Christmas for Children

Thanks to everyone who continues to speak up for children, what a year it's been

Firstly thank you so much for my readers and in particular my paid subscribers who have contributed to my output this year. Your financial support has allowed me to report on damage being done to children, which might not have not have been heard otherwise. If you would like to make a further contribution for the Christmas season and towards my continued reporting it is much appreciated. Unpaid subscribers can subscribe, current subscribers could upgrade their subscription or you can buy me a Christmas pudding (via BuyMeACoffee). Or give a gift subscription! Thank you so much. In the coming year I will be launching my Pink Elephant You Tube/Rumble for which I need to purchase some equipment. In addition January is always a very ‘meagre’ month financially so any contribution helps to keep myself and my son afloat.

(an audio version of this post is for paid subscribers below the paywall below)

Buy me a Christmas Pudding here

This past year I have endeavoured to report on as many of the dysfunctions that have come across my desk which impact children and childhood as I could (there are so many more). That the current inclination of our political and cultural bodies to downgrade content and programs to political manifestos and soundbites robs us of our agency to make informed decisions. The trope ‘knowledge is power’ is true as without which we become lost in obfuscation as others dominate the levers of our agency. Only with knowledge can we achieve understanding, and through understanding move forward in ways that are healthy and stable and ensure future generations can thrive.

Children are the most important members of this puzzle as they are, in fact, the future. If we do not give them the nutrition they need to thrive, the world is lost.

I think people on the main want to do the ‘right thing’ but are often overloaded with responsibilities, have the expectation someone else is ‘sorting it’, don’t actually *see* the problem and/or are just lazy. (and yes there are some very nefarious bad players in the mix who exploit this)

And survival is a strong instinct for many here in Scotland as too many lives are dependent on the very thing that is manifesting the abusive structures and programs. Over 50% of working people in Scotland work for the state which - I have observed- very often keeps them from wanting to ‘rock the boat’. Their job security pays for their silence. In education as 96% of schools are run through the state, parents have very little perspective as to what is going terribly wrong.

Through that vacuum, more quangos are created on the premise of ‘fixing things’ when in fact, it soon becomes apparent that their sole aim is survival. We can see how this manifests though the children in care system, as reported by Maggie Mellon in my podcast, which needs broken children to keep up its record profits. The same can be said in the ‘Addiction Sector’ who need addicts, as reported by ‘Right to Recovery’ advocate

Annemarie Ward

, or the anti-racism quangos who need racism, the inclusive charities like LGBT Youth Scotland (I have written about them ELEVEN times this year which shows how endemic and harmful their influence and reach are) and TIE (Time for Inclusive Education) who need homophobia and transphobia, the toxic masculinity programs who need boys to be violent etc etc etc…. It’s the wrong way round.

These programs should exist to *not* exist. Instead their bottom line (check out each of the companies house listings for every single one profit margins) keeps going up and up and up. And with that a cycle of dysfunction is perpetuated as more public sector jobs are created to address the need, and more the need to have broken children and broken society.

I interviewed

UNTOPIA

writer Ewan Morrison for my Pink Elephant podcast recently (releasing 3 January) he raised the point that ‘perhaps it’s best to think of ourselves as living in an occupied country’. In that vein reporting on these things could be seen the same as being a military observer in war. Because the systems themselves are dishonest we need truth tellers.

We can see how important this truth telling has been (and subsequent collective action -over years it is worth mentioning) in the book ‘Hounded’ by

Jenny Lindsay

. For the mere fact of stating ‘sex is real’ and wanting to write about (check notes) her experience of being female, she was targeted, vilified and cancelled by the Scottish literature sector- making her ineligible for work. There are many such accounts. I am one. In the time of our notorious Hate Crime laws here in Scotland the bravery for speaking up and speaking out has particular resonance as at any time you could be arrested with no proof required. I have had to develop a ‘safe plan’ for my son, in the event of a police officer showing up at my door for…saying the wrong words.

It is perhaps unsurprising that it is the literature sector that has been so exposed. As the masters of words, the battle has been on the page -and with it our ability to read and understand. So to for the seminal book ‘The Women Wouldn’t Wheesht’ which brings together a collection of essays from women who refused to be silent about the erasure of woman under the assault of the trans humanist lobby compiled by Susan Dalgety, journalist and Lucy Hunter Blackburn, lawyer.

Or in the weekly tomes sent out by the

Scottish Union for Education

who largely hail from the world of academia and feel a comfort in the written word. As the Parent and Supporters Coordinator (8 hours per week lol) being in the company of such well-thought individuals has been a bedrock in serving the needs of parents caught up in the ideological spin and failing standards of their schools. You can hear me speak to Board Member, writer and former teacher Jules Sandilands speaking about the education system in my podcast.

These individuals are vital in our awareness and action as a society. Their hard work and commitment cannot be underestimated.

I have done my utmost to further the awareness of issues related specifically to children and childhood whilst helping parents in real time. There is a very specific assault on the existence of childhood itself as children are re-defined as ‘young people’ therefore clouding the particular vulnerabilities and needs of that cohort. Into that space children are told they have ‘rights’ - to identify as they wish (as in the case of the trans lobby), to have sex however they wish (as sex is broken down into body parts and actions see Colin Morrison RSHP (Sex Rights Program) and maybe even to kill themselves if things get to tricksy (as seen in the dark corners of the euthanasia lobby).

Parents are seen as barriers to societal progress as they get into the way of ‘developing global citizens’. Increasingly we see a trend of pushing ‘child voice’ but as both Carolyn Brown, educational psychologist and Maggie Mellon, social worker point out - this is a lie. Children defer to adults developmentally, therefore these programs are actually using children as ideological tools for adult aims. And once parents are removed (as we can see in the horror of the Care System also reported by

Digging Deeper

) abuses are rife. As Anna Loutfi says ‘the state is a terrible parent’. So why are we allowing them to have so much sway?

And to complicate matters we have an increasing blurring of the boundary between school and home as reported by

Joanna Williams

in my podcast. Children in the midst of this are trying to figure things out but if we adults are not taking the reins is it any wonder schools are becoming chaotic?

What’s more when you consider, practically (using common sense) what children want or need - it’s ‘child’ things. Sports, drama clubs, social spaces. Children are not banging on about wanting to be ‘global citizens’. These are adult wishes. And child voice is only included when it is ‘on message’. Consider how the natural inclinations of boys, for playing football, gets demonised for ‘getting off track’. Yet the Teacher Unions, the Educational Authorities and Cultural institutions seem a far ways away from actually serving the needs of children.

As a child who delighted in ‘play’ being able to be involved in theatre was a ballast for me through my adolescence and young adulthood. Yet the offerings of our cultural institutions are immeshed in EDI and DEI and ‘UNCRC’ goals - imagination and expression for their own sake seem a far way away. Scottish Ballet’s touring program is steeped in identity politic and tranhumanist agendas (not ballet), Toonspeak enables vulnerable autistic children to ‘transition’ behind parents backs, the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art teaches five year olds about their positionality and privilege through Saturday morning art sessions, The Traverse theatre in Edinburgh produced a show wherein the children made sex toys for the adult audience, the only free art program for teens in Glasgow, the Rumpus Room is only open to ‘queer children’… and the list goes on. They are not developing artists but propagandists. And psychologically broken ones at that.

Following my notifying key members of the press about the Rein porn film scandal Creative Scotland announced a review of its funds. I had hoped that would be a wake up call for our creative (creative ha) bodies to review their failings and get back to core purpose. In particular for children. Most children do not have access to art, or drama or music instruction full stop. If every experience that are offered is tainted with ideology they will never properly learn the craft and be denied the opportunity to truly develop their own voice. You need to understand the materials to make ‘the thing’.

And ‘the thing’ is what will keep us going. It is in shared common purpose in which society builds and thrives. And the arts should be the cornerstone of that.

It is obvious we are in for a long battle to reclaim the world for our children. I am thankful to the many individuals who have crossed my path this year who have helped to shore up this fight. These include Stuart Waiton of the

Scottish Union for Education

whose unwavering commitment to children’s education is inspirational;

Malcolm Richard Clark

whose reportage on the trans lobby manages to maintain the vital sense of what is best for children;

Jennifer Bilek

for her longtime commitment and reportage of the trans machine;

Let Kids Be Kids

for their continued work in just that - letting kids be kids. To

Rosie Kay

with Denis Fahmy in setting up Freedom in the Arts. I’d also like to thank Wings Scotland, For Women Scotland, Glasgow Tactical Feminists, Parent Watch Glasgow, Barry Wall, Neale Hanvey and Scot Pag for continuing to speak up for children. And for the Free Speech Union which means many of us sleep a bit better at night. And an especial big thanks to all the Parents, Grandparents and Aunties and Uncles who have just had enough of the nonsense and supplied me with on sight intelligence to report on. This includes former teacher

James Ross

whose podcast was such a valuable insight into the inner workings of schools.

It was great attending the

Academy of Ideas

this year where I met

Jenny Holland

in person and who interviewed me for her substack, Another American living in the UK, there are many shared resonances in perspective and experience. What Jenny reminded me in her last post is that we are not alone. Insomuch as the (pretty depressing) diatribe above could make you want to hibernate forever, it is worth remembering that it is only through seeing the truth we are able to manage it. In other words, we are on our way to making things better. And through it we have found each other. And that is in itself a hopeful thought for 2025.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry and Blessed Christmas, I look forward to further connecting with you in 2025.

Thanks again to my readers and in particular my paid subscribers who have contributed to my output this year. You can see I have been very busy! If you would like to make a further contribution for the Christmas season and towards my continued reporting it is much appreciated. Unpaid subscribers can subscribe, current subscribers could upgrade their subscription or you can buy me a Christmas pudding (via BuyMeACoffee). Thank you so much. In the coming year I will be launching my Pink Elephant You Tube/Rumble for which I need to purchase some equipment. In addition January is always a very ‘meagre’ month financially so any contribution helps to keep myself and my son afloat.

1. Subscribing monthly at Substack (or giving a gift subscription!)

2. Making a one-off contribution via BuyMeACoffee (or buy me a Christmas Pudding)

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Your support is what allows me to continue for which I am hugely thankful.