Yesterday I wondered if I ought to give up reading the MSM for Lent. Well, that cannot be done, sadly, but giving up ‘news’ – now that’s another story! The sad fact is that ‘news’ have become like a drug being peddled at every corner, bombarding us incessantly on the Media: print, TV, smartphones: it’s everywhere. Incessantly. There’s no time to think. ‘Outrage’ is being manufactured 24/7. No wonder people are becoming more and more aggressive in their daily lives.

We’re being driven to consume this deluge of news for two reasons: one is external and is meant to make us incapable of thinking through the implications of those ‘news’ because five minutes later there’s ‘new’ news. The other reason is within ourselves: we’re afraid of looking like dunces if we’re unaware of ‘the latest’. Some clever clogs coined an expression for this attitude which applied firstly to social-media users: FoMO, i.e. ‘Fear of Missing Out’. Thanks to the covid years, we’ve been conditioned to fear missing out on the latest news. 

Today I’m trying to see if I can do without ‘news’. Firstly, for the record, here’s the usual collection of print editions’ front pages. Is it really necessary to pick up a daily dose of ‘outrage’, be it about the government, Sunak, groceries, the NHS or David Bowie? Let me know in the comments! 

Meanwhile, I found two reports in yesterday’s evening editions which deserve a closer look even though and especially because they’re no longer ‘newsy news’. The first relates to this ‘asylum seeker amnesty’, the other to the latest control instrument wielded by government against us tax-paying plebs. 

Firstly, let’s look at a report in the DT about illegal immigrants and the HO top mandarin. Certainly not to my surprise we read that he’s been downplaying this issue. This, remember, is the top Sir Humphrey who advises the Home Sec. So now see this (this and the following emphases are mine):

“In an email sent earlier this month to all civil servants, Matthew Rycroft, the permanent secretary at the Home Office, described the department’s mission as to “expand global talent visa routes”, help victims of the Windrush scandal and end violence against women. Mr Rycroft’s memo, which was part of a weekly news bulletin sent across Whitehall, stated: “In the Home Office, our departmental purpose, or mission, is to contribute to a safe, fair and prosperous UK.” […] Mr Rycroft’s comments are in contrast to Rishi Sunak’s stated priorities, with the Prime Minister identifying “stopping the boats” of migrants crossing the Channel as one of his five key aims.” (paywalled link)

Interesting, isn’t it: a top mandarin who is clearly not doing his duty of supporting the government’s minister’s policies. We read that he also undermined the previous Home Sec, Ms Patel. Then there’s this:

“A former Home Office source who worked closely with Mr Rycroft claimed: “Rycroft has a history of attempting to undermine government policy, particularly when it came to controlling our borders. It’s classic Yes Minister. If Rycroft disagreed with his minister, he would be very polite and instead put every obstacle in their way.” […] Mr Rycroft has also been accused of attempting to “frustrate” government plans to clamp down on “woke” diversity lessons for civil servants. In 2021, Mr Rycroft told civil servants in a Zoom call that they should accept government policy “on some issues”, but on others “it’s for us … to be stewards”.” (paywalled link)

Any questions as to why this government can’t achieve anything? Mr Rycroft’s attitude seems to have been well known inside the august Westminater circles which include the MSM. Isn’t it interesting that the members of yon august circle preferred not to talk about this while campaigning against government ministers and policies? Doesn’t this attitude document that their imagined superiority, living in rarefied atmosphere of knowing better and telling the peasants and the peasant representatives what to do, regardless of their wishes? 

As we remember only too well the catastrophic effects of the lockdowns, the frenzy of ‘regulations, the destruction of our lives, let’s not forget that unelected figures such as mandarins like Mr Rycroft or like the SAGEs were driving this.

And so to the other ‘not really news’ report. This comes under ‘propaganda’ and is also used to gauge the ‘opinion’ of us peasants. It’s about the “15-minute-city”, the plan to divide a city up into smaller parts and impose barriers to cars which are only  permitted to drive to the centre on prescribed days, with permits. The Times’ headlines for this report illustrate how the propaganda war is already  in full swing:

“What are 15-minute cities and why are antivaxers so angry about them? – Conspiracy theorists claim that attempts to make urban areas more walkable are part of a global plan to suppress civil liberties” (link, paywalled)

Ooh – I say! ‘Antivaxers’ are against this scheme, so it must be good! And ‘conspiracy theorists’ are against it as well: aww, who’d want to be seen to share a protest with that riff-raff! Here’s the origin of this scheme:

“The French academic Carlos Moreno proposed the “15-minute city” in 2016 as a way of countering postwar urban sprawl. By dividing cities into walkable neighbourhoods, residents could access shops, pharmacies and schools within a 15-minute walk. Seven years on, the idea has attracted such controversy that five protesters were arrested in Oxford last weekend after gathering for a rally against it.” (link, paywalled)

Lovely, isn’t it! Straight back to  a medieval town – so green, so beautiful! And it’ll save the planet: who could possibly object! Let’s not mention the fact that, thanks to covid policies, the High Streets where all these ‘amenities’ could be found, have ben ruined. Next, there’s this:

“By emptying our streets of traffic, Covid lockdowns provided an opportunity for councils to experiment with new ways of using urban space, with fewer cars and more cyclists, pedestrians and green space. […] The idea of “climate lockdowns” had already started to gain traction in antivax circles online, encouraged by a World Economic Forum (WEF) tweet saying lockdowns were “quietly improving cities” and an article by a professor at University College London warning that extreme energy-saving measures and limits on car use and meat consumption may be needed if climate change was not solved soon.” (link, paywalled)

Obviously, relying on personal, past experience to question such a top-down concept, imposed without asking the citizens if they want it: that’s now a ‘conspiracy theory’. Using quotes from various horses’ mouths like the WEF is also a ‘conspiracy theory’.

Submitting to such schemes concocted by unelected civil servants, with the help of some sadly elected green politicians without questioning them: that is what we’re meant to do. And just as with lockdowns, face nappies, and vaccinations: the curtain–twitching Karens – remember them? – are in full support. They don’t notice that the 15-minute cities they dream of are a nostalgic dream of those bourgeois times which they despise.

Of course, nobody asks if there’s the infrastructure for such ‘cities’. Where are the post offices within a 15-minute walk? Gone, closed, because: progress. Where are the GP surgeries a patient might reach within 15 minutes? Where are the butchers, bakers, groceries? Where are police, stations, schools, libraries: amalgamated into ‘hubs’ because that’s efficient? Where’s public transport?

Ah – I forgot: we’re doing everything electronically now. Our smartphones govern our lives. We don’t need to shop or visit friends in the real, physical world, there‘s always Zoom and the interwebz. Our well-off nouveau bourgeoisie in their WFH houses love this because they can live with it. I’m sure they’ll be able to get ‘exemptions’ when ‘needing’ their cars. I’m sure all the tradespeople they need to maintain their plush homes will be happy to walk or cycle to work for them.

Both ‘not-news’ reports are too important for our country not to be swamped by ‘daily outrages’. They should be kept for the record. Like the “digital ID” proposal, like the ‘sensitivity’ censorship of literature they indicate the direction the Rycrofts of Whitehall want us to travel.

That’s all I have for today. Funny, innit: we’re told to despise China just as our own PTB are turning us into China-on-Thames, albeit one run far less effectively. Who voted for this? Have a nice day.



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