Isabel Oakeshott Spreads Misinformation

The so-called Great Barrington Declaration has taught us one lesson: that the libertarian fringe is always out there, ready to do again what it did over smoking, MMR and climate change: to “both sides” the issues, to claim scientific opinion is divided, even to sow doubt that any of those things were really happening. This time it’s the Coronavirus pandemic.

And waiting in the wings to amplify the misinformation spread by that declaration and its publishers are a number of self-promoting pundits, among them mercenary hack Isabel Oakeshott, who has wasted no time in promoting Herself Personally Now.

Where she was coming from was clear last Monday as she triumphantly announced “Trump is right to urge people not to let fear of covid dominate their lives. His detractors can't hide their disappointment that it hasn't killed him or at least taken him out of the race. They should celebrate this evidence that even the 'old and overweight' can recover fast!”

Combover Crybaby Donald Trump had not “recovered fast”. He had been shot through with a cocktail of treatments not available to the vast majority of citizens. His fitness to discharge his Presidential duties is still very much in question. He was clearly having difficulty breathing when seen on the Truman Balcony later. But hey ho.

Then it was on to more misrepresentation. “Former health secretary [Andy Burnham] is one of the most reasonable and measured politicians I know. He is raging over the government's cack handed and cavalier approach to northern lockdown”. The suggestion is that he agrees with her. That may not be true. What Burnham does want is for lockdowns to be accompanied by financial support for the sectors affected.

That would mean Government spending more. Would Ms Oakeshott back that? Doubtful. But she would back the Great Barrington Declaration. After Gabriel Scally, who you can tell as he’s a Doctor, was featured on ITV Good Morning Britain, she was not happy. “On [GMB] I called out [Gabriel Scally] for labelling 15,000 distinguished doctors and scientists who oppose the lockdown as ‘fringe experts.’ A disgraceful insult! They're from Oxford, Harvard, Stanford and other highly respected institutions around the world!”

Two things here. There aren’t 15,000 of them, and Scally is right, as he pointed out. “Anyone at all across the world can go online and sign the online version to support this dangerous US nonsense about herd immunity. There is no proof at all of there being 15,000 'distinguished' signatories”. Those signatories include at least one instance of “Dr Hawley Crippen”. Also, Scally pointed out who was behind it all.

“Let's be very clear where the 'herd immunity' let-it-rip nonsense that is the Great Barrington 'big idea' comes from. It is a product of the US libertarian right. The AIER's goal is ‘promoting the ideas of pure freedom and private governance’. #COVID19 is their big chance”. That is where Isabel Oakeshott is at. That’s what she’s promoting.

Herd immunity without a vaccine in sight is a potentially very dangerous myth. But Ms Oakeshott does have the backing of the #KBF fruitcakes, so that’s all right, then.

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