Time and again, we see loud contrarian Covid voices cheered on by segments of the right-leaning commentariat, in ways that fly in the face of the common-sense public https://twitter.com/TorontoStar/status/1334994399613239296

In Australia, the Murdoch press lambasted "Dictator Dan" Andrews, prem of Victoria, for a hardline lockdown, demanded he resign, predicted an uprising. And after all the hardship and grief he emerges with a 71% approval rating. Because the public gets it https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8568-roy-morgan-survey-on-voting-intention-and-approvals-in-victoria-november-12-2020-202011111454

And I strongly suspect that lily-livered politicians and policy makers in Canada, who fear a backlash if they get tougher are wrong. We are not as weak and stupid and self-interested as they imagine

And just because the BBQAnon crowd are as loud and persistent on social media as they are in real life, it does not make them anywhere near numerous enough (let alone right enough!) to give them a casting vote on this life-and-death situation

And there is nothing to prevent conservative leaders doing this right. You don't have to give in to the faux "libertarian" fringe, any more than the left should give in to the hippie-dippie anti-science anti-vaxxer drum-circle bollocks

What grieves me is not that selfish weirdos exist. It's that for some reason, those on the "libertarian" side of things get a LOT more credit during this pandemic than they deserve. I don't recall any columnists cheering the drum-circle drongos. So why the love for sausage boy?