Julia and I would like to wish all readers a resoundingly good Christmas ... there does seem a resurgence and many who are not particularly religious are joining in this year. We know the issues we all face, the very survival of western nations and this is one of the first rallying cries ... there seems to be some sort of groundswell.
It just remains to wish you all a safe, illness-free Christmas Day, with lots of cheer and bonhomie. There may or may not be a short hiatus in posting ... depends how out of it we get.
One morning last month, Seymour Hersh set off to buy a newspaper. The reporter walked for 30 minutes, covered six blocks of his neighbourhood, Georgetown in Washington DC, and didn’t see a single sign of life. No newsstands on street corners selling the glossies and the dailies. No self-service kiosk where you can slide in a dollar and pull out a paper. “Finally, I found a drugstore that had two copies of the New York Times in the back,” Hersh recalls. He bought one for himself. He can’t help but wonder whether anybody bought the second.
Probably not, they were all comfortably scrolling through their social media feeds instead.
Hersh has been a staff writer at the New York Times and the New Yorker. He’s broken stories on Vietnam, Watergate, Gaza and Ukraine. But the free press is in crisis, newspapers are in flux and investigative journalism may be facing a deadline of its own. “I don’t think I could do now what I did 30, 40, 50 years ago,” says the now 88-year-old. “The outlets aren’t there. The money’s not there.So I don’t know where we all are right now.”
You're up that well-known creek. And you don't appear to have a paddle...
Editors and management might claim they want good stories, but in practice they fear them, because scoops tend to cause trouble and involve a big fight. Tellingly, the film includes an archive clip of Hersh speaking on stage in the 1970s. He says: “What we have here in America is not so much censorship as self-censorship by the press.”
That 'self-censorship' - is it in the room with you right now, Seymour?
If that was true then, Poitras says, it’s doubly so today. She’s alarmed not just by Trump’s authoritarian push to stifle a free press but by the alacrity with which several media giants have already rolled over.
The situation is parlous, Poitras says. “What we’re seeing in the US is the preemptive capitulation of institutions to avoid a legal battle they would have won. That’s shameful. I don’t know how they explain that to themselves. It’s the worst precedent you can possibly set.”
They clearly don't have your certainty that they'd have won.
“There are no gatekeepers on information any more,” says Obenhaus. “The so-called legacy media is so dispersed. And without that centre – that base – it’s hard for good journalism to break through, which means people are increasingly relying on unreliable sources. It troubles me tremendously that the Sy Hersh of today might be writing on Substack or some other platform – and you’d never even hear of them unless the algorithm connected you to their work.”
Times have changed, maybe you should change with them, because when I want the truth about a story in the headlines, I no longer look to the legacy media for it...
The Government has “fired the starting gun” on its pledge to ban trail-hunting as it confirms that a consultation will be launched early next year – and the community is ready to fight.
Defra minister Angela Eagle reiterated Labour’s manifesto promise of a ban, in parliament on 30 October, and stated that the consultation will be on “how to deliver a full ban” – not whether or not a ban should be imposed.
I guess he's figured out nothing he could do will improve his ratings, so he may as well go full 'Cruella DeVille'.
Ed Swales, chair of campaign group Hunting Kind, told H&H the news is “further misguided and prejudiced rhetoric from a Government so out of touch with its rural and farming electorate that it would be laughable if it wasn’t so damaging to people’s lives”.
Not to mention the lives of the unwanted hounds and horses that will be culled as a result of any ban, plus the loss of rural jobs tied to the sport...
“This is an election loser for Labour when balanced against today’s real-life priorities,” he said. “This latest attack is not about animal welfare nor ever has been. It’s a wilfully ignorant and discriminatory attempt at a human versus human conflict couched around an ill-informed and anthropomorphic view of how we coexist with nature.
“To conflate the unquestionably legal equine and canine sport of following trails with the scientific, ethical and cultural basis of wildlife management is to highlight a complete lack of understanding, again. This rides roughshod over the protectable beliefs of a community cultural minority and tramples diversity into the ground.”
It's an unedifying sight, that of unthinking instinctive killers salivating at the prtospect of sinking their teeth inro a long-standing enemy, isn't it? Especially when they avoid the prey the nation would rather they pursued....
Usually, your humble pundit does not do personals at Orphans but I just had to today, once I saw Yorkshire Wolds Weather's magnifipic at his X site, gained his permission:
Think my time in Russia reinforced the mindset on the magnificence of winter, when nature takes her rest, everything becomes calmer, quieter, the hush of introspection usually sets in, not even the politicians can overcome the festive, yet soft mood.
Of late, I've been going back over last century, plus this one ... when events happened, what generation was in control at the time, what age I was, what music and film was popular ... for example, I have a 1941 B film up at the blog just now ... and one thing quite clear is that from 1946, the generations do go in 17 year cycles, give or take ... 1946, 63, 80, 97, 2014.
But it's only today that I realised just how much Midwinter's Day or the Solstice or whatever you call it ... through to the day after Orthodox Christmas/Pascha, which is also the day after our Twelfth Night, maybe even the following weekend which is Orthodox New Year ... just how much it means in my heart and soul ... and it all kicks off today. I feel I'm at winter's gate today, with so many festive things still to follow.
In Russia, we used to drive to the forest, get out the BBQ and have prepared, marinaded shasliki and salads, plenty of imbibing going on as well ... even in minus 12C, it did not feel cold with the winter sun on the carpet of glistening snow, little creatures poking their noses out to see what the commotion was about ... miles of silver birch trees in each direction. I do miss that.
But Britain also has fine walks, views, food and drink ... I'm thinking British winter cuisine is unsurpassed. Of course, North America is the goods too, esp. the leaf-peeping. Plus the Antipodes when their turn comes around.
The downside for me is that this is the shortest day and I do not welcome the lengthening ... sun going down before 4 p.m. is magic. Of course spring alleviates that ... new life, new shoots ... everyone likes that after the slush, but not everyone lives for the winter. I do. My season ... maybe yours?
Let's open with a comment on X by a grandmother and former model, with dogs she walks morning and evening, what you'd call a typical antiWoke, "fatigued with it all in Britain right now" type, not in the least Bully type, just dismayed with how Britain has gone down.
I used the term "false flag right", e.g. Boris Johnson, Theresa May but of late, they've refined it and there are some of the Reform "brass" just as much what would be called RINO in the States ... Yusuf-Farage-Tice are three:
... but there's another one they've just taken into their steering "committee":
Why can't the right unite? Because we are not "the right" for a start, we against the Uniparty are a big tent, with everyone from slightly upper middle to working class on zero hours contracts ... how could we possibly agree on all matters?
Plus there is that false flagger in there at all times ... paid to be in there, stirring it up. One of them wrote yesterday about the "Woke right" ... no such thing ... "right" is being used by the PTB as anti Fabian govt but actually, there are many on the anti-war Old Left also in with us. The whole thing confuses and confounds.
All right, let's go to this by-election result from yesterday:
It was already Reform, yes, but still ... observe the Labour support. And there's something else many might be unaware of ... one of the Reform councillors has called on the six dissidents from Reform to resign and force byelections.
Why? Because they resigned over Yusuf-Farage's stunt of trying to jail Rupert Lowe and badmouth Tommy Robinson who has considerable support in Britain, not just within the working class. Remember September 13th? Whether 1m or 3m ... it was still many people.
So ... Reform looks good in Cornwall among the retired writing up their memoirs and what do the dissidents then do ... the dissidents being "the fatigued" who quite like Rupert Lowe but have not actually joined Advance?
Invidious situation because so many of our own lot, our own type, vote Reform at the moment, whether adoring "Nige" or else knowing his track record of betrayal and overlooking it ... or just not knowing at all. And one such lady just followed me on X and I followed back.
Why? Because we agree on issues facing Britain. As many of us here do. Bizarre situation. Personally, I'd be delighted if there was a party which could shut the Uniparty out.
Only to be sold out by the Uniparty false flaggers on the steering committee. Already Sarah Pochin has had the rough end of that.
Or just because she didn't have an OnlyFans account, unlike all the other female prison officer candidates?
A child was accidentally recruited by bungling prison bosses to look after murderers and terrorists, the Daily Mail can reveal.
Emily Frith worked as a prison officer at HMP Erlestoke in Devizes, Wiltshire, while still aged just 17.
And she has the nerve to blame them for being conned by her!
Speaking to the Daily Mail, she said: 'It's shocking, prisons are supposed to be secure but nobody even did basic checks on me. Where was the safeguarding? I was a child placed in a dangerous environment and I could easily have been seriously hurt
So you knew that and didn't mention it at any point? Why not?
'At the time I thought it was a great job, I was earning a fortune for a 17-year-old. I was shadowing another officer but I was still out there chatting with inmates, helping with bang up, helping with counting. I was doing everything a trained prison officer would do
Ah. Of course. Too busy enjoying the money!
'It's embarrassing from the government. No wonder prisons are in the state they are in.'
With David Lamentable MP in charge, could they be anything else?
Her age was only discovered by accident more than two weeks after she joined when she applied for mileage expenses for driving to training and a colleague noticed the date of birth on her driver's licence.
The implication being, if not for this, she'd still be there....
Holly Bramley's life was barbarically snatched away when she was murdered by her husband of nine years.
The 26-year-old had been isolated from her family by 'evil monster' Nicholas Meston, who convinced her that her family didn't love her.
He moved her 50 miles away from them without telling anyone - and the pair eventually tied the knot.
It's a sad story, and a familiar one, a woman so lacking in self-confidence and a sense of self-worth that a man becomes everything to her, no matter what he does...
In the nine years Holly was with Metson, she was alienated from her parents, who were never invited to her wedding and didn't know it was happening.
Tragically, it would only be 18 months later that he would cut up her body into 224 pieces at their Lincoln home before dumping her remains in a bag for life in a river.
In the run-up to her murder in March 2023, Holly had reported Metson to the police for killing her pets in a gruesome fashion.
On one occasion, she found her new puppy dead inside a washing machine with the drum still spinning after her husband dumped the dog inside.
Another time, she fled to a police station with her rabbits in a bid to escape after he had killed her hamsters by putting them in a food blender and a microwave oven.
And did the authorities act? Well, they tried.
However, according to her mother, Annette, the RSPCA were never able to bring any charges against Meston because her daughter had withdrawn her statement.
And, unwilling to accept that she's somehow bred and raised a woman so lacking in the instincts of self-preservation, her mother wants to make it everyone else's fault, hence the inevitable demand for legislation:
Her grieving mother, pushing for a new law, said she had done everything in her power to convince her youngest daughter to walk away from the deadly relationship.In a bid to help others in a similar situation to her daughter, Annette is now calling for Holly's Law.
The proposed legislation would see a nationwide animal cruelty register created for individuals who harm or kill animals, to be brought into legislation.
Personally, I'm in favour of such a law, but purely on it's own merits, not to try to prevent more deaths like this one. Nothing will do that, except raising daughters to have enough self-worth that they don't subsume their entire personality to a brute.
Annette's petition for an animal cruelty register has reached over 50,000 signatures as she remains hopeful it will be brought into legislation similarly to Clare's Law.
And when the next murder happens despite this, what will be demanded then?
When you look at these utterly bizarre, brazen reactions of the pollies, at odds with any form of reality at ground level, then it leads to certain conclusions:
Just what has brought on this full-on brass-neckedness, openly thumbing the nose at people?
Well yes ... directives from HQ, whoever the deep state actually is. But where's their confident arrogance from? What has happened to make them so open in their brazenness?
In 2000, in Toronto, an ex one of them gave an explanation ... they will go open around 2020 and roll out the new order ... I've posted that radio transcript a few times since 2006. They have total faith that they are safe, that they need not pretend anymore, that parts of western society being set at each other's throats ensures the invasion and perma-power.. A Clinton type of safety . Either stop those who know or "we'll all hang".
Revolution? Yep, that will do fine say the honchos ... that's factored in ... either way, western culture is swept away, melting pot stuff. That lady in 2000 was asked ... how to dtop these lowlifes in power?
She mentioned two things which can stop them ... errors, overplaying their hand ... then a resurgence of faith in the old culture plus its underpinnings.
And that is precisely what Gen Zees are starting to do, with some Gen Xs helping.
