By Victoria Mckeown-
Lord Sumption says the Uk lockdown is a generational injustice which is destructive to society.
The former Supreme Court judge has been one of the most vocal opponents of lockdowns since it was introduced to the UK in March this year, and across many parts of the world.
Sumption who pulls no punches in his attacks on national lockdown, faced criticism in some quarters for his outspoken views earlier in the year. However, he was praised by others like Elon Musk for his position.
Several months later, and with the year concluding, Lord Sumption says his position has not changed. His many years of legal experience as both a barrister and a judge makes his contribution to the political and legal discourse of the lockdown interesting.
Lord Sumption sees the lockdown arising from the pandemic in the context of destruction and injustice. In a calm and measured tone, the former senior judge, author, and medieval historian, delivered a damning verdict against the lockdown measures.
”The Current wave is no more mortal[than the first]. It’s somewhat infectious but not dangerous, Lord Sumption told The Eye Of Media.Com. What we are doing to society is worse than lockdown. It’s a generational injustice, Sumption said.
The young have little chance, and it’s a burden they are being cooped up . Job prospects have been destroyed. No openings for the young, and only the legal profession will benefit”.
The former Supreme Court judge repeatedly criticised the lockdown at the heights of the pandemic, first lambasting police for strongly regulating those who went to the country side to take walks, and then criticising the police for failing to distinguish between laws and guidelines.
He recently accused scientists of being obsessed with death instead of life, and said prime minister Boris Johnson’s has no interest in death, except as an aspect of public relations management, accusing the British government of stoking fear and behaving like an authoritarian regime
While governments and scientists are urging extra caution of social distancing, Mr Sumption is an advocate of common sense, advocating the notion of self-preservation, which he believes should be optional . In Lord Sumption’s ideal world, the most vulnerable would isolate themselves , and let the rest get on with it. That way the destruction of the economy will be saved, he says.
Costs
Boris Johnson’s decision to impose tough Tier curbs on 99 per cent of the country will cost the UK a staggering £900million a day, projections from the Centre for Economic and Business Research forecasts states. They said that The Tiering system will cut England’s GDP by 13 per cent compared to last December – more than £20billion over the course of the month.
The think-tank in April said that the first shutdown would cost £2.4billion a day, basing its forecast on the fact that 31 per cent of England’s economy will be placed in Tier 3. The damage to the economy could be much worse now with most of Britain in Tier 4, unless the government know how to fix it.
Financial support has been given in abundance to help businesses, but many others are going bust in the face of the pandemic’s fury. Britain and America seem to be planning to keep the lock down for much of the next few months, at least that’s the advice from scientists of the government.
In Sumption’s view, no matter how the lockdown is framed, in terms of it’s purposes, it is destroying society and limiting the chances young people have of establishing a bright future.