PETER HITCHENS: I am, for the first time, afraid for the future of freedom in my country

beatpoet "I’ve seen or heard nothing in his comments which I would regard as “inciting an insurrection.”

Indeed. Not that I am a supporter of Trump in any way but the very sight of him is enough to incite rage in any pink hatted wokist who isn't interested in the policies but merely in the drama surrounding the puppets in the movie they are being fed by the televison cameras. There was a very successful political strategist who said that in order for Marxism to succeed don't focus on policy, focus everything on one individual whom you can blame every event on. And that's exactly what they've done with Trump. Divide and rule.

While all the woke supporters on both sides are distracted by identity politics and arguing which side is to blame, the permanent government are bringing in a fascist police state taking away freedoms by the hour, destroying millions of independent livelihoods and making what is potentially the biggest power grab in history. All without a care or whimper from those who have become so detached from reality that they are more concerned about what a reality TV President with days left in the job said on Twitter than the lifetime of misery, tyranny and total control that is coming around the corner in the fourth industrial revolution. As with any revolutuon, useful idiots are always required for it to succeed.

I think the problem with those who believe in free speech and open debate is that unlike those who don't, they are not very good at promoting their cause.

Just as at one time there was general public awareness of something called "The Noise Abatement Society", which to my surprise apparently still exists, but sadly has been so quiet lately, nobody hardly has heard of it.

My guess is it got mostly drowned out by a chorus of millions of ghetto blasters, so given huge numbers still have problems with noisy neighbours, the sound terrorists won.

So if we think of this objectively, what happened was that *the idea* of buying a ghetto blaster (or loud home hi-fi) defeated *the idea* of being considerate to your neighbours and not driving them mad with loud music with a thumping beat - I bet *everyone* knows what I mean, when they read the *thumping beat* part.

So the successful propagandists have slogans that catch on like "Black Lives Matter" or "Women Against Rape" etc.

But when the likes of Mr Mason talks like the quotes above, it appears to me we should have a slogan to reply to him and his kind which ought to shame him into repenting.

Such as "The Right to Choose."

That seems to me above all what we seem to be losing at present, because after all that is the fundamental principle of democracy, as democracy means voting, and voting means choosing, because it's only in a dictatorship that there is only one party to vote for.

So I rather think how we should be replying to Mr Mason and his kind who seek to say we should not have alternative views allowed to be expressed on covid or anything else, is "You mean, you do not trust the public to assess for themselves information put before them?" "You believe the public are too stupid to be trusted to make their own decisions, too stupid to be allowed to have *the right to choose*?"

And if that is your thinking, Mr Mason, then they would also have to be regarded as too stupid to choose between candidates at an election, so therefore what you are actually proposing is the end of democracy, aren't you, which is dictatorship, isn't it?

This appears to be true of any political or scientific views also.

Surely if somebody puts forth an idea that is believed ridiculous by others, such as for example that covid may be a biological weapon that is causing mass madness, surely the public should be allowed to decide with their own minds if that idea is stupid or not?

Or like Mr Mason, do we not trust the public to use their own brains and make their own minds up?

Do we not think they are entitled to hear all viewpoints, and then exercise *their right to choose*?

Which seems to be the fundamental principle in a free and democratic society.

I have always thought the death figures for COVID-19 are inaccurate. Many deaths have been with people who were sadly quite/ very ill before contacting the virus, I may well be wrong, but I believe the figure recorded could be halved.