs ?
The modelling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , London , under the aegis of Neil Ferguson , who is also now doing the modelling of Covid-19 .
Tellingly , it is said that last month ’ s Coronavirus Act , the emergency legislation which underpins the lockdown , is based on his modelling in Exercise Cygnus .
Ferguson ’ s involvement in the Coronavirus crisis does raise other questions – for further coverage see Vanessa Beeley ’ s article : Who controls the British Government response to Covid–19 ?
Outside of the strange artificial world of Exercise Cygnus , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Surgeons continued to complain about bed shortages .
So why was there no turnaround policy introduced at least by 2016 after these professional outcries ?
The Health Secretary at the time was Jeremy Hunt .
Simon Stevens was Chief of NHS England .
Both had been involved in cutting bed numbers .
Yet , since 2016 , and prior to the COVID-19 outbreak , with Sir Simon Stevens still at the helm , there appears to have been no general improvement in ICU bed capacity .
Following Exercise Cygnus , in 2017 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ internal paper called Emergency Preparedness , Resilience and Response ( EPRR ) .
Its approach is centred on three Acts of Parliament : The Civil Contingency Act ( 2004 ) , The NHS Act ( 2006 ) , and the Health and Social Care Act ( 2012 ) .
Drawn up by Director of Operations and Information for the NHS Board , Matthew Swindells ( sic ) , it asks the Board to agree that progress had been made in EPRR over the last year , and that the NHS was in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rubber stamped , but as we have seen above , the somewhat rosy , self-congratulatory picture that was approved by the NHS Board was shown to be completely incorrect by Statista in 2017 , and later , by the Faculty of Intensive Care in 2018 , the BMA in 2019 , and Peter Donaghy in 2020 .
Back to Exercise Cygnus .
This was supposed to be merely a computer simulation .
So why would it be an issue of “ national security ” ?
Why would it “ frighten the public ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change the real world into its simulated image ?
It ’ s an uncanny coincidence that , after the Coronavirus pandemic was declared , it was announced that there were not enough ICU beds or personal protective equipment , that NHS staff have been redeployed to other areas , that hospitalised elderly patients have been denied care through the use of “ Do Not Resuscitate ” orders , and large , temporary , mortuaries have also been built up and down the country , just as in the simulation .
Since the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been non-stop media coverage propagandising the numbers of cases and deaths , and its threat .
All the while , there have been regular reports that many ICU beds are empty , that beds of other sorts are empty , and that although accident and emergency visits are down , people with serious conditions telephoning the NHS advice and triage number , are being told to “ Stay at home – Save the NHS – Save Lives ” .
Many of these callers have then died for lack of care .
It has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been lowered by the government , and that there has been encouragement to register anyone who dies , of any underlying condition , as a Covid-19 death .
There need be no objective verification of the existence of Covid-19 to register a death as being caused by it .
Despite these efforts to inflate the death rate , actual mortality rates since the beginning of this crisis do not show that we are in the middle of a pandemic , and actual critical case numbers are not overwhelming the NHS 's depleted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Covid-19 is not mirroring Exercise Cygnus ’ computer-generated scenario .
The government response , however , seems to match it exactly .

It’s April 2020, and since March, the UK has swiftly commissioned and built vast, temporary, intensive care hospitals, in readiness for a predicted epidemic number of severe COVID-19 cases.
They are called NHS Nightingale Hospitals, and to date there are seven of them, either open or planned. The first one was announced on 24 March by the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, and was opened almost immediately on 3 April at the London Excel Centre. It has a capacity of some 4,000 beds. The other temporary field hospital sites are in Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Bristol, Exeter, Harrogate, and Washington.
Additionally, over the last month, some 8,000 beds in private hospitals have been re-assigned for Covid-19 use, along with other NHS beds in hospitals all over the UK. By the beginning of April, one third of all non-ICU NHS beds had been converted into potential ICU beds for possible Covid-19 patients. Yet, by 12 April, the London Nightingale had treated just 19 patients, and to date, only 41 patients have been treated.
This sudden blitz is both unusual and unprecedented. We regularly have seasonal infectious illnesses spread throughout the population; in fact in recent years, some of these epidemic diseases were also predicted well in advance. Yet no new mega-hospitals, temporary or otherwise, were ever built to cope with them, nor were they seen to be needed. Why now?
According to the King’s Fund, over the last thirty years, the number of ICU beds has declined, at a time when the population has risen. Over that period, around 34% of general and critical care beds in England have been lost.
Peter Donaghy, an independent data analyst, reports that the UK now comes near the bottom of the world league in the number of hospital beds per head of population: in 2019, and across the four UK nations, he found that there are about 5.7 ICU beds per 100,000 of the population [interpolation of his figures mine]. Cyprus has double that number, Germany has 29, the USA 34, and even Kazakhstan and Mongolia do better than the UK.
Bed shortages are not news, however. In 2008, it was revealed that 32,000 beds of all types had been cut in the decade since 1997, when, ironically, the Blair government came into power on a ticket of increasing the number of hospital beds.
Between 2010 and 2017 there were 70,000 fewer intensive care beds in the UK:
In 2016, the Royal College of Surgeons had complained of chronic bed shortages, so much so that the occupancy rates had gone beyond 89%, when 85% is considered the maximum safe level. This complaint was made just before the British Medical Association chimed in, reporting on the shortage of beds being more severe than in other Western countries, and that such overcrowding can lead to the spread of infections.
And in 2018, the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine (FICM) astonishingly reported that across the UK, 80% of intensive care units were sending patients to other hospitals, either because of a lack of beds or a shortage of staff, particularly nurses.
To cap things off, by 2019, it was being reported by the British Medical Association that ICU beds had begun to be used for patients recovering from routine operations, and that when more emergency beds were needed, a policy of “escalation beds” came into force. The BMA drily reported that there was “little sign of this practice ending”.
When one thinks of the NHS, intensive care is at the heart of most people’s perceptions of it. Yet the decline in the number of ICU beds over the last 30 years is so counterintuitive that it’s as if some monster deus ex machina has intervened and decided not only that the general numbers of hospital beds are of little import, but that intensive care beds are even more expendable. But whatever the case, in the event of a mass epidemic, the consequences of ICU bed shortages were indeed grim prior to 2020.
What official policies have the post-Blair governments been maintaining throughout this decline in the number of ICU beds?
To get a general feel, looking back to 2011, the government published the UK Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Strategy Paper, outlining what the official response to a hypothetical pandemic should be.
This paper appears to have been written largely in response to the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak. Its precautionary approach stresses that actions following the emergence of a pandemic, which could occur suddenly at any time:
must be evidence based
be proportional to the level of threat
be flexible
be based on ethical principles.
emergency powers must last no longer than 30 days
Significantly, it states that during any pandemic, it should be “business as usual” and notes that its recommendations are in line with an earlier, 2007, National Framework paper’s “defence in depth” approach to a pandemic.
The Pandemic Preparedness Strategy Paper also makes clear that military personnel are not to be redeployed during a pandemic, but must remain on their normal defence duties. So of course, this means that they were not to be used to help build vast temporary hospitals, transport patients, or manage the public.
Military convoy off the coast at Devonport on the morning of 23 March, the day Boris Johnson announced the lockdown
In fact, the paper is silent on any hospital bed policies; it takes it as read that there would be enough UK ICU beds for the treatment of pandemic disease patients – for in 2009’s H1N1 swine flu outbreak, generally, hospitals may have just coped with finding enough beds for acute H1N1 patients. There were 540,000 cases of swine flu in England, and 138 fatalities at the time, or 0.026% of those infected.
Exercise Cygnus
Following the publication of the 2011 preparedness paper, however, the number of ICU beds continued to fall. Then, five years later, government held an unusual and secretive event called Exercise Cygnus.
It involved all government departments, all local authorities, and the NHS, right across the UK. Its report has not been published for “national security reasons” and so as not to “frighten the public”. However, according to those with first-hand knowledge of the operation, Cygnus’ script contained a scenario of a patent lack of capacity in ICU beds and personal protective equipment.
Based on its given hypotheses, it predicted that thousands more critical care beds would be required, large parts of the NHS would need to be switched off to redeploy staff, frail patients would be denied care, and mortuaries would be overwhelmed.
Was this just an experiment to see how the public sector actors involved would react to each other, like some kind of Grand Guignol? Did the exercise take its inspiration from the memorably twisted 2012 London Olympics ceremony, in which rows of thousands of NHS patients in hospital beds, in a dark auditorium looking like a Nightingale Hospital, were danced around by strange beasts and actors wearing scrubs?
The modelling of Cygnus was done by Imperial College, London, under the aegis of Neil Ferguson, who is also now doing the modelling of Covid-19.
Tellingly, it is said that last month’s Coronavirus Act, the emergency legislation which underpins the lockdown, is based on his modelling in Exercise Cygnus. Ferguson’s involvement in the Coronavirus crisis does raise other questions – for further coverage see Vanessa Beeley’s article: Who controls the British Government response to Covid–19?
Outside of the strange artificial world of Exercise Cygnus, the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Surgeons continued to complain about bed shortages. So why was there no turnaround policy introduced at least by 2016 after these professional outcries?
The Health Secretary at the time was Jeremy Hunt. Simon Stevens was Chief of NHS England. Both had been involved in cutting bed numbers. Yet, since 2016, and prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, with Sir Simon Stevens still at the helm, there appears to have been no general improvement in ICU bed capacity.
Following Exercise Cygnus, in 2017, the NHS Board published a short internal paper called Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR). Its approach is centred on three Acts of Parliament: the Civil Contingencies Act (2004), the NHS Act (2006), and the Health and Social Care Act (2012).
Drawn up by Director of Operations and Information for the NHS Board, Matthew Swindells (sic), it asks the Board to agree that progress had been made in EPRR over the last year, and that the NHS was in a state of pandemic readiness. EPRR was rubber stamped, but as we have seen above, the somewhat rosy, self-congratulatory picture that was approved by the NHS Board was shown to be completely incorrect by Statista in 2017, and later, by the Faculty of Intensive Care in 2018, the BMA in 2019, and Peter Donaghy in 2020.
Back to Exercise Cygnus. This was supposed to be merely a computer simulation. So why would it be an issue of “national security”? Why would it “frighten the public”? Perhaps because it was intended to change the real world into its simulated image?
It’s an uncanny coincidence that, after the Coronavirus pandemic was declared, it was announced that there were not enough ICU beds or personal protective equipment, that NHS staff have been redeployed to other areas, that hospitalised elderly patients have been denied care through the use of “Do Not Resuscitate” orders, and large, temporary, mortuaries have also been built up and down the country, just as in the simulation.
Temporary mortuary set up in Ernesettle Fort, Plymouth
Since the first reported UK Covid-19 case, there has been non-stop media coverage propagandising the numbers of cases and deaths, and its threat. All the while, there have been regular reports that many ICU beds are empty, that beds of other sorts are empty, and that although accident and emergency visits are down, people with serious conditions telephoning the NHS advice and triage number, are being told to “Stay at home – Save the NHS – Save Lives”. Many of these callers have then died for lack of care.
It has also emerged that standards in death registration have been lowered by the government, and that there has been encouragement to register anyone who dies, of any underlying condition, as a Covid-19 death. There need be no objective verification of the existence of Covid-19 to register a death as being caused by it.
Despite these efforts to inflate the death rate, actual mortality rates since the beginning of this crisis do not show that we are in the middle of a pandemic, and actual critical case numbers are not overwhelming the NHS's depleted intensive care units. In that regard, Covid-19 is not mirroring Exercise Cygnus’ computer-generated scenario.
The government response, however, seems to match it exactly.


ukcolumn--2020-04-26--The British Military Information War Waged On Their Own Population

Last Wednesday , during the daily UK Government Coronavirus livestream , the head of the British Army , General Sir Nick Carter , bragged : To understand the implications of this statement , we have to go back to 2018 , when Carter gave a speech to the Royal United Services Institute .
“ In our 77th Brigade , ” he said , “ ... we have got some remarkable talent when it comes to social media , production design , and indeed Arabic poetry .
Those sorts of skills we can ’ t afford to retain in the Regular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us delivering capability in a much more imaginative way than we might have been able to do in the past.
” Previously known as the ‘ Security Assistance Group ’ , 77th Brigade was stood up in 2015 as part of ‘ Army 2020 ’ .
The Security Assistance Group had been established following the amalgamation of the Media Operations Group , 15 Psychological Operations Group , Security Capacity Building Team , and the Military Stabilisation and Support Group .
77th Brigade is described on their website as being about ‘ information and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mean ?
General Carter again : It is in this context , then , that Carter ’ s words from last week ’ s livestream should be viewed .
Carter has acknowledged that the British military is waging war on a section of its own population .
Carter mentioned working with the Cabinet Office ’ s ‘ Rapid Response Unit ’ .
Established in April 2018 and also known as the 'fake news unit ' , the Rapid Response Unit was given an initial six months ' funding .
It brought together a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and media and digital experts , ” armed with cutting-edge software , to “ work round the clock to monitor online breaking news stories and social media discussion.
” According to the RRU 's head , Alex Aiken : The unit ’ s round the clock monitoring service has identified several stories of concern during the pilot , ranging from the chemical weapons attack in Syria to domestic stories relating to the NHS and crime .
For example , following the Syria airstrikes , the unit identified that a number of false narratives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ online .
These “ alt-news ” sources are biased and rely on sensationalism rather than facts to pique readers ’ interest .
Due to the way that search engine algorithms work , when people searched for information on the strikes , these unreliable sources were appearing above official UK government information .
In fact , no government information was appearing on the first 15 pages of Google results .
We know that search is an excellent indicator of intention .
It can reflect bias in information received from elsewhere .
The unit therefore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bias – such as ‘ false flag ’ – were presented with factual information on the UK ’ s response .
The RRU improved the ranking from below 200 to number 1 within a matter of hours .
The Rapid Response Unit was given permanent funding in February 2019 .
Three months following the establishment of the Rapid Response Unit , Theresa May attended the G7 summit in Quebec , Canada .
There she announced the establishment of `` a new Rapid Response Mechanism '' , following Britain 's proposal for `` a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign interference across the G7 '' at the G7 Foreign Minister 's meeting the previous month .
The agreement sends `` a strong message that interference by Russia and other foreign states would not be tolerated , '' she said .
“ The Rapid Response Mechanism , ” she continued , `` will support preventative and protective cooperation between G7 countries , as well as post-incident responses '' , including : The UK government ’ s Rapid Response , then , is to create international agreement on a common narrative ( via the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an information war on its own people to make sure that narrative is protected in the media ( via the 'unit ' ) .
During Carter ’ s 2018 RUSI speech , he explained the role of the mainstream press in “ setting up a well-informed public debate ” .
He spoke about “ political warfare ” being war by other means , and he said that winning that war would require a “ fusion ” approach .
Here , he is referring to the Fusion Doctrine , which was launched during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 2015 National Security Capability Review .
“ Many capabilities , ” it said , “ that can contribute to national security lie outside traditional national security departments and so we need stronger partnerships across government and with the private and third sectors.
” It should come as no surprise , then , that the Cabinet Office ’ s Rapid Response Unit is not only working with the military ’ s 77th Brigade , but is “ leading on the ‘ rebuttal of false narratives ’ as part of the unit ... [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , DCMS , Number 10 and other agencies . ''
General Carter said his 77th Brigade is “ helping to quash rumours from misinformation , but also to counter disinformation.
” What misinformation and disinformation is 77th Brigade helping to quash ?
How much of the ‘ disinformation ’ originates from 77th Brigade in the first place ?
They not only ‘ counter ’ disinformation , but also watch social media , analysing how disinformation , including their own , spreads ; mapping the internet and the networks of people sharing content between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they have thousands deployed , and tens of thousands in reserve , not only in 77th Brigade directly , but right across government and the third sector .

Last Wednesday, during the daily UK Government Coronavirus livestream, the head of the British Army, General Sir Nick Carter, bragged:
We’ve been involved with the Cabinet Office Rapid Response Unit, with our 77th Brigade helping to quash rumours from misinformation, but also to counter disinformation. Between three and four thousand of our people have been involved, with around twenty thousand available the whole time at high readiness.
To understand the implications of this statement, we have to go back to 2018, when Carter gave a speech to the Royal United Services Institute.
“In our 77th Brigade,” he said, “... we have got some remarkable talent when it comes to social media, production design, and indeed Arabic poetry. Those sorts of skills we can’t afford to retain in the Regular component but they are the means of us delivering capability in a much more imaginative way than we might have been able to do in the past.”
77th Brigade
Previously known as the ‘Security Assistance Group’, 77th Brigade was stood up in 2015 as part of ‘Army 2020’. The Security Assistance Group had been established following the amalgamation of the Media Operations Group, 15 Psychological Operations Group, Security Capacity Building Team, and the Military Stabilisation and Support Group.
77th Brigade is described on their website as being about ‘information and outreach’. But what does that mean? General Carter again:
We also, though, need to continue to improve our ability to fight on this new battlefield, and I think it’s important that we build on the excellent foundation we’ve created for Information Warfare through our 77th Brigade, which is now giving us the capability to compete in the war of narratives at the tactical level. [Emphasis mine]
It is in this context, then, that Carter’s words from last week’s livestream should be viewed. Carter has acknowledged that the British military is waging war on a section of its own population.
A Rapid Response
Carter mentioned working with the Cabinet Office’s ‘Rapid Response Unit’. Established in April 2018 and also known as the 'fake news unit', the Rapid Response Unit was given an initial six months' funding. It brought together a “team of analysts, data scientists and media and digital experts,” armed with cutting-edge software, to “work round the clock to monitor online breaking news stories and social media discussion.”
According to the RRU's head, Alex Aiken:
The unit’s round the clock monitoring service has identified several stories of concern during the pilot, ranging from the chemical weapons attack in Syria to domestic stories relating to the NHS and crime. For example, following the Syria airstrikes, the unit identified that a number of false narratives from alternative news sources were gaining traction online. These “alt-news” sources are biased and rely on sensationalism rather than facts to pique readers’ interest. Due to the way that search engine algorithms work, when people searched for information on the strikes, these unreliable sources were appearing above official UK government information. In fact, no government information was appearing on the first 15 pages of Google results. We know that search is an excellent indicator of intention. It can reflect bias in information received from elsewhere. The unit therefore ensured those using search terms that indicated bias – such as ‘false flag’ – were presented with factual information on the UK’s response. The RRU improved the ranking from below 200 to number 1 within a matter of hours.
The Rapid Response Unit was given permanent funding in February 2019.
Three months following the establishment of the Rapid Response Unit, Theresa May attended the G7 summit in Quebec, Canada.
There she announced the establishment of "a new Rapid Response Mechanism", following Britain's proposal for "a new, more formalised approach to tackling foreign interference across the G7" at the G7 Foreign Minister's meeting the previous month.
The agreement sends "a strong message that interference by Russia and other foreign states would not be tolerated," she said.
“The Rapid Response Mechanism,” she continued, "will support preventative and protective cooperation between G7 countries, as well as post-incident responses", including:
co-ordinated attribution of hostile activity
joint work to assert a common narrative and response
The UK government’s Rapid Response, then, is to create international agreement on a common narrative (via the 'mechanism'), and then wage an information war on its own people to make sure that narrative is protected in the media (via the 'unit').
Fusion
During Carter’s 2018 RUSI speech, he explained the role of the mainstream press in “setting up a well-informed public debate”. He spoke about “political warfare” being war by other means, and he said that winning that war would require a “fusion” approach.
Here, he is referring to the Fusion Doctrine, which was launched during the Theresa May regime, as part of the 2015 National Security Capability Review.
“Many capabilities,” it said, “that can contribute to national security lie outside traditional national security departments and so we need stronger partnerships across government and with the private and third sectors.”
It should come as no surprise, then, that the Cabinet Office’s Rapid Response Unit is not only working with the military’s 77th Brigade, but is “leading on the ‘rebuttal of false narratives’ as part of the unit ... [that also] involves the Home Office, DCMS, Number 10 and other agencies."
The Corona-Narrative
General Carter said his 77th Brigade is “helping to quash rumours from misinformation, but also to counter disinformation.”
What misinformation and disinformation is 77th Brigade helping to quash? How much of the ‘disinformation’ originates from 77th Brigade in the first place?
Part of 77th Brigade’s role is:
Monitoring and evaluating the information environment within boundaries or operational area
They not only ‘counter’ disinformation, but also watch social media, analysing how disinformation, including their own, spreads; mapping the internet and the networks of people sharing content between each other.
And for that, they have thousands deployed, and tens of thousands in reserve, not only in 77th Brigade directly, but right across government and the third sector.


ukcolumn--2020-04-27--UK Column News - 27th April 2020

UK Column News - 27th April 2020

Brian Gerrish , Mike Robinson and David Scott with today 's UK Column News , bringing you the latest Coronavirus updates .
START – CoronaVirus statistics update Boris is back on the streets : this is the moment of maximum CV risk Public locked down = public locked up Who was Boris really speaking to… ?
EuroMomo website changed within hours of UK Column news bulletin last week… EuroMomo website shows that only England has not passed the CV peak… ?
CV ‘ second-wave ’ due to arrive here or just another chance to increase lockdown… ?
BBC & government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CV info from friends & family Hospitals still not showing signs of being overwhelmed Used for Aids : are CV death figures being manufactured to justify lockdown control… ?
Off Guardian article : the seven-step path from pandemic to totalitarianism 20:51 – Economy : US ‘ Federal Reserve ’ money-printing jumps to $ 205B just last week Bank of England also money-printing – wants more inflation… Bank of England to directly finance UK government ’ s extra spending Oil : Saudi Arabia sends 50 million barrels of oil to the US to attack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major increase in surveillance a ‘ price worth paying ’ … ?
Teflon Tony ’ s thinktank produces the report…CV seen as an ideology UK Column receives comment on 77 Brigade from whistleblower with former links 77 Brigade expanded via Cabinet Office with Google , Twitter , Facebook and others Who regulates the spying activity of 77 Brigade on the UK public… ?
BBC News busy pushing out Teflon Tony ’ s agenda… Integrity Initiative – where are they now… ?
UK Column article : the British military information war waged on their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ livestream details now available on UKC website Ian R. Crane moved to cottage hospital 40:55 – WHO ( October 2019 ) : little or no evidence for social distancing… March 2014 : brain-damaged UK victims of swine flu vaccine to get £60m compensation Italian politician Dr Laura Bulgano reads out shocking analysis of vaccine ingredients 44:56 – Scotland : Nicola Sturgeon ’ s CV response sounds like Common Purpose… Scotland to become collectivist and communitarian… ?
BBC : new ‘ stirring up ’ hate crime legislation put forward by Liberty The Conservative Woman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sturgeon Taliban Wellbeing was never defined…now hate crime also has no legal definition Sturgeon ’ s CV framework deliberately constrains people ’ s minds and limits options This is classic brainwashing 50:08 - Ireland : TUSLA censored death certificate so it ‘ can ’ t be found ’ TUSLA : a callous organisation at best – sinister is a better word

Brian Gerrish, Mike Robinson and David Scott with today's UK Column News, bringing you the latest Coronavirus updates.
START – CoronaVirus statistics update
Boris is back on the streets: this is the moment of maximum CV risk
Public locked down = public locked up
Who was Boris really speaking to…?
EuroMomo website changed within hours of UK Column news bulletin last week…
EuroMomo website shows that only England has not passed the CV peak…?
CV ‘second-wave’ due to arrive here or just another chance to increase lockdown…?
BBC & government warns public not to pay attention to CV info from friends & family
Hospitals still not showing signs of being overwhelmed
Used for Aids: are CV death figures being manufactured to justify lockdown control…?
Off Guardian article: the seven-step path from pandemic to totalitarianism
20:51 – Economy: US ‘Federal Reserve’ money-printing jumps to $205B just last week
Bank of England also money-printing – wants more inflation…
Bank of England to directly finance UK government’s extra spending
Oil: Saudi Arabia sends 50 million barrels of oil to the US to attack shale oil market
29:05 – Surveillance: major increase in surveillance a ‘price worth paying’…?
Teflon Tony’s thinktank produces the report…CV seen as an ideology
UK Column receives comment on 77 Brigade from whistleblower with former links
77 Brigade expanded via Cabinet Office with Google, Twitter, Facebook and others
Who regulates the spying activity of 77 Brigade on the UK public…?
BBC News busy pushing out Teflon Tony’s agenda…
Integrity Initiative – where are they now…?
UK Column article: the British military information war waged on their own population
39:28 – Alternative View 11 livestream details now available on UKC website
Ian R. Crane moved to cottage hospital
40:55 – WHO (October 2019): little or no evidence for social distancing…
March 2014: brain-damaged UK victims of swine flu vaccine to get £60m compensation
Italian politician Dr Laura Bulgano reads out shocking analysis of vaccine ingredients
44:56 – Scotland: Nicola Sturgeon’s CV response sounds like Common Purpose…
Scotland to become collectivist and communitarian…?
BBC: new ‘stirring up’ hate crime legislation put forward by Liberty
The Conservative Woman article: hate crime tyranny of the Sturgeon Taliban
Wellbeing was never defined…now hate crime also has no legal definition
Sturgeon’s CV framework deliberately constrains people’s minds and limits options
This is classic brainwashing
50:08 - Ireland: TUSLA censored death certificate so it ‘can’t be found’
TUSLA: a callous organisation at best – sinister is a better word


ukcolumn--2020-04-29--UK Column News - 29th April 2020

UK Column News - 29th April 2020

Brian Gerrish , Mike Robinson and Alex Thomson with today 's UK Column News , bringing you the latest Coronavirus updates .
START – Lockup goes on…CoronaVirus statistics update Why are the UK and Netherlands not publishing CV recovery rates… ?
Recovery rates don ’ t underpin the required narrative… ?
ONS excess mortality rate graph is complete chaos Death certificate causes labelled as CV even when death was not CV related… CoronaVirus lockdown ( lockup ) is killing more people than the virus Two Californian doctors on video questioning death rate figures : video removed Ireland : North and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their powers Dutch students heavily fined for standing together on their own balcony… Germans pushing back against ‘ compulsory ’ rule to wear masks More draconian laws : UK magistrates guidance – the Adult Court Bench Book Corrupt UK justice : bulk applications and no paperwork…a presumption of guilt World Health Organisation appears in Adult Court Bench Book Control the language and you control people ’ s thoughts and behaviour Major law changes are secretly going on outside of parliamentary and public view Juries now too ignorant to understand ‘ beyond reasonable doubt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Control of Disease ) Act 1984 – new CV addition to Act British Journal of Medical Practitioners – the right to consent : is it absolute… ?
32:06 – UKC viewers pick up on media language being cleverly crafted for effect UK Column viewer warning of government use of hypnotic language Read the Cabinet Office document Mindspace.pdf for more information New phrase : contact tracing – the ability for government to track us relentlessly 38:33 – Alternative View 11 live stream details now available on UKC website Neil Mackay : Scotland ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a national disgrace State control is now to be brought directly into homes with the power of fines… ?
Meet article writer Neil Mackay : very confused on privacy 44:46 – UKC article : British military information war waged on their own population Rand Europe : the utility of military force and public understanding in today ’ s Britain 53:30 – Ukraine : Westward Ho… ?
Saakashvili seeks return as vice premier… How do these corrupt people keep getting appointment recommendations… ?
This is the Sorosification of Eastern Europe NATO ’ s CoronaVirus @

Brian Gerrish, Mike Robinson and Alex Thomson with today's UK Column News, bringing you the latest Coronavirus updates.
START – Lockup goes on…CoronaVirus statistics update
Why are the UK and Netherlands not publishing CV recovery rates…?
Recovery rates don’t underpin the required narrative…?
ONS excess mortality rate graph is complete chaos
Death certificate causes labelled as CV even when death was not CV related…
CoronaVirus lockdown (lockup) is killing more people than the virus
Two Californian doctors on video questioning death rate figures: video removed
Ireland: North and South of border, government is exceeding their powers
Dutch students heavily fined for standing together on their own balcony…
Germans pushing back against ‘compulsory’ rule to wear masks
More draconian laws: UK magistrates guidance – the Adult Court Bench Book
Corrupt UK justice: bulk applications and no paperwork…a presumption of guilt
World Health Organisation appears in Adult Court Bench Book
Control the language and you control people’s thoughts and behaviour
Major law changes are secretly going on outside of parliamentary and public view
Juries now too ignorant to understand ‘beyond reasonable doubt’…?
COVID-19: Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 – new CV addition to Act
British Journal of Medical Practitioners – the right to consent: is it absolute…?
32:06 – UKC viewers pick up on media language being cleverly crafted for effect
UK Column viewer warning of government use of hypnotic language
Read the Cabinet Office document Mindspace.pdf for more information
New phrase: contact tracing – the ability for government to track us relentlessly
38:33 – Alternative View 11 live stream details now available on UKC website
Neil Mackay: Scotland’s handling of schools in lockdown is a national disgrace
State control is now to be brought directly into homes with the power of fines…?
Meet article writer Neil Mackay: very confused on privacy
44:46 – UKC article: British military information war waged on their own population
Rand Europe: the utility of military force and public understanding in today’s Britain
53:30 – Ukraine: Westward Ho…? Saakashvili seeks return as vice premier…
How do these corrupt people keep getting appointment recommendations…?
This is the Sorosification of Eastern Europe
NATO’s CoronaVirus war


ukcolumn--2020-05-01--UK Column News - 1st May 2020

UK Column News - 1st May 2020

Mike Robinson and Patrick Henningsen with today 's UK Column News , bringing you the latest Coronavirus updates .
START – CoronaVirus statistics update Boris gives CV livestream : second CV spike would do longterm economic damage EuroMomo : England has the worst CoronaVirus death rate in Europe… ?
Attribution of deaths given as CoronaVirus even when it was not the cause USA : deaths seem to be rising again – CV routinely listed as cause of death there too CoronaVirus tests also list as positive result even if CV identifiers are not present ‘ Unprecedented ’ number of ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disabilities patients This is eugenics by the back door…what ’ s driving up COVID-19 deaths… ?
New York study : most COVID-19 patients placed on ventilators died Why are figures so much worse in UK and USA…is something else going on… ?
A look at non-lockdown deaths versus lockdown deaths Non-lockdown Sweden is getting it right : herd-immunity works… 21 Wire article : why Sweden has already won the debate on COVID-19 ‘ lockdown ’ policy InProportion Project : COVID-19 in proportion… ?
1999 season was worse than now UK levels of suicide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longer will public compliance with the lockdown continue… ?
Elon Musk : US lockdown measures are ‘ fascist ’ - calls to restore constitutional rights 36:50 – Alternative View 11 livestream available on UK Column website MainStream Media being pushed in various quarters as ‘ reliable , trusted ’ source Government partners with newspaper industry on COVID-19 ad campaign UNESCO pushes out video to persuade parents to guide children how to spot fake news Newspaper sales have tanked : public not buying the propaganda any longer 41:48 – Dr Knut Wittkowski : we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get out of it – sorry Bill Gates Dr Wittkowski : it ’ s a failure of the people to take control of the government… Dr Wittkowski : spending more time outdoors is a form of containment How are governments being ‘ guided by the science ’ if they ignore scientists… ?
Bill Gates interview : I call this pandemic 1 – we need to be ready for pandemic 2… Gates ’ foreshadowing the future : we need to minimise the threat of bioterrorism… Who elected Bill Gates to be the head of @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Mike Robinson and Patrick Henningsen with today's UK Column News, bringing you the latest Coronavirus updates.
START – CoronaVirus statistics update
Boris gives CV livestream: second CV spike would do longterm economic damage
EuroMomo: England has the worst CoronaVirus death rate in Europe…?
Attribution of deaths given as CoronaVirus even when it was not the cause
USA: deaths seem to be rising again – CV routinely listed as cause of death there too
CoronaVirus tests also list as positive result even if CV identifiers are not present
‘Unprecedented’ number of ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ orders for learning disabilities patients
This is eugenics by the back door…what’s driving up COVID-19 deaths…?
New York study: most COVID-19 patients placed on ventilators died
Why are figures so much worse in UK and USA…is something else going on…?
A look at non-lockdown deaths versus lockdown deaths
Non-lockdown Sweden is getting it right: herd-immunity works…
21 Wire article: why Sweden has already won the debate on COVID-19 ‘lockdown’ policy
InProportion Project: COVID-19 in proportion…? 1999 season was worse than now
UK levels of suicide have gone through the roof
How much longer will public compliance with the lockdown continue…?
Elon Musk: US lockdown measures are ‘fascist’ - calls to restore constitutional rights
36:50 – Alternative View 11 livestream available on UK Column website
MainStream Media being pushed in various quarters as ‘reliable, trusted’ source
Government partners with newspaper industry on COVID-19 ad campaign
UNESCO pushes out video to persuade parents to guide children how to spot fake news
Newspaper sales have tanked: public not buying the propaganda any longer
41:48 – Dr Knut Wittkowski: we don’t need a vaccine to get out of it – sorry Bill Gates
Dr Wittkowski: it’s a failure of the people to take control of the government…
Dr Wittkowski: spending more time outdoors is a form of containment
How are governments being ‘guided by the science’ if they ignore scientists…?
Bill Gates interview: I call this pandemic 1 – we need to be ready for pandemic 2…
Gates’ foreshadowing the future: we need to minimise the threat of bioterrorism…
Who elected Bill Gates to be the head of public health policy for the world…?


ukcolumn--2020-05-02--Covid-19: the war against the elderly in uncaring "care" homes

Except that for death in the time of Covid , indifference is manifested by a system-wide hysteria about the danger to everyone but the elderly in senior care facilities .
While governments literally yell at people to stay at home , going so far as to arrest some intrepid joggers or park walkers they systematically ignore the charnel houses senior care facilities have become .
In Spain soldiers entered a care home to find residents , unfed , unwashed , some lying in their own waste , others already dead from neglect .
Every disease brings its heart wrenching stories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a loved one to go .
But we don ’ t make policy on individual stories — we can ’ t .
We need to put resources where there ’ s the greatest need ; it ’ s what the field of epidemiology is all about .
But as a society we have made a commitment , however imperfect , to take care of each other when we get old .
Often that means the institutional care of the elderly , for whatever reason , usually illness , economic necessity or both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or live with their family .
But working class people are frequently too time and budget constrained with their own children and work commitments to take care of their old folks or attend to complicated medical needs .
Thus we have seniors ’ long term care facilities .
They are part of the health management system , which are either private , government funded or a combination of both .
In the last decades most of them , especially the government-run institutions have suffered from the same austerity measures that have hit everyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and highly paid professionals .
Take the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver BC for example : they have a mix of private and public funding .
Most of their residents live with chronic diseases such as cancer , heart disease , dementia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) .
It is why they are there .
The painful truth is that in the past several years , austerity has hit care homes hard .
Funding and resources have been repeatedly cut resulting in a steady drop in quality of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers had their union decertified when the work was outsourced to a private company .
Wages and benefits were cut and , crucially , sick days were drastically reduced .
I ’ ll return to this story later .
Most readers know the Covid-19 story by now , mysterious outbreak in China , dire predictions of a “ Spanish Flu type outbreak killing millions ” , our healthcare controllers moving fast to lock us down to “ save lives ” .
Decisions were made around the world to prioritise Covid-19 response .
Elective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ freed up and emergency rooms were cleared .
Having chest pains ?
Take deep breaths but don ’ t bother the front line Covid workers .
But did the healthcare authorities simply forget or disregard epidemiology 101 , regarding senior care facilities ?
It seems so .
Because no apparent thought was given to their situation .
Vulnerable people , elderly , most with serious comorbidities , living in close contact with each other and their caregivers .
What could possibly go wrong ?
As it turns out , a lot .
Covid-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those with comorbidity .
What followed is the literal decimation of the elderly in care homes around the world .
The spectre of a lonely , protracted and painful death for thousands of elderly hovered above the world ’ s senior citizens , many of whom have survived war and associated hardships .
Most of these marginalised human beings were left without adequate care and almost all were quarantined from their loved ones , literally abandoned in their final hours .
One has to wonder if it was just a careless mistake in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plague ” ?
Or .
Was it worse , uncaring disregard for people seen as no further use to society ?
Was it a sinister cull to save on the high costs of maintaining life ?
We won ’ t get a clear answer to that but it was very probably “ all of the above.
” While the media covered Covid-19 virtually 24/7 , indulging shamelessly in associated “ fear porn , ” they somehow missed where the largest number of deaths were occurring .
Television was the worst , with headlines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vulnerability to an agonising death .
Endless videos of people on life-support , harried medics saying “ we ’ re doing all we can ” but looking hopeless ; worried spouses pacing hospital corridors .
Meanwhile the most gruesome deaths were being ignored , which doesn ’ t mean there were no stories but as they used to say in journalism , they were buried on the back pages -- mostly in the print press .
TV was for the Nightmare on all of our Elm Streets .
But those were hyped up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in any season with a serious flu outbreak .
The barely told stories of how Covid-19 has hit seniors ’ homes and have been made worse by our governments ’ policies are truly horrific .
Here is just a sampling : And it ’ s not just in Canada and the US , deaths in senior care facilities have been a hallmark of the Coronavirus tragedy everywhere in the world .
Reports from around the world indicate that as much as 40 -- 50 % and perhaps more of the mortality has occurred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And while many of these deaths were , arguably , not preventable , certainly the gross neglect of thousands of elderly is something that should never happen in the 21st century .
And I can personally attest to the same thing where I live in British Columbia on Canada ’ s west coast .
Here seniors ’ care facilities have been the locus where the greatest number of the deaths have occurred .
And just two care homes have accounted for almost all of the deaths .
Yet our local media , especially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A few years ago this situation would have been a huge scandal and the press would have gone after it like a dog with a bone .
Instead when they did cover it CTV News did a story of a woman who played the trumpet outside of her dad ’ s care home because she wasn ’ t allowed in to see him .
Yes it was a touching story but they failed miserably to report the context as well , not the least of which is that Samantha Monkton ’ s dad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the comfort of his family at a time of such extreme stress .
Her father , Garry , died a week later , reportedly of Covid-19 and yet he had not been hospitalised .
So while our Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has focused on the general population , on lockdown , “ flattening the curve ” and haranguing younger people to stay 6 feet apart there has been literal carnage among the elderly with little response .
On April 9 when the BC death toll was 50 people , 38 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 24 of them had died in senior care facilities but only 8 of those were hospitalised before they died .
At the present time here ( and likely in most regions ) 70 % of the deaths are occurring in 5 % of the population of over 80s .
And it ’ s not just the elderly who are already suffering from our misguided efforts .
We have over 4,000 empty hospital beds , ICU utilisation is at 45 % .
The “ overwhelming of our healthcare system ” has just been a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are lessons to be taken .
Here are some takeaways I would suggest .
The deaths of the elderly , especially those in care homes , has been used to frighten people who by reason of being in a lower age cohort have a relatively low risk of serious complications from Covid-19 .
Because , and this is important , most people are not aware of the mortality skew towards seniors .
As a consequence almost everything about the response is misguided .
The people in the upper age brackets at risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and everybody else is being put through a grotesque and harmful regimen with no compensating benefits .
And recall I mentioned Lynn Valley Care Centre at the top of this article .
Well this is the story of how cutbacks brought death to that care centre : A practical nurse had no sick day benefits left .
They ’ d been drastically cut alongside her pay .
She reported for work one day feeling like she had a cold .
But she was sending money to her family in the Philippines and could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off .
So she went to work but it wasn ’ t a cold ; it was Covid-19 and so this hardworking young woman was the carrier who brought disease to her care home .
However , a note here is in order .
Class persists and as such the threat of death and neglect in a care home is not universal : There are care homes for the wealthy and privileged and they appear to be having a much easier ride during this pandemic .
Tapestry in Vancouver has 2 senior care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UBC location , Tapestry at Wesbrook Mall and it rivals 5 star hotels in the city .
One can ’ t accuse the Vancouver media of ignoring seniors ’ care facilities entirely .
A widely covered story by the local media was a Zumba class for residents to enjoy from their balconies at Tapestry , Arbutus Walk .
As the first line of one story says , “ Vancouver seniors residents are not letting social distancing stop them from getting up and getting exercise.
” It ’ s hard to imagine that only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up in their rooms with their daily food being left outside the door so that care workers won ’ t have to see or touch them .
Are they condemned to endure this purgatory until the disease claims them or until the government remembers they exist ?
Either way this is a black mark on Canadian society and one I never expected to witness .
I have not fully delved into another aspect of this truly horrific story which is that these care home deaths are being used to inflate the numbers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how they are occurring .
That has been mostly obscured .
And now it ’ s becoming clearer that many of the deaths are from neglect and while they may have the virus -- we the public do n't really know -- they are actually dying of dehydration , malnutrition and even starvation .
Finally , as an elder ( born 1940 ) with coronary artery disease ( CAD ) , which puts me in the high risk category myself , I can state firmly I am not afraid .
Nor do I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about Covid-19 puts me at either higher or lower risk than I already may be from , flu , pneumonia or heart disease .
Respiratory illnesses with serious morbidity and mortality are something we have lived with for a long time .
We cope .
And we don ’ t demolish our society to save lives because that is truly a fool 's errand , which like our current lockdowns and social distancing are going to have much more serious consequences , including mortality , for us in the future .
Note on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ print ’ press , have covered this story and done a good job ; so credit where credit is due to the New York Times , Globe and Mail and many local papers .
However , this story has not been allowed to filter through to a wide audience because it is so overwhelmed by the barrage of fear mongering in most of the mainstream press and as I ’ ve said , television .
This story , which should outrage all of us and raise the hackles of our collective humanity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ misinformation and panic-storming by a media cartel working , as always , in lock-step with the ruling classes who own and control them .

Every death even the cruelest death drowns in the total indifference of Nature
Peter Weiss in Marat/Sade.
Except that for death in the time of Covid, indifference is manifested by a system-wide hysteria about the danger to everyone but the elderly in senior care facilities.
While governments literally yell at people to stay at home, going so far as to arrest some intrepid joggers or park walkers they systematically ignore the charnel houses senior care facilities have become. In Spain soldiers entered a care home to find residents, unfed, unwashed, some lying in their own waste, others already dead from neglect.
Every disease brings its heart wrenching stories. There is never a good time for a loved one to go. But we don’t make policy on individual stories — we can’t. We need to put resources where there’s the greatest need; it’s what the field of epidemiology is all about. But as a society we have made a commitment, however imperfect, to take care of each other when we get old. Often that means the institutional care of the elderly, for whatever reason, usually illness, economic necessity or both. Most would prefer to be independent or live with their family. But working class people are frequently too time and budget constrained with their own children and work commitments to take care of their old folks or attend to complicated medical needs. Thus we have seniors’ long term care facilities.
They are part of the health management system, which are either private, government funded or a combination of both. In the last decades most of them, especially the government-run institutions have suffered from the same austerity measures that have hit everyone below the economic level of the wealthy and highly paid professionals.
Take the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver BC for example: they have a mix of private and public funding. Most of their residents live with chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, dementia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is why they are there.
The painful truth is that in the past several years, austerity has hit care homes hard. Funding and resources have been repeatedly cut resulting in a steady drop in quality of care. At Lynn Valley the healthcare workers had their union decertified when the work was outsourced to a private company. Wages and benefits were cut and, crucially, sick days were drastically reduced. I’ll return to this story later.
Most readers know the Covid-19 story by now, mysterious outbreak in China, dire predictions of a “Spanish Flu type outbreak killing millions”, our healthcare controllers moving fast to lock us down to “save lives”. Decisions were made around the world to prioritise Covid-19 response. Elective procedures were cancelled, hospital beds were freed up and emergency rooms were cleared. Having chest pains? Take deep breaths but don’t bother the front line Covid workers.
But did the healthcare authorities simply forget or disregard epidemiology 101, regarding senior care facilities? It seems so. Because no apparent thought was given to their situation. Vulnerable people, elderly, most with serious comorbidities, living in close contact with each other and their caregivers. What could possibly go wrong? As it turns out, a lot.
Covid-19 is particularly virulent to seniors, especially those with comorbidity. What followed is the literal decimation of the elderly in care homes around the world. The spectre of a lonely, protracted and painful death for thousands of elderly hovered above the world’s senior citizens, many of whom have survived war and associated hardships. Most of these marginalised human beings were left without adequate care and almost all were quarantined from their loved ones, literally abandoned in their final hours.
One has to wonder if it was just a careless mistake in the rush to confront an emerging “plague”? Or. Was it worse, uncaring disregard for people seen as no further use to society? Was it a sinister cull to save on the high costs of maintaining life? We won’t get a clear answer to that but it was very probably “all of the above.”
While the media covered Covid-19 virtually 24/7, indulging shamelessly in associated “fear porn,” they somehow missed where the largest number of deaths were occurring. Television was the worst, with headlines continually stoking people’s fear of vulnerability to an agonising death. Endless videos of people on life-support, harried medics saying “we’re doing all we can” but looking hopeless; worried spouses pacing hospital corridors. Meanwhile the most gruesome deaths were being ignored, which doesn’t mean there were no stories but as they used to say in journalism, they were buried on the back pages--mostly in the print press. TV was for the Nightmare on all of our Elm Streets.
But those were hyped up horror stories that could have been written in any season with a serious flu outbreak. The barely told stories of how Covid-19 has hit seniors’ homes and have been made worse by our governments’ policies are truly horrific. Here is just a sampling:
Globe & Mail April, 12th 2020
Montreal, Quebec
“Résidence Herron, Montreal PQ, The Quebec coroner, health authorities and the police have launched investigations in the wake [of the discovery]. They found dehydrated residents lying listless in bed, unfed for days, with excrement seeping out of their diapers. “I’d never seen anything like it in my 32-year nursing career,” said Loredana Mule, a nurse on the team. “It was horrific — there wasn’t enough food to feed people, the stench could’ve killed a horse. After she left the home, she said, she collapsed in her car and wept. A skeleton staff of two nurses had been left to care for a private residence with nearly 150 beds, she said. The remaining staff had fled amid the outbreak of the coronavirus, leaving patients, some paralysed or with other chronic illnesses, to fend for themselves. Relatives described a facility where only one or two orderlies remained on each floor, urine bags were left dripping on floors, residents struck by COVID-19 were not properly isolated and others lacked food or clean drinking water. In announcing the deaths on Saturday, the premier of Quebec, said there appeared to be “gross negligence.”
New York Times, April 15
New Jersey
The call for body bags came late Saturday. By Monday, the police in a small New Jersey town had gotten an anonymous tip about a body being stored in a shed outside one of the state’s largest nursing homes. When the police arrived, the corpse had been removed from the shed, but they discovered 17 bodies piled inside the nursing home in a small morgue intended to hold no more than four people.
New York Times, March 21
Kirkland Wash. (suburb of Seattle)
Since the first positive tests at Life Care came back on Feb. 28, 129 people there — including 81 residents, about two-thirds of its population — have tested positive for the virus, and 35 people have died. Dozens of its workers have received coronavirus diagnoses, suggesting that the center’s frantic efforts to sanitise the building, quarantine residents and shield staff members with gowns and visors may have come too late.”
And it’s not just in Canada and the US, deaths in senior care facilities have been a hallmark of the Coronavirus tragedy everywhere in the world.
NYT, March 25, updated March 29
Spain
A Deluged System Leaves Some Elderly to Die, Rocking Spain’s Self-Image Even amid the coronavirus crisis, the tragedy unfolding in Spain’s nursing homes has shocked a nation that takes pride in its reverence for older people and in its health care system. Soldiers who were sent to disinfect nursing homes had found people “completely abandoned, or even dead, in their beds,” the defense secretary, Margarita Robles, revealed on Monday. More gruesome discoveries followed, including the revelation of two dozen deaths in a single nursing home in Madrid. Amid the thousands of tragedies created by the virus, the stories emerging from those homes have shaken the nation not only for their horror, but for undermining the view the Spanish had of themselves. Spain’s government has not said how many bodies or neglected residents have been found in nursing homes, but Spanish public prosecutors are investigating possible criminal neglect.”
France 24, April 3
Alsace region
“The French government on Thursday said at least 884 people had died at care homes from the coronavirus, its first estimate since the start of the epidemic. © Stéphane de Sakutin, AFP “Long a neglected branch of French healthcare, care homes for the elderly are accustomed to working in the shadows, their losses unremarked. As the coronavirus pandemic spreads like wildfire, they are bracing for a “bloodbath” – the full scale of which may never be known.” Sarah Marcenat 25, the assistant nurse at a care home in eastern France ...has never witnessed death on this scale – so sudden, so sinister, so lonely. Located in the Alsace region, the heart of France’s coronavirus outbreak, Marcenat’s nursing home... residents are dying one by one, their families kept at bay. “I’m terrified at the idea they’ll pass away alone in their rooms, far from everyone,” she says in an interview with FRANCE 24. “They only have us now, with whom to share their last breath.”
Reports from around the world indicate that as much as 40--50% and perhaps more of the mortality has occurred in long term senior care facilities. And while many of these deaths were, arguably, not preventable, certainly the gross neglect of thousands of elderly is something that should never happen in the 21st century.
And I can personally attest to the same thing where I live in British Columbia on Canada’s west coast. Here seniors’ care facilities have been the locus where the greatest number of the deaths have occurred. And just two care homes have accounted for almost all of the deaths. Yet our local media, especially TV, have barely covered it. A few years ago this situation would have been a huge scandal and the press would have gone after it like a dog with a bone.
Instead when they did cover it CTV News did a story of a woman who played the trumpet outside of her dad’s care home because she wasn’t allowed in to see him. Yes it was a touching story but they failed miserably to report the context as well, not the least of which is that Samantha Monkton’s dad and every other resident there was denied the comfort of his family at a time of such extreme stress. Her father, Garry, died a week later, reportedly of Covid-19 and yet he had not been hospitalised.
So while our Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has focused on the general population, on lockdown, “flattening the curve” and haranguing younger people to stay 6 feet apart there has been literal carnage among the elderly with little response. On April 9 when the BC death toll was 50 people, 38 of them were over 80, and 24 of them had died in senior care facilities but only 8 of those were hospitalised before they died. At the present time here (and likely in most regions) 70% of the deaths are occurring in 5% of the population of over 80s. And it’s not just the elderly who are already suffering from our misguided efforts. We have over 4,000 empty hospital beds, ICU utilisation is at 45%. The “overwhelming of our healthcare system” has just been a chimera.
As in most news reports there are lessons to be taken. Here are some takeaways I would suggest.
The deaths of the elderly, especially those in care homes, has been used to frighten people who by reason of being in a lower age cohort have a relatively low risk of serious complications from Covid-19. Because, and this is important, most people are not aware of the mortality skew towards seniors. As a consequence almost everything about the response is misguided. The people in the upper age brackets at risk are not getting the help they need and everybody else is being put through a grotesque and harmful regimen with no compensating benefits. And recall I mentioned Lynn Valley Care Centre at the top of this article. Well this is the story of how cutbacks brought death to that care centre:
A practical nurse had no sick day benefits left. They’d been drastically cut alongside her pay. She reported for work one day feeling like she had a cold. But she was sending money to her family in the Philippines and could not afford to take an unpaid day off. So she went to work but it wasn’t a cold; it was Covid-19 and so this hardworking young woman was the carrier who brought disease to her care home.
However, a note here is in order. Class persists and as such the threat of death and neglect in a care home is not universal: There are care homes for the wealthy and privileged and they appear to be having a much easier ride during this pandemic. Tapestry in Vancouver has 2 senior care facilities. I’ve visited their UBC location, Tapestry at Wesbrook Mall and it rivals 5 star hotels in the city.
One can’t accuse the Vancouver media of ignoring seniors’ care facilities entirely. A widely covered story by the local media was a Zumba class for residents to enjoy from their balconies at Tapestry, Arbutus Walk. As the first line of one story says, “Vancouver seniors residents are not letting social distancing stop them from getting up and getting exercise.” It’s hard to imagine that only a few miles away seniors are locked up in their rooms with their daily food being left outside the door so that care workers won’t have to see or touch them. Are they condemned to endure this purgatory until the disease claims them or until the government remembers they exist? Either way this is a black mark on Canadian society and one I never expected to witness.
I have not fully delved into another aspect of this truly horrific story which is that these care home deaths are being used to inflate the numbers and the fear without people being aware of how they are occurring. That has been mostly obscured. And now it’s becoming clearer that many of the deaths are from neglect and while they may have the virus--we the public don't really know--they are actually dying of dehydration, malnutrition and even starvation.
Finally, as an elder (born 1940) with coronary artery disease (CAD), which puts me in the high risk category myself, I can state firmly I am not afraid. Nor do I feel invincible. I just realise nothing about Covid-19 puts me at either higher or lower risk than I already may be from, flu, pneumonia or heart disease. Respiratory illnesses with serious morbidity and mortality are something we have lived with for a long time. We cope. And we don’t demolish our society to save lives because that is truly a fool's errand, which like our current lockdowns and social distancing are going to have much more serious consequences, including mortality, for us in the future.
Note on the links. Some media, mostly ‘print’ press, have covered this story and done a good job; so credit where credit is due to the New York Times, Globe and Mail and many local papers.
However, this story has not been allowed to filter through to a wide audience because it is so overwhelmed by the barrage of fear mongering in most of the mainstream press and as I’ve said, television. This story, which should outrage all of us and raise the hackles of our collective humanity has been buried under a tsunami of misinformation and panic-storming by a media cartel working, as always, in lock-step with the ruling classes who own and control them.