Hello the wonderful, all of you lot.

Great to have you with me for a look at what the powers that ought not to be are up to this week.

I stole that expression from someone, I freely admit it.

The powers that ought not to be, I heard it at a conference and I thought I'm having that.

But just before we get started, I want to let you know how you can help support the channel.

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Details are down there somewhere.

Okay, it's time for a monologue.

There used to be what you call plausible deniability for the likes of us, you and me.

Once upon a time, and for various reasons,

we could credibly claim ignorance of things done to us or in our name.

Until relatively recently, the news media was efficiently under state control,

offering what looked like a range of opinion,

politics and ideologies, but in reality, all of it pushing a narrative approved from on high and from out of sight. You've only got to look back at the 20th century, wherein some of us at least had our

childhoods, to see how well the system I'm talking about worked, how tightly screwed down

was the official message to the public, and how the general ignorance or naivety resultant

was understandable and or even forgivable.

During the World Wars, one and two, the general population was dependent really entirely

on whatever news it was offered about events from official sources.

...