Peter Hitchens reflects on the intense backlash he faced for opposing pandemic lockdowns in Britain, recalling the isolation and hostility from both the public and media. He found solace in a buried article by a respected judge questioning the legal basis for the restrictions, which reassured him that his concerns were not unfounded. Hitchens laments that many people seem to prefer being controlled and warns that future crises may lead to even greater losses of freedom and prosperity.

He also criticizes a new film for its portrayal of notorious Nazi figure Hermann Goering, arguing that it wrongly humanizes a brutal criminal and misrepresents historical events, including the actions of the Catholic Church during the Second World War. Finally, Hitchens describes witnessing a historic Royal Mail pillar box in Oxford reduced to a litter bin, using it as a metaphor for the decline of respect for tradition and authority in modern Britain, and warning of the dangers of societal decay.