These clumsy government are clearly backfiring. But the principle of a democratically elected government requiring ‘civic duty’ from its citizens is not sinister.

In WWII Britain temporarily changed from democratic to authoritarian with a ‘government of national unity’ taking huge powers including requisition of property and the ability to order people here or there. After the war democracy was reinstated, to the extent that Churchill’s Tories lost and a left wing Labour government was elected which created the NHS.

So under existential threat a government can take extraordinary powers, the proviso is that a consistent commitment to democracy and freedom remains.

You can argue that in no way is covid an equivalent existential threat as the Nazi regime invading and that’s true.

This does not mean that there is no such thing as civic duty.

It is an ancient contract between government and citizenry and should not require coercion. Clearly there is fraying of this contract on both sides, that’s not good.