Thursday, June 01, 2023

Murder in the Quiz Club

I run a quiz club. The characters in "Murder in the Quiz Club" are entirely fictitious. There are such things as libel laws.

For security reasons I cannot reveal the name of the poison which was used in this murder. That and the fact that I can't actually remember it.


 

Friday, May 26, 2023

Not racist say police

The Police Federation of Scotland has indignantly protested that their members say they are not racist. 

Have you ever met a racist who admits being a racist?

 


 

Monday, May 15, 2023

Flash Fiction

Wikipedia, perhaps unintentionally, gives the impression that flash fiction is the preserve of the elite.

However, the most important practitioner of flash fiction is you, the reader. It is a readily accessible form of writing which does not require a Pulitzer or Nobel Prize. You should try it. There are a plethora of online outlets for flash fiction which you can find by typing "flash fiction submission" into a search engine.

Like any form of literature, the guiding principle is "don't give up." If one editor does not appreciate your talent then try another! 

Derek McMillan

#worthingflash



Monday, May 08, 2023

BBC cannot stop lying


BBC cannot stop lying

Dear  Mr McMillan 


Thanks for contacting us about our coverage of the Coronation.

Our reporting of the Coronation of King Charles III has reflected the historic nature of this event, and the interest it has generated around the country and globally. However, we do realise that not everyone is interested in the Coronation, and that attitudes towards the monarchy vary; we have acknowledged, represented and examined this diversity of opinion in our coverage.

Across our output, in programmes such as ‘Panorama: Will King Charles Change the Monarchy?’ we have explored the significance of the Coronation in terms of what it means for the monarchy and its place in modern Britain, looking at issues raised by those who are critical of the institution. We have featured the viewpoints of groups such as Republic on various aspects of the Coronation, for example, the oath of allegiance to the King during the service, and the response to protests.

The Coronation is a celebration so our coverage has inevitably had a positive tone, which in this context we believe has been duly impartial. However, we’re sorry if you continue to be unhappy and have shared your feedback with programme makers and senior editors at BBC News. 

Kind regards,

BBC Complaints Team




Sunday, May 07, 2023

TV journalism

I thought the BBC coverage of the Coronation was an abysmal abandonment of any journalistic principles. I thought it was as bad as it could get, until I watched ITV of course.

If the media are not lying, then there would be no problem with having an elected head of state. Everybody loves Charles and Camilla so the people would vote for them and that would be a simple solution. 

Strangely the craven monarchists of the media do not suggest such a solution.

Charles rules by divine right. The will of the people does not come into it. And the police are there to see that people do not have a different opinion. 

52 people were arrested without committing any offence. The figure keeps going up, the police were lying. 

People are being imprisoned for their opinions by a government which protests that freedom of speech is very important.
 
The arrests included volunteers for Westminster City Council who were distributing rape alarms. 

The Coronation is an expensive diversion from the cost of living crisis. It is an incidental diversion from the Tories' parlous election results this week too.







Saturday, May 06, 2023

Celtic supporters have a suggestion for the Coronation

The i Newspaper headline: "Chilling’ police crackdown of anti-monarchy protests during King’s coronation ‘deeply disturbing’, MPs say."

Even members of Parliament were shocked by the vicious response of the boys in blue to the anti-monarchy protests.

Charles III has as much respect for freedom of speech as Charles I and we all know how that ended up.

The police admit they arrested 52 people. The actual figure is unknown. Extraordinarily the usually tame Labour Party thought this was a bit much. 

The link is here

In other news, thousands of Celtic supporters chanted "Stick your Coronation up your ar**." The police didn't try to arrest them all.


Liverpool fans put the same point the day before the royal jamboree.
There were protests against the coronation all over the country. The police cannot silence everybody.