There's a letter published in support of Cofnas. Some of the usual suspects on there (Toby Young etc). A lot of people I wouldn't want supporting me...
A little excerpt from Tony Greenstein's closing defence speech (from Froggy's link above).
The Terrorism Act has been creating a whole new category of terrorist. On the Home Office’s own figures, arrests under the Terrorism Acts have leapt in 2024 from around two hundred to more than three thousand in 2025 — a more than tenfold increase.
And the profile of the average terrorist has changed too. It used to be a 31 year-old man. It is now more likely to be a 59 year-old woman. You may ask yourselves whether the word “terrorist” has quietly been given a new meaning — and whether I am standing in front of you because of it.
It's an excellent speech, well worth reading in full, and the fact that he was having to make it in an attempt to stop himself being absurdly jailed for terrorism by the state is unutterably terrifying.
Re: Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd August 2026
Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2026 9:12 pm
by gilsey
Sky'sGoneOut wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2026 8:59 pm
in an attempt to stop himself being absurdly jailed for terrorism by the state
While perpetrators of violent crimes are being released early because the jails are full.
Re: Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd August 2026
Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2026 10:04 pm
by Sky'sGoneOut
It would have been my Mum's birthday today (first since she died), so I did something completely original. I went to the pub, raised a glass to her, and toasted her memory. Then with some trepidation I rang my Dad and sure enough the poor soul was in a bit of a state. I had no idea what to say so I talked a load of ridiculous nonsense until I got him to laugh. He seemed to appreciate it. Or maybe he was just humouring me.
Some of that nonsense was a story about a friend of mine who went fishing yesterday at a new spot on the canal in Leeds. After saying hello to the various other fisher folk in the vicinity he proceeded to set up his gear on the bank thinking he was going to have a lovely afternoon. Unfortunately while attaching his first hook he fumbled it, went to try to catch it, slipped and fell into the canal. You'd think this would be bad enough, but no, his ordeal wasn't over, he said despite the recent rain the grass on the bank was all dessicated and kept coming away in his hands as he tried to climb out so it took him 5 attempts to clamber his way back onto dry land.
As he was telling me this I was pissing myself laughing, and assumed the fisher folk on the canal witnessing his aquatic capering would have been equally amused, but apparently not, he said they silently refused to look at him, turned their heads away as he squelched his way back to his car. As if he'd humiliated himself so badly it had gone straight to excruciatingly embarrassing for all concerned missing out funny along the way.
Anyway, here's to my Mum. She was great.
Re: Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd August 2026
Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2026 10:59 pm
by Sky'sGoneOut
When I was in the pub earlier a couple asked if they could sit at the table I had all to myself, I reckon he was in his early forties (greying man bun) and she was a decade younger. Very upper middle class arty trendies. After agreeing to their presence I couldn't help hearing their conversation. They were discussing which restaurant to eat at nearby and couldn't agree. Then eventually he said, "Let's ask AI."
I thought he was taking the piss, that they were having a joke, but no, as I listened on in fascinated horror they asked Chat GPT to tell them where to eat.
No wandering up and down the street smelling the smells of food, comparing menus, seeing which places looked popular, things normal humans would do, no we'll just ask a multibillion pound toy that's eating the world to make our minds up for us because we're lazy and stupid.
Never mind a bang or a whimper, the human race will go out asking for it.