2020 Hindsight: How LOCKDOWN SCEPTICS went to war with reality

Angry, irrational rejection of key public health measures like lockdowns and masks was one of the ugliest aspects of 2020. How did lockdown deniers give scepticism such a bad name? Did the Brexiters’ war on experts make it harder to fight COVID? And deep down, do some lockdown deniers have a point? Alex Andreou talks to Queen Mary University politics professor Tim Bale and FT writer, honorary fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and author of How To Make The World Add Up Tim Harford about the power of wilful ignorance.

• “Over the past few years. middle finger, up-yours politics is what has resonated with many, many people.” – Tim Bale
• “Many sceptics didn’t go for the principled argument. They just argued that lockdowns kill more people or even that the virus isn’t all that dangerous.” – Tim Harford
• “How can the BBC allow business people to act as armchair epidemiologists?” – Tim Bale
• “The virus didn’t go away of its own accord. It went away because of the incredible sacrifice that so many people made.” – Tim Harford
• “The person in the street probably trusts experts MORE after the experience of COVID than they did beforehand.” – Tim Bale
• “Sweden was the poster boy for lockdown scepticism. But when you look at the infection and death figures – and the economy – Sweden is not that different from Britain.” – Tim Harford

Presented by Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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