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2022-02-22

The Daily Sceptic brings us the good news - the good folk of New Zealand have been making life difficult for their prime minister Jacinda Ardern:

"Inspired by truckers’ demonstrations in Canada, thousands of protesters have blocked streets near the parliament in the capital Wellington for two weeks with trucks, cars and motorcycles, piling pressure on the Government to scrap vaccine mandates"

Jacinda has promised to lift restrictions "after the omicron peak has passed" ... but not because she has been swayed by anything so vulgar as popular opinion:

“ 'But when that happens, it will be because easing restrictions won’t compromise the lives of thousands of people – not because you demanded it' she said, addressing protesters"

Perhaps she didn't get the memo that omicron isn't any worse than a mild flu / bad cold, but then it may have been mislaid in the ongoing imperative to turn everybody's lives upside down.

I note that she's only "lifting" rather than "abolishing" and whilst we in the UK are looking forward to the joys of springtime and summer, the New Zealanders are facing the onrushing autumn and winter of renewed seasonal respiratory issues, so maybe we should be cautious about this sudden onset of good sense.

I hate to be pessimistic, but this freedom is still work-in-progress if you ask me.