Excellent post LSO. Sharp as a pin and bang on the money! I really hope the world has finally turned a corner and some sort of sanity will soon prevail…
Regarding the ‘slebs’: I’ll never understand how a musician / actor / entertainer etc could be dumb enough to pick a side and publicly shout it from the rooftops - and therefore instantly alienate 50% of your audience. 🤦🏻♂️ A wise celebrity would keep their gob firmly shut.
And regarding the films: I have most of the Marvel canon on blu ray, (see also Star Wars), but those movies have now been tainted and ruined by these gobby narcissistic twits, and I no longer hold such affection for them.
Agreed Ady. Even if not 50%, why would you do it? I guess it’s simple narcissism. Unqualified people spouting uninformed opinions on public platforms. Who’s got the time to do that? 🤣
I try not to let the latest Marvel out put ruin my love of the original arc. I know the new stuff is rubbish, but I try to be unburdened by what has been….
Yes. Sanity will prevail. That will absolutely definitely happen.
Yes, and it's always leftie slebs isn't it? None of them stick their heads above the parapet for the other side, to alienate 50% of their audience. Proving, I think, that the left-right scale is also an IQ one.
The brave exception that proves the rule. I think I remember Kate Bush once trying to backtrack on being outed as someone who might have voted Conservative once.
You know, I now salute anyone who has any sort of spine at all, no matter their cause. I automatically like all heretics and rank-breakers, I like Liz Cheney for breaking left and I like the millions of voters who broke right. I like people who can think and who have principles even if I don't share their principles.
I have never understood why celebrities think they've any more right to lecture the rest of us on political things versus my local grocer, house painter, etc. Yes, they're (possibly) good at what they do, but likely so are the others I listed. The fact they have a larger bully pulpit should make them more cautious, but clearly it doesn't.
They are narcissists AMP. I genuinely don’t think you can become that famous without being breathtakingly convinced of your own brilliance. I’ve known/know lots of celebrities. It’s such a weird world and in its own way incredibly hard. There’s a real Darwinism in action, and for a celebrity, any form of self doubt actually works like kryptonite. Also. She paid them 😆
Maybe Jeremy. Or maybe only the daft ones go around telling us what to think. I expect the actual smart ones keep their own counsel. That’s why Taylor Swift (huge fan here!) was so disappointing. I thought she was brighter than that.
Yes! Like Trump, America just dodged a fatal bullet. More than half of our country let out a huge sigh of relief with a long desired sense of we are safe. For now. The sigh was felt across the world.
Excellent article LSO! As always you have zoomed in on the absurdity and tomfoolery of politics and Hollywood. Ugh add in the corporate media and it is a trifecta of distasteful smuggery.
The joy was actually felt by the right when people finally found the courage to not be silenced any longer by the bullies.
You covered much of the story but I would like to add one more thing that has been exposed in this election. The graph that showed four elections with basically similar voter tallies except for the 2020 which had an extra 15 million for Biden. Trump and many others (me)was right that election was rigged, under the cover of mail in ballots (dead people).
I have read that many actors, millionaires and some politicians are looking to leave America.
Lol Canada and Britain are possible choices. I also hear millionaires are looking to leave Britain with the looming tax hikes. Oh the drama.
I follow Winston Marshall and Neil Oliver and will read comments. The outpouring of love and concern for America from commentators from around the world has brought tears to my eyes many times. I hope all of us can unite to put a stop to whoever or whatever is causing the destruction of free speech and liberty for all!
Yes. I cannot agree more about Trump’s shy supporters coming out and standing up for themselves. It seems they might have been inspired by the man himself, and his defiance in the face of a bullet. It does feel very different this time. A more open a free debate is better for all I think.
I also saw that graph. I do think there was ‘election interference’. I’ve always said that the Hunter Biden cover up was enough to swing the election and it was a form of vote rigging. But were those ‘extra’ Biden votes in 2020 not just a result of the lockdowns? I notice that Trump’s numbers were also up last time. Maybe just more people really did vote because it was so easy to do it at home. I’m not sure. I am drawn to think it was unfair-a cheat, so I have to be sceptical of that position.
I am delighted that free speech is now safe, at least for a bit, but I worry that the anti-demos groups will reform and come back stronger, especially if Trump overplays his hand. Which is quite possible. But on the whole, it’s all very positive.
No I don’t think 15 million extra people voted in 2020. Perhaps a couple but not 15 mil.
Example, repeated all over: my sister received ballots for both her sons. Neither had lived there in close to TEN years and had voted in other states. So many testimonies of ballot harvesting where dem activists went to nursing homes to help patients fill out ballots and then deliver them🤨 Then there were the vacant lots or abandoned homes that had 53 or more registered voters as living there.
Other cases where local dem elections pollers denied republicans from viewing the counts.
Add in the fact that there was massive censorship by all media for any questions about integrity that even judges were afraid to hear cases. The judges in fact refused to hear the evidence and said they had no standing. It was all a hot mess perpetrated by TDS bullies
Thanks Deirdre. Yes I’ve heard similar. I wish someone would put together a non-partisan investigation into all this which nonetheless took these testimonies seriously. I have no doubt that a lot of this went on.
On the day. ID voting is clearly the way forward. Postal voting is a cheaters charter. We have a similar, if smaller problem here.
> Other cases where local dem elections pollers denied republicans from viewing the counts.
But every single supposed case of this kind of thing has been debunked. Further, there are obvious cases where video footage has been manipulated to make it look like there was cheating -- we have proven cases of Trumpists cheating, but zero cases of proven election fraud. Yes, of course there are incidents here and there, I mean 'systemic' cheating.
And notice that there's been hardly a peep about election fraud this time? Funny thing, after four years of Dems holding the leavers of power, they failed to steal this election whereas they managed to steal the previous election while Trump was in power. The rule seems to be that the less control you have, the easier it is for you to steal an entire election. Really?
There is in fact some talk of funny business in Arizona. The 2020 election was one of opportunities because of covid. They have not all been debunked. Saying so does not make it fact. If you only listen to corporate media or are afraid of the DOJ you may indeed come to that conclusion.
I'm open to any *proof* that funny business happened here or there. American elections have a long history of funny business and most people who really understand your elections basically shrug their shoulders and say that the final result is usually correct. The exceptions are Bush robbing Gore and Kennedy robbing Nixon. But as to the '20 election, zero watchdog institutions (Democracy Watch, etc.), one out of 64 courts, zero States, and zero Republican leaders, reported the election 'stolen'. The only people who believe it are partisan Trumpists. Zero independents. And since Trump is the biggest liar in the history of the world, sorry, but the election was not stolen. And I ask again, why did the Dems not steal this one? They've had four years in power to get ready, and if they pulled it off last time, why not this time?
Well I am an independent and I believe it. Lol as do former democrats, Tulsi Gabbard, RFKJR, Nicole Shanahan, PBD, Taibbi, shellenberger. This election Laura Trump had over five hundred lawyers at hand to challenge election integrity issues immediately and in fact many were challenged in court before the election.
As I pointed out earlier the election in 2020 was an anomaly due to covid and the complete desperation of democrats to get rid of Trump. They hate him as you do. The extra 15+mill votes as compared to three others is telling.
The fact that you state as a matter of fact that the election was stolen from Gore despite that the Supreme Court disagreed with you is proof of your own bias. Lol.
Some might say you are lying the same as you accuse Trump as the biggest liar in the world.
By the way many republican politicians agreed with the election cheating.
I would not call you a liar, but you are very misinformed. There has been a concerted and massive left censorship regime in place for years so I understand.
There are people who have been investigating and gathering evidence. Unfortunately, they have been trounced as conspiracy theorists and denied widespread review- critical or not.
The media you may have noticed has lost their ability to do investigative journalism - they just dismiss or more likely ignore.
Trump may be (lol) motivated to clear his name during his administration. So more should be revealed. It is important to be done for both sides to restore trust in election integrity. In order to correct the crazy laxes like voter ID which is of course legalized cheating.
Do you still think politics is about left v right? Or is liberals v conservatism more accurate?
The Tories and Labour are both liberal parties. I see the gutless Tory Liberal Party couldn't bring itself to show its true colours in the London Assembly the other day. Abstention....just about sums the party up.
Trump is bold, ambitious, go getting and courageous....everything every other party isn't. They didn't really have a choice.
It’s such an interesting question Elizabeth. Yes. Only the right , or ‘far right’ seem to exist now. Left or far left positions are considered ‘normal’ , mainstream, or even centrist.
Personally I’m a populist. Again, not a ‘right wing populist’ or ‘far right populist’, just a populist. I see an elite class made up of wealthy corporations, individuals, NGOs and state actors, all working in tandem to extract the most from the world’s human resources, while conspiring to shut them down so they no longer have the right to complain about it. I don’t believe that’s a conspiracy theory. It seems pretty plain. Keeping the argument as ‘left vs right’ obviously, like everything else, just serves their interest.
I didn’t see the London Assembly thing I don’t think.
It was a motion for immigrants to be given free transport in London. Labour, Lib Dem and Green voted in favour, Reform (naturally) voted against and the (alleged) new Tories under Badenoch......abstained thereby allowing it to pass. Not exactly a changed Tory party is it!
A sensational essay LSO! Love it! I visualise a huge stage set up outside The Guardian offices, adorned with US flags and a big countdown screen ticking down to LSO'S BIG SPEECH MIDDAY TODAY then the weeping Guardianistas come out at lunchtime for their vegan nutcutlets and stop as the lights come on, you step forward to the mike and read this speech with dramatic music and lights for special effect, rounded off with the Star Spangled Banner, pics of Donald and fireworks. That should see half the audience collapse in floods of tears...seriously, isn't this a script for YouTube? It would go viral, Donald would want you on his team.
If you took to YouTube, you'd get MUCH more fame! 77,000 here for Andrew Lawrence's brilliant swipe at Labour but note, he keeps it brief, 2 minutes: https://youtu.be/9kI_F6P8PdM?si=kcu269MvfXEhYF6b
You never fail to raise a smile or two, LSO, even when the subject is as important as Democracy. We even have our own here in the UK - the so-called 'Liberal Democrats' [sic]. Who will ever forget their wonderfully liberal and democratic 'Bollocks to Brexit' campaign, complete with yellow t-shirts proclaiming this slogan in the EU 'parliament?
As for the tearful lefties who have been gracing our screens since the sainted Kamala was delivered of her arse in her hat, my over-riding memory will be of one sobbing lady, face full of tears and snot, who was having trouble wiping her nose because of the two studs which had been impaled just where the hanky would normally be applied. It always seems to be the little things, the inconsequential, which sum up great events.
Can we, as a country, survive four more years of the tomfoolery and outright spiteful twattery with which we seem to be doomed? Lucky old USA, say I. Perhaps the citoyens will aux armes, and, formez vos bataillons, if 2TK, Reeves and Mrs. Miliband's little boy continue destroying the country ...
There have been so many delicious blow outs. I fear that things might get nasty again, once these idiots have calmed down. I hope not. But I worry about a ‘resistance’, harder and even more horrible this time.
I thought about doing a post about how, even now, they are working to ‘thwart’ his plans. There’s a line between disliking, even hating an administration, and denying its legitimacy. They love to cross that line, proving a real contempt for democracy. As you say, Brexit was the best example.
Brilliant article as ever - always look forward to them appearing in my Inbox. A particular bugbear of mine is that lefties always box up their intolerances as 'values', implying of course, that those of us who happen to disagree with them have 'NO values'.
That’s a great point. I think I missed it earlier when I was catching up on the comments on my phone. They are brilliant at putting everyone else on the back foot by starting from a position of assumed virtue. ‘So you want refugees to be murdered in their own counties do you?’ It’s a winning, if disingenuous tactic.
Yes exactly! I had to restrain myself on one memorable occasion when a guest for the weekend trotted out the line that my 'right wing views' did not accord with her 'values'. Their opinions are always 'Values' of course and thus superior.
Great stuff LSO. Bullseye. I admire your secret crush on Admiral Levine - very equal opportunities of you and you have a strong constitution.
One of the best antidotes to the lame Avengers video was Ricky Gervais' brilliant parody which weirdly I can't find on X right now, but linking it here from FB in case others haven't seen it yet - https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1427901138093961
I’ll have to see that on X. I can’t log in to facebook. If I try they bombard me with e mails telling me what all my liberal friends have been up to. It’s too depressing. Especially right now.
I saw his b/w bath one. Which was great. Thanks Alex.
I have managed to get onto Facebook and have no friends. It's bliss (well as blissful as it can be with that stupid piece of software). Just use it for groups around stuff I'm interested in.
I think one point of order is that RFK’s position on vaccines is frequently misrepresented. The main thrust of his argument is that none of the vaccines on the US schedule have ever been subjected to a randomised control trial against a true placebo. The normal process is to test them against another vaccine, which, inevitably, always makes them look safer than the reality (the ‘placebo’ will also produce some adverse reactions). He also highlights the undeniable correlation between the increases in the number of vaccines given (since the 80s Vaccine Act indemnified manufacturers) and the rise in chronic disease. All he’s advocating for is proper research and for transparency. Most recently, he’s be very clear that he doesn’t want to take away people’s vaccines, he merely wants them to have the required information to be able to make a truly informed decision. Why would anyone not want that?
Incredible to think the media are misreporting things, I know.
I tried to be balanced and quick in the piece so this is really useful. I worry that the obvious, and hidden side effects of the covid vaccines have caused a lot of people to lose faith with actual vaccines. But more testing, and openness about the approval process is clearly the way forward.
Thanks again for taking the trouble to outline the issue here. A very valuable contribution.
No problem, it's a massive subject and I don't want to distract too much from your post, but it's important to realise that there is a huge amount of misrepresentation of those who ask legitimate questions - RFK being one of them. Most importantly, he's very careful to ensure that everything he claims is fully referenced. I'll just post a few links for you/those who may be interested.
RFK talking about the lack of RCT and having to sue Fauci to get him to admit it:
Until more recently, I largely accepted the vaccine narrative, but have discovered, as with many topics like climate change or covid in general, that the reality is often somewhat different. You don't have to do much digging, but you do have to dig, because mainstream sources will never tell you this stuff.
I think that the covid vaccines are probably the most harmful medical product in history. I know of one colleague who died and know many who've been injured. I still don't personally know anyone who died of covid. Lucky, perhaps. I believe that everyone will know someone who has been injured, even if they haven't made the connection. The potential mechanisms of harm are so widespread and systemic (a result of the delivery system) that it could almost be anything.
The Midwestern Doctor on Substack is an excellent, long-form, author on many health topics, including the covid vaccine and vaccines in general. Again, all fully-referenced. Forgive me if some of these are behind a subscription:
It's eye opening. I now believe that the credit given to vaccines in controlling infectious diseases is misplaced (I'm not saying they aren't capable of having an effect) and that the heavy-lifting was mostly done by improved nutrition (strengthening the immune system) and sanitation (removing pathogens from the environment). If you look at the reduced incidence of disease (I can't post images here, so I'll DM you one), many had declined precipitously prior to the introduction of vaccines, despite vaccines getting all the glory (like a goal-hanger).
I'll leave it there for now, that's more than enough and far enough off topic 😂
Thanks Dan. I’ll take a deep dive at some point into all this. I have a friend who says many similar things.
I’ve followed you on X. I tend not to do the DM thing tbh. Just too much juggling about. And I prefer to keep most of this stuff in the comments. I’m sure you understand. Thanks again.
Thanks Jason. I’ll read that as ‘once’ though please don’t change it. We don’t hear the word ‘ponce’ anywhere near enough these days. Such a Ronnie Barker/Porridge word!
I love your description of the Guardian's staff and I agree with your comment that The Telegraph is "wishy washy" (apart from real journalists like Charles Moore and Camilla Tominey). I have been a Telegraph reader for 60 years, watching with dismay over the past decade as womens' interest content - fashion, make-up and dating - displaced more and more of its original bite and integrity. I now only buy Saturday's issue for the cryptic crossword.
I still take the Telegraph Walton. Mainly because the digital subscription is so desperately cheap. And it’s not a total lost cause. I like a lot of their comment section. Especially Tim Stanley from their home stable. He has a gentle, self effacing wit which I admire. He’s very old fashioned in some ways. Which I think he would take as a compliment….
Cryptic crosswords are too much for me. Very impressed.
"the digital subscription is so desperately cheap. "
£269 is very very far from cheap IMO - that's the amount the DT's proposing for my upcoming renewal. I plan to tell them to s** off. Often only the headlines are needed to get an idea what's going on in the world; their journalists rarely offer much of interest.
What??? They change me about ten times less than that Alexei. Ring them up. Say you’re leaving because it’s too expensive and they’ll basically give it away.
Aaaah, Hollywood actors. Is there anything they don't know?
When you have built a career speaking lines written for you by professional writers, your appearance controlled by lighting men and directors and had your mistakes removed by great editors, then it probably isn't a good idea to show your audience the real you. You'll only disappoint them.
The Avengers look more like The ScAvengers, as they frantically scrabbled for crumbs of political favour, even whilst alienating half their audience.
I think we can confidently state that the era of the celebrity endorsement is over. The Harris campaign raised well over a BILLION dollars, and still managed to end up in debt having overspent by $20million!
A chunk of that money was splurged on paying celebrities to come out in support of her. The very fact that you'd need to pay people to publicly endorse you speaks volumes already, but worse than that, those endorsements failed to enthuse anyone but those who were already firmly on board.
Who, in heaven's name, would ever be persuaded to change their mind on a political question - simply because it was the preferred outcome of someone famous? Is anyone really that shallow? The DNC certainly seemed to think so.
I believe wholeheartedly in universal suffrage. When people bemoan the ignorance of individual voters, I counter that with the collective wisdom of the electorate as a whole. But I have to say that nothing undermines my confidence and trust in the electorate more than the idea that a celebrity endorsement could move the needle one iota in support for a candidate or party.
Did anyone choose not to support Trump having listened to Robert de Niro's faux-tough-guy public statements that Trump would end democracy? Democracy would be under a greater threat if the half-thought musings of a once-great actor turned grudge-filled misanthrope carried more weight than the concerns and desires of a nation.
Oprah, a multi-billionaire supposed Kamala fan, vehemently denied that she'd been paid $1million to host the town-hall with "her good friend, Kamala", though she failed to mention that the Harris campaign paid the $1million fee to Harpo, which is Oprah's production company.
On a side note, it was surely just a coincidence that so many slebs who are implicated in the Diddy case were suddenly gripped by Kamala-fever and felt the need to frantically endorse her, as if their lives depended on it. We don't know what payment they received or expected, but if it was immunity from prosecution then their gamble really didn't pay off.
Hi Paddy. Thanks for that. I couldn’t agree more. There’s a very old fashioned ‘droit du seigneur’ a sort of special god given right of kings about the whole thing.
It’s clear that Hollywood’s stars have lost a lot of their power and allure since they swapped an aura of unreachable glamour for social media clicks. I think the brilliant Baggage Claim did a whole video on it on youtube. Ah yes. Here it is https://youtu.be/v-XTsbciv-8?si=bQjzZmUn4wybW4_P
A lot of it is just about creating a narrative maybe. So ‘everyone agrees’ that Kamala is the best choice becomes the default position across the culture. It usually works sadly. That’s why we have a tiny group of activists dictating social discourse. Because ‘everyone agrees’ that racism is rampant and that the world is going to end in a climate apocalypse unless we dump our perfectly good gas boilers. When most regular people have got bigger things to worry about.
I love how the payment thing has come out. Though as ever. I expect that will become just ‘rumour’ by the next election. If it was the GOP, or an equally unfavoured party paying for celebrity support, we’d never hear the end of it.
I so enjoyed this article, humour and truth so perfectly put together, Thankyou so much, can’t wait for the next one.
As a 74 year old far right extremist thug and Patriot I am looking forward to wearing my new MAGA hat and Christmas MAGA jumper. Bring on the pearl clutching and tears from all and sundry X
Brilliant stuff LSO. Firstly, thanks for the recommendation months ago - I am a few seasons into The Boys. Grotesquely hilarious and wonderful. Flying killer sheep…
Right. Spot on about the loveys and celebs fawning over Kamala. The one really big disappointment, and I mean really big, as I am a huge fan of his music and have been for years is the much changed Bruce Springsteen. One of his greatest lines was ‘Blind faith in a Government, or anything, will get you killed…’. Great stuff Bruce, all acknowledged. Why oh why has he now turned into the fawning, jet setting with Barak, spineless moron who could not stop himself from mindlessly supporting the previous administration? Baffling.
Thanks Matthew. Yes the Boys is so great. I have a little trepidation about dipping into the latest season because I heard they just turn Homelander into a cardboard Trump and analogue and suddenly turn Frenchie gay. But up until then, I’ve loved it.
The Boss. So sad. I mean it’s like when Billy Connolly (who I still much admire) went from joking about working on the docks, to joking about working with Prince Charles. Yuk. Please don’t ruin it Bruce. Oh. Too late. I’ve genuinely tried to disassociate old Bruce from new Bruce in my mind.
I don’t mind when Taylor Swift does it. She’s allowed. A young woman in modern America. She’s not betraying anyone. And I’m too old to be her target audience anyway. And also. 1989 is an absolutely cracking album!
Curious isn’t it that communications experts persist with the saleable idea that a Teflon veneer is worth having when the recent evidence points towards the idea that voters choose people that at least sound authentic? Style over substance seems to lead to … well, nowhere.
Such a great point Ross. And worst of all, in voters eyes, seems to be ‘fake authenticity’. ‘I’just an ‘umble toolmaker’s boy..’ for instance.
That’s something they never got about Boris J. No one cared he went to Eaton except them. That’s why the ‘posh boy’ attacks didn’t work. Not that he was authentic of course, but you get my point.
Excellent post LSO. Sharp as a pin and bang on the money! I really hope the world has finally turned a corner and some sort of sanity will soon prevail…
Regarding the ‘slebs’: I’ll never understand how a musician / actor / entertainer etc could be dumb enough to pick a side and publicly shout it from the rooftops - and therefore instantly alienate 50% of your audience. 🤦🏻♂️ A wise celebrity would keep their gob firmly shut.
And regarding the films: I have most of the Marvel canon on blu ray, (see also Star Wars), but those movies have now been tainted and ruined by these gobby narcissistic twits, and I no longer hold such affection for them.
Oh well, eBay here we come!
Agreed Ady. Even if not 50%, why would you do it? I guess it’s simple narcissism. Unqualified people spouting uninformed opinions on public platforms. Who’s got the time to do that? 🤣
I try not to let the latest Marvel out put ruin my love of the original arc. I know the new stuff is rubbish, but I try to be unburdened by what has been….
Yes. Sanity will prevail. That will absolutely definitely happen.
ATB
Yes, and it's always leftie slebs isn't it? None of them stick their heads above the parapet for the other side, to alienate 50% of their audience. Proving, I think, that the left-right scale is also an IQ one.
Ha ha. A great point Bettina!
Slebs! 🤌🏼
Sure they do, remember Clint Eastwood's comments on Obama?
The brave exception that proves the rule. I think I remember Kate Bush once trying to backtrack on being outed as someone who might have voted Conservative once.
You know, I now salute anyone who has any sort of spine at all, no matter their cause. I automatically like all heretics and rank-breakers, I like Liz Cheney for breaking left and I like the millions of voters who broke right. I like people who can think and who have principles even if I don't share their principles.
There’s that wrestler dude too.
Is that all lefties on your scale, Bettina?
I have never understood why celebrities think they've any more right to lecture the rest of us on political things versus my local grocer, house painter, etc. Yes, they're (possibly) good at what they do, but likely so are the others I listed. The fact they have a larger bully pulpit should make them more cautious, but clearly it doesn't.
They are narcissists AMP. I genuinely don’t think you can become that famous without being breathtakingly convinced of your own brilliance. I’ve known/know lots of celebrities. It’s such a weird world and in its own way incredibly hard. There’s a real Darwinism in action, and for a celebrity, any form of self doubt actually works like kryptonite. Also. She paid them 😆
"Wise celebrity" is an oxymoron.
Maybe Jeremy. Or maybe only the daft ones go around telling us what to think. I expect the actual smart ones keep their own counsel. That’s why Taylor Swift (huge fan here!) was so disappointing. I thought she was brighter than that.
Yep. My Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Springsteen cd’s are going in the skip too!! 🤣
No way! Don’t let them take it from you Ady. It’s the real revenge. Although I have to admit, listening to Nebraska just isn’t the same these days!
Yes! Like Trump, America just dodged a fatal bullet. More than half of our country let out a huge sigh of relief with a long desired sense of we are safe. For now. The sigh was felt across the world.
Excellent article LSO! As always you have zoomed in on the absurdity and tomfoolery of politics and Hollywood. Ugh add in the corporate media and it is a trifecta of distasteful smuggery.
The joy was actually felt by the right when people finally found the courage to not be silenced any longer by the bullies.
You covered much of the story but I would like to add one more thing that has been exposed in this election. The graph that showed four elections with basically similar voter tallies except for the 2020 which had an extra 15 million for Biden. Trump and many others (me)was right that election was rigged, under the cover of mail in ballots (dead people).
I have read that many actors, millionaires and some politicians are looking to leave America.
Lol Canada and Britain are possible choices. I also hear millionaires are looking to leave Britain with the looming tax hikes. Oh the drama.
I follow Winston Marshall and Neil Oliver and will read comments. The outpouring of love and concern for America from commentators from around the world has brought tears to my eyes many times. I hope all of us can unite to put a stop to whoever or whatever is causing the destruction of free speech and liberty for all!
Thanks so much Deidre.
Yes. I cannot agree more about Trump’s shy supporters coming out and standing up for themselves. It seems they might have been inspired by the man himself, and his defiance in the face of a bullet. It does feel very different this time. A more open a free debate is better for all I think.
I also saw that graph. I do think there was ‘election interference’. I’ve always said that the Hunter Biden cover up was enough to swing the election and it was a form of vote rigging. But were those ‘extra’ Biden votes in 2020 not just a result of the lockdowns? I notice that Trump’s numbers were also up last time. Maybe just more people really did vote because it was so easy to do it at home. I’m not sure. I am drawn to think it was unfair-a cheat, so I have to be sceptical of that position.
I am delighted that free speech is now safe, at least for a bit, but I worry that the anti-demos groups will reform and come back stronger, especially if Trump overplays his hand. Which is quite possible. But on the whole, it’s all very positive.
No I don’t think 15 million extra people voted in 2020. Perhaps a couple but not 15 mil.
Example, repeated all over: my sister received ballots for both her sons. Neither had lived there in close to TEN years and had voted in other states. So many testimonies of ballot harvesting where dem activists went to nursing homes to help patients fill out ballots and then deliver them🤨 Then there were the vacant lots or abandoned homes that had 53 or more registered voters as living there.
Other cases where local dem elections pollers denied republicans from viewing the counts.
Add in the fact that there was massive censorship by all media for any questions about integrity that even judges were afraid to hear cases. The judges in fact refused to hear the evidence and said they had no standing. It was all a hot mess perpetrated by TDS bullies
Thanks Deirdre. Yes I’ve heard similar. I wish someone would put together a non-partisan investigation into all this which nonetheless took these testimonies seriously. I have no doubt that a lot of this went on.
On the day. ID voting is clearly the way forward. Postal voting is a cheaters charter. We have a similar, if smaller problem here.
> Other cases where local dem elections pollers denied republicans from viewing the counts.
But every single supposed case of this kind of thing has been debunked. Further, there are obvious cases where video footage has been manipulated to make it look like there was cheating -- we have proven cases of Trumpists cheating, but zero cases of proven election fraud. Yes, of course there are incidents here and there, I mean 'systemic' cheating.
And notice that there's been hardly a peep about election fraud this time? Funny thing, after four years of Dems holding the leavers of power, they failed to steal this election whereas they managed to steal the previous election while Trump was in power. The rule seems to be that the less control you have, the easier it is for you to steal an entire election. Really?
There is in fact some talk of funny business in Arizona. The 2020 election was one of opportunities because of covid. They have not all been debunked. Saying so does not make it fact. If you only listen to corporate media or are afraid of the DOJ you may indeed come to that conclusion.
I'm open to any *proof* that funny business happened here or there. American elections have a long history of funny business and most people who really understand your elections basically shrug their shoulders and say that the final result is usually correct. The exceptions are Bush robbing Gore and Kennedy robbing Nixon. But as to the '20 election, zero watchdog institutions (Democracy Watch, etc.), one out of 64 courts, zero States, and zero Republican leaders, reported the election 'stolen'. The only people who believe it are partisan Trumpists. Zero independents. And since Trump is the biggest liar in the history of the world, sorry, but the election was not stolen. And I ask again, why did the Dems not steal this one? They've had four years in power to get ready, and if they pulled it off last time, why not this time?
Well I am an independent and I believe it. Lol as do former democrats, Tulsi Gabbard, RFKJR, Nicole Shanahan, PBD, Taibbi, shellenberger. This election Laura Trump had over five hundred lawyers at hand to challenge election integrity issues immediately and in fact many were challenged in court before the election.
As I pointed out earlier the election in 2020 was an anomaly due to covid and the complete desperation of democrats to get rid of Trump. They hate him as you do. The extra 15+mill votes as compared to three others is telling.
The fact that you state as a matter of fact that the election was stolen from Gore despite that the Supreme Court disagreed with you is proof of your own bias. Lol.
Some might say you are lying the same as you accuse Trump as the biggest liar in the world.
By the way many republican politicians agreed with the election cheating.
I would not call you a liar, but you are very misinformed. There has been a concerted and massive left censorship regime in place for years so I understand.
There are people who have been investigating and gathering evidence. Unfortunately, they have been trounced as conspiracy theorists and denied widespread review- critical or not.
The media you may have noticed has lost their ability to do investigative journalism - they just dismiss or more likely ignore.
Trump may be (lol) motivated to clear his name during his administration. So more should be revealed. It is important to be done for both sides to restore trust in election integrity. In order to correct the crazy laxes like voter ID which is of course legalized cheating.
Do you still think politics is about left v right? Or is liberals v conservatism more accurate?
The Tories and Labour are both liberal parties. I see the gutless Tory Liberal Party couldn't bring itself to show its true colours in the London Assembly the other day. Abstention....just about sums the party up.
Trump is bold, ambitious, go getting and courageous....everything every other party isn't. They didn't really have a choice.
It’s such an interesting question Elizabeth. Yes. Only the right , or ‘far right’ seem to exist now. Left or far left positions are considered ‘normal’ , mainstream, or even centrist.
Personally I’m a populist. Again, not a ‘right wing populist’ or ‘far right populist’, just a populist. I see an elite class made up of wealthy corporations, individuals, NGOs and state actors, all working in tandem to extract the most from the world’s human resources, while conspiring to shut them down so they no longer have the right to complain about it. I don’t believe that’s a conspiracy theory. It seems pretty plain. Keeping the argument as ‘left vs right’ obviously, like everything else, just serves their interest.
I didn’t see the London Assembly thing I don’t think.
It was a motion for immigrants to be given free transport in London. Labour, Lib Dem and Green voted in favour, Reform (naturally) voted against and the (alleged) new Tories under Badenoch......abstained thereby allowing it to pass. Not exactly a changed Tory party is it!
Thanks Elizabeth. I’ll look that up. I’m fast losing any sort of optimism I had for Badenoch-yes yes I know ! I know….🙄
🤣
A sensational essay LSO! Love it! I visualise a huge stage set up outside The Guardian offices, adorned with US flags and a big countdown screen ticking down to LSO'S BIG SPEECH MIDDAY TODAY then the weeping Guardianistas come out at lunchtime for their vegan nutcutlets and stop as the lights come on, you step forward to the mike and read this speech with dramatic music and lights for special effect, rounded off with the Star Spangled Banner, pics of Donald and fireworks. That should see half the audience collapse in floods of tears...seriously, isn't this a script for YouTube? It would go viral, Donald would want you on his team.
Thanks Mrs B. Very kind. Their offices are only round the corner. I’ll give it a go.
If you took to YouTube, you'd get MUCH more fame! 77,000 here for Andrew Lawrence's brilliant swipe at Labour but note, he keeps it brief, 2 minutes: https://youtu.be/9kI_F6P8PdM?si=kcu269MvfXEhYF6b
I have a face for Substack Mrs B.
A number of Tubers don’t show their faces, or wear a clever disguise!
ps. couple of tiny typos:
OK Avengers. Go it.
Thanos to these fading, crumbling, prima donnas, who assembled his own, real life coalition of heroes.
Couldn’t see the typos here Mrs B. I do try to be on this stuff. What did I miss?
'Go it', should that be 'Got it'?
And 'Thanos', should that be 'Thanks'?
I see. No Mrs B.
It’s just a more chatty way of saying ‘OK Avengers, we’ve got it.’
And Thanos is a character from the Marvel movies. A villain. So I’m saying they see Trump as Thanos.
But thanks for caring!
You never fail to raise a smile or two, LSO, even when the subject is as important as Democracy. We even have our own here in the UK - the so-called 'Liberal Democrats' [sic]. Who will ever forget their wonderfully liberal and democratic 'Bollocks to Brexit' campaign, complete with yellow t-shirts proclaiming this slogan in the EU 'parliament?
As for the tearful lefties who have been gracing our screens since the sainted Kamala was delivered of her arse in her hat, my over-riding memory will be of one sobbing lady, face full of tears and snot, who was having trouble wiping her nose because of the two studs which had been impaled just where the hanky would normally be applied. It always seems to be the little things, the inconsequential, which sum up great events.
Can we, as a country, survive four more years of the tomfoolery and outright spiteful twattery with which we seem to be doomed? Lucky old USA, say I. Perhaps the citoyens will aux armes, and, formez vos bataillons, if 2TK, Reeves and Mrs. Miliband's little boy continue destroying the country ...
HI no-one. Thanks!
There have been so many delicious blow outs. I fear that things might get nasty again, once these idiots have calmed down. I hope not. But I worry about a ‘resistance’, harder and even more horrible this time.
I thought about doing a post about how, even now, they are working to ‘thwart’ his plans. There’s a line between disliking, even hating an administration, and denying its legitimacy. They love to cross that line, proving a real contempt for democracy. As you say, Brexit was the best example.
Brilliant article as ever - always look forward to them appearing in my Inbox. A particular bugbear of mine is that lefties always box up their intolerances as 'values', implying of course, that those of us who happen to disagree with them have 'NO values'.
That’s a great point. I think I missed it earlier when I was catching up on the comments on my phone. They are brilliant at putting everyone else on the back foot by starting from a position of assumed virtue. ‘So you want refugees to be murdered in their own counties do you?’ It’s a winning, if disingenuous tactic.
Yes exactly! I had to restrain myself on one memorable occasion when a guest for the weekend trotted out the line that my 'right wing views' did not accord with her 'values'. Their opinions are always 'Values' of course and thus superior.
I look forward to them too, Bettina (leftie, though I am).
Thanks Ragged! And I look forward to your comments!
Thank you Bettina.
Great stuff LSO. Bullseye. I admire your secret crush on Admiral Levine - very equal opportunities of you and you have a strong constitution.
One of the best antidotes to the lame Avengers video was Ricky Gervais' brilliant parody which weirdly I can't find on X right now, but linking it here from FB in case others haven't seen it yet - https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1427901138093961
She’s a beautiful, classy lady.
I’ll have to see that on X. I can’t log in to facebook. If I try they bombard me with e mails telling me what all my liberal friends have been up to. It’s too depressing. Especially right now.
I saw his b/w bath one. Which was great. Thanks Alex.
I have managed to get onto Facebook and have no friends. It's bliss (well as blissful as it can be with that stupid piece of software). Just use it for groups around stuff I'm interested in.
I haven’t logged in for literally years. But I still can’t get rid of it. It’s like a cold I can’t shake off!
A fine summary.
I think one point of order is that RFK’s position on vaccines is frequently misrepresented. The main thrust of his argument is that none of the vaccines on the US schedule have ever been subjected to a randomised control trial against a true placebo. The normal process is to test them against another vaccine, which, inevitably, always makes them look safer than the reality (the ‘placebo’ will also produce some adverse reactions). He also highlights the undeniable correlation between the increases in the number of vaccines given (since the 80s Vaccine Act indemnified manufacturers) and the rise in chronic disease. All he’s advocating for is proper research and for transparency. Most recently, he’s be very clear that he doesn’t want to take away people’s vaccines, he merely wants them to have the required information to be able to make a truly informed decision. Why would anyone not want that?
Incredible to think the media are misreporting things, I know.
Thanks Dan for that clarification.
I tried to be balanced and quick in the piece so this is really useful. I worry that the obvious, and hidden side effects of the covid vaccines have caused a lot of people to lose faith with actual vaccines. But more testing, and openness about the approval process is clearly the way forward.
Thanks again for taking the trouble to outline the issue here. A very valuable contribution.
No problem, it's a massive subject and I don't want to distract too much from your post, but it's important to realise that there is a huge amount of misrepresentation of those who ask legitimate questions - RFK being one of them. Most importantly, he's very careful to ensure that everything he claims is fully referenced. I'll just post a few links for you/those who may be interested.
RFK talking about the lack of RCT and having to sue Fauci to get him to admit it:
https://x.com/myhiddenvalue/status/1856437650187792404?t=a_BeAvLxyMC793-RPrT0JA&s=09
RFK making it clear he doesn't want to stop people having the vaccines they want, but that he wants transparency to allow truly informed consent:
https://x.com/theageofspin/status/1854470220636733702
Until more recently, I largely accepted the vaccine narrative, but have discovered, as with many topics like climate change or covid in general, that the reality is often somewhat different. You don't have to do much digging, but you do have to dig, because mainstream sources will never tell you this stuff.
I think that the covid vaccines are probably the most harmful medical product in history. I know of one colleague who died and know many who've been injured. I still don't personally know anyone who died of covid. Lucky, perhaps. I believe that everyone will know someone who has been injured, even if they haven't made the connection. The potential mechanisms of harm are so widespread and systemic (a result of the delivery system) that it could almost be anything.
The Midwestern Doctor on Substack is an excellent, long-form, author on many health topics, including the covid vaccine and vaccines in general. Again, all fully-referenced. Forgive me if some of these are behind a subscription:
https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/why-the-covid-19-vaccines-could-never-c4b
https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/why-do-vaccines-continually-fail
https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-each
It's eye opening. I now believe that the credit given to vaccines in controlling infectious diseases is misplaced (I'm not saying they aren't capable of having an effect) and that the heavy-lifting was mostly done by improved nutrition (strengthening the immune system) and sanitation (removing pathogens from the environment). If you look at the reduced incidence of disease (I can't post images here, so I'll DM you one), many had declined precipitously prior to the introduction of vaccines, despite vaccines getting all the glory (like a goal-hanger).
I'll leave it there for now, that's more than enough and far enough off topic 😂
Thanks Dan. I’ll take a deep dive at some point into all this. I have a friend who says many similar things.
I’ve followed you on X. I tend not to do the DM thing tbh. Just too much juggling about. And I prefer to keep most of this stuff in the comments. I’m sure you understand. Thanks again.
No probs, it was only to ping you the chart, which I've done 😇
This is a really good post, ponce again. I admire the way you make your penetrating points in a readable and amusing manner. It keeps us coming back.
Thanks Jason. I’ll read that as ‘once’ though please don’t change it. We don’t hear the word ‘ponce’ anywhere near enough these days. Such a Ronnie Barker/Porridge word!
No worries. I’ll leave it as is. You’re right - I never hear that word any more, ever…
I love your description of the Guardian's staff and I agree with your comment that The Telegraph is "wishy washy" (apart from real journalists like Charles Moore and Camilla Tominey). I have been a Telegraph reader for 60 years, watching with dismay over the past decade as womens' interest content - fashion, make-up and dating - displaced more and more of its original bite and integrity. I now only buy Saturday's issue for the cryptic crossword.
I still take the Telegraph Walton. Mainly because the digital subscription is so desperately cheap. And it’s not a total lost cause. I like a lot of their comment section. Especially Tim Stanley from their home stable. He has a gentle, self effacing wit which I admire. He’s very old fashioned in some ways. Which I think he would take as a compliment….
Cryptic crosswords are too much for me. Very impressed.
"the digital subscription is so desperately cheap. "
£269 is very very far from cheap IMO - that's the amount the DT's proposing for my upcoming renewal. I plan to tell them to s** off. Often only the headlines are needed to get an idea what's going on in the world; their journalists rarely offer much of interest.
What??? They change me about ten times less than that Alexei. Ring them up. Say you’re leaving because it’s too expensive and they’ll basically give it away.
Maybe they know you’re in America and think you’re rich!! 🤣
Aaaah, Hollywood actors. Is there anything they don't know?
When you have built a career speaking lines written for you by professional writers, your appearance controlled by lighting men and directors and had your mistakes removed by great editors, then it probably isn't a good idea to show your audience the real you. You'll only disappoint them.
The Avengers look more like The ScAvengers, as they frantically scrabbled for crumbs of political favour, even whilst alienating half their audience.
I think we can confidently state that the era of the celebrity endorsement is over. The Harris campaign raised well over a BILLION dollars, and still managed to end up in debt having overspent by $20million!
A chunk of that money was splurged on paying celebrities to come out in support of her. The very fact that you'd need to pay people to publicly endorse you speaks volumes already, but worse than that, those endorsements failed to enthuse anyone but those who were already firmly on board.
Who, in heaven's name, would ever be persuaded to change their mind on a political question - simply because it was the preferred outcome of someone famous? Is anyone really that shallow? The DNC certainly seemed to think so.
I believe wholeheartedly in universal suffrage. When people bemoan the ignorance of individual voters, I counter that with the collective wisdom of the electorate as a whole. But I have to say that nothing undermines my confidence and trust in the electorate more than the idea that a celebrity endorsement could move the needle one iota in support for a candidate or party.
Did anyone choose not to support Trump having listened to Robert de Niro's faux-tough-guy public statements that Trump would end democracy? Democracy would be under a greater threat if the half-thought musings of a once-great actor turned grudge-filled misanthrope carried more weight than the concerns and desires of a nation.
Oprah, a multi-billionaire supposed Kamala fan, vehemently denied that she'd been paid $1million to host the town-hall with "her good friend, Kamala", though she failed to mention that the Harris campaign paid the $1million fee to Harpo, which is Oprah's production company.
On a side note, it was surely just a coincidence that so many slebs who are implicated in the Diddy case were suddenly gripped by Kamala-fever and felt the need to frantically endorse her, as if their lives depended on it. We don't know what payment they received or expected, but if it was immunity from prosecution then their gamble really didn't pay off.
Hi Paddy. Thanks for that. I couldn’t agree more. There’s a very old fashioned ‘droit du seigneur’ a sort of special god given right of kings about the whole thing.
It’s clear that Hollywood’s stars have lost a lot of their power and allure since they swapped an aura of unreachable glamour for social media clicks. I think the brilliant Baggage Claim did a whole video on it on youtube. Ah yes. Here it is https://youtu.be/v-XTsbciv-8?si=bQjzZmUn4wybW4_P
A lot of it is just about creating a narrative maybe. So ‘everyone agrees’ that Kamala is the best choice becomes the default position across the culture. It usually works sadly. That’s why we have a tiny group of activists dictating social discourse. Because ‘everyone agrees’ that racism is rampant and that the world is going to end in a climate apocalypse unless we dump our perfectly good gas boilers. When most regular people have got bigger things to worry about.
I love how the payment thing has come out. Though as ever. I expect that will become just ‘rumour’ by the next election. If it was the GOP, or an equally unfavoured party paying for celebrity support, we’d never hear the end of it.
ATB
The popes have been elected with more transparency line is gold
Thanks John!
"But Beyoncé the browbeater, is about as popular as Rachel Reeves at a farmers market."
This made me laugh out loud and annoyed my wife because she was telling me something important at the time. 🤦
Ha ha! My apologies to Lady Watkins. 🤣
I so enjoyed this article, humour and truth so perfectly put together, Thankyou so much, can’t wait for the next one.
As a 74 year old far right extremist thug and Patriot I am looking forward to wearing my new MAGA hat and Christmas MAGA jumper. Bring on the pearl clutching and tears from all and sundry X
Thanks so much Kinsey. What a lovely message. 😊 Now you just need the mug and you’ll have the whole set!
Haha, with all the “thuggering” I have done in my life I might struggle to hold the mug 🤣
Brilliant stuff LSO. Firstly, thanks for the recommendation months ago - I am a few seasons into The Boys. Grotesquely hilarious and wonderful. Flying killer sheep…
Right. Spot on about the loveys and celebs fawning over Kamala. The one really big disappointment, and I mean really big, as I am a huge fan of his music and have been for years is the much changed Bruce Springsteen. One of his greatest lines was ‘Blind faith in a Government, or anything, will get you killed…’. Great stuff Bruce, all acknowledged. Why oh why has he now turned into the fawning, jet setting with Barak, spineless moron who could not stop himself from mindlessly supporting the previous administration? Baffling.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks Matthew. Yes the Boys is so great. I have a little trepidation about dipping into the latest season because I heard they just turn Homelander into a cardboard Trump and analogue and suddenly turn Frenchie gay. But up until then, I’ve loved it.
The Boss. So sad. I mean it’s like when Billy Connolly (who I still much admire) went from joking about working on the docks, to joking about working with Prince Charles. Yuk. Please don’t ruin it Bruce. Oh. Too late. I’ve genuinely tried to disassociate old Bruce from new Bruce in my mind.
I don’t mind when Taylor Swift does it. She’s allowed. A young woman in modern America. She’s not betraying anyone. And I’m too old to be her target audience anyway. And also. 1989 is an absolutely cracking album!
ATB
Curious isn’t it that communications experts persist with the saleable idea that a Teflon veneer is worth having when the recent evidence points towards the idea that voters choose people that at least sound authentic? Style over substance seems to lead to … well, nowhere.
Such a great point Ross. And worst of all, in voters eyes, seems to be ‘fake authenticity’. ‘I’just an ‘umble toolmaker’s boy..’ for instance.
That’s something they never got about Boris J. No one cared he went to Eaton except them. That’s why the ‘posh boy’ attacks didn’t work. Not that he was authentic of course, but you get my point.
(Nowhere may be better than some political destinations of course, but it is unlikely to be consciously chosen at the booth).