A LAB leak is now considered the most likely origin of the Covid pandemic “behind closed doors” of the Government, it has been claimed, after Boris Johnson signalled that security measures would be enhanced to prevent accidental escape.
On Monday, the Prime Minister told the House of Commons the UK Biosecurity Strategy would be refreshed to protect against “natural zoonosis and laboratory leaks” in a public acknowledgement of the threat from insecure research facilities.
There is mounting suspicion that Covid-19 leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology that had been experimenting on bat coronaviruses in the years before the virus first emerged in Wuhan city.
The Government has issued a call for evidence before drafting a new biosecurity strategy, which will deal with “accidental release and dual-use research of concern, where life science research is capable of being misapplied to do harm”.
Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, of Magdalene College, Cambridge, who has submitted evidence for the strategy, said: “The official view (within government) is that it is as likely as anything else to have caused the pandemic.”
“Behind closed doors most people think it’s a lab leak.” ?
Gingster
At the start of the pandemic, I saw a young female scientist being interviewed on tv. She had been working in the Wuhan laboratory at the time of the outbreak.
She was 100 % certain that the virus had leaked from there. She escaped to the Uk as she was being ‘hushed up’ and wanted to tell her truth. Never been heard of since,
And we think the Russians are bad …..
Who do you imagine is controlling what you think or say?
Rather childish of you growstuff
When the pandemic began there was plenty on this forum about China and their lack of openness about how it started. Many were roundly condemned and slated for expressing negative views on them. Doubtless you were one of them.
Tickingbird, rather rich of you to accuse growstuff of being childish.
China and Russia are colonising the world
This story has been around for a long time and I have no reason to think it’s untrue. I don’t trust the Chinese. It would be very difficult, maybe impossible, for the government to impose sanctions as they are firmly entrenched in the UK, but as MOnica says we as individuals can impose our own sanctions by refusing to buy anything made in China. Their produce turns up in the most surprising places - pasta plates sold by The White Company (so not cheap) made in China; some frozen fish pie mix I looked at in Tesco packed in China (which stayed in the shop).
tickingbird
^Who do you imagine is controlling what you think or say?^
Rather childish of you growstuff
When the pandemic began there was plenty on this forum about China and their lack of openness about how it started. Many were roundly condemned and slated for expressing negative views on them. Doubtless you were one of them.
Well, this child would like to know who you think is controlling you.
On a day when we have to witness the impact of the completely made-up ramblings of Putin with respect to Ukraine and how they, Putin's people, are the "good guys", please take a moment to appreciate how vulnerable you are to fake news.
The "news" is that the conditions for biosecurity are going to be strengthened here in the UK and in the other 21 countries that are part of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. But those easily led readers who want to find scapegoats for the problems in this country and around the world immediately fall for the manipulative slant on the Telegraph article which is just repeating old rumours about a coronavirus leak.
Just for once, try to appreciate that your world view might just be orchestrated by the press and the people behind them, who have an ulterior motive.
I dont know that anyone is controlling anyone here but the information about the lab leak was censored it was banned on Facebook as far as I remember. The dangers of having any internet provider in charge of what information we should receive is really worrying.
Thanks for that volver. That 'easily led' thing has been so successful hasnt it, calling people stupid works brilliantly. It's never ever failed before.
I'm not sure what you mean Galaxy.
If you call people stupid which is what your post was about it generally is a disaster, i.e Brexit.
growstuff
Well, this child would like to know who you think is controlling you.
I have no idea what you’re talking about. I haven’t spoken of anyone controlling me.
Galaxy
If you call people stupid which is what your post was about it generally is a disaster, i.e Brexit.
I called nobody stupid and I never would.
I said that some people were easily led.
The world today is riven with misinformation and misdirection. I'm sure there are old women in Russia today saying that they knew that Ukraine was full of Nazis.
The article is about the strengthening of biosecurity standards. It also includes a re-hash of old news and quotes from people none of us have probably ever heard of confirming what they think is the situation regarding the origin of coronavirus. Maybe it is a lab leak, maybe its not, I don't know and neither does anybody on this forum. So the conclusion that this is new news and should be on the front pages is unjustified, but plays to people's fears and prejudices.
So I would never call anyone stupid, but if they are being manipulated and falling for the disinformation in the press, I'm going to tell them so. Because nobody did that strongly enough before Brexit, and look where that's got us.
Now people can get all defensive and pretend that we should give everybody's views equal prominence, and that by pointing out what's wrong we're taking a superior position. Well if folk can't work out the truth for themselves, somebody needs to tell them.
Not buying anything from China online is difficult. Especially on Ebay, The seller leaves a uk address {as in Urmstongrans link) but then the item takes an eternity to arrive. At no point in the advert is China mentioned. Unless companies like Ebay actually insist on transparency from their sellers, I can't see how it can be avoided.
And, I should add that there is no evidence that the item has been sent from China when it arrives. I think they are repackaged here in the UK then posted out to the buyer.
nanna8
Gingster
At the start of the pandemic, I saw a young female scientist being interviewed on tv. She had been working in the Wuhan laboratory at the time of the outbreak.
She was 100 % certain that the virus had leaked from there. She escaped to the Uk as she was being ‘hushed up’ and wanted to tell her truth. Never been heard of since,And we think the Russians are bad …..
nanna08 one of your daft politicians, Annastacia Palaszczuk, has given the Chinese a 99 year lease on an island off the Queensland coast.
They have already thrown the local residents off the island.
tickingbird
growstuff
Well, this child would like to know who you think is controlling you.
I have no idea what you’re talking about. I haven’t spoken of anyone controlling me.
That doesn't make me childish. It means you don't understand what I mean.
Anybody who believes in "political correctness" and thinking somebody needs to approve of "playing nice" obviously believes in some kind of controlling thought police.
tickingbird
^Who do you imagine is controlling what you think or say?^
Rather childish of you growstuff
When the pandemic began there was plenty on this forum about China and their lack of openness about how it started. Many were roundly condemned and slated for expressing negative views on them. Doubtless you were one of them.
Well remembered.
Trump was roundly called out on here for calling it ‘the Chinah virus’.
He knew it. Most because they didn’t like HIM distanced themselves from his comment.
Urmstongran
tickingbird
Who do you imagine is controlling what you think or say?
Rather childish of you growstuff
When the pandemic began there was plenty on this forum about China and their lack of openness about how it started. Many were roundly condemned and slated for expressing negative views on them. Doubtless you were one of them.Well remembered.
Trump was roundly called out on here for calling it ‘the Chinah virus’.
He knew it. Most because they didn’t like HIM distanced themselves from his comment.
Is that the same Trump who has called Putin “A genius”?
And I am going to tell you that the strategy you are using has been proved time and time again not to work. You call other people easily led but seem unable to learn from the previous mistakes of others.
I am glad there is discussion of the leak, whether it's in the Telegraph or in the numerous other places it is currently being discussed. Most people dont get information from newspapers these days and this discussion has been happening in various formats for some time.
Its seems possible that they werent wrong about the leak and actually the misdirection came from those trying to censor that discussion.
.
I loathe Trump but if he said the world is round I would agree with him, we seem to have got into a situation where we cant look at a statement logically because we are blinded by dislike for a person.
We are not careful or cautious enough about information we put out there. Who knows what ancient emnities are still being held when we've long forgotten or simply don't know about the causes.
We post pictures of our families and give out so much information on 'socials' - how do we know for sure the platforms are benign? Tiktok, facebook, twitter et al - all good sources of data to be harvested by who knows what ideological faction.
We bank online, we shop online because it's easier, more convenient, we share points of view on any social media platform when we have no clue about who's possibly storing the data for future use.
Hitler was able to carry out his final solution because he knew where to look. I know we can't put the genie back in the bottle but maybe we can put a bit more thought into stuff before we press the send button.
Whitewavemark2
Urmstongran
tickingbird
Who do you imagine is controlling what you think or say?
Rather childish of you growstuff
When the pandemic began there was plenty on this forum about China and their lack of openness about how it started. Many were roundly condemned and slated for expressing negative views on them. Doubtless you were one of them.Well remembered.
Trump was roundly called out on here for calling it ‘the Chinah virus’.
He knew it. Most because they didn’t like HIM distanced themselves from his comment.Is that the same Trump who has called Putin “A genius”?
To be fair Whitewavemark2 Vladimir Putin has taken the USA and Western Nations for fools over Ukraine, there is a very fine line between genius and madness…
Galaxy
And I am going to tell you that the strategy you are using has been proved time and time again not to work. You call other people easily led but seem unable to learn from the previous mistakes of others.
I am glad there is discussion of the leak, whether it's in the Telegraph or in the numerous other places it is currently being discussed. Most people dont get information from newspapers these days and this discussion has been happening in various formats for some time.
Its seems possible that they werent wrong about the leak and actually the misdirection came from those trying to censor that discussion.
.
I'll say this once then I'll not be saying it again on this thread.
In a world that is riven with propaganda, somebody has to call it out. The Telegraph took a story about biosecurity and used it as an excuse to dig up old stories about the source of the virus.
They may be right and they may be wrong. So what do we know about the source of the virus that we didn't know before? Sweet Fanny Adams, that's what. So why should it be front page news? That is what I am objecting to. The Telegraph are making this a much bigger story that it actually is, and misleading people. If we were to ask a lot of people posting on this thread if they thought this bolsters the ideas that the origin was a lab leak, they are likely to say yes. If we ask people that this confirms it was a lab leak, some of them would say yes.
Maybe it was a lab leak and maybe it wasn't, and of course we should talk about it. But what this is doing is maliciously using old news to make people think that more has been found out about the source of the leak, when that is not the case.
If you don't think fake news is dangerous, today of all days, then that says a lot. And I'll not apologise for pointing out when people are being blatantly manipulated towards believe something has happened when it hasn't. Suggesting that this is not the way to go about things is patronising to the very people you accuse me of calling "stupid".
Couldn’t agree more. You could see my name and photo on my firm’s website when I was working but now you won’t find my photo or name anywhere online.
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