Even in the midst of a deadly pandemic, it suggests that all will be well if you stick to this simple formula.

As many scientists, politicians, and scholars have pointed out, there is no such thing as “science,” a single, unchanging reference point that provides all the answers.

Science evolves. It relies on fresh ideas, discourse, debate and evidence. Wilder ideas are often wrong. sometimes they are right.

Occasionally, as knowledge advances, long-established assumptions must be abandoned. Today’s maverick can become tomorrow’s seer.

Yet, for at least two years during the pandemic, “science” has been the guiding principle of this government.

We were told to ‘stay home, protect the NHS and save lives’.

A bus shelter poster reminded careless teens to “Don’t kill your granny.”

This was said to be what “science” demands and what most politicians on all sides agreed with.

Former prime minister and leadership candidate Rishi Sunak has just left a gaping hole in the claim that there was consensus.

The picture he painted for The Spectator last week was far from a nod in agreement with the government’s accepted scientific wisdom.Many people questioned “science,” he said. However, ministers were told not to discuss potential downsides in interviews.

he said: The script said, “Oh, there are no tradeoffs. Doing this for your health is good for the economy.”

He said ministers had not been given sufficient time or information to consider the report from Sage.

And surprisingly, he claimed that when the findings were internally challenged, the dissent was removed from the official minutes.

Anything that contradicts science, such as asking whether the benefits of closing schools outweigh the costs, was met with silence, the former prime minister said.

Dominic Cummings, a former special adviser to Boris Johnson, has branded Mr. Sunak’s words “dangerous garbage” and claimed he “seems to be suffering from history rewriting syndrome.”

Of course, the former number 10 aide was at the center of the decision-making process throughout Covid. I’m here.

In fact, many formerly highly regarded experts questioned the “science”. I know because I dealt with them through the pandemic.

Countless doctors and scientists have told me they fear the lockdown will ultimately hurt. questioned.

But they claimed this was off the record: “You can’t print it. It will be destroyed.”

A handful were brave enough to raise their heads over the parapet and question “science.” Despite their vast expertise, they faced bitter backlash both online and offline.

Oxford University professors Snetra Gupta and Karl Henegan are among them. So do sociologist Robert Dingwall, economic health expert David Peyton, cancer expert Karol Sikora, and psychologist Ellen Townsend.

Perhaps they and others will see their contributions to the debate properly recognized once the dust has finally settled.

For now, it’s still those who pushed the line of government who get the accolades of promotions and honors, including knighthoods.

But Sunak has opened the door to new debates that cannot be ignored.

Who allowed unelected experts to effectively call shots?

How and why were the official minutes of the Sage documents censored without objection?

And with the country having to pick up more than 1,000 unexplained non-coronavirus deaths every week, record waiting lists and a dizzying sliver of national debt, these experts are now Where are you?

Where are the emergency briefings on hundreds of thousands of missed cases of cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes?

Why did none of the authorities warn that the lockdown measures put in place to protect us could end up doing so much damage?

During the pandemic, open scientific debate was broken. Everyone recognizes the slogan “Follow science”, but can anyone be held accountable for the problems we currently face in doing so?