Loneliness and isolation increase the likelihood of mortality by 26%. The effects have been compared to the impact of well-known risk factors such as obesity and smoking […] there must be open debate and a rigorous risk/benefit impact study undertaken prior to any future [lockdown]

…close inspection of the data reveals not only that most police forces reported smaller numbers of victims in 2020 than expected based on the trend in previous years, but more forces reported a larger percentage of male victims in 2020 than would be expected

Although mental illness has increased since covid-related restrictions began, the suicide rate has reduced. This is welcome news, but why has it happened?

Socialising is a basic human need. The opposite – social isolation – is one of the worst forms of torture. Some people look down on the local pub as a place for undesirable riff raff, but that narrow viewpoint misses entirely the community value of the pub