Caution: Contains Logic

The horrifying attack in Southport was an alarming uptick in the ongoing rise in violence across the country. The government clearly don't intend to stop it, but we can put pressure on police to improve.  Protests are a valid way of demonstrating our frustration but they're being whipped up into violence and we need other options right now. We need to be asking the police to tell us what changes they're going to make to stop it from happening again.  I contacted, separately, Essex Police and our Police Fire and Crime Commissioner.  The PFCC has responded to my questions as follows:  The PFCC "has responsibility for ensuring that [Essex Police] provide an efficient and effective service", according to the website. How does the Commissioner intend to ensure that the "efficient and effective service" includes preventing a similar attack from occurring in Essex?  The PFCC holds boards on a monthly basis where he scrutinises the performance of Essex Police. T...

The 27th July, 2024 - from the Royal Courts of Justice to a huge event at Trafalgar Square, thousands of people came to London this Saturday to say "we love Britain, and we won't let it die".  Patriotism in Trafalgar Square, 2024 Patriotism in Trafalgar Square, 1945  Reports estimate up to 100,000 people in attendance. The square itself can hold over 35,000 - and the crowd spilled into the surrounding streets. Police officers were overheard saying they "didn't expect this many" attendees - a sentiment clearly shared by the BBC and mainstream papers as they realised it wasn't ignorable, and scrambled to find any nearby arrests they could fabricate a link to. Some might call it a protest, but the atmosphere was more akin to a festival or concert, helped on by the musical intervals between speakers. Numerous musicians contributed, including Tamara Lich all the way from Canada, known for orchestrating the truckers' convoy in 2022. The performances did, t...

This is simply my interpretation of the terms of the school bill (as phrased by the government), and why they are a problem.  The measures in the Bill will: "Support more schools to become part of a strong, multi-academy trust." and "Strengthen the regulatory framework for academy trusts, underpinned by powers to intervene where they are failing."   - Meaning: reducing the independence of schools by pressuring, bribing or coercing them to step under the thumb of the academy trust boards run by the obscenely wealthy. This measure would continue the accumulation of power for the few that began with the introduction of the Education Reform Act 1988. The way that global corporations feed corruption and greed by absorbing small businesses is mirrored by academy trusts when they swallow individual schools. Following on from seizing more schools into the academy trusts, those trusts then become ever more controlling. The Bill allows the government to dictate through the tr...

In the region of Hesse, Germany, all businesses including supermarkets and grocery stores have been granted the power to choose whether they allow 2G (‘geimpft’ and ‘genesen’ meaning vaccinated and recovered) customers only, or keep masks and social distancing under 3G, which includes a negative test ('getestet'). This means that any shop can deny unvaccinated customers - or rather, people who have not taken a covid vaccine - even for essential items and food.   In at least 8 other German states, businesses like gyms, bars, and restaurants have begun to require '2G' vaccination for entry. Hesse may be the first to deny basic living essentials to un-covid-vaccinated people , but I am certain it will not be the last. The discrimination will spread and grow  Merkel's chief of staff, Helge Braun, said “vaccinated people will definitely have more freedoms than unvaccinated people.”  It's truly surreal to be writing these words as fact. I don't see how anybody cou...

Over 200 people gathered in Chelmsford on Saturday to speak out against vaccine passports and schools administering jabs without parental consent. The group congregated outside the station and moved the demonstration through the town centre. Multiple speakers, including myself, gave speeches in the high street, so as to reach more observers and be heard by more people. The majority of observers walked quietly past, some taking leaflets and some politely refusing, but a few stopped to listen. One group of school aged boys asked for stickers and leaflets and joined the march as it continued - which gave me a lot of hope. There were also very aggressive observers including one who physically assaulted a protester, but people who react with violence or insults do so because they feel the most insecure. Our resistance makes them feel subconsciously ashamed and threatened. I'd like to acknowledge that the police were generally helpful and courteous. One or two of the more stubborn amongs...

 MPs in every constituency are (or should be) still holding their regular surgeries. I recently arranged an appointment with my MP and although I got the usual scripted answers, I did get one small action - a promise to write to the Secretary of State recording her opposition to vaccine passports in parkrun events. This is of course tiny, but every time an MP agrees to protect one community event from vaccine passports, it helps to hold back the tide of the entire scheme becoming universal.  Another thing we can achieve from meetings like this is the simple act of making the politicians look you in the eye. The more they have to confront the harm they have done to real people sitting in front of them, the more their conscience will start to stir back to life. We can apply pressure bit by bit and make our voices heard directly to them, making them more likely to do the right thing in the commons.  So, here are a few things I have learnt from my research and my own recent e...

Killing puppies. Arresting people for outdoor gatherings. Police urging citizens to inform on their neighbours, friends, and family.  This time last year Australia was bragging about how they had so quickly and efficiently eradicated covid. Granted, the early border closure was valid, but it's a short term solution that was continued far beyond its value. And stranding 40,000 of their own citizens overseas is the tip of the heartless iceberg of Australia's policies.  Despite their original lockdown only lasting 2 months, the level of cooperation seems to have spurred on some far nastier actions. Firsthand accounts describe the military escort to hotel prisons upon arrival in the country - negative tests not accepted - where incoming travellers are locked up for weeks with dire looking food rations and little to no exercise. Police have arrested people for attending protests, planning protests, or even just posting on social media that they would like to attend a protest. ...

Cash is physical legal tender that can be used to exchange goods, debt, or services. Cash is simply an extension of the trade principal - a placeholder in between trades, to allow indirect exchange where people have differing needs. Using basic trade, I could provide a service to a farmer and obtain some food in return. The flaw is that the farmer may not need my service, meanwhile someone who does need my service may not produce food. Cash adds flexibility to the trade principle and allows more people to participate in it.  Moving the records of a person's cash earnings online does make a certain amount of sense in the modern age. However, if cash becomes obsolete, those numbers stop representing anything real and instead represent the "value" of each individual to the state. If digital currency becomes the norm, the solidity and security of cash is completely lost. Digital currency is vulnerable to hacking, it will make society more power-dependent, and it has absolutel...

Neil Ferguson. Professor Lockdown. His word has been taken as gospel by SAGE, the government, and the British people, and his modelling influenced the decision to introduce lockdown back in March.  Let's take a look at some of his other statistical works of art.  2001 - Foot and Mouth Disease!  In 2001 Ferguson and his team produced modelling that influenced culling policies, including "ring" culling - slaughtering animals in neighbouring farms despite no evidence of infection (well, they could have been asymptomatic)  This move cost the UK economy an estimated £10 billion, plus the wasted slaughter of over 6 million cattle, sheep, and pigs.  The modelling used was heavily criticised by experts, who claim the modelling was "severely flawed", "not fit for purpose" and made a "serious error". Clearly, this heroic work deserved an OBE, awarded to Ferguson in 2002. 2002 - Mad Cow Disease!  Ferguson predicted up to 50,000 deaths from BSE in the UK...

Last week it was announced that participation in the Covid-19 vaccine trials will be mandatory for all care workers. I am truly struggling to understand how this has happened in England - it is proving almost impossible to put my reaction into words. In my past 2 attempts to write this post I have been found myself entirely without words. It's a transparently insane occurrence, no matter how the Ministry of Truth try to frame it.  Ministers claim they have passed the mandate out of concern for low uptake of the vaccines in care home workers. This suggestion has provoked two strong responses in my mind that I'm sure we all share: A) Where was their "concern" for carers when they were sending sick residents back into their facilities, instead of the Nightingale hospitals?  B) Why is it not up to the workers what risks they're willing to take? A theme of my objections throughout - adults should have the right to assess the level of risk and make their own decisions ...

 If the government cared about the NHS, or cared about public health in any way, here are some things they would have done: Temporarily Ban Smoking. 21% of hospitalisations for any respiratory disease can be attributed to smoking. Plus 14% of all admissions for circulatory diseases, and 9% of all admissions for cancers. If smoking had been banned or even discouraged in the same way that handshakes have been, for example, the covid risk for smokers would have significantly reduced - after quitting, circulation and lung function start to improve after 2 weeks, and risk of heart attack drops after just 2 days! And this in turn would have reduced hospitalisations and reduced pressure on the NHS.  Keep Exercise Facilities Open.  Obesity is a covid risk factor. Boris told us himself: "my friends, I was too fat". Exercise can reduce your risk of major illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes (another covid risk) and cancer by up to 50%. Not to mention, ex...

 It's taken me a day or so to process the last demonstration. As Essex participants will know, there was a significant delay in our journey to the starting point - a fatality at Gidea Park caused all trains into Central London to be stopped. Undeterred, the group splintered and made their various ways into Hyde Park. From here on, then, I can only speak for my small family group who made it to Marble Arch at half past 1. Half an hour late, we were still able to join the crowd that was streaming steadily out of Hyde Park, with many more to come.  It was undoubtedly the highest-attended protest yet. Aerial footage courtesy of Richard Tice shows the miles of road occupied by tightly packed people. The BBC even said there were "thousands" of us, so by the ratio of their previous estimates, I assume there were over a million. I was pleased to discover on Sunday morning that multiple papers had actually reported on the protest, and the Mail Online had used a photo that my banne...

 Dear Maskers,  I'd like to invite you all to play a game. It's called Never Have I Ever. If you don't know how to play, you just grab a big glass of wine or some shots, and take a drink every time you've done something on the list.  Ready?  Never Have I Ever worn a mask on my chin.  Never Have I Ever lowered my mask to talk, then pulled it back up.  Never Have I Ever touched the front of my mask. Never Have I Ever walked around with a mask swinging from my wrist. Never Have I Ever put a mask down on a table then put it back on.  Never Have I Ever put a mask in my bag or pocket between uses.  Never Have I Ever worn the same mask multiple times without washing.  Are you drunk yet?  There is an argument for masks preventing infection under the pristine conditions of an operating theatre, where the practice is executed to perfection. But out in the real world, the use of masks is counter-productive. When you have it round your wrist, it's p...

 Yesterday's protest has resulted in mixed feelings. The turnout was great for all 16 protests across the UK and it's always good to get out, mix with like-minded people and fill the streets. On the other hand the route was quite empty of observers, probably due to it being agreed with the police beforehand, and the energy was lower. I think that there were multiple reasons for the overall dampened spirits. One is the division between organisers who possibly all want to be the one person in charge and take credit. Another is the division within the cause - people campaigning about child trafficking and other causes that, despite being important, aren't to do with lockdown. They may well be linked to the same figures who are profiting from lockdown, but the lack of focus definitely dilutes the impact we could be having. Finally, another reason is the frustration and exhaustion that is coming from having so many protests so close together with no coverage and less reaction fr...

Yesterday the streets of London filled once again as we assembled and walked together in the sunshine to convey our message: Lockdown is wrong.  The demonstration was attended by at least 750,000, with a beautiful carnival atmosphere - music, dancing, cheering, and smiles. It was a brilliant experience to be surrounded by the support and determination of like-minded people. Despite the concern we were expressing about the masses of harm being inflicted on innocent people, the atmosphere also contained a significant element of positivity, a celebration of our resilience and strength.  Along the walk I met some wonderful people - people representing the most important issues we currently face.  These NHS nurses are among the many who feel that the impacts of covid, while as emotionally devastating as any patient deaths, do not outweigh the damage to patients who have had vital surgeries postponed, cancer caught too late due to cancelled screenings, and heart attacks and str...

  On Sunday, I participated in an interview with an independent film company, DT Films, for their project entitled Through Your Eyes. They are investigating the various impacts that lockdown has had on peoples lives, and giving those people a platform to share their perspectives. In my interview, we focussed on mental health impacts. I explained what I had experienced during each lockdown, from the emotional toll to the various physical manifestations of my mental state - heart palpitations, eye twitching, shaking, etc. We also discussed the major events that lockdown had caused in my life, such as my redundancy or seeing my mum's business that I have watched her pour years of training and hard work into building being closed down with a heartbreaking finality.  With the amazing support of the crew I felt free to express my perception that the imposition of these measures has been an injustice and a betrayal to many. Johnson, who claimed to support British business throughout ...

  Both a literal and metaphorical stand, groups from all over England have been convening every Sunday in parks to share thoughts and ideas in defiance of the inhumane restrictions imposed by the Johnson regime.  Our stand, in Chelmsford, began with just four attendees, including myself. 5 weeks on, our numbers are 5 times as many and growing strong. Every week with the mix of first-timers, regulars, and people who come when they can, I get to meet and talk with a variety of amazing people who never fail to brighten my day. Being in a natural space with people who are not afraid of an uncovered smile, who don't treat one another as though we are "unclean" - it's a breath of fresh air in more ways than one.  It is a fundamental part of human life to gather with others. We gather to celebrate, to mourn, to worship, to work, and to simply share our experiences. The United Nations considers solitary confinement exceeding 15 days to be torture - Nils Melzer, UN Special Rap...

On Saturday, some friends and I went to the shop. A year ago, you'd have said "so?". This year, it's gone semi-viral on twitter - Simon Dolan, Gillian McKeith, and David Kurten have all weighed in with their support.  If you've been exercising your exemption, you know that going to the shop can be an ordeal. Workers who are misinformed of the law asking to see your exemption card, asking you to "wait outside" if you don't have an exemption card, some even ask what makes you exempt! It's all highly invasive and unnecessary (not to mention illegal). This is why we went as a group - for strength in numbers, to do something normal and not be harassed for it. Did we organise it? Yes. Did it make a statement? Sure. But the point to emphasise is that what we did was normal. We went to the shops together because we're friends.  Queueing up outside the shop, we were asked if we were all together. Once we said we weren't, that was that. No one both...

Today was the Worldwide Freedom Rally.  It was an amazing atmosphere - thousands of people, all from different walks of life. There was a sense of camaraderie similar to that felt in a football stadium, and the noise level was pretty similar too: music, drums, whistles, singing, and best of all honking from cars and buses we passed, whose drivers even shook hands with those who were closest to show support.  We walked through the highlights of London - Hyde Park, Oxford Street, Embankment past the London Eye, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, and Buckingham Palace. Hyde Park has always represented a free space to gather and speak (as mentioned in my Speaker's Corner post) and it was an ideal location to begin the walk. As we passed the iconic monuments of London we encountered bystanders both supportive and non supportive, and I felt proud of the attitude of love that was shown to all of them indiscriminately. True, we encouraged some to "take off your mask!" which they m...

Yes, I'm talking about the vaccine. Again. Because since distribution began, 17 European countries have placed Oxford/AstraZeneca on hold due to concerns over blood clots. You know, the same concerns that I was mocked and berated for voicing only last month.  Today the BBC released a baffling article about the "thorough" review that AstraZeneca has undergone. So here is my thorough review of their flimsy attempt to stay with the official line.  "The MHRA and the EMA say people can have confidence in the vaccine's benefits and should get immunised, despite some countries pausing use. But anyone with a headache lasting more than four days after vaccination should seek medical advice, as a precaution. The same advice applies if someone develops unusual bruising." So... you should get it, but if you get symptoms of the blood clots that they definitely don't cause, seek medical attention. Hmm. Go on.. "That is because the regulators have received a very ...