Nothing unethical about covert psychological 'nudges', says the BPS
After six months of evasion and obfuscation, the British Psychological Society (BPS) has made its position clear: it sees nothing...
Coronababble
Coronavirus - the germ that erodes human rights
CORONABABBLE
Dr Gary Sidley
Coronababble will provide information and ideas that will aid readers to resist and challenge the current public health rhetoric about coronavirus, and thereby help reverse the biggest threat to our freedoms and way of life since the 2nd World War.
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The 3-step, COVID-propaganda detox plan
For 16 months, the British people have been pounded with a multi-faceted Government communication campaign to imprint on our minds the...
The 'Nudge of the Week' challenge
It is increasingly recognised that the Government’s coronavirus communications campaign has relied heavily on covert psychological...
The delayed response of the BPS to ethical questions about covert 'nudging'
I would like to provide an update on progress (or lack of it) of our efforts to seek the view of the British Psychological Society (BPS)...
Why we must never lockdown again
At a coronavirus press conference on the 22nd of February the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, shared his ‘roadmap’ outlining the UK’s...
The dubious ethics of covert psychological strategies - the BPS response
As described in a previous blogpost, there are major ethical concerns arising from the use of covert psychological strategies within the...
Vaccination against COVID-19: Need-to-know information to ensure informed consent
In December 2020, accompanied by expressions of unbridled elation from politicians and the mainstream media, the UK began the roll out of...
The ethics of using covert strategies - a letter to the British Psychological Society (II)
In an earlier blogpost, I described how psychologists working in the Government's 'Behavioural Insight Team' had recommended the use of...
The ethics of using covert strategies - a letter to the British Psychological Society
In a previous blogpost, I described how psychologists working in the Government's 'Behavioural Insight Team' had recommended the use of...
COVID-19 vaccines - is the hype justified?
For the last two weeks, we have witnessed a media frenzy of rejoicing in response to the preliminary drug-company announcements about the...
Reasons to be cheerful? Five positive things about coronavirus
Throughout the year we have been fed an unrelenting diet of fear-enhancing messages and associated imagery about the novel coronavirus,...
How the MEAN psychologists got us to comply with coronavirus restrictions
Introduction The British public’s widespread compliance with the Government’s draconian diktats has arguably been the most remarkable...
Further coronavirus restrictions for Lancashire: yet more misery for our young people.
So the nonsense continues. The good people of Lancashire - my home county – will, from today, have to endure yet more restrictions on...
The Unruly Six - an antidote to the Government's latest assault on our basic freedoms
Today – the 14th September 2020 – the Government imposed the ‘rule of six’, the latest diktat in its escalating assault upon our basic...
Five good reasons not to wear a mask
The summer of 2020 has witnessed the phased mandating of face coverings for all UK citizens (sick or healthy) in some community settings....
Introduction to the blog
Welcome to my brand new blog. In response to the emergence of a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in early 2020, the Government – aided and...