'A Warning to the UK': My Latest ‘Hot Type’ Column in Byline
My weekly Hot Type column in Byline Supplement warns people in the UK to not sleepwalk into fascism
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Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement, characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, and forcible suppression of opposition.
In Saturday’s Hot Type column for Byline Supplement, I offered the following warning to the UK:
Upon learning from writer/publisher/podcaster John Mitchinson that a recent poll showed Reform UK only one percentage point behind Labour, and knowing that Musk is trying to buy his way into UK politics, I felt it important to use my column this week to sound the alarm.
As always when I use the F word, I receive comments contesting its accuracy, and yet I fear we will still be debating the use of the word fascism as people are being marched off into the night. I posted the definition above as a reminder of what we face.
Thank you as always to everyone who supports my work here and at Byline. I believe the work of independent investigative reporters exposing the transnational crime wave has revealed the failing of corporate media in stark contrast.
If you are not yet a member of Byline, I urge you to become one or to take advantage of unlocking a free report. In the meantime, I am authorized to send a copy of my reports upon request to bettedangerous/gmail.
Below is an excerpt from today’s Hot Type:
Hot Type: This Is a Warning to the UK – Don’t Repeat Our Mistake and Sleepwalk Into Fascism
US columnist Heidi Siegmund Cuda reports from London and urges the British people to resist following in America's footsteps
“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its boots.”
The murky origins of that quote, often attributed to Mark Twain or Winston Churchill, but likely penned by 18th century satirist Jonathan Swift, is an example of how disinformation permeates our world.
I didn’t want to be in the US when the Trump-Musk regime took power, so I traveled overseas, with the first stop being London.
At 3am, jet-lagged and famished, I made my way to a 24-hour restaurant, where the host – after determining I had just survived the Greater Los Angeles Fires – explained how California’s Democratic leaders were responsible for the catastrophic events.
Calmly, I explained that the combination of the Santa Ana winds, which have been there since before people walked the land, and the lack of rain in Southern California created the conditions for the firestorms, which are then exploited by bad actors.
He looked stunned. I had punctured his information bubble, as I further explained the army of firefighter heroes deployed to battle on behalf of the land and its people.The new US regime is coming for California, and public servants with empathy are getting in their way of acquiring our resources, so lies must be told and those lies make their way halfway around the world and seed themselves into people’s consciousness thus becoming ‘reality’.
I left the restaurant with a sinking feeling that this hostile takeover by billionaires who own our news channels and social media platforms presents quite a formidable challenge.
As I spent time in London detoxing from eight solid years of attempting to defend my country from a fascist takeover 24/7 on the virtual battlefield of Twitter, I was overcome with sorrow. We gave away our sacred freedoms so freely, while other countries continue to fight mightily for their own democratic values.
Still, I took comfort in the beauty of London, its welcoming people, and what to a tourist appears to be an effortless multicultural integration. It is a city that feels comfortable in its own skin, and having lived under years of extreme tension in the US, I welcomed the reprieve, particularly knowing that guns are scarce here.
But in the nights, when I couldn’t sleep, came the haunting, the gnawing fear that Britain could be next on the chopping block.
In December, I learned about Elon Musk’s potential infusion of $100 million dollars into Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, now only a percentage point behind the Labour party in a recent poll.
In America, we didn’t take the dark intentions of billionaires as seriously as we should have…
That Musk is threatening to influence UK elections should be something that mobilizes citizens to march now, not later.
Rebuke him!
Change laws!
Do something!
Thankfully, the British people seem to mostly loathe the Nazi-saluting billionaire...
But then again, the lesson from the US is that the supervillains don’t have to be loved by a majority to take over a country. They can do it with their filthy lucre.
So I guess this is my plea to Great Britain to not sleepwalk into fascism the way America did…
The writer and publisher John Mitchinson, in an interview with my podcast, told me that the biggest danger is complacency and urged people – and the Labour Government – to take control of their destiny.
“They need to understand the historical moment they have inherited,” he said. “It’s a crucial moment in our history.”
He said sometimes it’s just the “starting that makes the difference.”
Mitichinson added: “There’s the great W B Yeats line: ‘The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity’, well we have to change that polarity around…”
So I ask British citizens to not look away, but instead look to Romania, Poland, Georgia, Finland, and Ukraine – see how they fight against politicians aligned with the new axis of evil, of which America is now a part.
Don’t let the culture wars obscure the trees, don’t let this war on kindness deter you from protecting the sacred – the bond of decency between human beings.
You have such a fine country and you can win this, if you properly diagnose the war as not politics, but a direct attack on humanity.
But begin now. The villains got a head start.
The above is an excerpt from my Hot Type column. As always, I ask those who can afford to support a small global team of investigative reporters to please take out a subscription to Byline Supplement.
I also understand that if you are not able to do so at this moment, the good chaps at Byline allow me to send the column to Bette members upon request, as I noted above. Just zip a request to bettedangerous/gmail. New members will also find they are invited to unlock one report at the Byline site.
To my Bette members who support both publications, please forward the column to your allies.
I am glad you are here.
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More info about Bette Dangerous - This magazine is written by Heidi Siegmund Cuda, an Emmy-award winning investigative reporter/producer, author, and veteran music and nightlife columnist. She is the cohost of RADICALIZED Truth Survives, an investigative show about disinformation and is part of the Byline Media team. Thank you for your support of independent investigative journalism.
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Begin each day with a grateful heart.
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Your great advice should be directed towards Canadians too.
The richest man is already here, supporting Ontario’s premier Ford to become prime minister as the new leader of the conservatives.
Thank you so much for this Heidi, and your latest uk focused Rad Pod x