The obvious argument in favour of fear is that the use of fear is acceptable if it works, if it kept us safe and if there is a net benefit for society. What did the government policies – lockdown, restrictions, a blitzkrieg of behavioural psychology – keep us safe from? Not unemployment, not other types of ill health, not death and certainly not fear. In fact, they couldn’t keep us safe from Covid-19 either. Lockdowns don’t work. Now these are strong words. You may splutter – ‘but, but, but!’ – and think my position is ludicrously counter-intuitive. But many international studies now offer the
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