I imagine that chaos has ensued amongst the Oscar awards committee at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. En route to heaping praise on the diminutive Scientologist Tom Cruise and Benedict Cumberbatch (is there a film he is not in?) for their respective roles, two blockbusters have been released which will surely turn heads and swoop up between them a host of awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Short Documentary. Well, that would certainly be the case if there was any justice in the cinematographic world. There may just be some itsy bitsy problems with the two films I am nominating; they are about the ‘pandemic’ and they do not toe the Covid narrative line.
The first of my two nominations is Brilliantly Difficult (55 minutes) by Keith Craig about the cartoonist Bob Moran who has done so much to keep us sane throughout the ‘pandemic’. Bob Moran worked for The Daily Telegraph until the end of last year when he was sacked. I used to see his excellent cartoons in The Telegraph throughout 2020 and 2021 and shake my head in wonder at the fact he was still in his job. From the outset of lockdown, he presented a wry and humorous perspective in his meticulous and often beautiful op-ed cartoons. He pointed out the absurdities and the cruelty of the lockdown restrictions and mask wearing and all in a newspaper which, while it now being vitriolic about lockdown, simply acted in common with the rest of the mainstream media as a mouthpiece for UK government pandemic policy.
But they got Bob in the end. He expressed his disgust ‘as a desperate and angry father of a disabled child’ at Dr Rachel Clarke—a journalist and medical doctor—who had complained about being abused for wearing a mask on public transport. His words were forceful and explicit and clearly the outpourings of a man at the edge over the plight of his daughter during lockdown. Instead of showing any sympathy, the British Medical Association weighed in to defend her and she complained to The Telegraph about the ‘abuse of NHS staff’ by Moran. Apologies were forthcoming but so was Bob’s P45 and he parted company with the newspaper. I imagine that Moran’s outburst was just the excuse they had been waiting for to sack him.
None of the above is covered in the film, Bob Moran moved on a long time ago and as well as finding a market for his cartoons, for example in The Daily Sceptic, he also found a newfound freedom and creativity. He is prolific and the film is less about him than his work which is displayed throughout. From taking shots at lockdown, masks and social distancing he then moved to Covid vaccines and his famous ‘Stab Vest’ cartoon is a classic showing an elderly man with a baby sling and a child labelled ‘Stab Vest’ and the caption ‘Protect the vulnerable’. Clearly a swipe at the policy of vaccinating children with the aim of protecting older people.
Between cartoons there are reflections on his work generally and sometimes on specific cartoons by both Delingpoles (James and Dick), Toby Young and glamourous chef Tonia Buxton amongst others. Watching the film I was deeply moved again by some of the cartoons, most of which I was familiar with, especially the transgenerational ones and particularly ‘Some risks are always worth taking’ depicting a grandmother hugging a child.
What was new to me in many of these familiar cartoons was some of the exquisite detail, all of it packed with meaning. I left the film convinced that this young man Bob Moran is a genius and possibly the best satirical British cartoonist we have ever seen. The film also stirred up considerable anger in me about what was done to us in the name of saving the NHS. And that was the perfect segue to The New Normal (1 hour and 5 minutes) an Ickonic Original Film by Jaymie Iche. This film is a retrospective on the legacy of Covid which is designed to leave viewers in no doubt about what happened to us in 2020 and 2021 and how they tried to foist a ‘new normal’ on us. ‘They’ are the advocates of lockdowns, mask wearing and mass vaccination.
Some leading medical commentators are interviewed such as Dr Andrew Kaufman and Dr Peter McCullough who have both come under attack for their outspokenness over Covid. I have to admit to being more in the McCullough than the Kaufman camp as I see that the latter has joined the viral sceptic movement. In addition, I was disappointed to see Dr Tom Cowan given a great deal of time to express his views, some of which are demonstrably wrong. He claims in the film that repeated freedom of information requests have failed to elicit from anyone that Covid has been found in body fluids. It is not disclosed when these were issued and to whom, but it is a factually incorrect statement to say that virus has not been found in body fluids, which is easily checked. Nevertheless, the film does include some leading commentators on Covid including Tonia Buxton (is she in every Covid film?) and Dr Niall McCrae who is no stranger to Unity News Network.
In common with Brilliantly Difficult, this film is also moving and ultimately leaves you angry about how the world has gone. But the final message that ‘we do not accept this’ and that ‘we will be ready’ should strike fear into the heart of every public health official and potential Secretary of State for Health. I may not agree with all the people in The New Normal, but I will be with them at the barricades if ever lockdown, social distancing or face masks are imposed again.
Opinions from the Unity News Network (UNN) editorial team & various contributors. | UNN always clearly distinguishes between news and opinion pieces and as an open minded outlet we publish views from a variety of people and organisation that do not necessarily reflect the views of UNN or its writers. Articles published under UNN Opinions are always opinion pieces and if published on behalf of a contributor will contain that authors name at the start of the piece.
