You could argue they're effective at reducing transmission, but the question for me is, is the cost worth it? How many people will die of other things as a result of lockdowns? Domestic violence, overdose, increased poverty, mental illness...

That logic applies to a lot of helter skelter decisions that are being made with media coralling everyone into accepting/complying - even cheering. This is an important period in the history of intelligent animals - we need to think this through before catapulting humanity into this or that . Get an idea of the consequences. Wrong/politically motivated decisions designed to whip up this or that mob could easily cost the world the hard won rights to freedoms. Lots of people died fighting for that - got persecuted. Freedoms are like gardening - hard to get the bed started - pretty easy to maintain thereafter - but even easier to let it slip back to being overgrown by weeds.

Take a look at Hong Kong now - human rights voices shutdown - heroic respected citizens jailed. Nobody cares. That's the future if we don't fight this.

And besides, the masters of the universe could always use good old fashioned war to thin the herd.

How about a new-fashioned coronavirus? Kills off the weak ones - can be used to justify whatever...?

Yeadon also makes the mistake of saying 'I'm a scientist - therefore i'm right!' This is a large part of the problem - the culture of empiricism. Philosophers - the same dudes who invented all the freedoms we have, including democracy, also pointed out the flaws of empiricism as a philosophy. (a) we never have all the information - there's too much of it (b) it breeds a tendency to insist you're right (because you're an empiricist) and shut down other voices - which is anti-knowledge.

Yes, scientists have their uses - they're great - but can't be trusted to make big societal decisions - coz they're always missing a piece of the puzzle

Unless the world starts listening to other voices besides One Health scientist - and power-maniacs - we really will be fucked.