When the surgery called very early on in the affair to offer myself and my wife the Covid vaccine, I was knocked off my guard. I knew this was coming but had not expected it so soon. The receptionist was pleasant. She was not pushy and when I said I was really not sure, she accepted my reticence and suggested that, if I changed my mind, I should just call back for an appointment. Being a weak individual and sensitive to emotional pressure I succumbed, but never with any sense of conviction and with piles of doubts. I wasn’t proud and a little ashamed that I had not stood for my convictions and I was quite embarrassed, with friends of our own age who were trumpeting that they had the vaccine and it was like they had won the lottery. It was a weird situation. When I expressed my reticence, it was sometimes met with shock and unbelief and on at least one occasion with the “anti-vaxxer” retort. I have learned that when people call you names, they have reached the point where they tire of reasoned debate and don’t want to engage anymore. This is a shame because the issue is deadly serious.
There are so many questions so much obfuscation and blatant attempts to sidestep any reasonable and legitimate inquiry. This whittles away at confidence and sows the seeds of cynicism. The gatekeepers actively discourage any valid questioning of the merits of a vaccine rollout. Just try and write to your elected representative in the parliaments in our land and if you get a reply it will simply restates the line without taking on your question. The language is often duplicitous.
Take as an example the concern that many people have that the vaccine might have a negative effect on fertility. It’s a perfectly valid concern not just for young people but of course for everyone. The official stated line which is reiterated at every turn, is that there is no evidence that the vaccine affects fertility. Now you don’t need to have a degree in philosophy to know that this a sleight of hand. The statement will be true but it is constructed in such a way as to lead you to believe that there is evidence that it doesn’t affect fertility. When you realise that, at this point in the vaccine’s history, there is no way of knowing whether the vaccine will affect fertility or not, it makes such a statement grossly misleading, if not deceitful. “We don’t know” would be a more accurate and respectful answer, but with this and so many other issues, the authorities show little respect for the intelligence of the population and you can only wonder at what other devious ploys they have up their sleeves.
Take the issue of what it actually is. It is not a vaccine in the traditional sense. It is not like any other vaccine and probably best described as a form of gene therapy. It is something that has never been tried before, only approved under a temporary authorisation and we have no idea what the long-term effects it will have on the population not least the young and those yet unborn.
And take what the main stream media feed us. I try to avoid watching news on TV especially the BBC but last night it was on and I watched. I was staggered that they still went through the farcical ritual of numbers and graphs and cases, hospitalisations and deaths. (There were no deaths reported in Scotland.) From a news angle, what exactly was the point of this charade? Why were there no record of recoveries from the disease? (Which is close to 98%.) Why were there no graphs and records of cancer deaths of drug deaths of suicide or road deaths? Why were there no records of those who have died after taking the vaccine (which in the UK is in excess of 1,600) or the scale of the yellow card alerts? Why were they actively pushing for the vaccination of pregnant women on the same news programme, when there are so many serious questions and doubts about long term side effects? None of this makes any sense at all unless, of course, there is something else going on. I wonder what it might be?
Any sane person who had a reasonable grasp of the facts and a modest dose of common sense would have called a halt to the roll out long before now, but there is no sign that this is likely to happen and when it does, it will be too late.
I got my blue letter through today for the booster. This time I plan to hold my nerve and refuse, unless, that is, I get convincing answers to my questions.
Crawford Mackenzie
Restless Spirit 
Crawford, thank you for this. I understand exactly where you are coming from. The lack of transparency around the whole issue troubles me. And I do wonder what will come of all this. Thanks for your honesty about your concerns.
So has there been a spike in infertility rates? I have not seen any evidence of that – quite the reverse (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_wHIYX-tGkGBPwuax7N8BxZPR4PTTCDm/view).. Certainly the Covid vaccines are a new type of vaccine, but they do trigger an immune response. As to being described as an anti-vaxxer, what phrase might more respectfully describe your position – ” a vaccine sceptic”? If I get described as an anti-nuker I am happy to accept the appellation since it seems accurate.
He’s not an anit-vaxxer because he’s not against vaccines per se. It’s not complicated.
No, I am not aware of a reported spike. But my point was that we don’t know what the long term effects the vaccine might have on fertility as it has only been in circulation for a very short time and that is a legitimate concern for many people. The report from Imperial College gives no comfort on that. Showing that there is no evidence of a harm to fertility doesn’t mean there is none which might only be revealed in time. I am thinking of thalidomide.
Clearly the precautionary principle has to be held to and know one knows the full story. Yet, balancing of risks associated with the unknown has to be part of the mix and if there is no evidence of a spike I think that fairly gives a reasonable confidence.
I guess I am not too bothered about being called names. I am just aware when the names start to get called the debate is pretty much over. But no I am not sceptic about vaccines. This one, however, troubles me.
“Just try and write to your elected representative in the parliaments in our land and if you get a reply it will simply restates the line without taking on your question. The language is often duplicitous.”
Perfectly put and exactly what I have experienced.
I must add that what particularly annoys me about the mainstream media’s irresponsible obsession with Covid stats is the use of the word case. It’s never been used like this before, pre-Covid. Even the BMA admits this. And also the absurd reporting of Covid hospitalisations when many in the figure are in hospital for other reasons, have no symptoms but tested positive. To me it’s a lie to call them Covid hospitalisations.