Did you enjoy your first inside pint this week or last week?

Were you grateful to the government?

Did you raise a glass to Boris and Matt in appreciation?

But seriously, should we allow government to dictate so many of our freedoms?

I say this as we are having fear whipped up over the Indian variant.

Some say it means we should not go on holiday.

I have even heard fears it may mean the lifting of restrictions due on June 21 won't happen, it may even mean some of the freedoms we have gained in recent weeks are rolled back.

If nothing is to highlight the failure of the government's lockdown policies, it would be this.

Time after time, we have seen goalposts shifted.

Remember in March last last year, it was just meant to be 'three weeks' of lockdown, to flatten the curve and 'save the NHS.'

Yet, we are now easing out of our third lockdown, amid fears of a fourth, possibly in the autumn.

But we have done everything government told us. We have stayed at home, we have worked from home, we have not been on holiday, we have not hugged family and friends, we have kept our distance, even from our nearest and dearest.

We have also taken the vaccine by the million, and a second vaccine too. Some 99 per cent of us 'vulnerable' are now 'protected'.

Fear is whipped up in a frenzy over this Indian Variant. It might spread a little more, but it is no more deadly and it is not resistant to the vaccines.

Lincolnshire has reported some cases and there are also some in Melton, but hardly a cause for panic or lockdown roll-back.

Indeed, Rutland has only recorded one death during April and May and South Kesteven has similarly recorded just the one death in about 6 weeks.

Our hospitals contain very few Covid-19 cases too.

Lincolnshire, for example, just has seven such Covid-19 patients.

With numbers like this, why shouldn't we get our freedoms back, in full, now?

You won't hear it on the tv news but Texas and Florida received their freedoms some weeks and months ago. There is no fresh wave there, their numbers have kept falling and falling, apparently due to vaccination.

Vaccinated people are meant to be safe from the virus, which was the whole point in taking it. If the vaccine offers no protection, then why take it? Therefore, those like me, who have taken the vaccine, should not fear those who have not.

But back to India. Despite the hype over the sub-continent, its number of daily cases and deaths are falling, so the worst is over.

And based on the size of its population, the World Health Organisation shows that despite the scenes we see on television, India has had fewer cases and deaths than the UK.

Yes, 25 million cases sounds a lot, 283,248 deaths is terrible, but India, with 1.4billion people has 20 times the UK population. We have had 4.45 million cases 128,000 deaths so you can see how we have actually done far worse based on our population.

So no more fearmongering, please!

With figures like this, I only reaffirm my beliefs that lockdown has been a failure. Yes, the vulnerable should have been shielded and protected for everyone else it should have almost been business as usual.

We have seen much collateral damage from lockdown and its carnage continues.

I have mentioned the undiagnosed cancers, heart disease, the rocketing waiting lists, etc, but in recent weeks we have seen growing anger over GP surgeries cutting themselves off from patients.

This seems a particular issue in Oakham and the Deepings.

Surgeries say they are busy involved with vaccinations but it all has come at the expense of other conditions in our National Covid Service.

We must remember 128,000 still died with Covid under the lockdown policies of this government and its lapdog opposition.

There is other collateral damage, such as the many businesses that have closed. And many experts now agree that economic harm leads to physical, medical harm, including a higher death rate.

Grantham saw a much-love cafe call it a day last week. I am sure our other towns in Rutland and South Kesteven have lost many other businesses, as Grantham has.

I have been out and last week was saddened to see a newly-opened buffet restaurant with hardly any customers, despite the food being very tasty and reasonably priced.

A couple of my favourite pubs were relatively quiet too and tables were available.

It is high time the mask mandate was dropped. Some studies show no benefit from wearing them, and we must remember we did not have to wear then in shops and venues at the start of the pandemic last year.

Remember, we now have the safety of the vaccine to protect us, don't we?

It seems mask wearing, or what Peter Hitchens calls 'muzzle wearing' is simply a fear tactic to make us show obedience. But certainly if anything was needed to restore confidence in going out and socialising again, it would be to remove the mask mandate, which simply seems to install fear and terror.

It would also make shopping a more pleasant experience, rather than a chore. No wonder many high street shops and hospitality venues are closing when you have to suffer such discomfort when you walk through the door. Let's make shopping, dining and other inside venues, a pleasure again!

Instead, there are reports out there highlighting how government campaigns resorted to fear tactics to terrorise the population over Covid.

The Telegraph's Planet Normal Podcast covered this issue beautifully last Thursday, even if the conclusions are most concerning, if not frightening.

There was even a report out last week saying many people want indefinite lockdown, so frightened and cowed they have become, they also fear going out.

Well, I have probably said enough on this issue for now.

All I can add is that you go out and support your local pubs, restaurants and other businesses as best you can.

I have been doing my bit.

They, like us, have been through so much lately and they need our support.

And we need to tell the fearmongers, including those in government, stay inside if you wish to, but you have no right to stopping us others who wish to get on with life, from getting on with life, and making up our own minds, with all the risks it might involve.

We tried lockdown, it failed, now it is time for freedom!

• This is an updated version of a newsletter-only article which was sent out with our FREE newsletter, which comes out every Friday.