Economist Peter Smith asks whether there has ever been a more ill-informed, recklessly destructive example of public policy in the history of mankind than the Great Lockdown, then answers his own question; of course there has: Mao's Great Leap Forward and Stalin's Great Purge.

Doesn't say much for Morrison's Great Leap into recession, does it?

The Public Health 'experts', whose "overblown predictions caused governments to rain down devastation on pliable populations", will never be brought to account because the government has a vested interest in "maintaining the fiction that countless deaths were saved by following their experts’ advice"

France's highest court has ruled that the banning of worship as part of the lockdown was/is illegal.

the banning of worship as part of the lockdown was/is illegal.
ttbn,
Looks like the french Govt is waking up to having been handed a solution on a silver platter !

//I did say people who know not ignorant academic experts.//

Do you really expect me to believe that the average man in the street is as knowledgeable about law as Professor of Law? Or as much as about physics as a physics researcher? Sure, individual. And I'm a turnip.

I'm not debating the usefulness of various academic disciplines. Maybe you think scientific progress doesn't benefit mankind, or that medical developments are a waste of taxpayer's money, or whatever. If you think pure mathematics is pointless waste of time, then you're entitled to your opinions, but don't try and tell me that mathematicians can't do maths. That is nonsense on stilts.

//I'm on about experts who don't actually do anything besides talking on the ABC !//

But if all they do is talk on the ABC then they are, by definition, NOT academics. How hard is this to comprehend, individual? Academics have day jobs. They mostly work at educational institutions, doing teaching and research.

Occasionally, people seek them out for expert opinions. The court system does this - academics are sometimes called upon as 'expert witnesses'; for instance a biology academic might be called as an expert witness to talk about DNA evidence.

And sometimes, journalists will call upon academics to offer their expertise on a story; for instance if some new exciting archaeological discovery was made, they'd probably be more likely to ask an archaeologist for his views than some random bloke down the pub. But just because the archaeologist has been invited to appear on the news for 30 seconds of two minute story, it doesn't mean that he doesn't spend the rest of his time fighting Nazis, stealing priceless treasures and narrowly avoiding fiendishly designed traps like all archaeologists do as their normal day job.

Are you just jealous because they get to be on telly and you don't? You could try out for a reality show, the genre is in sore need of some grumpy old men to liven it up.

Hi Toni, you have to understand poor Indys lot in life. At the best of times he was employed at menial tasks, in between visits to Centrelink for his dole payments. This led to much resentment of success of others in poor Indy as he struggled along in life. He had migrated from the Old Country to Aussie many years back. About 25 years ago he reached "retirement" age, how you retire off the dole I beyond me, but Indy managed it. He has ever since been attached to the government welfare teat as an Aged Welfare recipient. If you ever need an expert on filling out Centrelink forms Indy is your man, has years of experience.

then they are, by definition, NOT academics
Toni Lavis,
Ok, then what is a Uni academically educated person who does no obvious useful work called ?