The owner of the Brighton Palace Pier has criticised the coronavirus lockdown on BBC television and in a Sunday Times newspaper article.
Luke Johnson said in his newspaper column: “If you are under 60 and do not suffer from an existing illness, the likelihood of your dying from covid-19 is very slim – lower than being drowned.
“It makes no sense for most of the population to be locked up, terrified by relentless scare stories and government propaganda.
“Tragically, the authorities took catastrophic advice from their gurus on the Sage advisor group and locked down the country.
“We committed economic and democratic suicide based on junk science from Imperial College London and the hypocritical Neil Ferguson, with his exaggeration of the perils.
“The politicians panicked and society has been left with the unintended consequences: collateral damage to our standard of living, our children’s education and anyone with illnesses other than covid-19.”
Mr Johnson, whose wife works in a National Health Service hospital, said that the NHS had been so well protected that “half of intensive care beds are empty while untested vulnerable patients have been decanted into care hoes – so infecting others and leading to excess deaths”.
He added: “This might not have happened had the focus been on quarantining the people truly at risk but preparation and expertise were almost entirely absent in No 10.
“These mistakes will have lasting consequences. We will lose trust in the experts who let us down.
“Almost every business and community will be poorer. There will be higher unemployment, less confidence, more debt and greater levels of insolvency.
“The concept that everything in life needs to be safe is paralysing.
“With minimal relevant evidence and no perspective, millions of people appear too scared even to leave their homes.”
Mr Johnson, who appeared on Question Time on BBC1 last Thursday (14 May), said in the Sunday Times that this behaviour was “wholly unsustainable” and “endless stories about deaths, symptoms and suchlike have made Britain a neurotic place”.
He added: “A lack of understanding in senior government and among the population as a whole of the real dangers from both the virus and the lockdown has distorted all debate and decision-making.”
Mr Johnson concluded his column by saying: “This pandemic is an unpredictable external event but our fate is in our hands.
“We must be grown up about taking calculated risks and responsible for our actions.
“The authorities must stop scaring us, give us back our freedoms and let us live fully.”
Last week flyers circulated on social media inviting people to join “mass gatherings” at noon on Saturday on Brighton beach and Bevendean Downs as well as in other parts of the country to protest about the lockdown.
There were no obvious signs of a demo in Brighton although about 30 people are reported to have gathered in Hyde Park, in London.
Thank you, Mr Johnson for your clear sense and for reflecting the views of the silent majority. The bulk of the country have known this for months, but have been shamed into silence by baying Twitter mobs and freedom-hating authoritarians on social media.
LOL voice of reason he he he
Lifting the lockdown is inevitable. It’s the timing of the lifting that is the crucial element in this. Too soon and we go straight back to where we came from, too late and many people may needlessly fall into poverty.
I don’t think you are the ‘voice of reason’. You’re just another person with an opinion, like me and everyone else but I appreciate you believe you are superior.
Brighton & Hove and much of the South East region (excluding London) has a remarkably low infection rate and the vast, vast majority of people within the general populous will either not realise they have it or will have it and recover completely.
And whilst I appreciate that people are worried about vulnerable demographics and loved ones, there has to be some level of personal responsibility given (back) to the British people. Like Mr Johnson suggests, life isn’t a certainty so trying to keep everyone safe from harm perpeually is futile. I hope the government sees sense quickly and lifts these draconian measures before we all die of boredom.
Some level of personal responsibility? The british public have shown they have no responsibility or care for others that’s why we’re in lockdown! Stupid idiots can’t even social distance now! Think about how it will be when lockdown is lifted. We’ll be out of lockdown when it is safe so shut it and get on with it like everyone else. The Pier owner is only angry because it’s losing him money, he doesn’t care about the people.
So Luke Johnson thinks its ok for all the healthy, unaffected people who are not in serious danger from the virus to just go about their business passing it on to this one and that one perpetually, until all of the vunerable people have caught it and died? Nice. I really wish someone would do something good with that tacky pier..yes all he is thinking about is himself and his money.
Why are people finding it so hard to understand we are in the midst of a global pandemic! We do not need fun family days out at local attractions. We do not need sunshine and picnics. We do not need a “economy”. What we need is to stay inside and support one another!! It is not difficult. This horrible virus that is going around requires us to stay inside – not to prioritize picnics and roller-coasters on the pier!