Tuesday, 25 February 2025

For the Purposes of Being Informed

Today, the Assisted Suicide Bill Committee rejected Rachael Maskell's amendment to ensure that potential assisted suicides had, "met with a palliative care specialist for the purposes of being informed about the medical and care support options."

Even among many and perhaps most of the MPs who had initially supported it, there are no longer any support options for this Bill.

Money To Burn

For retaining the two-child benefit cap, for withdrawing the Winter Fuel Payment, for increasing employers' National Insurance contributions so has to destroy charities and small businesses while making it impossible for big businesses to take on staff or to increase wages, for forcing working farmers of many decades' standing who formally inherited their parents' farms to sell them to giant American agribusinesses, for increasing workers' bus fares by 50 per cent, or for refusing to compensate the WASPI women, the argument has never been that we needed the money for "defence". It has always been that, due to the undeniably parlous state in which the public finances had been left by the last Government, we could "no longer afford it".

Yet now we can afford all the money in the world for the arms companies that employed the former Defence Ministers and top brass beloved of the court media, that will employ their successors, and that funded the grand-sounding official thinktanks that always all said exactly the same thing about every issue. Ostensibly all to stop a country that could not take Kharkiv, a Russian-speaking city less than 20 miles from the Russian border, from parking its tanks on the Atlantic coast, as it has never expressed the slightest desire to do. Still, at least we are not talking about the Thames Water bailout, or about the increase in the energy cap. What a stroke of luck.

Ploughshares Into Swords

How is staying and fighting in the Labour Party working out for you?

British overseas aid is not being abolished altogether. As with USAID, look up what it will still be funding.

And check where that extra "defence" spending will in fact be going.

God's Dogs Against The Hell Hounds

This morning, in the midst of it all, Pope Francis approved the canonisation of Blessed Bartolo Longo, 1841 to 1926, a former Satanic priest who became a Dominican tertiary.

Although I have made a point of passing no comment on the situation in Rome beyond urging prayer for the Holy Father, there is speculation about the possibility of an African successor, who would be even clearer about how to deal with those who, all too successfully at the moment as I can assure you, made sacrifices to Baphomet.

Opening An Adult Conversation


On the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, British policy towards the war is in a mess. The continuing official British position, echoed by all the main media, has been “no peace without a Ukraine victory” – meaning, centrally, the expulsion of Russia from all territories seized since 2014. President Trump’s active search for a compromise peace tears up this script.

When a long, consistently pursued policy ends in a shambles, it is time to reflect on what was right and what was wrong about it, and what might still be done to reinsert Britain into a process to which it has become largely irrelevant.

What was right was the forthright condemnation of Russia’s so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine. Most of the world’s governments agreed: by 141 votes to five, with 35 abstentions, the UN general assembly passed a resolution on 2 March 2022 condemning Russia’s aggression and demanding the withdrawal of its troops from Ukraine.

However, the British response was muddled from the start. It recognised that Ukraine could not resist the Russian attack indefinitely, but at the same time ruled out both peace negotiations and Nato military intervention. The contradiction between militaristic rhetoric and unwillingness to “do what it takes” to secure victory for fear of Russian retaliation was the crucial fissure in the British approach. No one was willing to risk nuclear war to save Ukraine.

Logically, this should have led to a search by Ukraine’s supporters for a compromise peace before Ukraine’s position significantly worsened. Peace initiatives have come from China, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Hungary and Pope Francis. India has consistently urged diplomacy to end the conflict.

But within the UK, the only acceptable condition of peace was a Ukrainian victory. It is even alleged that Britain’s then prime minister, Boris Johnson, scuppered a provisional peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine in early April 2022.

The question, therefore, is why almost no one in our country over the three following years has been willing to back negotiations to end the war, despite increasing recognition that Ukraine could not prevail at the existing level of military and economic support.

I wrote on this issue extensively, but found scant interest from British publications. And from my perch in the House of Lords I repeatedly heard ministers say it was up to Ukraine to decide when, and on what terms, to make peace. To give such an unconditional guarantee to a country without a formal treaty obligation was the abnegation of prudent statesmanship.

So why this refusal to back peace on any but Ukraine’s terms? Let me suggest three strands in the thinking of Britain’s governing class that culminated in the single voice.

The first, and possibly most potent, the repurposing for current use of the domino theory, developed in the cold war era to justify military resistance to the spread of communism. The argument was that if you give ground to communism in one place (e.g. South Vietnam), the rest of the region will topple like a row of dominoes. The post-communist version of domino theory is that if Vladimir Putin is allowed to “get away with it” in Ukraine he will seek to gobble up all the adjacent bits of Europe and “who knows where he will stop?”

Why the revival of domino theory? The answer is that with the collapse of the hopes of a fully democratic world, the ideological battle between the free and communist worlds is seen to have morphed into a global battle between democracy and dictatorship, with Ukraine positioned on the frontline of the democracies.

In this geopolitical worldview, dictatorship is the warlike, democracy the peaceful form of the state, so that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was unprovoked by definition. This formula conveniently sets to one side any discussion of the extent to which Nato’s eastern expansion to the borders of post-communist Russia, condemned at the time as catastrophic by both George Kennan and Henry Kissinger, may have provoked Putin’s responses of 2014 and 2022.

A subset of this argument harks back to the shame of the Munich agreement of 1938 and the lessons to be drawn from it. The chief lesson was that one must never appease dictators because they will always want more: hence the continuous comparison between Putin and Hitler, with all contextual and psychological differences between the two set aside.

The second strand in British policy is moralism. In the 19th century this embraced all forms of anti-war sentiment: groups such as the Quakers who were pacifists on principle, and prudential pacifists, chiefly political economists, who attacked war because of its expense but also because they had discovered in free trade the peaceful, or non zero-sum, form of international relations. Prudential pacifists such as Richard Cobden and John Bright also assigned a large role to diplomacy to adjust economic and political differences between countries.

The imperialist surge of the second half of the 19th century increasingly submerged the pacifist approach, but not its moralism. Imperialism was repackaged as a western duty to bring civilised values to the lagging parts of the world. The sense of moral superiority and therefore of moral responsibility became the hallmark of British foreign policy in the run up to the first world war.

The third strand, dating from the second world war, is the “special relationship” with the US. What happened here is that Britain’s sense of moral responsibility for the good of the world was hived off to the new hegemon, the United States. Britain would be Greece to America’s Rome, as Harold Macmillan put it. This has given to British utterances on foreign policy their mingled flavour of moralism and impotence.

The British approach to the Ukrainian war has combined all three strands. The equation of dictatorship with war, and comparison between Putin and Hitler, precluded any diplomatic effort to end the war. There was no questioning of the moral purpose of Nato; and Britain’s Greece has been even more bellicose than America’s Rome.

Now that the British script on Ukraine has been torn up, can we somehow insert ourselves into a peace process that we repeatedly disdained? Certainly not by sending British “peacekeepers” to Ukraine, as Keir Starmer has suggested. Our prime minister must know this is a deal breaker, not maker, as there is not the slightest chance Putin will agree to it. Rather it is a desperate attempt to save Britain’s face.

What Britain and its European partners should now be doing is opening an adult conversation with Ukraine’s leadership – with Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well as his possible successors – on the kind of peace Ukraine might make that Europe would be willing to underwrite. It is by making Ukrainian voices relevant to the Trump-Putin lovefest that Britain might hope to recover its own relevance and dignity.

Strictly Off The Record: Day 127

If you are Douglas McKean, then Oliver Kamm is convinced that you and I are one and the same. I hate to have to tell you that I have never heard of you. He first contacted me about this at lunchtime on 4 July, so General Election day was obviously slow on The Times, and he has promised to involve the Police, from whom I have heard nothing. Anyone with news of any developments, do please contact davidaslindsay@hotmail.com. Strictly off the record, of course.

This post will appear daily until further notice.

The CPS Challenge: Day 592

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be imposed either to incite my suicide or, if custodial, to facilitate my already arranged murder in prison.

That purely factual statement is acknowledged as such, unless and until it had been expressly repudiated to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com, by each and all of the members of the Board of the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency, currently Nazir Afzal, Amanda Ellingworth, Wesley Cuell, Bishop Paul Mason, Sarah Kilmartin, Jenny Holmes, Sir David Behan, and Sr Una Coogan IBVM.

That purely factual statement is acknowledged as such, unless and until it had been expressly repudiated to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com, by each and all of the members of the Hexham and Newcastle Diocesan Safeguarding Committee, currently Gail McGregor, Paul Weatherstone, Fr Christopher Hancock MHM, Canon William Agley, Catherine Dyer, Canon Martin Stempczyk, Canon Peter Leighton VG, Maureen Dale, and Tony Lawless.

And that purely factual statement is acknowledged as such, unless and until it had been expressly repudiated to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com, by each and all of the members of the Hexham and Newcastle Diocesan Safeguarding Team, currently Meriel Anderson, Ian Colling, Andrew Grant, Kirsty McIntyre, Lisa Short, Yvonne Brown, and Scott Glazebrook.

This post will appear daily until further notice.

The CPS Challenge: Day 592

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service as part of its organised persecution of the opponents and critics of Keir Starmer, which is its principal national priority. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service in order to prevent me from seeking the position of General Secretary of Unite the Union on a programme including disaffiliation from the Labour Party, a proposal that would be hugely popular two years into a Starmer Government. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service in order to prevent me from establishing a thinktank to strengthen families and communities by securing economic equality and international peace through the democratic political control of the means to those ends, including national and parliamentary sovereignty. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service in order to prevent me from establishing a weekly magazine of news and comment, a monthly cultural review, a quarterly academic journal, and perhaps eventually also a fortnightly satirical magazine. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service in order to prevent me from taking journalistic, political or other paid work for fear of losing my entitlement to Legal Aid. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service out of the same racism that has caused it to refuse to prosecute the Police Officers in the case of Stephen Lawrence. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

And I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service in order to incite my politically motivated murder, a murder that the CPS has already decided would never lead to any prosecution. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point, and if custodial, would be imposed in order to facilitate that murder in prison, a murder that in that case would demonstrably already have been arranged.

Each of those eight statements stands as a matter of record unless and until it had been expressly denied to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com by each and all of the members of the CPS Board, currently Monica Burch, Stephen Parkinson, Simon Jeffreys, Dr Subo Shanmuganathan, and Kathryn Stone.

Each of those eight statements stands as a matter of record unless and until it had been expressly denied to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com by each and all of the CPS senior leadership, currently Tristan Bradshaw, Dawn Brodrick, Mike Browne, Steve Buckingham, Matthew Cain, Gregor McGill, Grace Ononiwu, and Baljhit Ubey.

Each of those eight statements stands as a matter of record unless and until it had been expressly denied to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com by each and all of the members of the CPS Audit and Risk Assurance Committee, currently Simon Jeffreys, Stephen Parkinson, Michael Dunn, Deborah Harris, and Dr Subo Shanmuganathan.

Each of those eight statements stands as a matter of record unless and until it had been expressly denied to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com by each and all of the members of the CPS Nominations, Leadership and Remuneration Committee, currently Kathryn Stone, Stephen Parkinson, and Monica Burch.

And each of those eight statements stands as a matter of record unless and until it had been expressly denied to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com by each and all of the 279 members of staff of the CPS North East Area, by definition including, but not restricted to, Chief Crown Prosecutor Gail Gilchrist, and the Area Business Manager, Ian Brown.

This post will appear daily until further notice.

The Clergy Challenge: Day 1295

I invite each and every bishop, priest and deacon of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle to contact davidaslindsay@hotmail.com if he thought that I was factually or morally guilty of any criminal charge that had ever been brought against me.

Not legally guilty; Bill Cosby is legally innocent. Factually and morally guilty. No name would be published except at the request of its bearer, but if anyone ever did get in touch, then the readers of this site would be the first to know. The current total is zero.

This post will appear daily until further notice.

The Representatives Challenge: Day 1295

As already stated on the day after my release: "The instant that Labour lost control of Durham County Council, then I was granted an unsolicited tag for more than 10 weeks of future good behaviour. I invite each and every Member of Parliament for the area covered by Durham County Council, each and every member of Durham County Council, and each and every member of Lanchester Parish Council, to contact davidaslindsay@hotmail.com if they thought that I was factually or morally guilty of any criminal charge that had ever been brought against me. Not legally guilty; Bill Cosby is legally innocent. Factually and morally guilty. No name would be published except at the request of its bearer, but if anyone ever did get in touch, then the readers of this site would be the first to know." The current total is zero.

And I invite each and every Member of Parliament whose constituency fell wholly or partly in County Durham to contact davidaslindsay@hotmail.com if they thought that I was factually or morally guilty of any criminal charge that had ever been brought against me. Not legally guilty; Bill Cosby is legally innocent. Factually and morally guilty. No name would be published except at the request of its bearer, but if anyone ever did get in touch, then the readers of this site would be the first to know. The current total is zero.

This post will appear daily until further notice.

Monday, 24 February 2025

No Show Without Punch

Biblically, my having been struck dumb means either that I can say nothing unless it is the Word of God, or that my elderly wife is pregnant. Of course, it could be both. Thankfully, I am no longer in any more pain than I always am. Mind you, that is still a very great deal.

Several people have been in touch today to "make sure", and similar terms, that I would be contesting the local elections. I am flattered, but as led to my withdrawal from the General Election last year, I am no longer well enough to contest elections, and I never shall be again.

No Runcorn and Helsby for me, then. Mike Amesbury, whose parliamentary salary is still being paid, cannot become a Reform UK MP, since he assaulted a man rather than a woman. A by-election does now look inevitable. Reform has no idea what it thinks about Ukraine, so this is one for the Workers Party. And for a high profile by-election, then that would still seem to mean only one possible name.

In The Coalmine

The Canary is on good form. James Wright writes:

The Labour Party’s pledge to build 1.5m new homes over this parliament risks being dominated by private equity in the Build to Rent sector, Common Wealth has warned in a new report.

Indeed, chancellor Rachel Reeves has tied herself to fiscal rules to embed the neoliberal market throughout government planning. In her budget, she pledged money for the Build to Rent sector in order to ‘crowd in’ private investment, rather than treating homes as necessary shelter provided publicly and mandated as affordable to all.

The Build to Rent scandal

Build to Rent properties in the UK have increased to 20% of all new builds in recent years – and 27% in London, the thinktank states. Investors know that renting out essentials is a guaranteed way to make the most money.

That is, you get regular, passive income on resources people automatically need while retaining ownership of the ‘asset’ itself. Investors can then use the ‘product’ as collateral or eventually sell it.

At the same time, housing is a risk free investment for the government to make through public ownership, which can be organised on the basis of need and affordability.

Another way the current system is far from adequate is inherited wealth. Common Wealth notes that that in 2023 the majority of first time house buyers (57%) received financial assistance from their parents. The lottery of birthright should surely not prevail over the fact that housing is is a commonality.

Nonetheless, the thinktank further points out that between the onset of the financial crash in 2008 and 2023 the global real estate ‘assets’ under the management of “institutional investors” increased by around 450% from $385bn to $1.7trn.

Rachel Reeves: making the situation even worse

In the UK, overseas investors believe the housing market system to be staying. In absolute terms, UK real estate was the largest housing market for foreign investment in the first quarter of 2024.

Private investors want to maximise their profits at every avenue. Common Wealth points out this is at odds with providing affordable and social housing. The thinktank notes that when asset managers Blackstone bought up and renovated homes in Stockholm, rents increased by a whopping 43%.

The report further shows that a “structural undersupply” of housing leads to year on year rent rises.

Instead of tackling the issue, Reeves seems intent on making the situation worse and diverting more resources away from public housing and towards private investment.


In 2020, Citizens Advice warned Ofgem about a loophole in its price regulation calculations. Instead, the energy regulator enabled the privately-owned energy supply network, which includes the National Grid, UK Power Networks (owned largely by a Hong Kong company), and Scottish Power, to make an extra £3.9bn in profit from the loophole over the last four years.

The loophole meant there was an overestimation of borrowing costs for the companies that own our energy infrastructure.

Citizens Advice pointed out:

During this time, the charity has helped a record nearly 700,000 people in England and Wales struggling to afford their energy bills, and five million currently live in households in debt to their supplier.

In response, Ofgem laughably claimed it didn’t ignore the loophole but chose not to act on it because of retroactive regulatory ‘financing’ costs. It’s unclear in what world that would amount to more than £3.9bn. 

Ofgem and energy companies: quite the cosy set up

The revolving door between public sector regulators and the companies they are supposed to regulate may play a role here. From 2017-2022, nearly half the senior regulators (63 out of 146) who changed jobs went to work at companies they were previously regulating.

That includes the former lead executive of Ofgem joining Octopus Energy, the largest energy supplier in the UK at 23.7% of the market.

In 2022, a non-executive director at Ofgem, Christine Farnish, resigned over her view that the regulator put the interests of corporate suppliers above that of the public.

Indeed, the energy network is a clear cut natural monopoly whereby there simply cannot be any market competition. There is only one network of transmission lines, substations and other infrastructure. Instead of the public owning the grid, which would be cheaper for people and businesses throughout the country, we rent the grid from the private sector.

The monopoly service trumpets the innovation it’s bringing to the energy network. It’s cooperating with the University of Manchester to deliver more productive ways of maintaining the grid such as through AI, drones and software. That proves that innovation is not just a feature of private sector competition – given there is only one energy network. Here, the private sector is itself demonstrating that cooperation, not competition is effective in delivering innovation.

With regard to the recent £3.9bn additional profit extraction, Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said:

We now know that while households have struggled with sky-high energy bills, network companies have been making astronomical profits.

We’ve called out the billions of pounds of excess profits made by these companies before, and Ofgem said it would get tougher in subsequent price controls. The measures it put in place have clearly failed.


I’ve been struggling to write this column for a while now. Obviously there’s been the personal reasons and professional reasons – both of which become more and more blurred every day. This is especially true when you’re a disability rights columnist and activist who is juggling editing a book, supporting the disabled community, and mourning the loss of both your grandparents.

There’s also the fact that I’m very aware as someone who focuses on media ableism of the amount of vile rhetoric being pushed out by the government via the corporate media. This itself is having more of a toll on disabled people than the lack of policy announcements is.

For disabled people, the waters are muddy enough

It seems like every day a senior official is telling the papers that we don’t deserve to live, and I’m really ultra-aware that highlighting every instance of that will not only cause further distress to disabled people, but also put a huge strain on my mental health.

In a similar vein, whilst there aren’t any concrete policies out yet I’m really conscious that all of this shit-slinging is on purpose to muddy the waters and turn non-disabled people against us – whilst scaring disabled people into limiting their lives. So, I don’t want to add to the dis-and misinformation that’s being spread.

But I think more than anything the reason I’m really struggling to write at the moment is because I wanted to have hope. I, perhaps naively, wanted to have a glimmer of belief that life would become a tiny bit easier for disabled people once we got the Tories out. I now feel foolish for ever thinking that.

If they wanted to, they would’ve

Labour might’ve only been in power for seven months, but there’s so much they could’ve done in that time that they’ve purposefully delayed.

They could’ve called off the PIP consultation the very first week if they wanted to, but they let it run it’s course. Despite wanting to launch their own consultation in the spring, which will obviously be totally different, they said they would be paying attention to every response. The disability minister, somewhat patronisingly, even praised disabled people for giving them so many responses to read.

Labour could’ve done all manner of things to reassure disabled people that life won’t be harder under their governance, but it’s time to face facts that it will be, it already is.

Because whilst they haven’t given us any concrete plans, they have had plenty of time to tell the media that disabled people on benefits are “taking the mickey”, point out that loads of kids are claiming to have mental health problems now (wonder why), and conveniently reveal that 450,000 more people claimed PIP and DLA last year. And that’s just in the last week or so.

‘It’s only been seven months’, and we’ve got another five years of this shit I know, historically, Labour has always been bad for disabled people (trust me I’ve just written a book about it) but I wanted to hope deep down that nothing could be worse than the last 14 years of the Tories.

But the Tories were only able to succeed because of the groundwork that Tony Blair had laid down. Now the people who supported Blair’s vile abuse of disabled people are in charge and there’s nobody to oppose them.

It was staggering to watch the Tories get worse and worse and worse over the years. But perhaps that’s also why this has been so soul-crushing, because Labour have been able to do this in such a short space of time.

So many people say ‘give them a chance, it’s only been seven months’. Whereas I can’t believe it’s only been seven months.

If they’ve created this hostile an environment for disabled people in just the first seven months – what do the next five years hold? And how many of us will still be here to tell the tale at the end of it?

Something of Historic Importance


This week saw something happen of which I have simply never seen the likes. A serving US President has said something approximating to the truth about the proxy war the USA has been fighting with Russia in Ukraine.

You do not have to like Donald Trump or support him in any way to realise his statements in recent days are not just startling – that’s his style – but are unprecedented. On Wednesday, in a post on his social-media platform, Truth Social, Trump wrote that Zelensky, a ‘moderately successful comedian’, has ‘talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start.’

Trump added that Zelensky ‘refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden “like a fiddle”.’ He said Zelensky had done a ‘terrible job’ as the leader of Ukraine, deeming him ‘A Dictator without Elections’.

‘In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia, something all admit only “TRUMP”, and the Trump Administration, can do. Biden never tried, Europe has failed to bring Peace, and Zelenskyy probably wants to keep the “gravy train” going.’

Trump also said Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky had ‘no cards’ in peace negotiations, adding: ‘I don’t think he’s very important to be in meetings.’

‘I’ve been watching this man for years now as his cities get demolished, as his people get killed, as his soldiers get decimated.

‘I’ve been watching him negotiate with no cards. He has no cards, and you get sick of it. You just get sick of it, and I’ve had it.’

He insisted several times that Zelensky was to blame for failing to prevent the war, saying that Russia could have been ‘talked out’ of invading Ukraine. Asked about Ukraine’s absence from peace talks in Saudi Arabia this week, Trump said that Russia ‘found it impossible to make a deal with Zelensky.’ He said he believed that Russia sincerely wanted a deal to end the war, but that President Vladimir Putin ‘doesn’t have to make a deal’. These statements have enraged sections of the US state apparatus, Zelensky, of course, and various European leaders, notably Starmer, Macron and Scholz.

Imperial admissions

But the rabbit is out of the hat. Here is a US President saying this war was avoidable; it resulted from a US-backed colour-coded revolution in Ukraine; the Maidan Uprising or Orange revolution. It installed a US and European Union-backed regime committed to Ukraine joining Nato and the EU. In response, Russia annexed Crimea and took over the Donbas, four oblasts (counties) in eastern Ukraine, where the majority of the population were Russian speakers.

That in itself was a consequence of Moscow’s growing dread of the relentless expansion of Nato into the former satellites of the USSR in eastern Europe and former Soviet Republics such as the three Baltic states, despite verbal promises made by Washington to the last ruler of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev.

George Kennan, the man behind much of America’s ‘containment’ policy during the cold war, said in a May 1998 New York Times interview about Nato’s first round of expansion: ‘I think it is the beginning of a new cold war. I think the Russians will gradually react quite adversely and it will affect their policies. I think it is a tragic mistake. There was no reason for this whatsoever. No one was threatening anybody else.’

Robert Gates was US Deputy National Security Adviser from 1989 to 1991 (and later Secretary of Defense). He warned in 2000: ‘If you don’t get it right with Russia and China, none of the rest matters. And at a time of a special humiliation and difficulty for Russia, pressing ahead with expansion of NATO eastward … I think probably has not only aggravated the relationship between the United States and Russia but made it much more difficult to do constructive business with them.’

Russia’s eventual response, its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, was criminal but predictable. One just has to imagine what would happen if, say, China was to install a puppet regime in Mexico with which it signed a military alliance.

Trump’s references to Zelensky not wanting a peace deal is a reference to a deal agreed by both Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul in the Spring of 2022 whereby in exchange for Ukraine agreeing not to join Nato and becoming a neutral state, Russia would withdraw to the pre-invasion border.

It was a far better deal than anything Ukraine will get now. But none other than Boris Johnson, then British prime minister, arrived in Kyiv to get Zelensky to scrap it. Johnson was clearly Washington’s spokesperson. If that deal had been stuck, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian and Russian casualties would have been avoided.

An unwinnable war

As for Trump’s rather petulant attacks on Zelensky, behind the usual rhetoric, there is some truth. Zelensky was elected in 2019 on a ticket of peace with Russia. However, his term in office has expired and he refuses to call an election.

British Defence Secretary, John Healey, in a rush of blood to his head, responded to Trump by claiming: ‘He’s the elected leader of Ukraine, and he’s done what Winston Churchill did in Britain in the Second World War, suspended elections while at war.’

Leaving aside the ludicrous comparison (you don’t have to like the old British imperialist war dog to grasp he is in a different league from Zelensky), it’s inaccurate. There were constant by-elections during the war, many won by critics of Churchill, and a general election was held in 1945, while the war with Japan still raged.

Zelensky has admitted that money supplied to Ukraine by the US has gone ‘missing’. It has not gone missing, it has gone into the pockets of corrupt Ukrainian officials.

Last July Foreign Policy noted: ‘Top judges, politicians, and officials have faced corruption charges, and the Ministry of Defense has been at the heart of many corruption scandals, such as procuring overpriced eggs and winter jackets, buying 100,000 mortar shells that were never delivered, or accepting bribes from men who wanted to escape conscription.’

Last month, Ukraine detained the army’s chief psychiatrist for alleged ‘illegal enrichment’ charges related to earnings of more than $1m (£813,000) accrued since the start of Russia’s invasion. In a statement, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said the man sat on a commission deciding whether individuals were fit for military service.

Trump is dumping Ukraine and Zelensky because he wants to pull the plug on that war and shift the resources Washington spends on it east to face China. In doing so, he hopes to win over Moscow from Beijing. I don’t see that happening.

This is also a realisation that Ukraine cannot win this war and is losing it. Ukraine has run out of troops (thousands of young Ukrainians are avoiding the draft), and without US supplies, it will run out of weaponry in a dreadful war of attrition where it is being pushed ever westwards. Mainstream media lies when it tells us that ‘plucky little Ukraine’ is winning or can win. It cannot.

The idea that Putin is the new Stalin intent on re-conquering Eastern Europe, or that he somehow wants to overrun all of Europe, is garbage too. Russia is a regional power, a sub-imperialism, with its own unpleasant interests, like all such states, but its priority is ensuring its own security.

Lastly, spare a thought for the European political elite. Macron summoned them to Paris having talked about creating a European army faced with Trump’s hints of a US withdrawal from Europe and from Nato. Starmer promised to send British troops to Ukraine as ‘peace makers’, an idea immediately rejected by Moscow. However, the others, having heard Trump say European troops in Ukraine would not be under a US security umbrella, ran away from the idea.

The idea Britain could intervene militarily in any way in Ukraine is laughable. The British Army currently has 213 in-service Challenger 2 tanks. That is not going to scare Russia in any way. The European states together do not have the military resources to match Russia, whose economy is in a far better state than Germany’s or France’s. The idea that Russia faces economic collapse is another lie fed us by mainstream media and our political elite. 

Trump is an unpleasant man whose policies are going to inflict damage on the population of the US. However, he has revealed something of historic importance: the people of the USA (and Europe) were lied to as to why their governments were waging a proxy war. As that sinks in, it will, hopefully, be remembered the next time the masters of war call us to arms.

88 Weeks On

Nominations have been closed for 88 weeks, so when is the election?

If I sought election to any other public position now, then I would rapidly find myself just another death in custody, especially under a Starmer or post-Starmer Government, and most especially if Labour had also taken back control of Durham County Council next year.

But I was a public governor of County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust from 2017 to 2020, having been elected unopposed, an extremely unusual occurrence. Unopposed among the 90,000 or more people in the part of County Durham that I was elected to represent. I failed to be re-elected by three votes, on a recount. Yet I was again elected unopposed more than a year and a half ago, a double feat that I am not aware that anyone else has ever managed, and which has caused the position to be kept vacant ever since. I am determined to have it for at least as long as I was elected to it. Do your worst. As, now under both parties, you are already doing to far better than I.

Strictly Off The Record: Day 126

If you are Douglas McKean, then Oliver Kamm is convinced that you and I are one and the same. I hate to have to tell you that I have never heard of you. He first contacted me about this at lunchtime on 4 July, so General Election day was obviously slow on The Times, and he has promised to involve the Police, from whom I have heard nothing. Anyone with news of any developments, do please contact davidaslindsay@hotmail.com. Strictly off the record, of course.

This post will appear daily until further notice.

The Safeguarding Challenge: Day 591

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be imposed either to incite my suicide or, if custodial, to facilitate my already arranged murder in prison.

That purely factual statement is acknowledged as such, unless and until it had been expressly repudiated to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com, by each and all of the members of the Board of the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency, currently Nazir Afzal, Amanda Ellingworth, Wesley Cuell, Bishop Paul Mason, Sarah Kilmartin, Jenny Holmes, Sir David Behan, and Sr Una Coogan IBVM.

That purely factual statement is acknowledged as such, unless and until it had been expressly repudiated to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com, by each and all of the members of the Hexham and Newcastle Diocesan Safeguarding Committee, currently Gail McGregor, Paul Weatherstone, Fr Christopher Hancock MHM, Canon William Agley, Catherine Dyer, Canon Martin Stempczyk, Canon Peter Leighton VG, Maureen Dale, and Tony Lawless.

And that purely factual statement is acknowledged as such, unless and until it had been expressly repudiated to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com, by each and all of the members of the Hexham and Newcastle Diocesan Safeguarding Team, currently Meriel Anderson, Ian Colling, Andrew Grant, Kirsty McIntyre, Lisa Short, Yvonne Brown, and Scott Glazebrook.

This post will appear daily until further notice.

The CPS Challenge: Day 591

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service as part of its organised persecution of the opponents and critics of Keir Starmer, which is its principal national priority. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service in order to prevent me from seeking the position of General Secretary of Unite the Union on a programme including disaffiliation from the Labour Party, a proposal that would be hugely popular two years into a Starmer Government. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service in order to prevent me from establishing a thinktank to strengthen families and communities by securing economic equality and international peace through the democratic political control of the means to those ends, including national and parliamentary sovereignty. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service in order to prevent me from establishing a weekly magazine of news and comment, a monthly cultural review, a quarterly academic journal, and perhaps eventually also a fortnightly satirical magazine. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service in order to prevent me from taking journalistic, political or other paid work for fear of losing my entitlement to Legal Aid. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service out of the same racism that has caused it to refuse to prosecute the Police Officers in the case of Stephen Lawrence. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

And I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service in order to incite my politically motivated murder, a murder that the CPS has already decided would never lead to any prosecution. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point, and if custodial, would be imposed in order to facilitate that murder in prison, a murder that in that case would demonstrably already have been arranged.

Each of those eight statements stands as a matter of record unless and until it had been expressly denied to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com by each and all of the members of the CPS Board, currently Monica Burch, Stephen Parkinson, Simon Jeffreys, Dr Subo Shanmuganathan, and Kathryn Stone.

Each of those eight statements stands as a matter of record unless and until it had been expressly denied to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com by each and all of the CPS senior leadership, currently Tristan Bradshaw, Dawn Brodrick, Mike Browne, Steve Buckingham, Matthew Cain, Gregor McGill, Grace Ononiwu, and Baljhit Ubey.

Each of those eight statements stands as a matter of record unless and until it had been expressly denied to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com by each and all of the members of the CPS Audit and Risk Assurance Committee, currently Simon Jeffreys, Stephen Parkinson, Michael Dunn, Deborah Harris, and Dr Subo Shanmuganathan.

Each of those eight statements stands as a matter of record unless and until it had been expressly denied to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com by each and all of the members of the CPS Nominations, Leadership and Remuneration Committee, currently Kathryn Stone, Stephen Parkinson, and Monica Burch.

And each of those eight statements stands as a matter of record unless and until it had been expressly denied to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com by each and all of the 279 members of staff of the CPS North East Area, by definition including, but not restricted to, Chief Crown Prosecutor Gail Gilchrist, and the Area Business Manager, Ian Brown.

This post will appear daily until further notice.

The Clergy Challenge: Day 1294

I invite each and every bishop, priest and deacon of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle to contact davidaslindsay@hotmail.com if he thought that I was factually or morally guilty of any criminal charge that had ever been brought against me.

Not legally guilty; Bill Cosby is legally innocent. Factually and morally guilty. No name would be published except at the request of its bearer, but if anyone ever did get in touch, then the readers of this site would be the first to know. The current total is zero.

This post will appear daily until further notice.

The Representatives Challenge: Day 1294

As already stated on the day after my release: "The instant that Labour lost control of Durham County Council, then I was granted an unsolicited tag for more than 10 weeks of future good behaviour. I invite each and every Member of Parliament for the area covered by Durham County Council, each and every member of Durham County Council, and each and every member of Lanchester Parish Council, to contact davidaslindsay@hotmail.com if they thought that I was factually or morally guilty of any criminal charge that had ever been brought against me. Not legally guilty; Bill Cosby is legally innocent. Factually and morally guilty. No name would be published except at the request of its bearer, but if anyone ever did get in touch, then the readers of this site would be the first to know." The current total is zero.

And I invite each and every Member of Parliament whose constituency fell wholly or partly in County Durham to contact davidaslindsay@hotmail.com if they thought that I was factually or morally guilty of any criminal charge that had ever been brought against me. Not legally guilty; Bill Cosby is legally innocent. Factually and morally guilty. No name would be published except at the request of its bearer, but if anyone ever did get in touch, then the readers of this site would be the first to know. The current total is zero.

This post will appear daily until further notice.

Sunday, 23 February 2025

Silence, Not Violence

All the President’s Men is on. The Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme was so mighty that it owned the Watergate Complex, the ultimate Trustees of which therefore included Arthur Scargill and Mick McGahey.

After that, the whole of Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone may be watched here. Good old Rumble. Consider the things that are still on YouTube, and then ponder the fact that it has removed this.

Apologies for the quiet on here today. The lurgy is back with such a vengeance that, among other things, I am literally unable to speak. I bet you never expected to hear that of me. And that is nowhere near my worst symptom of this, never mind of everything else that was already wrong with me. Baphomet is being kept busy, and increasingly so.

Bless Those Who Curse You

The only honest part of the most recent witness statement against me, by the person with the coveted distinction of hating me more than anyone else in the world did, was, "[I] was never placed under any restrictions" by or in relation to the Church, and, "[I] was eventually sent a cease and desist letter from the Diocese in respect of [my] conduct towards [the author] but this did not restrict what [I] was doing within [my] parish or church." Honestly, how do these things get around? And in that case, then nothing that had ever been alleged against me could possibly be true. As, of course, it is not. The horse's mouth. A horse that has presumably been sacrificed to Baphomet.

And so to business. Do the four known suicides of wronged subpostmasters prove their guilt? Here is your weekly reminder that this could not have been an executive summary of this. That would have been impossible, since they bear no resemblance to each other. It is all here, including on the ludicrous definition of "grooming" that was used to hound Canon Michael McCoy to his death, apparently as the Satanic sacrifice that my own suicide was intended to have been, and that either my suicide, or my murder in prison, is still intended to be.

Something has changed since 3 May 2023. What is it? And where is the original report? I do not resile from this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this or this. Rather, I reiterate every word of each and all of them. There was no cathedral sex party. The move from the old Bishop's House to the new one made a profit. There was no allegation of sexual assault against Bishop Robert Byrne CO, who should sue every media outlet that had suggested one. Although I am often asked, I know neither where nor how Bishop Byrne is. But I am often asked.

I may not, but I may, accept the present report when Bishop Byrne had done so, and to the extent that he had done so. His Lordship has yet to do so to any extent. At least while that remains the case, then I reject the whole thing out of hand, and so should you. The sum total of the charge sheet against Bishop Byrne is that he did not automatically do as he was told by the hired help. But Pat Buckley, who died in May, did not like Bishop Stephen Wright, so Bishop Wright must be all right.

Indeed, His Lordship preached well at his Enthronement. He clearly has a deep spirituality. There was also a speech by a self-identified survivor of clerical sexual abuse, one Maggie Vickerman. Neither her case, nor those to which she referred, had anything to do with Bishop Byrne, if they really happened at all. How do we know? At most, they were long before his brief time in this Diocese. If anything, certain people with some responsibility for them were in that sanctuary. Nor did Ms Vickerman make any attempt to disguise her theological agenda. Well, nor do I make any attempt to disguise mine.

Strictly Off The Record: Day 125

If you are Douglas McKean, then Oliver Kamm is convinced that you and I are one and the same. I hate to have to tell you that I have never heard of you. He first contacted me about this at lunchtime on 4 July, so General Election day was obviously slow on The Times, and he has promised to involve the Police, from whom I have heard nothing. Anyone with news of any developments, do please contact davidaslindsay@hotmail.com. Strictly off the record, of course.

This post will appear daily until further notice.

The Safeguarding Challenge: Day 590

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be imposed either to incite my suicide or, if custodial, to facilitate my already arranged murder in prison.

That purely factual statement is acknowledged as such, unless and until it had been expressly repudiated to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com, by each and all of the members of the Board of the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency, currently Nazir Afzal, Amanda Ellingworth, Wesley Cuell, Bishop Paul Mason, Sarah Kilmartin, Jenny Holmes, Sir David Behan, and Sr Una Coogan IBVM.

That purely factual statement is acknowledged as such, unless and until it had been expressly repudiated to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com, by each and all of the members of the Hexham and Newcastle Diocesan Safeguarding Committee, currently Gail McGregor, Paul Weatherstone, Fr Christopher Hancock MHM, Canon William Agley, Catherine Dyer, Canon Martin Stempczyk, Canon Peter Leighton VG, Maureen Dale, and Tony Lawless.

And that purely factual statement is acknowledged as such, unless and until it had been expressly repudiated to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com, by each and all of the members of the Hexham and Newcastle Diocesan Safeguarding Team, currently Meriel Anderson, Ian Colling, Andrew Grant, Kirsty McIntyre, Lisa Short, Yvonne Brown, and Scott Glazebrook.

This post will appear daily until further notice.

The CPS Challenge: Day 590

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service as part of its organised persecution of the opponents and critics of Keir Starmer, which is its principal national priority. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service in order to prevent me from seeking the position of General Secretary of Unite the Union on a programme including disaffiliation from the Labour Party, a proposal that would be hugely popular two years into a Starmer Government. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service in order to prevent me from establishing a thinktank to strengthen families and communities by securing economic equality and international peace through the democratic political control of the means to those ends, including national and parliamentary sovereignty. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service in order to prevent me from establishing a weekly magazine of news and comment, a monthly cultural review, a quarterly academic journal, and perhaps eventually also a fortnightly satirical magazine. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service in order to prevent me from taking journalistic, political or other paid work for fear of losing my entitlement to Legal Aid. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service out of the same racism that has caused it to refuse to prosecute the Police Officers in the case of Stephen Lawrence. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

And I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service in order to incite my politically motivated murder, a murder that the CPS has already decided would never lead to any prosecution. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point, and if custodial, would be imposed in order to facilitate that murder in prison, a murder that in that case would demonstrably already have been arranged.

Each of those eight statements stands as a matter of record unless and until it had been expressly denied to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com by each and all of the members of the CPS Board, currently Monica Burch, Stephen Parkinson, Simon Jeffreys, Dr Subo Shanmuganathan, and Kathryn Stone.

Each of those eight statements stands as a matter of record unless and until it had been expressly denied to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com by each and all of the CPS senior leadership, currently Tristan Bradshaw, Dawn Brodrick, Mike Browne, Steve Buckingham, Matthew Cain, Gregor McGill, Grace Ononiwu, and Baljhit Ubey.

Each of those eight statements stands as a matter of record unless and until it had been expressly denied to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com by each and all of the members of the CPS Audit and Risk Assurance Committee, currently Simon Jeffreys, Stephen Parkinson, Michael Dunn, Deborah Harris, and Dr Subo Shanmuganathan.

Each of those eight statements stands as a matter of record unless and until it had been expressly denied to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com by each and all of the members of the CPS Nominations, Leadership and Remuneration Committee, currently Kathryn Stone, Stephen Parkinson, and Monica Burch.

And each of those eight statements stands as a matter of record unless and until it had been expressly denied to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com by each and all of the 279 members of staff of the CPS North East Area, by definition including, but not restricted to, Chief Crown Prosecutor Gail Gilchrist, and the Area Business Manager, Ian Brown.

This post will appear daily until further notice.

The Clergy Challenge: Day 1293

I invite each and every bishop, priest and deacon of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle to contact davidaslindsay@hotmail.com if he thought that I was factually or morally guilty of any criminal charge that had ever been brought against me.

Not legally guilty; Bill Cosby is legally innocent. Factually and morally guilty. No name would be published except at the request of its bearer, but if anyone ever did get in touch, then the readers of this site would be the first to know. The current total is zero.

This post will appear daily until further notice.

The Representatives Challenge: Day 1293

As already stated on the day after my release: "The instant that Labour lost control of Durham County Council, then I was granted an unsolicited tag for more than 10 weeks of future good behaviour. I invite each and every Member of Parliament for the area covered by Durham County Council, each and every member of Durham County Council, and each and every member of Lanchester Parish Council, to contact davidaslindsay@hotmail.com if they thought that I was factually or morally guilty of any criminal charge that had ever been brought against me. Not legally guilty; Bill Cosby is legally innocent. Factually and morally guilty. No name would be published except at the request of its bearer, but if anyone ever did get in touch, then the readers of this site would be the first to know." The current total is zero.

And I invite each and every Member of Parliament whose constituency fell wholly or partly in County Durham to contact davidaslindsay@hotmail.com if they thought that I was factually or morally guilty of any criminal charge that had ever been brought against me. Not legally guilty; Bill Cosby is legally innocent. Factually and morally guilty. No name would be published except at the request of its bearer, but if anyone ever did get in touch, then the readers of this site would be the first to know. The current total is zero.

This post will appear daily until further notice.

Saturday, 22 February 2025

The 0.5 Per Cent Club

Of course Hamas are monsters, just like Benjamin Netanyahu. And of course Vladimir Putin is a dictator, just like Volodymyr Zelensky. All four were at least initially creatures of the forces that have arbitrarily turned against two of them now. Whereas we have always been opposed to all of them, because we are proud to be the enemies of those forces, which never let us forget it. Therefore, we have indeed always demanded the release of the hostages, among other people, and always condemned the invasion of Ukraine, among other acts in, especially but not exclusively, the south and east of that country.

The people who both opposed a ceasefire in Gaza leading to exchanges such as we were now seeing, and demanded the prosecution of war with Russia to a conclusion that was largely unspecified but which certainly included Ukrainian accession to NATO, ought no longer to be in public life at all. They have nothing to contribute. They never did have, but their pointlessness is no longer possible to dispute. Yet they remain in control. For the time being, the superb Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone may be viewed here or here. But it has been removed from BBC iPlayer, from YouTube, and from Dailymotion. Even assuming that those who have brought that about spoke for all British Jews, which they do not, then what a thing it must be to be, based on the last census, half of one per cent of the population.

That was the same proportion as professed a gender identity different from its biological sex, the only other category with this kind of clout, which is likewise exercised by the self-appointed. If a neo-Nazi Edinburgh schoolgirl who longed to replicate the Columbine massacre is a boy because she identifies as such, and that is what the BBC is calling her, then Julia Wandel is Madeleine McCann because she identifies as such. Here we go again with the McCanns. Did they have their other two children taken away from them? Those twins were two when their parents left them with their not quite four-year-old sister in a foreign country and went out on the town. People without the McCanns' advantages lose their children for far less.

Likewise, in 2014, for purely ideological reasons, a couple were able to move what were then their five very young children, British citizens all, to a place where they were bound, in due season, to be conscripted into their perpetration of the atrocities against Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Lebanon. From the English village with the seventh highest house prices outside London, they were able to move those British children to a warzone, where two of them were killed in 2023, one while still only 15 years old. So much for Social Services. So much for the safeguarding-industrial complex. So much for Prevent.

Strictly Off The Record: Day 124

If you are Douglas McKean, then Oliver Kamm is convinced that you and I are one and the same. I hate to have to tell you that I have never heard of you. He first contacted me about this at lunchtime on 4 July, so General Election day was obviously slow on The Times, and he has promised to involve the Police, from whom I have heard nothing. Anyone with news of any developments, do please contact davidaslindsay@hotmail.com. Strictly off the record, of course.

This post will appear daily until further notice.

The Safeguarding Challenge: Day 589

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be imposed either to incite my suicide or, if custodial, to facilitate my already arranged murder in prison.

That purely factual statement is acknowledged as such, unless and until it had been expressly repudiated to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com, by each and all of the members of the Board of the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency, currently Nazir Afzal, Amanda Ellingworth, Wesley Cuell, Bishop Paul Mason, Sarah Kilmartin, Jenny Holmes, Sir David Behan, and Sr Una Coogan IBVM.

That purely factual statement is acknowledged as such, unless and until it had been expressly repudiated to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com, by each and all of the members of the Hexham and Newcastle Diocesan Safeguarding Committee, currently Gail McGregor, Paul Weatherstone, Fr Christopher Hancock MHM, Canon William Agley, Catherine Dyer, Canon Martin Stempczyk, Canon Peter Leighton VG, Maureen Dale, and Tony Lawless.

And that purely factual statement is acknowledged as such, unless and until it had been expressly repudiated to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com, by each and all of the members of the Hexham and Newcastle Diocesan Safeguarding Team, currently Meriel Anderson, Ian Colling, Andrew Grant, Kirsty McIntyre, Lisa Short, Yvonne Brown, and Scott Glazebrook.

This post will appear daily until further notice.

The CPS Challenge: Day 589

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service as part of its organised persecution of the opponents and critics of Keir Starmer, which is its principal national priority. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service in order to prevent me from seeking the position of General Secretary of Unite the Union on a programme including disaffiliation from the Labour Party, a proposal that would be hugely popular two years into a Starmer Government. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service in order to prevent me from establishing a thinktank to strengthen families and communities by securing economic equality and international peace through the democratic political control of the means to those ends, including national and parliamentary sovereignty. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service in order to prevent me from establishing a weekly magazine of news and comment, a monthly cultural review, a quarterly academic journal, and perhaps eventually also a fortnightly satirical magazine. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service in order to prevent me from taking journalistic, political or other paid work for fear of losing my entitlement to Legal Aid. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service out of the same racism that has caused it to refuse to prosecute the Police Officers in the case of Stephen Lawrence. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point.

And I am morally and factually innocent of every criminal offence with which I have ever been charged, and I have been pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service in order to incite my politically motivated murder, a murder that the CPS has already decided would never lead to any prosecution. Any sentence beyond an absolute discharge would be further proof of that point, and if custodial, would be imposed in order to facilitate that murder in prison, a murder that in that case would demonstrably already have been arranged.

Each of those eight statements stands as a matter of record unless and until it had been expressly denied to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com by each and all of the members of the CPS Board, currently Monica Burch, Stephen Parkinson, Simon Jeffreys, Dr Subo Shanmuganathan, and Kathryn Stone.

Each of those eight statements stands as a matter of record unless and until it had been expressly denied to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com by each and all of the CPS senior leadership, currently Tristan Bradshaw, Dawn Brodrick, Mike Browne, Steve Buckingham, Matthew Cain, Gregor McGill, Grace Ononiwu, and Baljhit Ubey.

Each of those eight statements stands as a matter of record unless and until it had been expressly denied to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com by each and all of the members of the CPS Audit and Risk Assurance Committee, currently Simon Jeffreys, Stephen Parkinson, Michael Dunn, Deborah Harris, and Dr Subo Shanmuganathan.

Each of those eight statements stands as a matter of record unless and until it had been expressly denied to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com by each and all of the members of the CPS Nominations, Leadership and Remuneration Committee, currently Kathryn Stone, Stephen Parkinson, and Monica Burch.

And each of those eight statements stands as a matter of record unless and until it had been expressly denied to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com by each and all of the 279 members of staff of the CPS North East Area, by definition including, but not restricted to, Chief Crown Prosecutor Gail Gilchrist, and the Area Business Manager, Ian Brown.

This post will appear daily until further notice.

The Clergy Challenge: Day 1292

I invite each and every bishop, priest and deacon of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle to contact davidaslindsay@hotmail.com if he thought that I was factually or morally guilty of any criminal charge that had ever been brought against me.

Not legally guilty; Bill Cosby is legally innocent. Factually and morally guilty. No name would be published except at the request of its bearer, but if anyone ever did get in touch, then the readers of this site would be the first to know. The current total is zero.

This post will appear daily until further notice.

The Representatives Challenge: Day 1292

As already stated on the day after my release: "The instant that Labour lost control of Durham County Council, then I was granted an unsolicited tag for more than 10 weeks of future good behaviour. I invite each and every Member of Parliament for the area covered by Durham County Council, each and every member of Durham County Council, and each and every member of Lanchester Parish Council, to contact davidaslindsay@hotmail.com if they thought that I was factually or morally guilty of any criminal charge that had ever been brought against me. Not legally guilty; Bill Cosby is legally innocent. Factually and morally guilty. No name would be published except at the request of its bearer, but if anyone ever did get in touch, then the readers of this site would be the first to know." The current total is zero.

And I invite each and every Member of Parliament whose constituency fell wholly or partly in County Durham to contact davidaslindsay@hotmail.com if they thought that I was factually or morally guilty of any criminal charge that had ever been brought against me. Not legally guilty; Bill Cosby is legally innocent. Factually and morally guilty. No name would be published except at the request of its bearer, but if anyone ever did get in touch, then the readers of this site would be the first to know. The current total is zero.

This post will appear daily until further notice.

Friday, 21 February 2025

War Is Not In Britain’s Interests


Having earned MAGA’s respect for Brexit, Britain was in prime position to exploit the shift in global order heralded by Trump 2.0. After all, Brexit Britain broke with globalism long before JD Vance came to bury it at Munich. The Labour government’s new doctrine of “progressive realism” was intended to anticipate such a world, combining a clear-sighted pragmatism with attachment to liberal values. But so far, Britain’s politicians have decided to blunder on, spurning the opportunity for greater independence.

The talk in the UK is now of rearmament and conscription, as Kyiv’s future is contested from afar. Britain is being drawn into plans for a post-American Europe, with suggestions floated of an Anglo-French “reassurance force” to oversee any armistice line in Ukraine. There are whispers, too, that Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves will impose austerity and tax rises in order to boost the country’s defence spending. The British public is largely supportive, for now, of sending troops to prop up the Ukrainian war effort, with 58% agreeing with the need for sending peacekeeping forces when polled last month. But such attitudes are invariably challenged when the reality of the measure — and the state of our depleted army — comes into focus.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, support for Ukraine has been a bipartisan affair in Britain. Boris Johnson, the former Tory prime minister who oversaw the withdrawal from the EU, abandoned a party meeting to visit Kyiv in July 2022. Starmer, a fierce opponent of Brexit, has been no less vociferous in his backing of Kyiv. With enduring folk memories of the Cold War fed by a steady stream of villainous Russian gangsters on television, a surge of popular support for Ukraine helped to plaster over the single greatest fault line in modern British politics: Brexit.

As both sides of the Brexit divide were able to meet in the middle, neither had to confront the real question for policy: what was Britain’s national interest in the conflict? What interest was served by supporting Ukraine? If nothing else, Brexit thrust questions of Britain’s future and priorities to the forefront of our political life. Yet neither side was able to give a convincing national answer to why Britain should support Ukraine. As this question remained unresolved, Britain is now contemplating sending troops it can hardly spare from its severely under-equipped army to man frozen ditches in the Donbas and patrol the Black Sea.

To this day, Britain’s liberals have continued to use the Ukraine war as a way of aggressively rolling back Brexit. By claiming that Trump is appeasing the Russian dictator in seeking a negotiated end to the war, the very same people who sought to overturn the single largest democratic vote in British history are now posing as champions of democracy. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey yesterday harried Nigel Farage for “explain[ing] away” Trump’s dismissal of Volodymyr Zelensky as a “dictator”, after the Reform leader said the remarks should “not be taken literally”. Labour Parliamentarians have also joined the online fray, their attempts to dragoon populist voters into a new cold war demonstrating that their foreign policy is not really about Russia or Ukraine, but rather about suppressing dissent in Britain itself.

Farage’s own base is more likely than Tory- or Labour-voting counterparts to favour a reduction in support for Kyiv. A third of Reform voters think Britain should cut its assistance to Ukraine’s war effort if Trump winds down US contributions, compared to 19% of Conservatives and 15% of Labour voters. Party MP Rupert Lowe yesterday chimed with his leader in suggesting that Zelensky is not, in fact, a dictator, but added that “Trump’s right. The war cannot go on forever. We need a long-term settlement tolerable to all involved.” Reform Deputy Leader Richard Tice, for his part, encouraged European nations to “step up” their defence spending.

“Farage’s own base is more likely than Tory- or Labour-voting counterparts to favour a reduction in support for Kyiv.” A dilemma thus presents itself to Reform: to maintain ties with Trump and demonstrate a tangible difference from the “uniparty” position on Ukraine is also to risk going against what remains a popular view among the British public. While voters’ openness to a negotiated peace has risen as Kyiv’s campaign has faltered, a plurality still want aid to be provided until Ukrainian victory can be achieved following a withdrawal by Putin.

It’s worth remembering that the Russian threat to Europe — let alone Britain — is essentially negligible. Assuming the negotiations to end the war proceed, Russia has won at best a Pyrrhic victory in Ukraine. Conservative estimates of Russian casualties run to many tens of thousands of dead young men, in a country that was already teetering on the edge of demographic collapse before the conflict. Putin’s initial war aim of installing a friendly regime in Kyiv was already abandoned in 2022, when Ukrainian militias successfully fended off an elite Russian special forces assault on the Antonov Airport at Hostomel outside Kyiv.

Putin’s forces have very clearly struggled to occupy the Russian-speaking part of Ukraine; the notion that they will now overrun Europe is scarcely believable. Only in the fantasies of retired British colonels writing for The Telegraph, vicariously dreaming of Leopard tanks sweeping across the steppe to the gates of Moscow, could one picture a negotiated end to this war as some great victory for Russia. What’s worse, in portraying a negotiated end to a bloody three-year war as capitulation to the Kremlin, Britain’s laptop bombardiers are doing Putin’s work for him, allowing him to portray a bungled and costly war as a great and gruelling victory for the Russian people.

And while a defence spending hike will doubtless be better for British industry than pursuing Net Zero, it is worth recalling that defence involves more than churning out armour and shells: you also need the people to fight — and potentially die — with those weapons. And who will fight once the war ends in Ukraine? As recent polling shows, Generation Z — prime military-age voters — has no wish to fight for Britain. Given that national identity and patriotism have been actively disdained for decades as politically toxic to the cause of globalised Britain, and with ethnic polarisation from mass migration growing, it should hardly come as a surprise that this country’s multiethnic, multicultural youth have little desire to take up arms.

British and European politicians have taken Vance’s Munich address as the signal to rearm. Yet in all the hue and cry of being forced to take responsibility for their own security, these very same politicians missed the crucial element of his speech — that national strength lies not in restarting the assembly lines in weapons factories, but instead in democratic renewal.