In 2001 the biggest attack on US soil was seized upon as a pretext for war. In 2003 Western governments used bogus claims of phony weapons of mass destruction to enter yet another war with Iraq.

Since then public trust for government has been at an all time low. For throughout this period, information provided was curated, controlled and distorted by governments. Investigation was of a poor quality, unreliable and of dubious methods. This lack of trustworthy information lead to the preponderance of speculation and gossip. For whenever there is a void it often gets filled in. The result as been an epidemic lack of trust in authority.

Today the UK Government has announced they will no longer be posting daily updates to the progress of coronavirus (#covid19) spread. Instead they will post figures once a week. In other words they are deliberately witholding vital information from the public. It's clear they want to avoid panic in order to protect the economy. But if ever there was a demonstration of money vs. humans this is it.

For the unspoken brutal fact is that each human life comes with a monetary value in relation to their usefulness. Let's face it, when it comes to a cost benefit analysis, things aren't looking good for the old, the sick and the weak. Even more worryingly, deaths in this sector could be seen by some to relieve a "drain" on social security.

Some believe the fears have been exaggerated. But they're missing the bigger picture. The unusually long incubation period together with its symptomless spread, make this virus far more dangerous than it would seem. The clue is the exponential growth and velocity we have witnessed. This doubling pattern of growth within a short time period suggests our NHS won't cope. Many will die who would've otherwise survived under normal conditions and not just from coronavirus.

So the government have decided to withhold information in order we stay calm, go to work and keep the economy ticking over. Make no mistake, this is an economic decision.

But I reckon this could backfire for it makes them appear they have something to hide. This is likely to result in more misinformation and gossip. The antidote to the spread of false information is full information transparency leading to trust.

As sovereign individuals we have a right to the truth and to decide how we react to it.