You talk about facism a lot, you obviously know a lot about it, can you explain what it is and what it involves and how to spot it in today's world, so I can be a better ally on my political journey. Thank you.

I was sat having a pint with my brother in law when this question came in and was quite humbled to be honest, so much so that I showed him it and said this is the one of the reasons why I'm persisting with what I'm doing. So the thanks is all mine - thank you. You know what, I don't think I know a lot about fascism. There are experts who have degrees and doctorates in this stuff that know a whole heap more than me. But I have enough of an understanding to recognise it when it rears it's ugly head. Fascism is a word that gets banded around a lot these days and it's important to discern what is fascism and what's not. Injustice on its own for example isn't fascism. And socialism obviously isn't fascism, despite efforts from a certain demographic trying to conflate Nazi's with socialism, which is some serious mental gymnastics I can't quite get my head around. Scholars may put forward a more succinct way of defining it but in simple terms, to me fascism is the persecution of any given demographic, to the extent that their human rights are being or have been compromised. To the point that they are dehumanised. That's the brunt of it. Fascism doesn't come in through the front door with Nazi salutes and frog marching, it's stealthy and convincing - and most people won't realise it until it is too late. Fascism can be stopped early with enough resistance. Or if allowed to go unchecked, it can result in the horrors of the Holocaust or in more recent times the genocide in Gaza. Anyone is at risk, regardless of skin colour, race, religion, sexuality, age or gender. Communists and socialists have been in the crosshairs in the past, as have trade union members, the travelling community, the LGBT community, Jews (obviously), and most recently people of Muslim faith. And to reiterate, if allowed to go unchecked, it results in millions of people dead. Torture. Starvation. Nazi Germany conducted medical experiments on the people (they can never be just a number) that were condemned to a life of suffering, and in most cases death, in the many concentration camps during WWII. I've been to Berlin, wonderful place. And I've been to the Holocaust museum, I've seen the pictures - I've seen what humans are capable of. You can Google it yourself as a reminder of what happens when power is allowed to run unchecked. In fact you should. I think every school in Britain should have compulsory trips to the Holocaust museum in Berlin for all Y11 students to attend - it's genuinely that important. If we want a better future for our kids we need to be educating them on what has gone wrong in the past, and crucially on how to stop it. How we can spot fascism in today's world is an interesting one... Fuck sake. Wrote fucking war and peace and accidentally closed down my tab before saving it. Will have to come back to this another time when I'm less annoyed at myself. What a prat. What I wrote was good, honestly. Maybe whichever secret squirrel is keeping tabs on me can reproduce it for me, nice one mate 👍👌 Righto I'm back, where was I. Fascism in today's world. Let me start by saying that the old adage rings true here - history repeats itself. Not as an exact carbon copy of the past, but we see echoes of the past as it is reproduced in different forms. Political scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt identified 14 common identifying characteristics of fascism, you can see for yourself how many of these ring true today. The 14 Characteristics: - Powerful and Continuing Nationalism: Frequent use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, and flags. - Disdain for Human Rights: People are convinced human rights can be ignored out of "need," tolerating abuses. - Identification of Scapegoats: Rallies are formed around eliminating a perceived common threat or minority group. - Supremacy of the Military: The military receives disproportionate funding while domestic needs are neglected. - Rampant Sexism: Governments are male-dominated and enforce rigid gender roles. - Controlled Mass Media: Direct or indirect control over major news outlets. - Obsession with National Security: Fear is used as a primary motivational tool by the government. - Religion and Government Intertwined: Ruling elites leverage dominant religious identities to shape public opinion. - Corporate Power Protected: Business elites are kept in power to work with the state. - Labor Power Suppressed: Independent labor unions are eliminated or strictly controlled. - Disdain for Intellectuals and Arts: Free expression and academic dissent are attacked. - Obsession with Crime and Punishment: Police powers are prioritized and expanded. - Rampant Cronyism and Corruption: Loyalty to the leader trumps competence in government appointments. - Fraudulent Elections: Democratic processes are manipulated or turned into sham one-party votes. We are seeing an awful lot of this today. As mentioned, history repeats itself but isn't an exact replica - so there may be some points that aren't quite as fitting for today's times. But let's read through it again with Trump and MAGA in mind - it is scary how much rings true isn't it? Powerful and Continuing Nationalism, Disdain for Human Rights, Identification of Scapegoat, Supremacy of the Military, Rampant Sexism, Controlled Mass Media, Obsession with National Security, Religion and Government Intertwined, Corporate Power Protected, Labor Power Suppressed, Disdain for Intellectuals and Arts, Obsession with Crime and Punishment, Cronyism and Corruption, Fraudulent Elections. This is happening all over the world. Social media has amplified disinformation and propaganda to insane levels. People are being persecuted, even here in the UK. Fascism thrives on disinformation. It seeks to cast reality into doubt, so that the truth can be manipulated and used as a tool, rather than an objective marker by which to hold people to account. Honestly there are so many articles available about fascism online, I don't think the challenge is the availability of the resource, it is the (un)willingness of society as a whole to acknowledge and confront it. People may suggest I'm being dramatic and that it couldn't happen in this country. Well I'm not, and it can, and it almost certainly is. Fascism can take root anywhere, and is only tempered through activism and resistance. What makes it different in today's world in comparison with the past is that whilst we have the more traditional far-right elements scapegoating migrants for societies ills, we also have this weird mongrel capitalist-fascist system involving tech bros, corruption, corporate lobbyists and dirty money. Oswald Mosleys grandson heads up the UK arm of Palantir for Christ's sake, wearing literal black shirts on TV interviews - it's so brazen that they are mocking us with it. Which is why I'm not inclined to wage war against the usual right wing agitators just yet. The likes of Tommy Robinson are part of the problem of course, but they are the symptoms, not the root cause. I wonder whether he will ever realise that he's just a tool, a puppet - being used and manipulated just like the rest of us. The likes of Trump, Netanyahu, and Putin are where we need to be focusing our attention. They are genuine fascist dictators, each one of them. To Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos - considering your power and influence, what the fuck are you doing?! They are clearly part of the problem too. Elon Musk's Dad taking Tommy Robinson to Moscow tells us all we need to know - as I say, they're mocking us. China seem to be the only global superpower coming out of this with any credit. They are the adults in the room, sitting back watching all the kids go mental at the maddest birthday party ever. Listen they're no saints - their treatment of the Uyghers is testament to that (call it for what it is, ethnic cleansing) and another example of how Muslims are being persecuted the world over. But President Xi must be delighted. His job is to ensure the world avoids armageddon. And if he manages that, China will be in prime position on the global stage. None of the global superpowers come out of this with any grace, though China is showing the most restraint at the moment. Let's go back to how to spot fascism in today's world. I started writing a big piece about the capabilities of the current global superpowers and how they have enough technical ability to identify and remediate issues affecting all of us - if they were willing. Instead, they choose not to. I deleted it and started again because I think in a complex world it might help if we simplify. When the protection of humanity plays second fiddle to the protection of institutions. When human rights are sacrificed, for the 'greater good'. When genocide is a dirty word that politicians won't say. That's fascism. When there are people pleading for help while the world watches on. When truth is distorted because the narrative doesn't fit. When people are silenced with the promise they'll be spared. When history is rewritten. When leaders of countries are profiteering from war. And when they themselves are effectively legalised mobsters. When ordinary civilians are being targeted because they are speaking too much truth. That's fascism. I'm not sure if I need to go on. I used to believe the downfall of the West was solely down to Russian influence. To an extent, I still do. But it's all just one big old boys club full of political manoeuvring, and dividing the world as they see fit, whilst the rest of us suffer. In WWII they had concentration camps. In today's world we have detention centres. If we keep turning a blind eye, things will keep getting worse. I've said previously that I've been targeted, and that this was real - not a metaphor for corporate chains. Over the past 2 years I've felt like I've been living inside a (sometimes physical, sometimes digitised) concentration camp. Again, not metaphorical. I've literally had to concentrate every day to survive whilst my list of worries, stresses and most importantly threats pile higher and higher. But there is something metaphorical in this for you. We're all being asked to do more and more with less and less, and at a certain point it becomes untenable. And for those closest to me, I feel it's getting literal too. I hope I'm making sense and not talking riddles, fucks sake I was meant to be simplifying. Hopefully it resonates. I'm going to be blunt with you from a position of truth, and I'm sorry if this comes across as disrespectful. I don't think it's enough to just say you are an ally when it comes to understanding and opposing fascism. Resistance and action is the only way - as the allied forces acted in WWII. If you want to be a better ally, I'm going to tell you something uncomfortable - do something about it. I've tried my best. The artwork posted on my Substack and Upscrolled feeds is a metaphor for the struggles I've faced and as you'll have seen - resistance fades over time. In the case of my artwork (the sealed jar with sunflowers), the sun bleached the resistance away. And there is something scientific about that, which is equally poetic, beautiful and tragic. There is something beautifully scientific and not at all tragic about sunflowers too - their heads generally grow in a fibonacci sequence, something we see repeated a lot in nature - the golden ratio. But going back to my point, without resistance we are stuck with chaos and disorder. In many ways you could say that resistance is tied to order, and is what life needs to survive. Think of the struggle of evolution from the first single cell organisms to life as we know it today - that's life finding a way to flourish by resisting the chaos and disorder. And by mutating I suppose, but less talk of that when we have genuine maniacs in charge of the world's nuclear warheads and energy weapons. So please, to be a better ally show resistance and take action. Don't blindly follow orders - that's how bad shit compounds over time. Use your discernment and think for yourselves. Give yourself some credit. We are the universe observing itself, after all. [ Note - I'd originally written that we are *nothing but* the universe observing itself, but I've edited that since. Because although this is true from a purely scientific viewpoint, spiritually and emotionally we are so much more than that. I'm not able to accept a world where love is just an equation written down on a chalk board ]. I'll leave you with this. Aside from trying to protect my daughter and wider family and friends, these four words have given me the strength to carry on. *How fucking dare they* You can't imagine how many times I've picked myself back up off the canvas with these words. Who 'they' are changes day by day for me, but at times it's felt like everyone has been turned against me. I have a fair idea and I've kept the receipts, as you'll have seen from my journalling. But until individuals and institutions are prepared to sit me down and explain everything, I can't really help you any more. My conscience is guilt-free. I hope you can all take your guilt and alchemise it into something powerful. How fucking dare they. There's power in those words.