WHO ARE INDIE SAGE?

18 July 2021

Independent SAGE - "Indie-SAGE" they like to be called, borrowing the name of the official advisory SAGE and its name-remit, it's more friendly - link to the official source, SAGE, of independent scientific advice on how to deal with emergencies to government through SPI-B (SAGE). People on "Indie SAGE" are essentially behavioural scientists and some also sit on the official SAGE and make their case to government directly here.

They also face the public, through innumerable tie-ins, like trades unions, newspapers, internet.

It is in practise impossible to separate the data that describes a situation, from the policy for managing the situation. Data, policy and operations are intertwined.

What precedes policy, what conditions policy, are your beliefs and values, ie your politics. Behavioural scientists study the behaviour of people in mass society. In this situation, it is virtually impossible not to hold a Marxist view of society: we are born into "society" and conditioned by our membership of the class to which we belong. After following the social rules on what to think and do, what is left is our personal sphere of freedom.

Contrast this with a true Conservative, who thinks we are born free and consent to join the group while it offers us protection against anarchy and dictatorship. We enjoy maximum freedom to do as we please, which we agree to exchange a part of for this protection.

Furthermore, a Marxist has a vision of a society that is social, equal, diverse and fair. That's really quite different from a Conservative, who abhors the nanny state (read "dictatorship of the people"), with all its tentacles damping down freedom and competition.

So, long story short, Indie SAGE are to be welcomed, they bring a lot of interesting evidence, conclusions and policy recommendations; but we can hear them coming from afar, in their big red Marxist boots!