economy, culture and demographics. He says
that yes, you can, and dismisses the idea that
differing population densities might come
into play.
“I was stuck in a traffic jam in Stockholm
for three hours. It’s rammed full of people.”
I say that the Swedish model relies on
mutual trust between government and the
people, so how are we going to have that
if you’re slagging off politicians in national
newspapers? He says the government can win
back trust by admitting they were wrong in
the first place.
I say that it makes more sense to compare
the success of Sweden with its Nordic
neighbours, who did impose lockdown
measures, which reveals that the Swedes have
a much higher deaths per million figure (583)
than Denmark (115), Finland (62) or Norway
(51). He says that the bulk of Swedish deaths
were in care homes, “which they got wrong”,
but that herd immunity has been proven as
the approach to take. “You will not find too
many people arguing against that now.”
The truth is you will find plenty of people
arguing against that. They will likely argue for
ever. But really, for Dolan, these arguments
are just a sideshow. The principle at stake
is freedom of choice. The feeling of being in
control. And he just really, really doesn’t want
the government telling us what we can and
cannot do. He didn’t like it as a kid in school
and he doesn’t like it now.
“You know, if you want to go and wear a
mask or have a vaccine, then I’m really happy
for you,” he says brightly. “I’m not particularly
interested, but I’m happy for you. But I would
want the same courtesy back. So if I want not
to wear a mask or have a vaccine, or if I want
to wear a yellow hat on a Tuesday, that’s what
I should be able to do. I’m a libertarian. That’s
the way a business should be run and it’s the
way I believe a government should think.”
Whatever else you may think of him,
Dolan genuinely believes that, in seeking
his judicial review, he is helping. That it would
be his gift to us. “It’s probably the first thing
I’ve ever done for anybody else, outside my
family, without any financial benefit to me
whatsoever,” he admits, somewhat bashfully.
If the judicial review happens and is a success,
then the crowdsourced money will go into
some kind of trust. If he loses the case, he
reckons he will still be personally on the hook
for about £1 million in costs. He was chatting
with a fellow millionaire the other day who
was saying how fortunate they were to be able
to ride this out from the comfort of their big
homes and vast gardens.
“But imagine being stuck on the 23rd floorof a housing estate with a partner you can’t
stand? It’s the poor people that will suffer the
most,” he says of a Britain that never gets back
to normal. And what’s funny, he continues, is
that he usually wouldn’t have much sympathy
for people in poverty – “I’ve always believed
that, if you haven’t got any money, go and
earn some” – but now he does. “This is
probably the first time I’ve seen a government
actively preventing people from working.
And these are the sort of people who are
supporting me.” He describes how he recently
found himself agreeing vehemently with a
Marxist about government overreach and
control. He chuckles at the absurdity of it.
“He was a proper, proper Marxist.”
Anyway, it’s time for Dolan to head off
now. Depending on what happens in court
over the coming weeks and months, we
may never hear from him again. Conversely,
he may be the reason we find that we never
go through another lockdown, regardless of
the consequences. This time, as he makes to
leave, he asks if I mind shaking hands, which
is nice of him. I tell him I don’t mind. So we
shake again and he strides off into the hotel.
Then I go to the gents and wash my hands
with soap and hot water. As the bubbles
froth, I hum Happy Birthday twice. Just as
I’ve been told to. n