Author: Richard

The credit for this is entirely down to supertanskii (if only I was 40 years younger!) who posted about this.

Stochastic terrorism is targeted political violence that has been instigated by hostile public rhetoric which is directed at a group or an individual. Unlike incitement to terrorism, stochastic terrorism is accomplished by using indirect, vague, or coded language that allows the instigator to plausibly disclaim responsibility for the resulting violence.^[1] A key element is the use of social media and other distributed forms of communications where the person who carries out the violence has no direct connection to the users of violent rhetoric.

I print this letter with tears in my eyes at what social media has allowed, at what shameless pathetic cowards publish hiding behind the anonymity of the internet, what governments have allowed the internet to become, and beyond all, for the grief caused to a good, honest (if a bit sweaty and angry) young lady. Supertanskii has never advocated violence, is incredibly funny at times, and mirrors the behaviour and thoughts of my own children. And above all else – what have the last 14 years done to my country and society.

I bloody love the Olympics. The opening ceremony was a little too chaotic for me – I loved the bit with the three children early on but all in all a brilliant spectacle worthy of the event and the country of France. Of course the British p`ress were doewn on it like a ton of bricks – they really do not know how to be nice or understand anything that is 21st century or foreign, in this case both! No the British media are for some reason obsessed with Strictly Come Dancing and the bullying and possible misogyny? Is this their go to headlines for the next few months as Harry and Meghan seem to have adopted a low profile, the Labour Party is uncovering major examples of tory corruption and incompetence, and the leadership contest for the Conservative Party looks like being restricted to those guilty of the above!

A recent study reveals that there are 2 million – yes TWO fucking MILLION perpetrators of sexual violence in the UK. Domestic, sexual violence, harassment, exploitation, stalking and child abuse are up 37% since 2018-19. Misogyny is growing amongst the 16-25 age group.

The new Great British Energy will be given £8.3 bn of public money with a target of generating 20/30GW of electricity by 2030 (i.e. within this parliament). Much of this is via a tie up with. the Crown Estates (and a significant cash bonus for the Winsors!). The tie up will allow the new company to borrow money outside the fiscal restraints of the Treasury’s self-imposed limits. The company is modelled on EDF (although with a fraction of the financial power). It is hoped that the move will create another £60bn of investment by private companies. Personally I am disappointed at the lack of policy on insulation and household solar panels. However one step at a time! Ed Miliband seems prepared to become a champion of clean energy – let us hope other cabinet appointees show the same enthusiasm for their briefs – no more mass cabinet reshuffles (with subsequent pay offs!). Instead lets have professionals who understand the needs of their Department. In a school would Heads of Department be shuffled, say between, Home Economics, PE, Science, English and Geography? Of course not – but that is what has happened for the last 14 years with the incumberants only interested in their own careers.

The American election has brought it back to the fore. But it is a strong underlying force in this country. Angela Rayner has been forced to suffer numerous front page assaults that can only be seen as misogonistic. Reform extol Andrew Tate for the most vile comments. Old people still promote the role models they grew up with. Racism and misogyny are evils that are persuasive in our society and everyone should do their best to counter the resurgence that is promoted by the right wing. As a young person I was not aware that women were not allowed a bank account on their own in this country until 1975. Fuck – that is horrendous and ridiculous and just fucking wrong!

Kamala Harris is now going to be subject by horrendous comments on social media (why are people allowed to advocate their lack of intelligence on social media – let alone the hatrid and criminal threats).

I do not get why the right wing promote misogyny? As populist parties they should be encouraging all to vote for them. I suppose there must be woman who want to be dominated and cared for? I just do not get it? With the Garrick Club opening its doors to limited women I was hoping for change. But itbseems that in the face of openess te old in our society retract into orgiastic drems of male dominence!

I suppose I ought to be more interested in their election. However at the moment it seems that Trump is rinsing it! Biden should never had stood for a second term despite a very successful first term. Harris will find it hard as a black woman – as anyone who has left the cities in the USA, beyond the city limits, and often within them, America is a mix of high tec and almost medieval thought processes. If a British politican had been shot in the ear and then claimed some divine intervention the majority of the public would find it fucking hilarious! And as for sticking sanitary towels to ears – what are they thinking!

Of course there are a lot of very nice Americans (just about everyone that I met was basically OK!) – howeverbthe red necks! And then the tech mega rich have been pouring money into Trumps campaign. Definitely time for Europe and the rest of the world to get there act together and create a viable opposition to them. The trouble with X is that it is just too good and easy to use despite Musk attempts to fuck it up!

It seems to me that America is in an even darker place regarding democracy? The Senate, whilst honourable in intention has surely outlasted the 19thb century let alone today. The democrat and republican parties are also too large and unwieldily for any proper scrutiny? And I can see the point of creating a balance, but when the two parties merge in the centre it leaves a gap where people feel unrepresented, a gap which the right wing and Maga have exploited very successfully.

Trump will no doubt be going all out against migrants without an ounce of irony that all americans are migrants (Ok Americans-indians is another discussion). The misogyny of the anti-abortion lobby is, to a liberal minded Western European, ridiculous. Back to the 18th Century! I have also read a few trash American novels, they often talk about a very assertive rich male “owning” a woman! In the novels this is without the violence of domestic abuse but the culture is clear.

So America is not our forever Allie, in fact I have reaffirmed my long term belief that Europeans, especially Western Europeans are very much like me! I say me here to stop generalisatoons creeping in. I have been to parts of Spain where no one spoke English (how rude!) and I speak no Spanish but felt “at home”! We have a similar history and have endured religeous fanaticism and political extremism (Nazi’s) but have also similar roots of history. The colonies (and Australia and NZ are subject to this too) have attracted migrants from across the globe (Australia and NZ from a smaller pool?) who have a very different mind set. Many were fleeing religious persecution, some abject poverty, but all will have had a desire for less state control and belief in the individual? America in particular offered migrants land and freedom from government for the most part! Now as society has occupied most of the land and people are sunject to the laws of society, the deep seated beliefs of some americans are being questioned, and they do not like it.

Is the following true? America has been built on the cheap labour of immigrants, often with 2 or 3 jobs each. Cheap labour has undermined the ability of the poor to organise via Unions. Subservient womaen are seen as part of the culture, exemplified in the 1950-80’s by the western of gunslinging heroes. The gun culture of America is an underlying disease that cannot be cured! America has lost, is losing its place of pre-eminence in the world?

And now to be controversial! My dad said that the Chinese would over run the world! Yes he was a Daily Telegraph reader (the excuse was the crossword!). However it is my hope/belief that those of Chinese extraction who are now British Citizens are now assimilated into our society? Have I just revealed to my self what I guess others have known for ages? The fear , expressed to me yesterday, that Britain would be 50% Muslim in 2050 (by someone who will not make it! that far despite reading the Express), is that they will be like the Jews and not give up their religion? I would guess that there are more people commited to their religion that are not Christian in the UK. Personally I do not give a fuck about this until they try to influence decisions made in the UK, for the UK. Like it seems some Jews (not all) are trying to influence decisions this government makes regarding Israel. Israel is an abhorrent state which needs to be brought into modern democracy and the modern world! If a jew or muslim wants to pray to their gods, fine, as long as it has no impact on the rest of us. I would ban all religeous schools (including those supporting capitalism!).