What many of us already knew. There is no doubt that freedoms were lost, perhaps for ever; lives and livelihoods ruined, by dictatorial thugs (some of whom have received Australia Day awards for their crimes) in the bureaucracy, and in the weak, cowardly political class - especially right at the top - who abrogated their duty, and helped spread fear.

As I understand it, this rubbish in rubbish out study limited to the US and given there were no complete or strictly enforced lockdowns of the entire nation at any one time And rather late during the pandemic, the study is therefore flawed.

As for us, glad I'm in Australia and the lockdown far better enforced so those ignorant boneheads were not able to become super spreaders out there killing people by infecting the most vunerable!

Freedom from disease is a better freedom than freedom to do as you please regardless of how that impacts on others!

There is a good reason why good fences make for good neighbours!
Alan B.

And not just this study. I linked to one a few weeks back that showed similar things about lockdowns and its reported that an official report out of the German govt any day now will advise that the lockdowns in German were detrimental. It also apparently praises the Swedish model.

Indeed I think you'll struggle to find too many analyses in recent months that have come out in favour of the lockdown policies, What's happening in China today is ample evidence of the futility of these policies.

Over two years ago, at the height of the lockdown hysteria, I observed on these pages that the efficacy of the lockdown policy was questionable. That wasn't because I had insight into the nature of the virus but because I was able to read and understand the numbers even at that early stage. Many others, more qualified than I, did the same thing but were shouted down in the general mania.

Only now that the mania has subsided can more rational voices come to the fore to unemotively analyse the data. It'll still be years before we see the full extent of the disaster that lockdowns wrought, with increases in cancer and other deaths as people stopped screening and other therapies. Although the numbers haven't been sighted in Australia, several studies in the US and Europe are pointing to the detrimental effect of the lockdowns on school age children's educational development.

There are also lots of ways of viewing the economic impact of the policies. But if we look at the coming economic disaster that's hitting or about to hit developed economies, we see what the lockdowns and associated policies wrought.

Quite probably the most insane policy response to any challenge every perpetrated on a modern nation.

Dear mhaze,

Come on mate. The study you linked to last time expressly called out Australia as a place where lockdowns worked but you had been too bloody lazy to read the thing in full.

Yet here you are again touting it as evidence they do not work.

My goodness, bit of a cheek really.

"The study you linked to last time expressly called out Australia as a place where lockdowns worked"

That's not at all what the study said. I explained it to you last time and thought you understood your error. Alas, clearly not.

They did point out that the only places where there was a correction between excess deaths and lockdown policies were islands. I recall asking to explain why, if lockdowns work they only work on islands. I recall you decided to abscond yet again.

Dear mhaze,

And I thought the question was a rhetorical one but if you really need an explanation of why they work so well with islands is because we didn't have a porous border.

I would have thought that was self evident but it seems not for some.

The main thing is they worked and exceedingly well given our extremely low fatality Covid numbers.

Was there anything else you were struggling with?