The Shelley Tasker Show

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Broadcasts live every Wednesday at 7:00p.m. uk time on Radio Soapbox: http://radiosoapbox.com

In today’s hump day edition of the show, I’m joined by the awesome Mr Scott for a lively, wide-ranging evening. We kick off with mic mishaps and life updates before diving into the joys of creativity: my long-dreamed-of piano finally arrived, I’m tackling Debussy’s Clair de Lune, and we chat about making time for music, painting, darkrooms, and the gym. From names that raise eyebrows to Christmas cake traditions, it’s a warm, humorous catch‑up that celebrates family moments, kids thriving at school, and the power of small creative rituals. 

We then pivot to current affairs and civil liberties: climate‑trend claims about hydrangeas, media mistrust and verifying sources, protest policing and “repeat protest” powers, plus Colin Gong’s first‑hand update from the latest Defend Our Juries action in Trafalgar Square—lower turnout after political warnings, heavy police presence (including units from Northern Ireland), and reflections on November’s planned actions and the looming judicial review. We also touch on digital ID concerns, migration debates, a GB News school RE controversy, and close with a moving listening moment: the profound beauty of Clair de Lune as a reminder to live in the now. Stay for the final segment where Scott premieres part one of “Other Losses” and signs off with next week’s plans.

[00:00:11] Unknown:

Happy, happy hump day, everybody. You got that Wednesday feeling.   We're here to entertain you for a couple of hours, myself and the awesome mister Scott.  

[00:00:29] Unknown:

Yeah. Thanks, Shelley. Gonna have a sparkling show again this evening, folks. Got quite a few funny little things to cover and maybe a guest or two. Who knows?  

[00:00:56] Unknown:

If you had one more day,   what would you do? A sentimental statement.  

[00:01:11] Unknown:

Yeah. And say goodbye to hydrangeas.   Climate change says you're not actually allowed to plant them anymore or   advised not to.  

[00:01:38] Unknown:

Claire de Lune, a famous piece. But what is that song really about? What emotions   does it stuff? It's the classics for sure.   Police to get new pro protest powers. I Are you still calling Gong is returning this week with news of the latest Palestine action protest?  

[00:02:20] Unknown:

Yeah. Good evening, folks. Would have helped if I'd unmuted myself   before the start of the song, but there we go. You can't have everything. Got a few funny things for you this evening. Not allowed to plant hydrangeas anymore.   Why is that? Climate   change? What?   And police to get new powers   regarding   protests.   Yes. You can protest, but not in the same place twice.   And other losses   to come at the end of the show.  

[00:03:25] Unknown:

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Shelley Tasker Show here coming live out of radiosoapbox.com   and also Erin on Clear Air FM,   the sound of freedom.   It's good to have your company. It is Wednesday, October 8.   Happy hump day,   and I welcome along my cohost, the awesome mister Maleficus Scott. Good evening, mister Scott. Good evening, missus Tasker. Sorry. I had not unmuted myself for the Every week, Maleficus.   I know. Every week or something.  

[00:03:56] Unknown:

Oh, I know. At least at least I'm sounding super smooth this week. Thank you too. You are sounding gorgeous. Yes.   Not me personally, but obviously my sound quality as per last week, which was absolutely flipping awful. Apologies to any listeners that actually had to keep turning up and turning down. Yep. Apologies to me as well. I was rather hot on the mic.  

[00:04:18] Unknown:

Very hot to be fair.  

[00:04:21] Unknown:

Yes.   No. Well,   Hey, ho. You live in a No. Well, no. Thank you. Thank you. Big shout out to, mister Von Kurt,   at Von Kurt Sound Solutions, it would appear, who sorted me out with a a half decent mic to use. So thank you very much, sir.   Yeah. Charity starts at home. You know?  

[00:04:40] Unknown:

Absolutely.   Absolutely.   So how have you been, my lovely?  

[00:04:47] Unknown:

It's been I can't believe, actually, it's been a week already. I really can't believe it's been a week already.   Yeah. Just the usual things. Yo. My, anyone that's a regular listener will know that my, 15 year old daughter started college a few weeks back. She's just hit the ground running now. It's just I'm not being funny. She's just hit the ground running.   You know? Now now I'm back into parent mode fearing for an obstacle.  

[00:05:14] Unknown:

Oh, you gotta let go of the fear because I I know where you're coming from because, I mean, in two weeks time, it's half term   and I was dreading it. And I actually went to parents' afternoon yesterday   and he is rocking it. And you keep thinking that something might happen. It's like, no, he is absolutely   rocking it.   And his form tutor said he is probably one of the nicest and polite most little boy  

[00:05:39] Unknown:

that she's ever met. Oh my word. Well, do you know what? He is exceptionally   polite.   So Yeah. Yeah. I know. He is. He's really, really good. And, you know Growing up in some way. Yeah. Good manners cost nothing, and I think that's that's just yeah.  

[00:05:53] Unknown:

Yeah. He's he's thriving, but guess well, there's no point in saying guess what his teacher's name is because you're just never gonna guess. And I did have to mention it to her straight away. She was young. First of all, I said, oh, you're his teacher. You look rather young,   as they all do as you get older.   And I said, by the way, I like your name, and she started giggling.   And I just said, well, fortunate for you, probably all the year sevens, they're a little bit naive to, like, grasp on. I mean, she's called Mrs. Babcock.   Is it just me in my mind?  

So imagine being a husband, Mr. Babcock,  

[00:06:26] Unknown:

you know, I suppose you try and say it Babcock. I don't know, but Babcock is how it it's spelt. It's spelt. Yeah. So Oh, my word. Yeah. Well, wasn't there a woman in the news? Wasn't wasn't my my other half so I don't read these sorts of the the I don't read the filthy tabloid press or anything like that. But Yeah. My other half was telling me that there was a story in the news,   over the last couple of weeks   that, there was a lady who refused to take her husband's   second name when they got married because his second name would was   Hiscox,   h I s   c o c k.  

Okay. Well yeah. But it was because of her first name, and I was racking my brains trying to think   of what, you know, what name would you have that would sound bad.   You know?  

[00:07:11] Unknown:

What is it?  

[00:07:12] Unknown:

It was actually well, have a guess. I mean, can you think of a name Woodtown? I'm thinking something his cock on the end.   No. I can. I can't. All the names in the world. Apparently, this lady's name was Rose.  

[00:07:27] Unknown:

Rose's cock.   Oh,   I love it.   Brilliant. Yeah. I can understand why.  

[00:07:41] Unknown:

I always found it odd that Cilla Black was called Cilla White before she got married.   Sorry. Random thought there.  

[00:07:48] Unknown:

That is random. Okay. Yeah.   But, yeah, I suppose the problem is lots of people are born with these names, aren't they? And you do hear about it.   My ex sister-in-law, I can't for the life of me think she decided to call her,   'Souff Francis'. I wish I could remember what her name should have been. She, like, invented her own surname because she would have had a very bad surname if she took his name, So it happens. Yeah.   Hitchcock ain't much better.   That's what, mister Surplus says, but he won't say that to Andy.  

[00:08:24] Unknown:

Man, well, you know, it's it's one of those it's one of those names. I mean, my name my my second name anyone that's diligent on their study now might be able to work out what my second name is, but it actually is Cornish for small loaf of bread.   Really?   That's really sad, isn't it? That's a bit cheeky, isn't it? Hoping for something masculine. You know? It's just nope. Small loaf of bread. There you go. That's what you get. Yeah. Anyway  

[00:08:51] Unknown:

So apart from your daughter, have you had a fairing week? I've had no. I've,  

[00:08:56] Unknown:

again, it's been another paid workout.   So yeah. I mean, yeah, work wise, it's been fine. Been doing a little bit of music stuff as well, which is good. And I don't don't think I'm the only person, are I, Shelley?  

[00:09:11] Unknown:

I don't know what you could be talking about.   Are you talking about my new toy? Your new toy. Present to myself.  

[00:09:19] Unknown:

You don't have a new toy, a new present to yourself, do you?  

[00:09:22] Unknown:

I might have. Yeah.   I,   as I said, I've worked hard, I've saved hard,   I've had   crappy pianos for years to when they get to that point of no return, like, you can't even get them retuned because they're so old and they've had it. And the last one   was dragged out into the garden and slowly chopped up and taken to the dump, which is sad. But Oh, how sad. And I see well, yeah, once the frame once the frame warps, that's it. You you you'll never get it in tune ever again. It was ancient. So I, like, made a manifestation. I said, I'm gonna have a piano.   And I've literally been following one that's been on sale on Facebook Marketplace for the last couple of months, and it's, like, the dream piano.  

Beautiful to look at.   And she dropped the price because she was moving,   and I had a bit of savings, and I borrowed a little bit,   and I made it happen.   Yeah. You've got it. I've got it, and four strong men   turned up here on Monday night, my son, my brother, our friend Graham, and   Darren, obviously,   they went and picked it up, and sat beside, sat behind me, not that you can see at the moment, but I know I showed it to you the other night, is my new baby.  

[00:10:39] Unknown:

Yeah. Amazing. And have you had have you had a few tingles on the eye for yourself? I had a few tingles.  

[00:10:45] Unknown:

Yeah. Not as much as I I would like. I'm looking forward to tomorrow actually, because it's just been quite a hectic   this whole thing that we keep bringing up every week, like, where does time keep going? It's a bit like that. You have to make it. You have to create You do. But it's Yeah. It's just, you know,   little things, parents' afternoon, all that sort of stuff, and trying to get my car collected because I've got my car back now as well. Oh, well done.   So there we are, car and piano. I've manifested all my things that I wanted before Christmas, and,   yeah, so I went to bed like a kid at Christmas that night, I was literally like, oh my God, I can't believe I got it, and I just couldn't stop looking at it.  



[00:11:24] Unknown:

So, yeah, quite happy. No. I'm chuffed. I'm really chuffed for you. And and, you know, like I say, you're gonna have to when I said about last week about writing a song, you actually you're gonna have to now, aren't you?  

[00:11:36] Unknown:

Yes. Yes. I will. You're gonna have to. I will.   I'm I'm excited.   Oh, gosh. Well, I am, and it's funny because I ordered   a tune, Clair de Lune, which we're going to talk about a little bit later on, and   I've been going through it, and I also ordered a scale book, and of course you have to, I mean it's years since I've played properly,   and I started doing the scales, I've had to like, find the scales that go to this song, and actually muscle recognition   is amazing what you can remember.   So, I'm just going to try and, you know, I'm just going to try and do a few bars each day of this song   that I absolutely am in love with and I have been for years,   and learn all my scales and stuff and just, yeah, just enjoy it, Maleficus, you know? Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely.  



[00:12:23] Unknown:

Yeah. I love it. I love it. With it again. Yeah. Yeah. And just, you know, play play yourself a tune that you enjoy, and that's that's there's nothing better. You know? There is nothing better. I have one that's based on and going as well. Lots of ones that I learn, it's like I can get halfway through it, and then it's suddenly I can't remember anymore.  

[00:12:42] Unknown:

So I've been trying to,   trace down an old music book that I had and I'm sure it was called Classic TV Things,   and it had, you know, the soundtrack to what used to be the original series All Creatures Great and Small? Oh yeah.   Anyway, I could play that. I could play lots of those sort of ski Sunday, all the things and stuff. I'm trying to locate Sunday.   Yeah. All of these sorts of ones. So I'm trying to locate that exact same book. It's quite good fun, actually, but I need a bit more time.   But yeah. So I'm getting in the jolly of being creative.  

[00:13:20] Unknown:

Yeah. Good. Good. Well, that's, you know, that's what we put on the planet to do, I think, really, more than anything. I think it is. It is. And I think that's   that's that's what gets suppressed   through,   you know, all the rigors of what should we call it modern society.   That's what gets suppressed, all that sort of individualism, that real individualism,   and that that creativity gets you know, the one of the first things to disappear in captivity is creativity.  

[00:13:46] Unknown:

Yeah. The arts.   And and I think that that's the thing. Like, I painted a dressing table this week. I bought it a couple of months ago, and I love painting furniture and things, and I've done it pink to go in our bedroom when it's finally done, and I'm, like, halfway got all the bits and bobs of my darkroom.   I've got a bit more time, and I've been going to the gym regularly.  

[00:14:06] Unknown:

And Oh, you're still doing the gym. I daren't ask, you see? You know? Because you don't so yeah. So you are still going. Yeah. I wonder. I I I expect that we'll listen to one woman as well.  

[00:14:17] Unknown:

Yeah. Yeah. And it's all an all women's gym. Yeah. So no. I love it. You know, you go in sometimes and you're the only person in there,   and it's open to it's available twenty four hours a day.   But, you know, I'm just trying to go at least three times a week, but it's just finally getting that balance with work and stuff, and it's like for years I've been thinking I want to get a darkroom sorted, I want to do music,   I want to do painting bits and bobs at home and do some DIY, and,   yeah. And I see all these crafty ideas on reels and stuff like Halloween bunting and things, I'm like, I I'm gonna do that. I'm gonna do that. I don't know if I'll have time,   but I actually bought all the ingredients for the Christmas cake on Saturday last week. Oh, cool. And I'm like, right here, Shelley.  



[00:14:58] Unknown:

For a few months with,   you know, dosed in brandy. Or is that Christmas pudding? Be nice. No. It's it's both, isn't it? You could do it with Christmas puddings and Yeah. I think, apparently, you can use port,  

[00:15:09] Unknown:

sherry.   Did my mom say gin?  

[00:15:12] Unknown:

I don't know. Brandy? Anything to eat. Brandy is normally the thing. It's normally Right. Christmas cake is normally brandy.  

[00:15:19] Unknown:

Well, I've got these recipes   that are, like, on very old faded newspaper.   One of them was one that my nan had cut out of the newspaper,   and then one was my A proper Yeah. I know. Down recipe. Yeah. Yeah. And then another one my mom had, and I'm like, crikey. I can't remember which one I made last time, actually.   But anyway, I'll wait perhaps this weekend, I'll indulge, but I just feel I got a bit of time to do these nice little things now.  

[00:15:44] Unknown:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I mean, that that's what it's all about, and and it's as I say, sometimes you've just gotta make the time for these things. Creatively.   Because if you don't create   time yeah. Yeah. Life is as my dad always says, life is what occurs when you're busy making plans.   Absolutely. You know? It's apparently, it's a quote from a song. I didn't know that, but it was my dad. Yeah. John Lennon. John Lennon. John Lennon song. Yeah. So,   yeah, you have to make time for these things. So yeah. So what did you think about what I said earlier about, you you can't you know what a hydrangea is, don't you, Shelley?  

[00:16:19] Unknown:

It's a flower.  

[00:16:21] Unknown:

Yeah. It's like one of those big bushes that are covered in flowers.   Yes. I've got a rough idea. Yes. Yeah. Well, each flower head has got, like, I don't know, two, three hundred flowers on it. Do you know what I mean? It's like a big Down what you mean. Yeah. Yeah. And they come in pinks or whites or blues or whatever.   So we've had this had this thing recently saying,   say goodbye to hydrangeas. Garden experts urge you to stop planting them.   And they're basically saying, because of climate change. Right?   Hydrangeas thrive when the air is humid, and the soil say stays consistently moist, and temperatures remain mild. When these,   these were once common conditions in many regions, but climate change has disrupted that balance.  

And summers are now hotter.   Rain is less predictable.   Yeah. Right. They've never been able to predict rain on the weather forecast anyway.   No. It's never right. And dry winds patch even shaded areas of the garden.   So what they're basically this is I reckon this is a push, like, because at the very bottom of this, it's got here's some other things you could plant instead, which probably are gonna end up more expensive from the garden   center. You know, Russian sage,   ornamental grasses. Who wants an ornamental grass when you can have, like, a beautiful burst of color   every year that lasts most of the summer? In fact, there's still a run you know what? This whole thing is utter,   utter, utter   nonsense.  

I'm a gardener, as you know. This year has been one of the nicest years for hydrangeas. And you know what?   You can put them in dry soil. You can put them in anything. They are absolute   garden workhorses, and you will never fail to get something nice. No. And how can they   be bad for the ozone come on? No. No. They just no. It's not that they're just saying that they're suffering   because of climate. Oh, right. Okay. Because of the changing climate. Yeah. So they won't look as nice as they used to. And it's just, what what the hell are these people on about? And this is supposedly from, like, experienced   experts in horticulture.  

It's just like, what?   You Well, actually buy this nonsense. People actually buy this nonsense.  

[00:18:38] Unknown:

It's something I actually saved, and it fits in well, actually. It was a post on Twitter.   It says that the Met Office deletes huge chunks of historic temperature data after fabrication claims.   Last August, The Daily Skeptic drew attention to the UK Met Office investing temperature data data   at its fictious open weather station at Lowescroft.   Figures were said to be complied from well correlated   neighboring areas.  

[00:19:07] Unknown:

But, basically, yeah, the Met Office has deleted massive chunks of historic data to fit in with their claims of the weather and stuff like that. I often wonder, you know, like so you go on, like so if over here in The UK, if you wanna go and look at the weather,   the the place is the meteorological   office, the Met Office. Right? So Mhmm.   If you go onto the Met Office website,   the official website,   and you look at their projection for the week,   when that projection goes past the day that you're on, I. E. You can't look back at yesterday.   Yeah?  

Yeah. I often wonder whether these projections   are then set in stone when they've dropped off the edge, you know? Oh, well, that's what we said it was gonna be.   You know?   And they can be as wrong as they like with the weather then, can't they? Because it does say, oh, well, we got that a bit wrong, but it doesn't matter because we've already set it set it down and say, hey. You know, I'm not saying that that's what happens,   but it does make you wonder.  

[00:20:08] Unknown:

Yeah. It does. It does.   And and it's interesting as well because, like, so much news we know is fake.   Loads of it. I've been loads of it. And Aaron reckons actually 80% of the posts on social media, when you look into them. And rightly again, today, there was a story of supposedly,   a 13 year old girl   had been taken and raped by illegal immigrants. And then she ran to her death through the floor to get away. And then you look into it more and it's totally different. And she's a 40 year old women, woman,   but people just take that for I've just realized now you just don't go sharing stuff because there's so much  

[00:20:45] Unknown:

it's like, Chinese whispers, isn't it? Oh, no. It's worse than Chinese whispers. You actually have no. It's worse than that, though. It because you actually have people   in a game of Chinese whispers,   the the idea is to win the game of Chinese whispers, the person at the other end of the the the line   says the same word that you said.   Right? That's that's how you win   a game of Chinese whispers. Right? So you've got 20 people in a line. If if you say, aubergine,   and the person who's at number 20 says aubergine at the end, Yeah. You've won the game of Chinese whispers. That's what it's kind of what it's about.   You know? Yeah. Whereas   in this scenario, you've actually got people, agent provocateurs, whatever you wanna call them. You've got people   on the in between   purposely   putting come on. You've been in the independent media long enough to know   that,   you know, you get all these   leaked things come out.  

And you think, well, where the hell were they leaked from? And who did they leak them to? And how did you get hold of them first? And then you get things like, you know, a long time ago, there was a supposedly a speech that had been put out by Albert Bourla   at the,   WEF conference.   And he was talking about using vaccines to,   wipe people out. Right?   That at least, that's how the footage was clipped together, but they'd edited out. So and you always wanna it's always like a like a it's always filmed on a potato camera. I the footage is always dodgy. It's always been replicated loads and loads of times. And then then you go and look at the original bit of footage off of the WEF site.   And it's in perfect clarity, and parts of the middle of the talk have been missed out.  

Yeah. You know? And stuff like that is floated. Even though you know these people may may or may not be bad ones. You know what I mean? You know, might be bad ones. But   the fact that they've got Asian provocateurs in the middle of this Chinese whispers thing,   purposefully   or purposely   injecting stuff into it to cloud and muddy the waters more,   is what gets everyone running around with their head up their ass. Which is another reason why I say, I'm not on social media.   Give me a book any day. Give me a book or a document, or   or even a video that I can pull apart and discern and and cross reference. But, you know, all this information that is being   passed about   so so quickly.  

You know, everyone's sort of saying, oh, the Internet's a great thing because we know a lot more. No. We're being dumbed down at a rate of knots because nobody no no one knows what to believe anymore.  

[00:23:29] Unknown:

Well, this is it. And I I asked a question   on the whole chat with GBT   on who is, like, the   who would you say gives the most balanced,   honest news?   And the first one was the BBC is quite fair.   I was like, oh, strike it.   But Reuters seems to be a good one.   But then  

[00:23:53] Unknown:

Reuters Reuters was the first yeah. Reuters was the first international press syndicate   set up,   that could transmit news on a worldwide basis. It was set up by some very, very rich people.  

[00:24:07] Unknown:

Right.   Right. And then there's another one called allsides.com,   and that's supposed to be very good because it shows headlines from the same topic on the left, center, and right outlet side by side. It's supposed to be really investigative   journalism, but there's loads of them, isn't there? But I was just trying to do it, Duncan.  

[00:24:25] Unknown:

When you think,   Shelley, like, you if you've if you've got a TV at home, you can switch over onto Al Jazeera, you can switch over to GB News, you can switch over to all these different format, all these different programs. And they're all running the same format.   All the all the headlines are scrolling across the bottom of the screen. It's almost like a copy and paste. And it's just like, which which milkshake flavor would you like today?   You know?  

[00:24:50] Unknown:

Yep. True.   True.  

[00:24:53] Unknown:

Anyway Yeah. I was gonna say we're coming we're coming close to the bottom of the hour. We got about Yes. Four minutes to the bottom of the hour. So if we can play  

[00:25:02] Unknown:

that clip   that I sent to you, it's the second one under the song.  

[00:25:09] Unknown:

Okay. Yeah. That's the one that starts with   hang on a sec. Yeah.   I'm just gonna make sure I've got the right one. Yes. I have got the right one. Okay.  

[00:25:19] Unknown:

So recently, we we speak we say every week about how time is flying by.   And I came across this reel on Sunday morning, and I actually cried. And I just it's two minutes. Have a little listen.   It's like a day in a life. Just have a listen. It's really quite beautiful.  

[00:25:37] Unknown:

Okeydoke.   Here it comes, folks.  

[00:25:42] Unknown:

Nope. Nope. There's not school has been signed after worried parents were One above that, Maleficus, that I sent to you, it's just under the Debussy one.  

[00:25:55] Unknown:

Oh, okay. You might have to filibuster for a minute, tops.  

[00:26:01] Unknown:

That's okay. Yeah. It's it's only it's it's only a two minute thing. That's alright. No worries. No. No. I'll be alright. But, yeah, I listened to this,   on Sunday, and it brought me to tears, which is gonna lead on to   after this. Yeah. When we're gonna play the the music interlude for the break. So this is just leading up to it. Okay. It's  

[00:26:21] Unknown:

it's on its way up. There we go.   Just processing now. Sorry sorry for the, technical interval   folks.  

[00:26:31] Unknown:

It wouldn't be any diff well, I wouldn't like it any other way, Milithecus. Well, no, Joanne.  

[00:26:37] Unknown:

Here you go. You ready?  

[00:26:39] Unknown:

Ready.  

[00:26:41] Unknown:

Old, and somehow, I woke up in my 32 year old body   just for one day.   I wake up to little hands tugging at the blankets. Mom, wake up, they shout. I blink, and I sit up slowly.   My babies, they're small again.   They climb into bed giggling, wiggling. I remember rushing through mornings, but not today. I pull them close, I hug them tight, I kiss their messy hair, I hold their little hands.   This time, I soak in every second.   I catch my reflection in the bathroom mirror. No deep lines, no gray hair.   My younger face. I used to think I looked old at 41.   What a silly thought. I find my husband in the kitchen making coffee. He looks strong, and he looks young. I wrap my arms around him tightly. He looks surprised.  

Maybe we didn't hug enough back then, I think. We talk about the day, and today,   it all feels big.   I memorize the sound of his voice. We pile into the car, kids arguing over seat belts. Someone drops a snack. There's crumbs everywhere.   I used to get so frustrated, but today,   I soak in the noise and the chaos because I know my car will be quiet and   spotless for many years to come. Dinner is loud and unorganized.   No one wants to sit still. There's shouting, giggling, arguing, and so much life.   I don't clean up straight away. I just sit and I watch, trying to burn it all into my memory.   Before bed, I pick up the phone. I call my mum,   and I hear her voice. I haven't heard this voice in so many years.  

I close my eyes and I let her words wash over me. I tell her I love her again and again.   I never want to hang up, and this time I don't leave anything unsaid.   At bedtime I don't skip pages in the story, I read every single word, and then I ask, can we read one more book? And they say, yes, I don't want this day to end. I got one more day, and this time, I knew   that this was joy, this was love, those little hands, our strong young bodies with no aches or pains,   our parents who are still alive.   It all mattered   so much more than we ever realized   at the time.  



[00:28:54] Unknown:

That's that.  

[00:28:56] Unknown:

Make the most of what you have.   Always. Absolutely.  

[00:29:00] Unknown:

Always. Yeah. Yeah. Do the best you can with what you've got and and make the most of what you have. Yeah. To go back to those days and stuff. And I feel like I relive a lot of, like, my children's member, memories with my grandchildren, my granddaughter especially.   So the next song, Maleficus,   the Debussy Cledelume,   it's, it's not the sort of thing we'd usually play on this show, but it's such a beautiful piece of music, and of course I'm trying to learn it on the piano,   and I thought after hearing that perhaps the listeners might like to have a listen,   just let the music do the talking, sit there for five minutes.  

This guy that is playing this   is he was almost 90 years old at the time,   he was   a pianist from Paris,   and this was at the concert in the Cell Play Elle,   and it was   Menahan Presler who played it, and he died a couple of years ago. Like I say, he was nearly 90 when he played this. Wow. So I just urge you all to close your eyes and just listen to this and have a think about what this song is saying.   If anything, yeah. Yeah. Enjoy.  

[00:30:09] Unknown:

If nothing else, have a think about what's important.  

[00:30:12] Unknown:

Absolutely.  

[00:30:13] Unknown:

Yeah.   Okeydokey.   See you in a few minutes, folks.  

[00:30:18] Unknown:

Well, there you are.  

[00:30:19] Unknown:

That was absolutely stunning. I'm familiar with parts of that piece. Yes.  

[00:30:24] Unknown:

Oh, just beautiful.   And a couple of the comments I just had to read, it's on YouTube,   somebody says,   'He's not playing the piano, he's touching heaven and translating into music for us mere mortals.'   And another one says, this feels like a last embrace of a mother.   Anyway, there's loads of them. I like the first comment more. I thought that was yeah. Oh, there's loads of them. Beautiful. Yeah. So, yeah, there we are. That's my little sentimental   segment tonight about living in the now and holding on to what's true, etcetera. Lovely. Well, look, you know, the next time  

[00:31:04] Unknown:

the next time we play that song on this show  

[00:31:07] Unknown:

Yeah.  

[00:31:08] Unknown:

Oh, when I'm playing it. I'd like you to play it. Oh my god. A few years probably. Well, okay. Let's let's aim for this time next year.  

[00:31:17] Unknown:

Okay. Okay.   Right. Yeah. Yeah. Anyway. What's the date today, folks? Everyone make a note. Okay. There you go. Okay. I've got a year to get ready.   I don't set little targets, see.  

[00:31:33] Unknown:

But yeah. No. But why would you? Why would you? I mean, it's it's rather like, you know,   when I got into sort of the music making software years ago, you had, you know, you had all these sort of, like, baby steps software that you could,   you know,   work your way around, get to know the software. And he's like, no. Just give me the professional stuff, and this is let me make lots of mistakes. And and, you know, it doesn't matter, does it? You know?   And with pieces of music,   you know,   with pieces of music, it's far more important   that you learn something that you love   because you will pour your heart and soul and your time. What were we saying earlier about making time?  

Yeah. You will make time for it because you love it that much. When I I I've said to you before, I wanted to learn piano,   years ago when my my,   mate at school was grade eight or whatever it was, you know, really high up. And she said, yeah. I said, can you teach me? She said, yeah. I'll teach you. And she came around, she bought a book with old Macdonald had a farm in it. I was just like, I just Heather, I can't do this.   I can't I can't. I can't just I can't do it.  

[00:32:41] Unknown:

Yeah. Fair enough. Fair enough.   So when I when I learned guitar, I got my mate to teach me, like, a few Pink Floyd tunes. That's what I was into at the time, and that's where I went from. You know? And that's what will drive you. When my son was learning yeah. They were, like, trying to teach him basics, and it was like, no. We need we need him to learn a song that he knows  

[00:32:59] Unknown:

and loves, and then it will progress, and it did. Well, that's exactly you know, the first kid I ever taught guitar, he wanted to learn I get knocked down by Chumbawamba.  

[00:33:09] Unknown:

Right.  

[00:33:10] Unknown:

Great. I said,   yeah. Fine. I'll go home and learn it and I'll show you how to show you how to play it. He's still playing now. So,   you know, he was only, like, 10, 11 at the time. So  

[00:33:23] Unknown:

Yeah. Lovely stuff.  

[00:33:25] Unknown:

Right. Well, onwards to Onwards and upwards? Yes.  

[00:33:29] Unknown:

Is mister Collingong there? He he certainly is. Would you like me to bring him onto the stage? Yes. Let's bring our guest on, mister Collingong. He's been on a couple of times over the last few weeks to talk about his protesting in London, and he was arrested   the last time, last month,   for holding a sighs saying we support   Palestine. Oh, I can't remember the exact words, but he was arrested,   and I believe he went to the demonstration this Saturday   just to observe.   Good evening, mister Colin Gong.  

[00:34:03] Unknown:

Hi there, Shelley. Hi, Scott. Hi. How's it going? Yeah. You're coming through loud and clear. Nice to nice to hear your voice again.  

[00:34:11] Unknown:

Yeah. Hi. How are you doing?  

[00:34:14] Unknown:

Yeah. Good. Good. Yeah. Yeah. So another trip to London up to the big city on Saturday just gone.  

[00:34:21] Unknown:

Yeah. So tell us all about it.   I had a look at it. You weren't you weren't protesting this time. You just went to observe.  

[00:34:31] Unknown:

I went to observe and to support   and,   possibly a little bit of education   of the police force went on, possibly.   Lovely.   Good luck there. Yeah. I mean, yeah, you know you know how it is. Most of them are pretty impervious. You know, it's hard to get through to them. But that's the odd one where   you can sort of make help some pennies to drop.   Yeah. So I got there a little bit on the late side. Had slight issues with the train. There was Charing Cross Station, the major   terminal station in London was closed.   So I I walked up there about 01:00.  

Different venue this time. It was Trafalgar Square Oh, okay. Instead of instead of Parliament Square. So   and the weather not quite as conducive. It was a little bit windy,   not quite so warm.   So,   I have a slightly different feel to it.   And my first impression,   seeing the square,   the numbers called for this time were 1,500.   So the the organizers,   the defend our juries group,   they looked to up the ante a little bit. I think it went from 500 in   August,   thousand in September.   They were aiming for 1,500   in October.   And when I got to the square, I thought,   okay. That doesn't quite look like 1,500 to me. I mean, it's never easy to judge the numbers.  

But I was expecting that would pretty much build Trafalgar Square, 1,500.   Now there were some quite spacious areas in the square.   Later, it turns out, there were just shy of 500   arrests made,   so the numbers were well down. Apparently, 1,500   people   had committed to taking the action,   the action being to sit there with a sign. And the wording, Shelley, is I oppose genocide   action That's right. Which has caused   a very deliberate defiance   of,   the Terrorism Act 2,000   order number eight zero three,   which prescribes Palestine action to be a terrorist organization.   So it's a deliberate defiance of that   Yeah. Piece of legislation.  

Yeah. So   the numbers were well down. 1,500   people,   we're told, apparently, had committed to taking that action,   and a lot of them didn't show up. Now the most obvious reason for that is   the appeals that were put out by, I believe,   the one and only mister Kiersten   in light of   the events in Manchester.   Was it two or three days before? Yes.   A proper actual terrorist attack there or something of that nature.   So   our prime minister had appealed to people,   don't go to the the, this particular demonstration.   It was apparently it was deemed to be insensitive or something like that, which I don't get that logic at all.   But the kind of the ilk of person who's taking part in these demonstrations,   for want of a better way of putting it, middle class, well educated,   guardian reader types, you know,   perhaps they take a bit more heed of what mister Stoner says than I would.  

So in that sense, it was a little bit   anticlimactic.   You know, there weren't 1,500 people,   which I was really looking forward to seeing because a thousand people in September, with everything I saw,   it did push the Metropolitan Police to their limit.   So I thought, okay. If we're adding 50% again, this will be really   interesting.   But it wasn't to be.   As I said, that's that's   the easiest reason I could attribute to attribute that to. I've been surprised. I've been very little communication from the organizers to defend our juries.   I thought there might have been some statements to just sort of clarify,   their perspective   of why that happened, the numbers broke up.  



[00:38:35] Unknown:

Right. There's  

[00:38:37] Unknown:

nothing come out from there. I just kept half a line on their Facebook page.   So  

[00:38:44] Unknown:

Well, I understand that in November, they're gonna do things a little differently, aren't they?  

[00:38:50] Unknown:

Yes. I've had an email about November.   I mean, I took the decision   as I went to London this time   not to get arrested, not to actually do the deliberately   defiant action.   And, you know, reflected upon that sense, and I'm   I don't know if that was the best decision ever. You know? I could've   easily done it again.   So November, I'll be   quite possibly,   I'll see where we are nearer the time, but   I'm not at all close   to taking action again. Nothing is gonna be more it sounds like again, there's been very little communicated about exactly what they have in mind for the November actions.   And there's a kind of culmination to that because the   judicial review   happens, I think, is it the November 20 or the twenty sixth?  



[00:39:39] Unknown:

Yeah. Between the November.  

[00:39:43] Unknown:

So that's the judicial review. So I think,   the the organizing group are looking to sort of,   have a bit of a crescendo there.   And they've spoken about   different locations around the country, haven't they? I mean, I did speaking about different locations around the country, I don't know if you caught it, Shelley, what went along down there in Cornwall on Saturday.  

[00:40:06] Unknown:

Did that reach your ear? I I did see briefly   it popped up. There were some people, and no one was arrested, were they?  

[00:40:14] Unknown:

Yeah. Same has happened in Scotland the month before.   So, again, it kind of for me, it significantly   weakens   the position of the Metropolitan   Police   where they're insisting they have no choice but to   throw huge resources   into arresting all the peace campaigners and the grandmas and the retired because   and because clearly they do have a choice as demonstrated by Cornwall Police and Scotland Police Scotland.   And I have to say one thing that was striking on Saturday was, the same as in the October   event,   the amount of police resources that was poured into   arresting these   nearly 500 people It's just really quite astonishing.  

And towards well into the day, I'm guessing,   the situation there, it it started at 01:00.   I think the last arrest was probably made somewhere around 07:30.   And this surprising thing happened. I'm guessing it was maybe around 05:30, 06:00, somewhere around there.   Some some squads of police turned up.   They'd marched,   as was their habit.   They'd marched to the sort of edge of the body of the protest,   and they'd pause there awaiting further instructions.   And a gaggle of these police officers turned up.   But strikingly,   they're in a very dark green uniform   instead of the black uniforms we've got so used to seeing. Not mix. Every policeman, but the mix of black and fluorescent bright fluorescent orange, you know,   yellow, sorry, with the high vis stuff. Suddenly, these guys turn up, and then head to toe, they're in dark green.  

Double take. Okay. Who have we got here? So   I made some inquiries. Excuse me. Why your are your uniforms different? Why dark green?   And the answer was,   it's the police service of Northern Ireland.  

[00:42:13] Unknown:

Wow. Oh my goodness.  

[00:42:16] Unknown:

Yeah. So these guys,   they've traveled over land and sea.  

[00:42:21] Unknown:

They got shipped in?  

[00:42:23] Unknown:

They got shipped in. I mean, the the months before in the October event,   officers were shipped in from as far as County Durham,   Lancashire,   and Wales.   But a step on this time,   Northern Ireland,   whole big squadron of them,   traveled across land and sea,   answered the call of duty to come and save the country from these grandmas and retired vicars.   Totally head scratching, you know, how   somebody somewhere is warranting   that amount of,   resources.   I mean, I guess the reason they didn't show up till five or 06:00. They've had a long journey. I I guess they might have been flown in. I don't know.   I guess flown in is more likely than   very in a long road journey.  

But maybe not because I'm guessing they they would have settled   first thing that morning. If they're not there till,   five or 06:00, maybe that does suggest couple of hours over on the ferry and then a   six hour,   drive down the motorway. Who knows?   I mean, the only good thing about that was they were looking   suitably embarrassed   to be there. A lot of them would.   You know, there's always Suitably  

[00:43:41] Unknown:

embarrassed.  

[00:43:43] Unknown:

You know, because,   I mean, you know,   it's just I mean, the police officers, they're very good   at at sort of keeping a straight face   and acting as if they're doing really serious and essential police work here. You know, they can they sort of keep that demeanor   even when they're ribbed about it and questioned about it. Not all of them manage to do that. You know, some of them, you can just read their body language or their facial expression, and you can you can just tell,   yeah. Okay. You do you are aware how absurd this is, and you are embarrassed of it. But most of them, they're quite good at sort of keeping that,   straight very straight kind of persona, you know. No. This is serious. Please work. You're breaking the law, so, you know, we're the upholder of the law. So we have to   we have to be here and we have to be doing this, which is a complete nonsense, of course, you know. And still as far as I'm concerned, they're they're the ones breaking the law, not the people who are exercising their lawful   right to protest  

[00:44:40] Unknown:

with the police. Imagine the imagine the debriefing for that. Right? Yeah. We're off to The UK.   Is it an important mission?  

[00:44:52] Unknown:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know.  

[00:44:56] Unknown:

Yes. That was a bit so funny. Was no violence or anything broke out there? No. Nothing nothing to write home about in that respect?  

[00:45:04] Unknown:

No. No. I was slightly disappointed   by the fact that as the,   I mean, the police were a lot more on their toes last time right from the start. When I got to the square, there was the main body of people   sat holding their signs.   And at several points peripheral to that,   there were squads of officers,   and there might have been something like 10 across   and eight deep.   And so they they stood there in a sort of military formation almost   ready to go to war.   And there were three or four groups of them around the outside.   So it was much more like   it almost reminded me of hundred meter sprinters who are all crouched down in the blocks, you know, ready to go when the gunfire. It was more that kind of,   they were quite eager, you know, that   right from the start, their attitude was right. We're gonna sort of sweep this this lot up as quick as we can today.  

And sure enough, when 01:00 came,   they did go into action. And right from the start, they were much more efficient than last time.  

[00:46:08] Unknown:

And there were a lot less people, though, it would appear. There were a lot less people this time. Right? It looks like about half the number of last time.  

[00:46:17] Unknown:

Possibly, there were more police officers than last time.   Hence, it only took them, what,   very approximately, it would have been about   six and a half hours to sort of clear the whole lock up. Whereas last time, they went beyond midnight.   So they were they were a lot more efficient in what they were doing as well.   And   the,   the general cram as well as the   the 500 or so people have   sat down with their   signs.   There's probably a similar number that are just,   around the area just support of some of them might have other sunnies that don't make them liable to be arrest.   And   from my perspective, they were a lot more,   not facilitating of the police. That would be putting it too strongly, but they   they weren't being   gently obstructive   in the way   happened   in the October 1 in Pardonn  

[00:47:13] Unknown:

Square. Not not like gently not like gently placing yourself on the floor and needing six officers to take you away. Is that right, Colin?  

[00:47:24] Unknown:

Yes. You   as a squad of six officers would approach the,   sign holders ready to pick one of them up. The sort of crowd around the edge would sort of part, you know, like like the CPAP people mode it. Sort of part and let the officers through, you know. Oh, really? That's interesting.   Yeah. And it sort of grated on me a little bit. I thought, no. Make them work for it. You know? Make them work a bit harder than you.   So there didn't seem to be as many, what I would call, might call the lively bunch or the rabble routers. There didn't seem to be anything with too many of those around. Yeah. Just to very   generally jostled with the police, you know, and sort of obstruct them without really obstructing them. You know? Just   It almost  

[00:48:04] Unknown:

from from the description you're giving, it almost sounds like the police knew that they'd have an easier time this time around and were and were tasked with it, if you know what I mean. Just from the description you're giving, I mean, obviously, that's just me. That's completely third party, you know.  

[00:48:19] Unknown:

But, no. I mean, I'm sure I'm sure they've learned some lessons from the time before, you know, in terms   of their approach and their tactics,   and the way they're operating with tech up. No doubt they would have,   fine tuned that a little bit.  

[00:48:34] Unknown:

I did. And I don't   think you have Sorry. I was just gonna say, talking of you lying on the floor just to just to cover that,   I did actually play the falling down song at the beginning of the show in your honor.   This this Thank you.  

[00:48:49] Unknown:

I do feel very honored with it. Very honored.  

[00:48:52] Unknown:

Well, what a picture. You do need to get that printed out big Colin and put on your wall. I would.   It's a it's out of honor. And I I do think that if that didn't happen in Manchester,   I believe that there would have been the full 1,500   there, but they were really   putting it out there, wouldn't they, advising you? It's been all over the news.  

[00:49:12] Unknown:

It's been all over the news. And, you know We'll put it in the next few minutes.  

[00:49:16] Unknown:

I mean and it and it's clear as well. I mean, just the overview   of the campaign,   slightly wider campaign. I mean, clearly, it is getting under people's skin in all the right places. You're probably aware.   Just a day or two later, announcements were made,   from probably from the home office.   By the way, we're thinking to clamp down.   What was the terminology used for the on repeat protests?  

[00:49:42] Unknown:

Repeat protests. That's right. That's yeah. I did mention that.  

[00:49:47] Unknown:

Repeat protests. It is absolutely outrageous  

[00:49:49] Unknown:

to mention. Oh, no. You're allowed to repeat protests, though, but just not in the same place. So   go take your protest elsewhere.  

[00:49:58] Unknown:

No. The the sort of under, you know, the unspoken bit is you can protest   as long as you're not gonna be affected.   You know what I mean? You think of the suffragettes. The suffragettes come to mind. One protest from the suffragettes, you would have done nothing, you know. It was a persistent campaign   probably over years, I would imagine.   Certainly over many, many months at a minimum.   So eventually so the pressure builds and builds and builds. And eventually, there's it's enough pressure against the wall that the wall crumbles. I mean, that's the nature of protest.   Yeah.  

Or a protest act.  

[00:50:33] Unknown:

Time over pressure, isn't it? Yeah. Or pressure over time. Yeah.  

[00:50:37] Unknown:

Yeah. So people are clearly rattled,   and, you know, they're they're obviously   trying to think their way to a solution.   So that there is that trend. I mean, that is so concerning   in a sort of broader context, you know, the kind of attitude where you can protest as long as you're not affecting anything, you know. That will just give you lip service so you feel like maybe you can release your frustration for a little bit. The thing is you've had  

[00:51:02] Unknown:

the thing is you've had all these useful idiots over the last few years that have been super gluing their faces to the tarmac and all that kind of thing.   Yeah. And and I'm I'm when I say useful idiot, that's exactly what I mean because   these people are useful only to one group of people. You know? The people that are trying to sort of manipulate things and pull the strings and and and hoodwink public opinion.   The social engineer is an idiot. The social engineers. Yeah. For for want of a better word. Yeah.   Yeah.  

So yeah. I I like but like you say, I think it's   about more about keeping up the pressure, really. Obviously, if if you're causing a reaction in in the respect that they're trying to get give police,   broader powers to restrict repeat protests, quote, unquote.   Yeah. And also, STAMA targets inflammatory   chants   for Palestine protests   for further curbs.   So,   PM says Labour will address suggestion of anti Semitic hate as he orders review of protest   policing powers. Well, nobody's talking about being anti Semitic. And I aren't the Palestinian Semitic as well? I thought they were. I thought it was just like a   a group of anyway, I thought it was just a group of people. So   Yeah. I don't see how it can be deemed anti Semitic, but obviously in light of this thing that occurred a couple of days ago or a few days ago, which was   horrible. No. You know, I think the worst travesty of all that is that some innocent guy got shot by the police.  

You know,   I would that's not the worst travesty obviously, but, you know, it's,   you   know, I I just think it's being   it's it's never waste a good crisis, is it? You know? And I think it's it's been very much sort of politicized this thing now. Particularly in light of this, we're going to have to clamp down on these protests, and let's grant the police further powers,   you know, on this basis.  

[00:53:00] Unknown:

Yeah. Yeah.   Yeah. And they did say he did say, I'm I'm pretty sure, they were going to act quite quickly on that. So we'll have to see what quickly means. I mean, I hope we can get   at least one more good hurrah. Well, really, I hope speed, my friend. Operation warp speed.   Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.  

[00:53:18] Unknown:

I mean, it doesn't really up the end here. I was just gonna say, hold hold that thought because we're coming close to the top of the hour.   Are you happy to stay on for a little bit longer? I think I think Shelley's here for at least another half hour. So,  

[00:53:30] Unknown:

Yeah. It could be a bit longer.  

[00:53:32] Unknown:

Okeydoke. Well, folks, you are listening live to radiosoapbox.com   and  

[00:53:39] Unknown:

Miss Shelley Tasker   and our wonderful wonderful guest, mister Colin Gaughton.  

[00:53:44] Unknown:

Fantastic.   So   talking of pressure and time, we're going I know we had this one last week, but it just seems   just seems rather apt. So enjoy, folks. We'll see you in a few minutes.   So radiosoapbox.com   and Radio Free Air, I believe. This is the Shelley Tasker Show,   and Shelley should be with us any second.  

[00:54:21] Unknown:

I was just good evening. Welcome back. I was just swallowing a paracetamol.   Oh my god. Stuck in my throat.   And I literally quickly hit the mute button. I was like, oh my god. I'm gonna have a choking episode. Anyway  

[00:54:36] Unknown:

Thank goodness you didn't regurgitate it all over the microphone.   There we go.  

[00:54:42] Unknown:

Oh, crikey.   Anyway, right. So where were we?  

[00:54:46] Unknown:

We were just talking about, you know, a pressure and time, believe it or not.   Yeah. Just, you know, keeping up the pressure with with the protest. And I like I say, Colin, I find it real I find it quite interesting that they they obviously seemed a lot more organized this time.  

[00:55:02] Unknown:

Yes.  

[00:55:03] Unknown:

But they were obviously a lot more confident because the turnout was a lot lot smaller. And I think that's in in many ways, that's such a shame because,   you know, alright. People will have taken note of what the government have advised,   you know, not showing up to the protest, all that kind of thing. But,   isn't that what this is about? Not paying it, you know, not paying heed to what the government's not not not paying heed, but it's just, you know, shouldn't this be a big   up yours   at, that moment in time?  

[00:55:35] Unknown:

Well, for me, as I'm sure you're aware, the bigger the up yours, the better. You know?   Quite a big up you know, quite a big up yours is totally warranted for me.   And as I said, you know, someone of my ilk wouldn't have dreamed of but in any way, some anything mister Stallman said.   But it's a different type of person maybe is the typical   person going to this,   particular event, you know, that that's more measured in what they do, weighs things up more carefully.   And they they would probably be aware of they're probably a lot more worried about judgment being passed upon them by their their circle of friends and, you know, perhaps a lot more conservative in their approach.  

[00:56:16] Unknown:

Well, then people just need more courage in their convictions, surely.  

[00:56:21] Unknown:

Absolutely.   I you know, ideally,   that would be so.   But I don't know. Maybe it'll   maybe there'll be a sort of kickback in the next ones if   the Met Police and mister Starmer don't find other ways to kinda mute it a little bit again, which they'll be looking for. Of course, they'll be,   it'll be anything they can to put people off. That's kind of their role in this, isn't it? That's their job,   is to minimize   the attendance as much as they can. They'll say anything to do there, you know, dirty tricks or not.   So that's kind of to be expected.  

Our government's  

[00:56:57] Unknown:

dirty tricks.   How very dare you, sir.  

[00:57:02] Unknown:

Yeah. Yeah.   Yeah. So we'll just see what happens in November, but, hopefully, there'll be a a big sort of kickback again.   So It's not really clear exactly what's gonna happen in November. You've you probably had the same email I've had, it sounds like, Shelley. They're talking about Yes. It is. Yeah. More localized kind of events.   I had to tick a box to sail within the Southeast. You probably tick for the Southwest.   Yeah. So   so they but it was very scant detail. Well, no details at all with it. Just they wanted to know where you are and when you might   might be willing to act.  



[00:57:39] Unknown:

So I think I supposedly,   at the end, after   after this between the twenty fifth and twenty seventh,   it's kind of over one way or another, isn't it? It's either gonna be deprescribed   or state prescribed.  

[00:57:57] Unknown:

Yes. Order   order eight zero three could be deemed to have been unlawful,   and then it's kind of over then.   If it's not deemed to be unlawful and it's still not,   it's still uncertain whether the judicial   review will actually go ahead.   I think it was September   26.   The high court heard an appeal by the by the home office   to prevent the judicial review from going ahead.   The government were trying to block the judicial review,   and no judgment was handed down   on that day.   So   the judges in that case, they just said, well, we'll take a while. We'll go away and think about it, and we'll announce a judgment   in the coming weeks.  

It might not have been their exact expression in the coming weeks, but, you know, over   the next kind of weeks, we'll announce a judgment. So it might be it's announced, okay, no judicial review. The judicial the government has successfully   blocked off the judicial review.   Right. And so, ideally, what would happen then,   either if the government managed to block the judicial review or the judicial review   doesn't come down   in favor of   deeming it to be unlawful,   If the judicial review doesn't go our way,   then again, I would hope the campaign would be escalated   further.  

And maybe then it might be a benefit that some people postponed on the   the last one November,   and that could be a real strong showing,   after the if the judicial review has gone the wrong way. Yeah. Yeah. I like your thinking. There really there really needs to be a big kick back then.   But who knows, you know? Who knows?  

[00:59:45] Unknown:

Yeah. We can only wait and see. And see. Wait and see. We said at the same time. Yeah. Can't do a lot more.   But   credit to you. Credit to you indeed. Absolutely.  

[00:59:54] Unknown:

Absolutely.   Colin, what do you think about all this ID card nonsense that's being banded about?  

[01:00:01] Unknown:

Very concerning, isn't it?   Very concerning.   And, again, there's a there's a very old kickback against it, isn't it? But it does concern me how   how   good,   as we saw demonstrated   through the whole COVID thing,   the government and the people behind them, they're very good at the sort of coercive measures, aren't they?   So though although   I think   probably ninety percent well, certainly, probably higher than that, it's about a hundred percent of the people I'm connected with just say no way. Not having it. Gonna strongly oppose it,   you know, to the point of refusing.  

But, you know, once they pull out their bag of once the government pull out their bag of tricks, you know, and it's something oh, okay. I mean, just for instance, okay. You're just retiring. You thought you were gonna get a nice pension.   Well, sorry.   No digit digital ID. No pension.   You know, they're gonna be very   they're gonna turn the screw hard on it, aren't they? They are. So I think I think as much as a lot of us would want to say, no. I'm not gonna comply. Not gonna comply.   I think the realistic   view of it is it's, you know, unless one has   very carefully positioned oneself beforehand,   I think it's gonna be very hard to resist.  

There's gonna be a reason I can not comply with it.  

[01:01:21] Unknown:

Yeah. I think you're right. And   it has been shown a lot today that somebody   has that the government has responded to the petition,   which Yeah. On   October 3, has have just under 3,000,000 signatures. So I should imagine now we're well over, like, 3,000,000 signatures.   And it has, like, seven days left to plan a debate date.   However, somebody has had a response, and it says the government has responded to the petition you signed,   do not introduce a digital ID,   was we will introduce a digital ID within this parliament to help tackle a legal migration   and make accesses   government services easier.  



[01:01:58] Unknown:

Oh, what a lovely excuse.   Problem, reaction,   solution.   Cause a problem, already have what you want, they're ready to roll,   and then   use the problem to create the solution.  

[01:02:12] Unknown:

Yeah. It's a very blatant example of that.   And all the relevant experts have come out and said, well,   you know, it won't have any impact on the,   migration situation anyway.   Of course, it won't.   The I mean, if anything  

[01:02:30] Unknown:

if anything, it will just legitimize it.  

[01:02:33] Unknown:

Yeah.   Yeah. And I think, you know, unusually in this kind of situation,   everybody who's saying they're gonna be noncompliant, they can see that. They can see. Well, sorry. That's a load of nonsense. You know? It's quite unusual in that respect. I think normally a much higher proportion of the public kinda buy the ticket as it were. You know? They buy it as sold to them. Whereas this   time, you know, just about everybody I know is saying, well, sorry. That's a load of nonsense.   You know?   But it will come down to, you know, how easy will it be to not comply.  

[01:03:08] Unknown:

Well Well, this is it. If you think of everything, bank accounts, banking, and this is what it'll be used for. They're saying mainly   for workplaces,   for employments, you will need to have part be part of this to, like, get your wages paid and stuff like that.   And it's mainly to be Yeah. Clearly, that's the thing. That's the thing in the end of the wage, isn't it? Clearly. Yeah. Mhmm. But everywhere you'll be yeah. And I mean, you know, I I almost there's a little bit of me that thinks, well, I've got a passport, I've got a driving license, and, you know, I I use the NHS app.   They've got my details.  

But it's You've got a mobile phone, chef. I've got a mobile phone, mister Scott. Don't you know it? God. Don't get them started on mobile phones.   And also,   burner phones, they have massively sales in the last two weeks have gone up and mentored. An amount of people that are saying, right, I'm ditching my mobile phone and I'm going to a burner phone   so that they don't have to comply. But it is it's one of those things because, like, you know, our our friend Joe,   couldn't get a doctor's appointment and stuff like that. Well, like I've said before, if you've got the app, you can go in and book an appointment.   You know? It's like how much they've kind of got you one way unless you're, well, like, Joe is just,   stubborn, stubborn, stubborn. And I'm not yes. You have gotta be like that, but when your health is on the line and stuff and you want that doctor's appointment, if I can get an app that's gonna get me back,  

[01:04:33] Unknown:

I'm in it. Yeah. But, Shelley, if your health is on the line, you're really gonna trust the white coats of Baphomet,   really.   Well, to some extreme, I would, if it was an emergency. Yes. Well, if you've broken your leg, you got you got treatment anyway. But I mean, if it's just, you know,  

[01:04:49] Unknown:

I've I've had a bit of diarrhea or or whatever. No. No. No. No. Do you know what I mean? I I mean things that you do need to speak to somebody about and hopefully try and get medication about. You know? We know how hard it is to get a GP's appointment   and now a certain amount are taking up I read   a post by somebody else that was saying that most they they allocate a certain amount now to the illegal immigrants as well. And I mean they are human beings,   they are people and I'm not saying   they should be bloody, you know, we hate the fact, but it's, at the end of the day, it's not their fault that they're here, it's our government's fault for letting them come over here. If they're gonna try and move abroad for a better life, who you would as well, wouldn't you? If you think, oh, we go. We get a nice hotel and everything like that. I live in squalor blah blah blah. If you fall into that road, those Though, Shelley, you we're struggling for doctor's appointments and these hotels actually have doctors assigned to them as you know.   I know. And and that's what I'm saying. It's really difficult because you can't you wouldn't wanna be that person. It's like I've got this argument with the, well, not the argument, the RNLI,   the lifeboats.  

If you're seeing somebody drowning in the sea,   are you gonna save them or are you just gonna let them drown just because  

[01:06:02] Unknown:

It rather depends on whether the French authorities have called the RNLI direct and said you've got migrants coming across in in a boat.   Why didn't they use their own coast guard to go and pick them up in the first place and say, no. You're not allowed to do this? Very true. Very true. Yeah. It's it's the French it's it's it's the by and large, it's the French contacting the RNLI to tell them that there's boats out there.   Right. Right. And this is charity rum. This is run out of the pockets of the individuals that choose to donate because it's a good idea to save lives at sea, and I'm not   disputing that.  

You know? And I'm not disputing that some of these people's lives may be at risk.   But if if it's half the time, if it's the if it is the French authorities reporting it to the RNLI, I think that the sorry. The buck should've stopped with them, not wait until they get to the middle of the channel and go, oh, sorry. We missed them.  

[01:06:53] Unknown:

Yeah. Yeah. It is crazy. But this still I mean, lots of people know that this goes on anyway, but this was,   in the Daily Mail,   today, actually.   A charity took 70 migrants for a day at the seaside   to help them get over the trauma of coming to The UK by small boats.  

[01:07:11] Unknown:

The charity basically accepted It's like giving an alcoholic a bottle of absinthe as a gift.  

[01:07:16] Unknown:

They were treated to a beach day which included swimming, dancing, relaxation   and connection   at Margate in Kent just along the coast from Dover where the small boat sailed to. This summer's visit was organised by refugee charity West London Welcome.   Posting about the day trip on its website, charity bosses explained   over 70 of us went to Margate together for a day of swimming, dancing, relaxation.   For community members who have taken life threatening boat journeys   or lost loved ones at sea, being by the sea can stem traumatic memories and emotions,   so having fun there amongst friends can be very healing.  

A picture posted online by the charity showing a woman wearing what appears to be a Palestine kefir, I don't know if I've said that right, At the beach, also pictured was an asylum seeker,   cycling national champion in Ethiopia before she fled her country for London.   They've they've organized canoeing days out, all sorts of things. But, yeah, so this charity,   it shows what 33 and a half thousand people across the channel in small boats so far this year.   33,000.   I mean   quadruple that that's the population   well quadruple that that's the population of Cornwall   you know. Yep.  

I know. Yeah. I mean received,   what, 359,000   or is that million, from its grants and donations,   including around £20,000   from the taxpayer via Hammersmith and Fulham council and other government contributions,   though they say the Margate trip was entirely funded by private cash.  

[01:08:57] Unknown:

Right.   Well, you know, as as long as the that   South London borough has not got potholes and stuff in its roads, I guess they can spare the cash.  

[01:09:08] Unknown:

I'm sure they haven't.  

[01:09:10] Unknown:

I'm sure they haven't. They can't have. Otherwise, charity wouldn't start at home, would it? No. Yeah. No. Anyway   anyway, this was supposed to be about ID. I was just wondering. Yeah. Oh, yes. Sorry. Well, we got we got on to the immigrants, didn't we? Yeah. Sorry. Obviously, it's, you know, it's part and parcel of it. But what a what an excellent excuse, actually, to bring in a digital ID, you know. Of course, it's a it's an excellent excuse to, you know, bring in these sorts of things to just to keep tabs on all the folks rather than just some of them.   Look, you know, there's a reason   why down here well, I don't know what you've got up there, Colin, but you will probably have the equivalent. We have WilderNet   down here, which has just rolled out   fiber optics to even the most rural parts of Cornwall. Not all of them have been hit yet. But the government don't actually have an interest in whether   you can download a move a four k movie and what and stream it on your TV. They've got no interest in that. So why would they have an interest in rolling out all this   infrastructure   to rural areas.  

And this is this is all about the digital ID. This is all about the conformity. This is all about,   essentially   centralizing   everything.   Yep.  

[01:10:31] Unknown:

Yeah. And not cheap. There's a lot of lot of investment in that, isn't there? Oh, crikey.  

[01:10:36] Unknown:

I think   the year that,   the year that Wildenet rolled out through here, there had been   something   like 24   or 22 or 24,000,000   of private   investment, let alone what the government was subsidizing.   So someone's got a vested interest in it.  

[01:10:56] Unknown:

Yeah.  

[01:10:57] Unknown:

Absolutely.   Yeah. Yeah.   Crazy.   Crazy days.  

[01:11:03] Unknown:

They are crazy days that we're living in.  

[01:11:06] Unknown:

So, I'm aware that you've got to leave us in about just under ten minutes, Shelley. Is there anything else you wanted to to cover?  

[01:11:13] Unknown:

There was that other clip I thought you might found interesting.   Okey doke. Excuse me. The one that you played by mistake.  

[01:11:21] Unknown:

It wasn't mistake. I just thought that was the clip. I did it on purpose.  

[01:11:27] Unknown:

That's alright then. Okeydokey.  

[01:11:29] Unknown:

What?   Any introduction to this, or are we are we to just take it at face value?  

[01:11:34] Unknown:

Take it at face value.  

[01:11:36] Unknown:

Okay. Here we go, folks. GB News could exclusively reveal that a Welsh primary school has been slammed after worried parents were branded racist   for raising concerns   about an Islam   lesson. Let me explain. Seaview Primary School in Swansea recently brought in a representative from a local mosque to teach the school children about Islam, but parents complained that Christian denominations   don't get the same representation   in their religious education lessons. Apparently,   parents were not informed about the visits beforehand.   And then when some objected to the lessons, they were apparently made to feel as though they were racist. Children were being marked down on things like misspelling   mosque or,   Quran.  

But there is a bit more to this.   There is even the claim that one of the parents sorry. One of the children   said, I'm Christian.   I don't pray,   to Allah. And that the person who came in to that school to give that talk and to be with the children said that by the time you hit year six, you will all be Muslim. Well, local reform UK counselor, Franchesca O'Brien, organized a public meeting this morning   to discuss the issue. She joins me now live. Franchesca, thank you very, very much. It's meant to have you, on the show. So what is it that local parents are, a, complaining about, be so worried about?  

[01:12:57] Unknown:

Couple of things. Thank you, Patrick.   Actually, this morning was quite an eye opener. Many of the parents contacted me at the end of last week raising concerns that a representative   from one of the local mosques here in Swansea attended the school, without the parents' knowledge.   And they were taught how to pray on a mat,   how to fast,   and,   recite in prayers to Allah.   I took phone calls from parents where they said the children were reciting the the prayer off of the top of their head.   And these are children as young as five. So it does raise a number of concerns, and I could feel that there was a lot of tension in the community.   I was asked to attend. I said I was happy to listen to them. I think they felt unheard.  

So today was quite an eye opening. And as I said, there was a number of parents there, some too scared to even come because they felt they would be branded racist. Mhmm. There have been accusations,   that some in particular   was called a racist,   and that is something we're going to be looking into.   But huge issues there. The imbalance of religious beliefs. You know, do do children actually know the Lord's Prayer? We're meant to live in in in Britain. We're in a Christian country. So is there an imbalance in religious studies in our primary schools here in Wales? I think maybe we we've only just touched the the tip of the iceberg here, Patrick.  

[01:14:19] Unknown:

Yeah. And and I think what what the school has has come back to us. They've said that,   you know, at times, they they will celebrate Christian festivals,  

[01:14:28] Unknown:

and things like that. That's what they said. But  

[01:14:31] Unknown:

That's it. Yeah. Very interesting.   At the same time, though, this is typical GB for me, personally,   this is typical GB News and typical reform party   leaping on something. Well, you know, if a child gets marked down for spelling the Quran wrong, then they weren't listening.   So the surely, they should get marked down. This is these are just little little   little levering tools that they use on people to make them think, oh, yes. I'm outraged. You know?   At the end of the day, do the kids know the Lord's Prayer? We do we didn't actually,   ascertain that by the end of the article. So   It wasn't in balance.  



[01:15:12] Unknown:

Do they not? I I well, I no. They don't. They don't teach them that at schools anymore.   I mean, I went to a funeral, and I said a while ago, there will be a day   when people go to funerals or stuff and are asked to say the Lord's prayer and they won't know it. They don't teach it anymore.   You know, and I'm all for people learning about different religions. I think it's interesting,   but it's just at such a young age.   And I know that news channel, but it's just the fact it's the whole Allah stuff over Christianity.   So many people feel that way, don't they? Well, I'd be interested  

[01:15:47] Unknown:

I'd be interested to hear a statement from the from the guy who actually told them that they would be all,   you know, practicing Islam by year six.   That's that's   seems to me like a bit of an overstep. So if that's the case And that's why By all means, people be people should be outraged,   because surely, you know, if a child can choose in this day and age whether they want to be a boy or girl, they shouldn't be told by year six they'll be preaching Islam.   So I can understand the outrage on that,   on many levels. But   I just you know, for me,   this is one of these let's you and them fight things. Let's let's let's let's cause a problem here. And whether that was instigated by the school or the news company or the political party,   kind of makes no difference to me.  



[01:16:39] Unknown:

Okay. Fair enough. Your thoughts, Colin?  

[01:16:43] Unknown:

I'm gonna express no strong views on this one.   Okay. Absolutely fine. It looks it looks like a bit of a minefield from what I am. So It it is a minefield, and that's the thing is We're gonna play we're gonna play safe. It's not my specialist subject.  

[01:16:56] Unknown:

It's not mine. I just I just see a lot of controversy   over the whole,   you know, faith. Yes. The faith story. So I just find it interesting.   Yeah. There's a lot of different issues kind of playing in together there, aren't there? There's a lot of ultimately, they want us all fighting, isn't it? That's what they want. That's what they want. Yeah. Absolutely.  

[01:17:20] Unknown:

Yeah. And as you as you say, Scott, I mean, the the media, they're very good at stirring up a controversy.  

[01:17:26] Unknown:

Yeah. Well, GB News is GB News, last time I looked, which was about a year ago, were 56,000,000   in debt and still rolling. I mean, I who who who's paying them? Wow. It's nice to know. Interesting question.   Yeah. Yeah. Do you know who's paying for them? Do you know the answer? Or you just No. No. I just no. No. Well, do you know what? I take it I I take it our diligent audience   will go and look into it for themselves rather than me spell it out because I don't wanna get myself into trouble. Yep.   Yep. Fair enough. Fair enough. So it's down to it's down to go and do your due diligence, people.  

[01:18:03] Unknown:

Yeah. Yeah. And you're right. It's like we were talking about at the start of the show about what the press or who you can trust, what are reliable sources, and how 80% of it is actually factual wrong.  

[01:18:14] Unknown:

So I just dug that one out earlier and perhaps I should have thought a bit more on it before I shared it. Oh, no. I'm glad you brought it up. It's a good it's a great clip because it it provides a great example of how the media is used, I think. Yeah. Yeah. For me, anyway. That's just, you know, you know what? You know, I'm very opinionated. People often say to me, are you left or right wing? I'm neither. I'm just very opinionated. Yeah. Well, there we are, folks. I've gotta go because I've gotta go to work. It is that every other Wednesday where mister Scott will take control for the next half of the show.  

[01:18:48] Unknown:

And, Colin, thank you so much for coming on again and giving us an update. Really.   I really appreciate it. It's lovely to hear what's going on and keep up the awesome work. Yeah. Indeed. Definitely do. And, yeah, and keep up the integrity.  

[01:19:02] Unknown:

Isn't that what it's all about, really? Personal integrity?   So hat off to you, sir.  

[01:19:08] Unknown:

Thank you. Thank you. Take care. Goodbye for the meeting. Bye, Colin. Take care. Take care. Good to you. Bye.  

[01:19:14] Unknown:

Bye bye.  

[01:19:16] Unknown:

Welcome, missus Tasker. It's been it feels so very brief when it's only an hour and a half.   But I hope you have a a spiffing evening at work and you get some  

[01:19:27] Unknown:

relaxing evening as well. I do   because I literally go there at nine, sit down for an hour, and then I go to bed and I look at it as my little holiday each week. I love that bed and I've got a good book that I'm into. So, yeah,   it will be fine.   So  

[01:19:45] Unknown:

I will leave you. Alright. Well, look, you take care. You've been listening to Shelley Tasker on the Shelley Tasker show show, folks.  

[01:19:54] Unknown:

At radiosoapbox.com   and listening   via the repeat  

[01:19:58] Unknown:

on Clear Air FM, The Sound of Freedom. Yeah. And hopefully you guys can yeah. Hopefully you guys can hear me this week as well as Shelley. So sorry about that, folks. My fault, not Shelley's.   Look. Take care, Shelley. Have a good one, missus. Lots of love. You take care. Will do. You too. Take care. Bye, everyone.   Cheerio.   Well, I'm gonna,   play play a tune now, and after that, we're gonna get into the first half of as I've promised for a couple of weeks, we're getting gonna get into the first half of other losses.   For those of you who are sat in the studio,   it may not come through for you as it is playing from my desktop as the file is far too large to upload   to, StreamYard.  

But,   nevertheless,   as Shelly said, you are have been listening live on Radio Soapbox and Clear Air FM or on the repeat on Clear Air FM.   I'm gonna play a little interval now, and we will come back with other losses. James Buck, if you have not read the book or seen the movie,   seriously consider it. It's a it's a real eye opener. Who knew   that more German soldiers died after World War two   than during it? How does that happen,   folks? How does it happen? We'll find out after the break. Take care.   All my previous day crafts collapsed.   Every bird fell on my back. I didn't see it coming.  

So in Hammond again, the unbearable   pain, a wave of the words to speak from my face. Now only enlightened time with you guys spent, we have come to an end.   Just lying on the bed and listening voices in my head, but I realize the truth. I don't need your fucking will because it's too much to be lived,   Moment of one by n seven.   What a tune.   I recently discovered these guys   ended up making a whole album. I will fill you in next show,   on that.   They,   well, yeah, I'll fill you in next show rather than, procrastinate   now. We've got   over an hour of footage on this thing that I wanna run through. So I'm gonna excuse my brevity, but I'm gonna jump straight on it.  

So this,   who as I said before the break, who knew that more German soldiers died after the war than during   World War two?   So this will this will give you,   this will give you the full background and the full story.   Enjoy. So this is Other Losses,   James Bark.   And we'll play the other the other half in two weeks' time when Shelley takes her half hour hiatus as she does every other week. So   any any,   I just wanna say, any problems or any,   issues with the information that's put out, feel free to contact me,   on my email address, which is [email protected].   Ma,ll,[email protected].  

Ma,ll,[email protected].   If you've liked what you've heard or if you haven't liked what you heard,   by all means, just get in contact.   So, here we go. Without further ado, are the losses?  

[01:28:18] Unknown:

By the 1944,   the people of Germany were dying, their cities on fire,   their armed forces surrounded,   outnumbered,   retreating on every front.   Still, the conquering allies   were afraid of Germany despite their own overwhelming military strength.   British prime minister Winston Churchill   was afraid that the German spirit would rise again, and they would attack the British Empire.   American president   Franklin Roosevelt   was afraid that German industrialists   would rise again and conquer world markets.   Soviet premier   Joseph Stalin   was afraid that German fascism would rise again   and destroy communism.  

As Allied tanks were racing into Germany in September   1944,   Churchill and Roosevelt met in Quebec City   to decide what to do after the war was over.   They discussed a plan to pastoralize   Germany,   which meant in reality to keep on killing Germans   for years   after they had surrendered.   Was a new word in good speak,   the language which controls people by deceiving them.   Pastoralization   meant that even after Germany surrendered, there would be no peace.   Instead, the war would continue by other means.   Like the war itself,   the post war treatment was carefully planned.  

First, allied planes   swept over the battlefields,   dropping a powerful drug   called hope   onto the German soldiers.   The drug was contained in millions   of leaflets,   promising peace, food, and shelter   if the soldiers   surrendered.   The next phase of the plan was devised by Roosevelt's   friend, Henry c Morgenthau,   who was secretary of the US Treasury.   In their meeting at Quebec, president Roosevelt approved the Morgenthau plan   to pastoralize   Germany, but Winston Churchill   said it was unnatural,   unchristian,   and unnecessary.   Then Morgenthau   persuaded Roosevelt to offer Churchill   an enormous   bribe of $6,000,000,000   to approve the plan.  

Churchill and Roosevelt   secretly approved it in September   1944.   Within a few weeks, the press discovered that the Morgenthau plan would starve Germans to death after the war.   This enraged   the people of North America and Britain   who wanted peace, not vengeance.   In The United States,   Thomas Dewey, a senior Republican,   said,   this is like adding 10 fresh divisions   to the German army.   German propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels,   ordered every civilian to turn his house into a fortress.   Roosevelt hastily covered up the Morgenthau   plan under another Goodspeak term,   joint chiefs of staff order one zero six seven or simply JCS   one zero six seven.  

Under this title, the Morgenthau plan to pastoralize   Germany   was being implemented even before the German surrender in May   1945.   The allies said in a press conference in March   1945   that their many millions of German prisoners   would be protected   by the International  

[01:32:06] Unknown:

Red Cross under the Geneva Convention. Now, no more killing. No more casualties.  

[01:32:12] Unknown:

But the Americans   prevented the Red Cross from visiting the starving prisoners.   Trying to give this treatment legal justification in March 1945,   General Eisenhower,   allied commander in Western Europe,   asked his commander in Washington,   General George Marshall,   to invent a new category called   Disarmed Enemy Forces,   d e f.   This was more good speak, meaning that many German soldiers lost their precious right   to visits from the Red Cross camp inspectors   under the Geneva Convention.   When that right was abolished,   Eisenhower could hide the deadly conditions in the US army prison camps.  

The prisoners were routinely   deprived of shelter, medical aid, and food.   Some did not even receive water for days.   Once they were designated   disarmed enemy forces, DEF, instead of prisoners of war,   they were entitled to nothing.   Joachim Booth,   as a young lieutenant, was a prisoner first in Buderich,   then in Rheinberg.  

[01:33:35] Unknown:

Well, from my own experience, I saw that the wounded were left unattended.   No one cared.   We were treated just like cattle.   There was no camp, just the Rhine Meadows, which later turned into a swampy morass.   There were no tents or shelter of any kind, and they had robbed us of everything.   We were all freezing, shivering with cold.   We were standing, lying, squatting, and so we huddled together like football players. We tried to find a dry spot and lay there in the open, of course.   That was how it was.   There were older people who did not survive all this. We got almost nothing to eat, let alone a hot meal.   For the first approximately 100,000 people, there was a single source of rainwater.  

It was a pipe as thick as one's arm through which rainwater was pumped, running continuously.   And there, if you were lucky, by jostling in the muck, you could just fill a little tin can with Rhine water.   The result was an outbreak of diseases,   typhoid fever, which I contracted as well.  

[01:34:57] Unknown:

The main preparation the Americans made   for most prisoners   was to erect barbed wire fences around swampy meadows   along the Rhine River.   Everyone in Germany wearing a uniform, including street car drivers, foresters,   wounded men in hospitals and their nurses,   was taken to the barbed wire prison gates   stripped of identity markers,   robbed of their valuables,   and abandoned in the mud.  

[01:35:38] Unknown:

Later, lootings happened every day in the so called camp. During the daily war call, US soldiers, one with a machine gun and another, robbing the people. Everything had to be shown, wedding rings, medals, military, decorations of honor if you had them. They had them all over their bodies, the rich watches all the way up their arms.   They took everything. And what did not interest them, they threw in the mud.   They said that ring can't be pulled off. And so they drew a knife and simply chopped off the finger.  

[01:36:15] Unknown:

Hidden from the Red Cross and journalists,   the Americans began to keep false records   of the prisoner totals, including transfers,   additions, and so on. But there was a strange category   marked other losses.   The meaning of this term was explained in 1988   by colonel Philip s Laban,   chief of the German affairs branch   of army headquarters.   Other losses meant deaths and escapes.   And the escapes were very, very minor, fewer than one tenth of 1%,   colonel Lobban said.   Washington   ordered   Eisenhower to keep the situation in the camps secret.   The message to him read,   Germans are responsible for feeding and maintaining   disarmed enemy troops.  

There should be no public declaration   regarding status German armed forces or disarmed troops.   But the prisoners themselves   were well aware of their status   as they stood in the open fields in the mud.  

[01:37:32] Unknown:

So when we were shoved off the boxcars, we were driven into the meadows in a big pack. And at the very beginning, we were told over the loudspeaker,   you are not regular prisoners of war. You are disarmed enemies, and therefore do not fall under the Geneva Convention.   And we were also told to make things perfectly clear on Eisenhower's order in English and in German   that they had not come to free us from National Socialism,   but to eliminate Germany once and for all.  

[01:38:14] Unknown:

At first, Eisenhower had been told to feed his prisoners   from small captured German   stocks, not from the abundant American supplies.   But a few weeks afterwards, on May 8,   Eisenhower, as military governor of Western Germany,   sent out this contradictory   message to all German citizens   through their local governments.   Under no circumstances   may food supplies be assembled among the inhabitants   in order to bring them to the German prisoners of war.   Those who violate this command and nevertheless try to circumvent this blockade,   place themselves in danger of being shot.  

Not knowing this order,   16 year old Irene Baltz   learned of the terrible need in the camp   near her home in Heilbronn   and took her aunt's basket full of food collected from local farmers   to the camp.  

[01:39:15] Unknown:

So we said, oh, that will be wonderful. Now those guys have   at least something to eat and they can share it with others.   So we went up there and we seen a,   American   soldier which gathered. You know, there are many of them, but he was there where we came.   And we asked him if he would give that to the prisoners, and he said, oh, sure.   So he went and then he opened the door and we followed them and we've seen how he walked in. And he put it on a on one of those holes very close by.   And so all of a sudden, you're seeing two, three, four guys   crawling out. And so soon he got close to the basket, he took a cannister of gas,   thrown it in,   put a,   match into it, and   everything went up   in flames. And, naturally,   my girlfriend and I, we stood there and cried like two little kids.  



[01:40:16] Unknown:

Eisenhower's   new orders were so strictly enforced   that one   US army guard named Martin Brecht   was told that he would be shot if he gave bread to the prisoners.  

[01:40:29] Unknown:

I was a guard at the US army prison camp, and I was warned not to speak about what I experienced, so I'd be in trouble.  

[01:40:36] Unknown:

Why do you think,   people warned you not to speak out?  

[01:40:41] Unknown:

Well, the conditions in the in the camp were abominable.   We neglected to feed them properly. They got a can of watery soup once a day, and it was it was so inadequate they were throwing grass and weeds into it when I can find them. They were starving.   And we did not have enough water for them even. We were near the Rhine River, so they would crawl under the wires   in an effort to get some water, and we'd machine gun them when they did that.   Machine gun them. Yes.   And   they had no blankets, no tents.   Some of them had no overcoats.   And they were sleeping in the mud. This was April towards the end of the war.  

And, it was a cold,   late spring, and so it was they were dying and dying in great numbers. And what impressed us, all of us, of course, were the trucks hauling their bodies away. We were told when we were on guard duty to shoot any civilians that approached the wires for any reason.  

[01:41:35] Unknown:

And these prisoners   had surrendered in expectation   that they would be treated according to the Geneva Convention. Is that correct? That's correct. They made great effort to surrender to us rather than and the Russians  

[01:41:47] Unknown:

thinking we would treat them decently.  

[01:41:50] Unknown:

And they were captured in uniform. They were not   committing any war crimes or ever accused  

[01:41:56] Unknown:

of war crimes. Is that No, we had prisoners there from age, it looked like 12 or younger perhaps   and or over 70 or, you know, old men and very young children   in the camp.  

[01:42:10] Unknown:

And this camp consisted just of a field and barbed wire and dying prisoners?  

[01:42:15] Unknown:

That's right, yes.   How did you feel about this?   Well, I was 18 and this was a very,   outrageous experience to me. I was I was shocked   and some of the other prison guards were shocked too. Some of them were very blase about this. Did you  

[01:42:32] Unknown:

all go together and make a protest or anything like that? No. I made individual protests to to my media superiors  

[01:42:39] Unknown:

and   a friend of mine was on KP, kitchen duty,   and he would give me K rations.   So I would throw them over the wires.   And I've kept silent so long,   I've been repressed so long.   And   so   I'd be threatened   by the court martial.   And finally, when I kept doing this, when an officer   in exasperation threatened to shoot me, of course, this probably was hyperbole, but   these,   seem to be a very   strict order that they were following.   And one of them bothered to explain to me   that they were following orders too,   and this is the way it should be, and I dare not oppose them.  

[01:43:44] Unknown:

Perhaps it was not hyperbole.   The French who took over many hundreds of thousands of prisoners   from the Americans in July   1945   to use as slave labor in France   also had such orders.   This order   contravened the Geneva Convention   and Eisenhower's   own personal promises to the German soldiers.   Several women were shot and killed   by guards at the Rhine camps, including Frau Anya Spera,   who brought food to the prisoners in the French camps at Dittersheim.   At the camp in Bresenheim   nearby,   the rations were about 800 calories per day, as this army ration book shows.   However,   starvation was unnecessary   except as vengeance.  

Across the Nahe River,   in Bad Kreuznach,   Walter Eberhardt, a teenage civilian   arrested from his home,   was in another huge camp.  

[01:45:06] Unknown:

For two days, I did not get anything to drink or to eat. On the third day,   three raw potatoes.   Shortly afterwards, dysentery broke out in the camp on account of this diet.   Later in the youth camp, I experienced somewhat better conditions.   There, they introduced bread,   one loaf for a 100 people. The loaf was given to the officer in charge of a 100 soldiers.   He, in turn, had 10 officers under him, each responsible for 10 soldiers.   Under their supervision, the bread was cut into 10 parts, and the officer in charge of 10 soldiers went to his group and again divided this tenth of the loaf. This is how they introduced bread.  

[01:45:53] Unknown:

Joachim Booth   describes the extensive food supplies in his camp at Rheinberg.  

[01:46:04] Unknown:

The food supply situation was like this.   From the enormous mountains of food cartons stacked as high as a house, partly from German stocks, it appeared as though the food situation was excellent.   Several times, I saw that those handing out the food were sitting high up there on the boxes.   And when the German officers   came one after the other, each of them for his group of a 100 or 10 soldiers respectively,   they were told,   you're not going to get anything today. You were the major criminals.   And then we returned to the starving and said, we got nothing.  

[01:46:53] Unknown:

Britain and Canada had 2,000,000 German prisoners who suffered far less than most others,   although camps over Rishi and Auric   were hell holes of neglect and disease.   Some German prisoners were seriously maltreated in the interrogation   center in Badenendorf.   Most prisoners were discharged in time to help with the harvest of 1945.   The deadly conditions in the American camps were not confined   to those along the Rhine, but prevailed among all 200   American camps in Germany.   Major General Richard Steinbeck,   then a colonel in the United States Seventh Army,   took over a camp at Heilbron   built for 200,000   prisoners.  



[01:47:41] Unknown:

I was   deputy to general   Ben Lear, who was deputy theater commander to to Eisenhower.   In 1945,   it became   obvious   that   the POW   camp   at Heilbronn, which was in our area,   was very   badly managed.   And   they weren't being treated properly.   It was crowded   and more people than that should have had.   We saw   the   the men   dug holes in the ground.   Were some of the men sleeping without any shelter at all in holes in the ground?   Yeah. They were. A lot of most of them. Most of them.   They got   about 1,100   calories a day.   And is that enough to support life?   No. It takes 1,700   calories to support life.  

What did you, think when you saw these conditions?   I thought they had to be  

[01:48:48] Unknown:

correct. Two minutes ago. I ordered  

[01:48:51] Unknown:

the US camp commander   to get supplementary   rations.   Have you ever heard of the Morgenthau plan?   Yes.   And do you know what the plan,   meant?   And then starvation   for the German POW and the   the German population.  

[01:49:16] Unknown:

Well, there you go, folks. So, we'll we'll play the other half in in a couple of weeks' time. I I hope that's been slightly eye opening for some people.   It's it beggars belief that more German soldiers   died   after World War two   than during.   You think of what a conflict in what what ensues in a conflict. That's that's a horrific thought.   So, anyway,   you've been listening live   on radiosoapbox.com   and on the,   prerecord   on the,   Radio Free Air   and probably a plethora of other platforms.   I hope to catch you next week,   along with Shelley. Shelley will be here for the whole time next week.  

Until then,   see you next time.