 Okay, good morning all. We're back. We're back on all things Hartlepool after a another YouTube ban. A couple of things on that, you know, we people tell me regularly that I've got to get off YouTube because we are enormously censored on it. The problem is one, I don't really want to give you up, give in to it. We still have most of our social media accounts. Most people still watch YouTube. So where should we give up that audience? It is difficult though, because you are stuck not being able to speak freely. And it is only some people who are not able to speak freely. If you happen to be issuing death threats to JK Rowling, you are fine. The big tech, the big social media doesn't seem to mind that. But if you question, and it goes through different phases, this censorship, it could be about immigration, it could be about Islam, it could be about those were the ones that got you kicked off, the trans issue was one for a while, now it's COVID. And we are simply in a state of affairs where if you disagree with or object to or in any way question our loss of freedom in the midst of this, you will find yourself censored. I was watching some clips from this morning, good morning Britain this morning, those sorts of things about this to see what the mainstream narrative is allowed. And one thing I just could not help but notice, I saw a debate on whether or not unvaccinated people should be subjected to lockdowns, because we know what's happening in Austria and elsewhere. The debate was around whether or not people should, if they don't have a vaccine, whether they should lose their jobs or be subject to lockdowns. At no point, and on the various clips I watched, at no point was there any discussion about the effect, the impact, the stats surrounding this, whether or not the vaccine actually works. This simply isn't allowed. There was no discussion of the fact that what politicians have said about it, including Boris Johnson, about its impact on transmission, none of this is included in the conversation at all. That is a deeply, deeply dysfunctional society, deeply dysfunctional, that we are not allowed to discuss these matters. This effect this has on us creating a two-tier society, the clean and the unclean. Some people will be placed under house arrest if they have objections. That's the society we're in, and we're not even allowed, in the midst of that, we're not allowed to talk about the actual effect of the very vaccine at the centre of the debate. It's incredible, absolutely incredible, but in any case, that's where we are. We have to have a serious, we have a serious fight on our hands to get freedom of speech back, because without it the democratic system just doesn't work and won't work. Okay, so all of that said, I would ask people to, another reason why we don't give up on YouTube is because people are not watching the other channels, I would ask people to do so. I'm putting some sort of plans in place to urge people to go over to these other channels, the ones that don't censor us, or at least don't censor us as much. I was actually censored funnily enough. Brand YouTube has censored me. What can I say? I take it as a compliment, I really do. Okay, there's a couple of things I want to tell you about locally. I've got a GoFundMe setup and I'm going to put the link on the bottom of the screen here. This is for, I'm going to do some fundraising for families at Christmas in Hartlepool. I would urge people around the country, members and activists around the country to do the same thing for your local area. I do have, there are a couple of families in Hartlepool that I help with shopping, except when I can afford it. Throughout the year, I will be getting as much from the donations and I want to thank the people who've donated already. From those donations, I will go out and contact these families and go out and get them their Christmas dinner. I know that they have the families in question have children. I know that they need help. So that's what I'll be doing with the donations. I'll go out and buy Christmas dinner for as many families as I can. I'll put the, there's a link again. Please do go have a look and donate anything that you can. But if you know of other families who may need some help in the area, please do give me a shout. And I can't encourage you enough to do this in your local area. We have to support each other. We have to. I spoke on my live stream on Monday about inflation and the cost and how much more expensive things are becoming for people and how much poorer we are becoming. So we have in many respects only each other. And this is something that we can do to help each other at the time of the year, which it's a time of year that is about community and about help and about support and about propping each other up. But also it's expensive and it's when people need help most Christmas. It's a wonderful I love Christmas. But a lot of people struggle a great deal at Christmas and it can be the best of times and it can be the worst of times for others. We still don't know whether or not restrictions are going to come. You can see the figures of cases, increased cases of COVID being reported. And last Christmas wasn't easy for that reason. There's a possibility again this year, but I think if we can at least donate a few quid for families, let's make it a little bit easier for them. I was given a huge donation of toys last year, which I gave out to some families, but in the end, most of it went to a local children's home. Hopefully I'll be able to do something similar this year. And speaking of charities, deserving of support in the local area, here's another one. This is, it's on Facebook. It's Highly Pilled Wildlife Rescue. And I came across this organization, fantastic organization, looking on their Facebook page. They say they have a number of cats looking for homes. Got a long list actually of cats available to adopt. But anyway, the reason I came across this wonderful organization was I was down on the beach. A couple of, I can't remember exactly what morning it was actually, might have been last Saturday. And funnily enough, my dogs didn't want to come on this walk on the beach with me because they're getting old and lazy. No offense to, I'm getting old myself. I'm just not getting lazy. They're getting both. So I went by myself and it was just to stand by the DeBruce Tunnel part of the beach. I found this absolutely beautiful, majestic looking bird who was lying in, lying in an area of sand that was going to, the tide was going to come in and it just wasn't able to move. And I have no idea why it wasn't able to move, but it wasn't able to move. Everything was intact. It had its spread its wings, the wings were not damaged in any way, but it wasn't able to move. And I am an absolute sucker, a softy, call me what you will for animals. So I picked this bird up, the bird at home, found my, found around various different places, looking for some sort of help for this bird and what Hartley Poole Wildlife Rescue took in the bird and told us that they were going to give antibiotics and various different things and get this bird back on its feet. Amazing. It gives you, it gives you, what's the word? It reminds you of the good in people and even the people who've donated to me for the, in the GoFundMe also remind me of the same thing. And in difficult times it's really, really important. It's, it lifts you a little bit to know that there are good people out there who are working for no gain for themselves just to help others, whether it be people or animals, just to help others. And I would definitely encourage you to go and have a look on their website, give them some help. And if you're looking for a cat, they have cats looking for homes. Okay, onto some news. I'm interested to see this one. This is something I've mixed feelings about. It's about how elections will take place to the local council in Hartley Poole. And it says this morning in the mail, it says plans are being lined up to change the council election cycle to help provide budget savings and bring more stability. What happens here is that you have elections for councillors and each ward has three councillors. The person who comes third in terms of amount of it. So we had an all out election in May just gone. For each ward, the person who gets the third highest number of votes goes on to the council for a year and faces election again the following years. We'll have elections in coming May, where those who came third in the election just gone. They'll have served one year on the council and they're up for election again. Those who came second will be up for election in two years time. So you have elections every year, most years. I'll read out to you how it's described here. Currently elections are scheduled for a third of all councillors each year except every fourth year when no election is scheduled. The proposal was unanimously backed by Hartley Poole Borough Council Constitution Committee this week to look at altering this to have all out elections every four years. Council officers estimate this would provide an annual budget saving of 35,000 which would increase if the elections were combined with the Tees Valley Mayoral and Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner ballots. Denise McGookin, the council's managing director said based on this year's elections the saving could be at least 50,000 possibly even higher. I have mixed feelings about this. There is an argument to save money however there are other ways of saving money and the very people talking about saving money or some of the very people talking about saving money are as I've mentioned countless times taking home six-figure salaries. I am adamant, absolutely adamant that this is wrong, absolutely wrong especially when you see so little improvement. There is so much wrong in this town that the simplest and basic things would fix and change and improve but they don't happen and they don't happen because of decisions by people unelected taking home massive salaries. I am adamant that that has to change. It happens all over the country and it has to change. The mixed feelings, I understand the stability argument as well but the mixed feelings come well it's obvious to me that councillors would want to avoid facing the electorate on a very regular basis. This allows them to avoid that, it allows them that stability, stability they say for us as the voters but also stability for them unless accountability and that's that's the problem for me. It lowers accountability. I understand that elections are expensive. I understand that sadly very few people or very low percentages at least vote in them but I'm not sure the answer is fewer elections. I am looking for greater accountability not less accountability so that's why I have mixed feelings on it. It's probably given the support that it's receiving by the councillors probably going to go ahead and this will begin it looks like from 2024 so we will still have elections next year and the year after and by the looks of things we will start four year terms for councillors from 2024. If it saves 50 grand a year great but again there are other ways we could be saving 50 grand a year and the chiefs know it. Okay a couple of things from the local area. I was done in the headland last night. The headland is a beautiful beautiful historic section of Hartlepool. I was down there last night with my dogs and there is a little park it's the park's the wrong word it's a good seating and there's a beautiful little path showing historic years and years engraved into the path and different things that happened in the town at that years. It's really it's really very lovely and above it is a sign winter tide festival and as I was entering into the headland there's a sound saying seasons greetings and you go on a little bit further to this small little park place which where festivals and things take place there's a beautiful huge Christmas tree in the middle of it and I might be being a little bit scroogey you know scroogey's probably the wrong word but I couldn't help but no maybe maybe I'm just maybe I've been too tough on on this but I couldn't help but notice first of all on your way in it says seasons greetings and then when you get to where this festival is going to take place winter tide festival I'm not wholly familiar with the concept of winter tide it's a new one on me I'm sure some of you are familiar with this word I'm not it's a new one on me and I did have a little perhaps a little giggle to myself about winter tide and I couldn't help but think and again maybe I'm being unfair but I couldn't help but think are we going are we going down the happy holidays seasons greetings and now winter tide are we going down that road really um what about Christmas can we yeah are we really going down that politically correct a friend of mine was telling me that there was a meeting a work meeting um and there was a discussion about Christmas and you know somebody had said should we be talking about Christmas isn't that doesn't that exclude different communities and I'm thinking look first of all the majority is still entitled to our festivals um and secondly no one would dream of saying well should we really be mentioning Diwali it does exclude a lot of people or should we really be mentioning Eid that definitely excludes a lot of people it's only ever Christmas isn't it that is exclusive and we need to make it more inclusive and we have to drop I mean I'm not a about Christian or anything but there are devout Christians and they're entitled to celebration just as other religious groups are in fact more so in this country because it is the state religion of this country and it is the culture that has historically shaped this country so not only should we not be picking on Christmas exclusively we should be elevating it as an integral part of our culture and Christians still are the largest religious group in the country but it is only ever Christmas that gets this treatment I'm not even suggesting I guess I might be not even suggesting that that's what's happening here but I couldn't help but think oh really are we going down this road now of I can't get over the word honestly it's winter tide anyway let me but that aside that aside I'm going to stop being a misery guts for a few minutes and actually this is probably going to be wonderful and I'm certainly going to go to it um winter tide festival will feature a packed program of events including an arts trail illuminations live music and workshops for residents and visitors to the historic headland organizers once again are putting on a scaled back event due to covid we're still offering plenty of activities and opportunities for people to get involved the theme this year is turning tides as people start to reconnect and engage after lockdown so actually um I really do support it I think it's a wonderful idea um and I like the theme I think it's uh it should bring people back together post covid is a great idea um and I will certainly be going along the only I have I just cannot I cannot get over the gripe I have with calling at winter tide I'm sorry I just can't if it were me I would call it a Christmas festival I would um other seasonal events going on the switching on of the festive lights um this year it will be held in church square on friday december third the lights will be so the lights for the for the christmas lights for the town will be switched on on december the third and they will be switched on by a selection of the town's inspirational NHS workers who have been chosen in acknowledgement of all the work they and their colleagues have done during the pandemic one is a nurse from heart medical practice who's delivered more than 2,500 vaccine jobs at heartly prune town hall theater and in care homes across the borough Shane Moore the council leader said it's an honor to be joined at our Christmas light switch on by some of the town's most heroic and selfless people have worked tirelessly through an incredibly difficult year and then continuing to work to deliver the town's vaccination program I hope people will join us to celebrate them and their colleagues and see us light up the town in spectacular fashion okay um again love the idea of ordinary working people being the ones to switch on the lights I am despite my criticisms I remain pro NHS for several reasons uh the main one being that it if we had for example an insurance based system it would be the poorest people who would suffer that's why I still support the NHS despite all its problems and also because our elderly population have already paid into the pot for the NHS we got rid of it now or we changed it now so that those people had to pay again for the healthcare treatment just as they need it most and that would be a gross injustice and something I could never get behind so I'm still I remain pro NHS so I'm actually glad that working people rather than some celebrity is switching on the highly pro christmas lights however last week I was in Newcastle speaking at a rally in support of care home workers who have been fired from their jobs because they don't want to take the vaccination and as we said at the start this discussion around vaccination doesn't even allow discussion on the efficacy or otherwise of the very vaccine in question that's insanity so there are people who for various reasons don't want to take this vaccine and as a result facing across Europe house imprisonment a denial of basic joys of life cinemas restaurants theaters music basic this is what makes life worth living and people are being denied it for not wanting to take a vaccine a vaccine is crucially crucially the efficacy of which is undetermined the idea here that we are celebrating those delivering the vaccine celebrate NHS workers by any means but to focus on vaccine delivery in the way that they are sends a very clear message and it's a yet another round of pro vaccine propaganda without any actual debate this is another example of get your vaccine end of story and I don't like that very much I don't like it because there is no debate happening about the vaccine itself it's a method it's a it sends a message to the people of this town who haven't got the vaccine a that you're not really we're celebrating this we talk about inclusivity and exclusivity well this isn't very inclusive it's actually punishment people have been punished merely for wanting to ask questions to avoid putting something into their bodies that they're not sure about that's all and this is yet another message to those people that they are a problem in society asking questions is a problem wanting to discuss things openly and in full and in detail is a problem you're a problem just take it just take it and put your mask on um it's it's highly dysfunctional and it's a bit disappointing really to have that message driven home with the switch on of of the lights okay before I finish a quick reminder here's my go fund me anything donated will be used to buy Christmas dinner toys etc for local families and once again please please do this in your local area um and second one I want to show you is for the Hartlepool Wildlife Rescue and they have cats that need a home so if you're looking for a cat that's where to look okay big weekend for me and for our party this weekend is our national conference is on sunday last one of these i'm going to show you a national conference is on sunday if you haven't got your ticket yet please do that's where you go um really looking forward to it I see it as almost a a post-covid relaunch for our party and I'm very excited about it so please do come along if you can I'll be back on Monday with a review of the conference we'll do an hour long on Monday night at eight o'clock to have a look at the conference for those who aren't able to make it and I'll be going through we'll be publishing releasing a new manifesto which I can say again with confidence is by far the best manifesto in this country all right thanks very much everyone for joining me this morning I'll see you if I don't see you at the conference on Sunday I'll see you back live on YouTube um on Monday night at eight o'clock take care until then and thanks again and don't forget um to donate if you can all right take care bye for now