Devolved Incompetence

Public 'health' regulation from on high...

It shouldn’t have been a surprise. However, it was, to some extent. I assumed that people elected to public office - across all levels of government - kept up to speed on issues affecting them and their constituents. I am clearly deluded.

As many of you will know, I have been somewhat immersed in the freedom movement (to the extent that such a movement exists) over the last 4 years or so. Like many of you reading this, I have tried to seek explanations. I have taken a keen interest in better understanding the role being played in our civil society by supranational organisations, like the WEF, WHO, EU and other nefarious bodies - as well as our so-called civil service. I have taken a keen interest in how the media has played a part in manipulating news output or promoting the profiles of certain propagandists or agendas.

My assumption was that elected politicians might have at least a passing interest in getting up to speed with the information we uncover, or the points we make, in order that they may rebut them.

However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. A few days ago I met one of my elected representatives. A chap called Robbie Butler. I wrote a brief summary of my conversation with him on Friday (that summary was edited/approved by Butler). The meeting had been set up so that I might make him aware of the reason so many people were incensed by the proposed NI Health Bill. I have never taken an interest in Mr Butler before - nor have I sought a meeting with him. But on Friday I had the chance to better understand his motivations - and that of his party colleague, Mike Nesbitt - in defending one of the most appalling pieces of proposed legislation I have ever seen.

I’m not going to rehash the reasons why so many people have been so incensed by the legislation. People from across the UK and beyond have joined the campaign - and it has spawned this very Substack. In effect the NI Bill has come to represent everything most repugnant about ‘modern’, unlistening, authoritarian government.

So I suppose I expected that Mr Butler, in accepting the meeting, was going to meet me half-way. He was going to accommodate my views because he, too, had read around the topic and had come to see at least some merit in some of my arguments.

Don’t get me wrong. Butler was nice enough. He seems to be a decent enough chap. He’s progressed in life. He left school at 16, was a butcher for a while and then became a fireman. Now he’s an elected MLA, is on a decent salary and meets with many people and tries to help them with constituency matters that are within the bailiwick of the NI Assembly (essentially a glorified County Council with its own very large and ostentatious parliament building).

However, there was a point in the conversation where I essentially gave up. It was when I tried to articulate this idea: that I felt that the Assembly was being used as a rubber-stamping organisation by the UK ‘government’ and its technocratic handlers.

There’s clear evidence that this is, indeed, the case. Butler argued that the consultation document (that made so people here and across the UK so angry) about a proposed new piece of public health legislation, had been in the works for years - since the twenty-teens. And that it had been drafted by the local version of the Department of Health and was not being pushed or introduced by the Minister i.e. Butler’s Party-colleague, Mike Nesbitt. That was my view too. However, Butler then suggested that the legislation was essentially routine, unremarkable, and was designed to simply plug some gaps in how public health risks were defined.

I tried to interject. But, what about the references to SARS in the document? What about the references to the WHO IHRs? Oh and what about the 2021 Public Health Protection and Health Security Framework?

At this point it was clear that there was little reason to continue the conversation. “The WHO what?” he asked? “IHRs,” I said. “The International Health Regulations.” He then found a pen and scribbled ‘IHR’ on a pad and said he’d find out more.

However, by then I figured that the best I could hope for was that he acknowledge that the consultation had resulted in a huge volume of negative feedback and that the legislation should be deferred until at least the UK-wide COVID Inquiry finishes in 2026. So we agreed the form of words that indicated that the Bill wouldn’t be coming anywhere near the Assembly for quite some time.

However, at no point did Butler give the impression that he considered the proposed legislation ill-considered or anti-human. Nor could he get my point that the UK government (specifically the UKHSA) was essentially commanding the home nations of the United Kingdom accept the regulations handed down by the WHO.

Lest you be in any doubt - and for the benefit of all UK elected representatives who might be reading this - here’s a link to the Public Health Protection and Health Security Framework Outline Agreement. The document was published in 2021 - right in the middle of the global fake pandemic.

The document makes clear what’s required.

The policy area under consideration is the devolved competency of Public Health Protection and Health Security. This framework is intended to implement the optimum operating model and governance arrangements to strengthen strategic and operational cooperation between the UK Government (UKG), the Devolved Administrations and public health agencies of the UK. Public Health Protection policy aims to protect populations from health threats such as communicable diseases and environmental hazards. Health Security policy aims to minimise vulnerability to acute public health events that endanger the collective health of populations living across geographical regions and international boundaries. The framework takes an “all hazards” approach to health protection and health security, in particular it addresses the threats arising from infectious disease and non‑infectious threats such as chemical and environmental hazards which cross borders. This is in line with existing national policies and the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR).

This document was clearly the genesis of the Northern Ireland consultation document. It was spawned out of the UK Health Security Agency - an agency established in 2021.

I asked Grok, X’s AI engine, to tell me a bit more about the UKHSA. It did a pretty good job at describing the organisation - one that came about specifically because of the securocratic nature of ‘public health’ that emerged during the COVID era.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is a governmental body in the United Kingdom tasked with protecting the public from infectious diseases, environmental hazards, chemical, biological, and nuclear incidents. Here's a detailed overview based on the information available up to October 27, 2024:

• Formation and Structure: UKHSA was established on April 1, 2021, replacing Public Health England. It operates under the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) as an executive agency. This reformation was aimed at enhancing the UK's health security by integrating functions like NHS Test and Trace, the Joint Biosecurity Centre, and other health protection capabilities into one agency.

• Mission: The agency's primary role involves preventing, preparing for, and responding to infectious disease outbreaks and other health threats. This includes scientific and operational leadership in managing health emergencies, working both domestically and internationally.

• Leadership: Dr. Jenny Harries serves as the Chief Executive of UKHSA. She transitioned from her role as England's Deputy Chief Medical Officer to lead this new agency, with a focus on health security.

• Criticism and Controversy: The establishment of UKHSA and its operations have not been without criticism. Concerns have been raised regarding its focus on security rather than a broader public health approach, governance issues, and its handling of financial and operational responsibilities, particularly highlighted by reports from the National Audit Office regarding unaccounted finances and lack of governance.

• Public Perception and Media Coverage: From X posts, there's a mix of official announcements touting the agency's launch and capabilities, alongside public skepticism about its name change from Public Health England to UK Health Security Agency, which some perceive as ominous or indicative of a shift towards more security-focused health policies rather than traditional public health.

• Strategic Goals: UKHSA outlines its goals in its strategic plan, focusing on building national health security capability, protecting against current and future threats, and providing scientific leadership in these areas.

• Statistical Outputs: The agency is involved in producing official statistics related to health threats, including regular updates on infectious diseases like COVID-19, influenza, and tuberculosis, which are crucial for public health policy and response.

• Public Engagement: UKHSA engages with the public and stakeholders through various channels, including social media, to communicate health risks, policy changes, and emergency responses.

The creation of UKHSA reflects a strategic shift towards framing health challenges, particularly pandemics, through a security lens, integrating public health functions into what could be seen as part of the nation's broader security apparatus. This approach has sparked discussions on the balance between health protection and individual freedoms, the role of private sector engagement in public health, and the efficiency of centralizing health security functions.

So, there you have it, straight from X’s cavernous data centre: the UKHSA is centralising health security functions. And, according to its own ‘health security framework,’ it’s working with the EU and WHO to make sure that all parts of the UK, and all its citizens, do its bidding.

The reference to the IHRs is particularly chilling, of course, because of the amendments to the regulations and the drafting of the WHO Pandemic Treaty - currently in train. The UK will be a very willing signatory to these grossly overreaching medical mandate rules - which will be rubber-stamped from on high next year. And, if the UKHSA decides that the arrangements need to be put in place for UK-wide public health legislation before then, the devolved regions and England will do its bidding.

So, MPs, members of the devolved assemblies and citizens of the United Kingdom: behold the new era of public health security.