Articles by Niall McCrae

Newspapers are reporting mental health crisis as fact, despite official statistics showing no significant increase in mental illness in younger people. Many reported surveys do not refer to diagnosed conditions but self-reported feelings, and articles rely heavily on expert opinion. The Guardian claims to represent the views of campaigners, politicians and therapists, as well as students, yet a mere eight of its … [Read on]

Never let a good crisis go to waste. Covid-19 has been exploited by political leaders and the medical profession to pursue social objectives that would normally face stiff public opposition. Alcohol is a prime target. Who would have believed, earlier this year, that all pubs would be forced to close at 10pm, alongside other irksome regulations such as no standing … [Read on]

When the government banned our old soldiers and sailors from attending the Cenotaph for Remembrance Sunday, I was determined to turn up anyway. Deterred by advice that Whitehall would be blocked off, I went instead to my local event at Carshalton Ponds. Expecting a small gathering but no dignitaries, I penned a short speech, as follows: – ‘Ladies and gentlemen, … [Read on]

Hardly Martin Luther and the Diet of Worms, you might think. But amidst the global crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Great Barrington Declaration has caused epic controversy.  This scientists’ petition, calling for a different strategy to manage the novel coronavirus, opposes the group-think that has led to a tightening ratchet on citizens’ liberties with consequent economic carnage. Campaigners against … [Read on]

First they came for Tommy Robinson. Then they came for Brexit activists. And then they came for doctors and nurses at anti-lockdown rallies. Who will be next, in the tightening ratchet on British liberties? There was no outcry by politicians about the police brutality at Trafalgar Square on 26th September, just as in 2018 little concern was expressed about the … [Read on]

While attending the anti-lockdown protest at Trafalgar Square last Saturday, I crossed the road to the Caffe Nero.  In a queue I chatted to a pleasant couple in their 60s behind me. When it was my turn, I ordered a double espresso and produced a fiver. The young European guy serving told me that I must pay by card. Now, if … [Read on]

Robert Oulds and Niall McCrae are joint authors of this blog and Moralitis: a Cultural Virus (Bruges Group, 2020).  On a sunny Saturday morning, the queue outside Waitrose on the main thoroughfare in Chiswick basked in a glow of self-satisfaction. Dozens of casually-dressed, trendy urbanites displayed their social justice credentials by ‘taking the knee’, a ritual show of support for … [Read on]