We have recently celebrated the vernal (spring) Equinox at Stonehenge which passed off without incident, largely due, I would argue due to the fact that we were on the whole, left to our own devices and 'allowed' to marshal and steward ourselves and 'allowed' to park on the By-ways Open to All Traffic, which had no unnecessary restrictions placed upon them.
It was good to meet and greet, friends old and new and to see and banter with other groups equally important in the welfare, and voluntary stewarding of the Pilgrims who gather overnight, such as the Wally's, and the free festival campaign and the many other Druids and Pagans present. We now prepare for the Summer Solstice, that is. if as and when we can ever get the 'Authorities' around the table, but therein lies another tale. For now lets bring you right up to date.
The 1st of April, ‘All fools day’. it wouldn’t be the first time I got into the spirit of things and began with a jolly jape or jest. I have even been known to send ‘Press Releases’ out in the past, and on occasion had foreign media pick up on it unwittingly, but be assured you will find no such here, fact has an odd way of ‘throwing you a curved ball’ and that’s exactly where I shall begin, not at the beginning, but at an end……
Those of you who read these ‘Rant’s will remember when I reported last month that I had received my fair share of trolls and abuse on line for taking part in a demonstration in Oxford against the so called fifteen minute cities and the planned traffic restrictions. Well, that was not the end of it, the end, and it appears to be a genuine cut-off point, came shortly after the publication of last months ‘Rant’. Publication being a very salient point, This Rant as you may know is ‘Self Published. In that, I put the words ‘out there’ with no oversight and my own editorial control.
Not so with ‘The Trials of Arthur’, the book I co-authored with Christopher James Stone. The revised edition was ‘Pulled’ from print over a year ago,to correct a few factual inaccuracies that had been brought to our attention over the years, and for Chris’ to ‘tough up’ here and there, with a little rewriting. All this had been agreed and arranged with a new publisher who had promised in addition a US sales outlet.
Fact being stranger than fiction in the publishing world;
Because of my involvement in the Oxford demonstration and apparently (and allegedly) because that there were ‘Right wing’ elements involved in the organization of the protest, the publisher has ‘Pulled the plug’ as they can not. in their words, “be seen to promote anyone who could or would do them harm in a position of power”
When pressed on this by Chris’ it seems, it’s not me they have a problem with but the so called organisers of the demonstrations against the fifteen minute cities whom they view as ‘Far Right’.
I have always stood for Parliament as an Independent, with the Tag line,
Only an Independent can support a good or oppose a bad idea whichever side of the house it come from.
Talk about guilt by (a very tenuous) association!
So, seriously, if you know good publisher, put them in touch.
This maxim, ‘You are either for us-or you are against us’ and with it the confrontational and adversarial approach is all too present in today world, and reminds me of something relevant (other than that it is cold enough for an extra bootlace) that my old Dad used to say,
”There's something in the water”
(C) King Arthur Pendrago
n