I live in Hungary but read a lot about what's going on in the U. K. It's very depressing. Right now I'm visiting my home town in the South West. I'm told the NHS is breaking down. My 80 year old mum fell and broke her shoulder 2 years ago. She called the ambulance around 9pm and managed to crawl into a chair to wait for the ambulance. They turned up the next morning around 5am. I'm also told it's not safe to go out at night. I feel that when you cannot rely on the health system or a sense of safety and security things will only get worse. The feeling I get when I return to the UK is that we've lost our way, our culture, and our soul. And a sense of unity and cohesion. Hungary hasn't lost that and it makes a huge difference to society.
Some years ago, I was a police inspector in charge of a high profile area of Central London frequented by millions of tourists and known for its street performances. I won’t name it but it is very well known. It has a high density of Gay premises. Now, I am also a practising Roman Catholic. There were a group of supposedly evangelical Christian preachers who frequented the area. Their preaching was solely aimed at the gay community, it covered nobody and nothing else. The group concerned had frequented other areas too. So far as I am concerned, this was an excuse to “have-a-go” at a section of the population, not a genuine attempt to spread the message of Christianity, but that is purely my opinion.
A PC on my team received a number of complaints when he was out on foot patrol (that should tell you how long ago that was!😂) he had complaints from a number of people who were gay, claiming that they were insulted, and a number from who claimed they were Christians and were insulted by the preaching because it was so far removed from what they thought the message of the faith was. Unusually the complainants made statements AND went to court subsequently.
The ‘preachers’ were warned about continuing but did so and were arrested. They had their day out in court. The stipendiary magistrate ruled that they had NOT committed the offence. There are stated cases on it, so I am surprised at police actions here.
Ultimately police are subject to scrutiny by the courts, senior officers, IOPC and the press. That’s more accountability than any other organisation. Officers are put in an invidious position often and have to use their judgement and training to decide what they should do. Of course, the milieu in which they grew up will also have an effect. The average PC these days is a lot less right wing than when I joined in 1986 as one of ‘Thatcher’s boot boys’ as we were called so often, and with some justification to be honest! (I have been on a journey since then to be here reading your substack!) Police are denied basic industrial rights like union membership and the right to strike (something you may want to look at and consider for a future article perhaps, Paul, as it’s in my opinion an anomaly in this day and age when the other emergency services have both?) and their disciplinary system is biased and draconian.
At the same time an anti-abortion protestor WAS convicted for distributing leaflets that graphically showed the results of the procedure. In the 1960s popular opinion was anti abortion and anti-homosexual. Generally to take those views today is to invite vocal challenge.
Years ago the local authority at Croydon, I think, unilaterally removed the cross from the local crematorium roof as it might be offensive to other faiths. A paper surveyed faith leaders in the area and found not one was bothered by the cross. Only secular humanists of the Council weee offended and were seeking to remove religion from the public space generally. Look at the membership numbers of Humanists UK and the National Secular Society. They are relatively tiny, compared with those who espouse some form of faith. Then look at who is in the ‘celebrity supporters’ section of Humanists UK. Their influence is disproportionate and in my view it is them rather than anyone with a non-Christian belief who are driving this agenda.
Great piece again Paul. Good men and women abound in this country and they must all start standing up to the bullies and corporate elite that have confected this unreal world we are inhabiting. It is not OK with me that they deride our nation, it is not OK with me that unknown possibly terrorist individuals are effectively welcomed into our country with no checks and balances. It is not OK with me that we were hypnotised by weekly meetings of government/so called scientists who brooked no debate of their orders. It is not OK with me that the poor of our society have suffered this most horribly whilst the rich have become richer. It is not OK with me that the WHO, the WEF, the EU, and many other unelected bodies dictate to the good and kind people with only their own interests foremost. I will not comply, I will question everything I am told and will make up my own mind. We all have a choice, let us exercise it.
"'I’m not necessarily attacking the officers here. In fact, given the extensive (and sinister) reach of modern law on all these issues, as well as the increasing willingness of police bosses to apply it in as liberal a manner as possible, it is arguable that they had little option but to confront the preachers in the way they did"
I think we absolutely need to strongly criticise the officers *and* challenge any internal laws or guidance that even allows this intervention.
Imagine if police officers started arresting women in veils or headscarves or anyone broadcasting calls to prayer because some people found this to be deeply offensive. That would not be tolerated and they would be criticised all round. We should have the same approach to officers threatening to arrest Christian street preachers for being annoying or offensive too.
"The Britain We All Knew Is Fast Disappearing" - indeed though apart from about 15% of voters in Wellingborough and Kingswood, we saw last night that most voters are either unable to see it or join up the dots, still brainlessly voting like sheep in the same tribal way they always have done for Labour, Conservative, Lib Dem, Green or just stay at home looking the other way. We are beyond hope. The sheep are going to take us all down the plughole with them
I think the main problem is that (especially with Labour voters) the party you vote for represents who you are as a person. For me, personally, I'd always been on the left and it took a series of significant red pill moments, over several years, to realise that I could no longer consider myself a leftie. The labour party are not what they were. And people who think they're good and compassionate if they vote Labour (because they consider anyone on the right to be hard and capitalistic) are blind to their faults. I could be wrong but it's something I have experienced.
I live in Hungary but read a lot about what's going on in the U. K. It's very depressing. Right now I'm visiting my home town in the South West. I'm told the NHS is breaking down. My 80 year old mum fell and broke her shoulder 2 years ago. She called the ambulance around 9pm and managed to crawl into a chair to wait for the ambulance. They turned up the next morning around 5am. I'm also told it's not safe to go out at night. I feel that when you cannot rely on the health system or a sense of safety and security things will only get worse. The feeling I get when I return to the UK is that we've lost our way, our culture, and our soul. And a sense of unity and cohesion. Hungary hasn't lost that and it makes a huge difference to society.
Some years ago, I was a police inspector in charge of a high profile area of Central London frequented by millions of tourists and known for its street performances. I won’t name it but it is very well known. It has a high density of Gay premises. Now, I am also a practising Roman Catholic. There were a group of supposedly evangelical Christian preachers who frequented the area. Their preaching was solely aimed at the gay community, it covered nobody and nothing else. The group concerned had frequented other areas too. So far as I am concerned, this was an excuse to “have-a-go” at a section of the population, not a genuine attempt to spread the message of Christianity, but that is purely my opinion.
A PC on my team received a number of complaints when he was out on foot patrol (that should tell you how long ago that was!😂) he had complaints from a number of people who were gay, claiming that they were insulted, and a number from who claimed they were Christians and were insulted by the preaching because it was so far removed from what they thought the message of the faith was. Unusually the complainants made statements AND went to court subsequently.
The ‘preachers’ were warned about continuing but did so and were arrested. They had their day out in court. The stipendiary magistrate ruled that they had NOT committed the offence. There are stated cases on it, so I am surprised at police actions here.
Ultimately police are subject to scrutiny by the courts, senior officers, IOPC and the press. That’s more accountability than any other organisation. Officers are put in an invidious position often and have to use their judgement and training to decide what they should do. Of course, the milieu in which they grew up will also have an effect. The average PC these days is a lot less right wing than when I joined in 1986 as one of ‘Thatcher’s boot boys’ as we were called so often, and with some justification to be honest! (I have been on a journey since then to be here reading your substack!) Police are denied basic industrial rights like union membership and the right to strike (something you may want to look at and consider for a future article perhaps, Paul, as it’s in my opinion an anomaly in this day and age when the other emergency services have both?) and their disciplinary system is biased and draconian.
At the same time an anti-abortion protestor WAS convicted for distributing leaflets that graphically showed the results of the procedure. In the 1960s popular opinion was anti abortion and anti-homosexual. Generally to take those views today is to invite vocal challenge.
Years ago the local authority at Croydon, I think, unilaterally removed the cross from the local crematorium roof as it might be offensive to other faiths. A paper surveyed faith leaders in the area and found not one was bothered by the cross. Only secular humanists of the Council weee offended and were seeking to remove religion from the public space generally. Look at the membership numbers of Humanists UK and the National Secular Society. They are relatively tiny, compared with those who espouse some form of faith. Then look at who is in the ‘celebrity supporters’ section of Humanists UK. Their influence is disproportionate and in my view it is them rather than anyone with a non-Christian belief who are driving this agenda.
Great article and thanks again.
Thanks for such a thoughtful post.
Great piece again Paul. Good men and women abound in this country and they must all start standing up to the bullies and corporate elite that have confected this unreal world we are inhabiting. It is not OK with me that they deride our nation, it is not OK with me that unknown possibly terrorist individuals are effectively welcomed into our country with no checks and balances. It is not OK with me that we were hypnotised by weekly meetings of government/so called scientists who brooked no debate of their orders. It is not OK with me that the poor of our society have suffered this most horribly whilst the rich have become richer. It is not OK with me that the WHO, the WEF, the EU, and many other unelected bodies dictate to the good and kind people with only their own interests foremost. I will not comply, I will question everything I am told and will make up my own mind. We all have a choice, let us exercise it.
Great piece, Paul, although sombre and scary.
However on this point:
"'I’m not necessarily attacking the officers here. In fact, given the extensive (and sinister) reach of modern law on all these issues, as well as the increasing willingness of police bosses to apply it in as liberal a manner as possible, it is arguable that they had little option but to confront the preachers in the way they did"
I think we absolutely need to strongly criticise the officers *and* challenge any internal laws or guidance that even allows this intervention.
Imagine if police officers started arresting women in veils or headscarves or anyone broadcasting calls to prayer because some people found this to be deeply offensive. That would not be tolerated and they would be criticised all round. We should have the same approach to officers threatening to arrest Christian street preachers for being annoying or offensive too.
"The Britain We All Knew Is Fast Disappearing" - indeed though apart from about 15% of voters in Wellingborough and Kingswood, we saw last night that most voters are either unable to see it or join up the dots, still brainlessly voting like sheep in the same tribal way they always have done for Labour, Conservative, Lib Dem, Green or just stay at home looking the other way. We are beyond hope. The sheep are going to take us all down the plughole with them
I think the main problem is that (especially with Labour voters) the party you vote for represents who you are as a person. For me, personally, I'd always been on the left and it took a series of significant red pill moments, over several years, to realise that I could no longer consider myself a leftie. The labour party are not what they were. And people who think they're good and compassionate if they vote Labour (because they consider anyone on the right to be hard and capitalistic) are blind to their faults. I could be wrong but it's something I have experienced.
That is very much part of the problem. For some people it's like supporting a football team. They just can't see beyond that
Step by step the hate-filled Marxist Left are destroying Britain with their ugly and stupid ideas.
Police constables can do a great deal to avoid acting like state secret police: resign.