Early in the COVID-19 crisis of 2020, governments nearly everywhere made the case for a temporary lockdown to “flatten the curve” of the virus in order to avoid overwhelming medical facilities. The public was largely on board, the lockdowns were put in place, and they worked. Hospitals were not only not overwhelmed, many had to lay off staff due to reduced demand. So you would think this would be a case of mission accomplished and a return to at least semi-normalcy. Instead, there seems to be mission creep. Many governments, heady with their new powers, are refusing to allow any return to normal activity; but there are growing signs of a lockdown rebellion.
It reminded me of the Ealing comedy Passport to Pimlico, in which a small London borough discovers it is really an independent nation and all at once the public begin to defy authority in innocent ways, recovering freedoms long forgotten.
The film is available free online and is reviewed here.