Augusto Zimmermann wonders why we cannot see that the China virus has been “ingeniously used” to scare, brainwash and control entire populations to “the point of house arrest”. No-one is discounting the seriousness of the China virus, but the draconian, panic-stricken way it has been handled is an economy-wrecking disaster. And, what about after?

As examples of the overreaction and the closing down of economies, he offers the following:

In the hot bed of the virus, New York City,

1.Only 1.7% of people in their seventies who have contracted the disease were sick enough to be hospitalised.
2.Of 18 years-olds 0.01% were hospitalised.
3.Of 18-44 year-olds 0/01% were hospitalised.

It’s different in Australia, but almost none of the things we were threatened with have occurred. In Australia, there has been no informed debate permitted. Since March this year, Australia has been ruled by executive decree. We have effectively been a police state, although not quite - we can still say such things. For now.

We have experienced:

Loss of elementary rights
Excessive police power
Dobbing in
Mass media support for the regime.

All “temporary” of course, but so were were suspensions of freedoms in 1930s Germany. It took a world war to nullify them.

The most unlikely people are now praising PM Morrison’s actions. ‘He’s doing a good job’. ‘He’s protecting us. Same applied to Adolf Hitler until it was too late.

“Those who think that the state is always benign clearly have no understanding of history”. Temporary measures and policies do often have a way of becoming permanent after the emergency is over. Already we are hearing about the “new normal”. This might sound over-the-top; not possible in Australia.

Maybe.

Ttbn,

Have another look at your post of today in a month's time.

Australia is about to join with NZ in opening up our economies, tourism, etc. How has that come about ? Because Morrison had the determination to come down hard early and lock-down, not like that moron in the US who knows less than nothing but wants to somehow control it all - except when it gets too hard, then he can pass the buck onto governors, etc. So when will the US open up ? This year ? Next year ? After a million deaths there from the virus ?

Check this thread out on June 5th, a month's time: we'll see where Australia is, where China is and where the US is, in relation to their control of the virus and the reopening of their international supply chains.

Joe

Joe,

You don't mention the subject of my post: political power and the "temporary" restriction of freedoms.

We'll see in a month or so.

Oh there you go again Joe. Let your TDS obscure any rational thought. Were you one of those calling Trump racist for stopping flights from China or was that just the democrats and who. Also if you were going to make some comparisons of death rates why no mention of Italy, the UK or Spain. Oh that's right being rational counts for little when you get your info from the lying liberal left media. Your obsession with Trump is rally not healthy.

See what, Joe? What I actually said, or about trade, which I did not mention. It's going to take a lot longer than a month to see what happens to the new powers the government and bureaucrats have assumed for themselves, frightening people into submission, and now trying to cover up their stupid errors and incompetence by dragging out the restrictions in the hope that we might forget what power mad bozos they are. Telling us that, if we are good little children, and download an app, they just might reward is. The bozos haven't told anyone that the app is not yet operational, nor that smart phones older than two or three years cannot download the app. Then there are the people who don't have a mobile, or the ones like me who have a basic one that is just a phone and nothing else.

Rather than worrying yourself about Donald Trump, Joe, perhaps you should start worrying about our own 'leader', hiding behind 'experts' instead of doing the job he was elected to do. You are smarter than you are making out to be this instance. Morrison is a bigger dictator than Trump, without the balls to stick his own neck out, as Trump does.