Reading Chris Moore’s statement from the Socialist Party (November 11th) I feel drawn to both support and challenge what he writes.

He is absolutely right to castigate the Government for its appalling handling of the crisis. He is right to point out that most of the measures taken are benefiting multi-millionaires and driving hard working families into poverty. The big online companies such as Amazon are making massive profits while the big pharmaceutical corporations are licking their lips at the prospect of making unheard of profits from a global vaccine roll out while at the same time being indemnified against claims arising from possible side effects – a total win win for them.

He is also right to declare that working class families have suffered disproportionately from the consequences of Covid 19. The lockdown measures are causing thousands of workers to be laid off, hundreds of small businesses to close, mental illness, domestic and child abuse to sky rocket and children to suffer the consequences of social distancing and mask wearing by adults, as well as many other things.

Despite all this imposed misery it therefore surprises me that he still believes in so-called public health measures that defy common sense. By accepting the mainstream narrative that the virus can be controlled with more efficient track and trace systems, he loses sight of the fact that this system massively increases job insecurity (by having to self isolate), underpins mass surveillance and gives the state unlimited control over our lives (according to the Prime Minister the PCR test is in any case only 7% effective). This is not to say of course that the illness is not serious but that the measures being taken are way out of proportion. The letter concludes by calling calling on people “to see the Government lockdown measures as policies to protect big business”. This is no doubt correct and it therefore behoves the Socialist Party to put its full support behind the right to peaceful protest and the anti lockdown campaign.

Bernard Jarman

Stroud