# Covid, SAGE and ‘the West’s Chernobyl’ | Roger Koppl on Expert Failure

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-insurgency-with-steve-baker-7492429/covid-sage-and-the-west-s-chernobyl-roger-koppl-on-expert-failure
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-insurgency-with-steve-baker-7492429/covid-sage-and-the-west-s-chernobyl-roger-koppl-on-expert-failure.md
Podcast: [The Insurgency with Steve Baker](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-insurgency-with-steve-baker-7492429)
Published: 2026-04-21T14:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-insurgency/episodes/Covid--SAGE-and-the-Wests-Chernobyl--Roger-Koppl-on-Expert-Failure-e3i7kj7
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/1090ea0c4/podcast/play/118788135/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-3-21%2F422511684-44100-2-3c2dd2b71de79.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-insurgency-with-steve-baker-7492429/episodes/covid-sage-and-the-west-s-chernobyl-roger-koppl-on-expert-failure
Duration seconds: 630

## Resource

Sponsored by Glint - buy, save and spend real physical gold with a Glint Mastercard®. Visit glintpay.com to find out more. You can purchase Prof. Koppl’s books, including Expert Failure and Big Players and the Economic Theory of Expectations, here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Roger-Koppl/author/B001HP32Z2?ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true.In this clip from a Substack-exclusive edition of The Insurgency, Professor Roger Koppl explains how ad‑hoc Covid committees like SAGE were designed to preserve political discretion rather than discover the truth - and why Sweden’s very different path led to a better outcome. He argues the Covid response may prove to be “the West’s Chernobyl moment”, permanently damaging public trust in the expert state.📰 Extended cut: voices.fightingforafreefuture.com🛒 Merch: shop.fightingforafreefuture.com📧 Advertise or partner: liam@stevebaker.info

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## Transcript

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