The Merry Men

In this week’s gloriously chaotic Merry Men show, we battled gremlins, echo and Robin’s repeatedly vanishing connection, then got straight into a wide-ranging discussion on the Makerfield by-election, public trust, political theatre and whether people are finally starting to question the systems governing them. From my side of the desk, it felt like one of those raw live broadcasts where the technical hiccups almost became part of the story: the more we tried to talk plainly, the more the night seemed determined to test us.Beyond the by-election fallout, we spent most of the episode digging into constitutional questions, the courts, policing, consent, the difference between statute and long-standing rights, and the way language is used to obscure power. We also touched on Rupert Lowe, Brandy Vaughan, Mark Attwood, GB News, Black’s Law Dictionary, Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights and the Fraud Act, before ending with a plug for the Weekend Truth Festival and a lighter detour through Yorkshire, fish and chips, cream teas, Doctor Who, The Wizard of Oz and Ian Dury’s “Clever Trevor”. Messy, lively and full of big claims, big questions and bigger interruptions.Food For Thought Radio: https://fftradio.com/Weekend Truth Festival: https://www.weekendtruthfestival.co.uk/Rupert Lowe MP: https://www.rupertlowe.co.uk/Andy Burnham for Makerfield – Official By-Election Campaign Site: https://andyformakerfield.co.uk/Keir Starmer: https://www.keirstarmer.com/Learn the Risk (Brandy Vaughan’s organisation): https://learntherisk.org/Merck: https://www.merck.com/GB News: https://www.gbnews.com/The Mark Attwood Show: https://themarkattwoodshow.com/Magna Carta – UK Parliament: https://www.parliament.uk/magnacarta/Bill of Rights 1689 – UK Parliament: https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/parliamentaryauthority/revolution/collections1/collections-glorious-revolution/billofrights/image-1/Fraud Act 2006: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/35/pdfs/ukpga_20060035_en.pdfCompanies Act 2006: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/46/pdfs/ukpga_20060046_en.pdfBlack’s Law Dictionary: https://legal.thomsonreuters.com/en/products/law-books/blacks-law-dictionaryCrown Prosecution Service: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/crown-prosecution-serviceDoctor Who: https://www.doctorwho.tv/?lang=en

A lively, slightly chaotic Friday-night broadcast from “the Merry Men” that begins with a burst of DJ banter before settling into a forthright conversation about law, power and community. From the host’s chair, I frame a discussion on legal language, personhood and the state—touching on statutes, policing, and claims of systemic fraud—while reflecting on how our four nations can stand together. We also spotlight pressures on frontline staff and courts, and share new community resources we’ll post for listeners. Guest Andy then dives into bio‑electromagnetics and the school rollout of newer Wi‑Fi standards, raising health-and-safety questions, insurance implications, and practical letter‑writing routes for parents, teachers and governors. We pivot from critique to constructive action: parish‑level organising, clear plain‑English explainer packs, and keeping spirits high with poetry, humour and a surprising detour into the healing power of proper puddings. It’s part rallying cry, part campfire—with next steps for listeners to take back into their own communities.

We battled a mischievous studio echo to kick off a lively round‑table, then dived into what’s gripping listeners across the country: policing and public trust, courts and constitutional basics, and how recent scandals have shaken confidence in official narratives. We roamed from the Post Office Horizon story and the culture inside forces, to the tangled history of crowns, oaths and Parliament, asking how ordinary people can navigate law, language and power without being silenced or sidelined. Along the way we debated “Janet and John”‑style primers for legal literacy, the role of independent media, and why archiving uncomfortable documents on open networks matters. We closed on practical next steps, including better tech discipline for live shows, using Bitcoin‑powered publishing to preserve records, and teeing up next week’s guest to dig into data, infrastructure and the welfare of families at the heart of a healthy nation.'GB News': https://www.gbnews.com/'Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)': https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/'The Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry': https://www.postofficehorizoninquiry.org.uk/'Bank of England': https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/'The London Gazette (official public record)': https://www.thegazette.co.uk/'Coronation Oath Act 1688 (legislation.gov.uk)': https://www.legislation.gov.uk/aep/WillandMar/1/6/contents'Local Government Finance Act 1992 (legislation.gov.uk)': https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1992/14/contents'Halsbury’s Laws of England (LexisNexis)': https://www.lexisnexis.co.uk/products/halsburys-laws-of-england.html'Black’s Law Dictionary (Thomson Reuters)': https://legal.thomsonreuters.com/en/products/law-books/blacks-law-dictionary'League of Cambrai (Britannica overview)': https://www.britannica.com/topic/League-of-Cambrai'Great Fire of London (London Museum overview)': https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/london-stories/great-fire-of-london/'LBC – Leading Britain’s Conversation': https://www.lbc.co.uk/'Mattias Desmet – The Psychology of Totalitarianism (Penguin Random House)': https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/800934/the-psychology-of-totalitarianism-by-mattias-desmet/9781645022756/'William Cobbett – A History of the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland (Open Library entry)': https://openlibrary.org/books/OL22617269M/A_history_of_the_Protestant_reformation_in_England_and_Ireland'Bitcoin.org (learn the basics)': https://bitcoin.org/

In this wide‑ranging live show, I’m joined by Robin Hood for a frank, sometimes fiery conversation that weaves from studio gremlins and late‑night post‑production into deeply serious ground. We discuss the widely shared case of an 18‑year‑old who died after being handcuffed, public trust in policing, and claims of systemic failings across courts and government. From constitutional principles, common law and oaths, to immigration, monetary policy, and the role of the City and the Bank of England, we examine how power, policy and perception collide. Along the way we touch on AI data centres, water stress, sewage discharges, and why campaigners like Feargal Sharkey have struck a chord.We also preview the Weekend Truth Festival near Wrexham, reflect on political theatre from Westminster to Washington, and make the case for practical, community‑level action and informed dissent. Plus, a punchy new punk track, a dash of gallows humour, and a call to learn, organise and hold authority to account.'FFTRadio': https://fftradio.com'University of Southampton': https://www.southampton.ac.uk'City of London Corporation (official site)': https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk'Bank of England': https://www.bankofengland.co.uk'The London Gazette (official public record)': https://www.thegazette.co.uk'Church of England (official site)': https://www.churchofengland.org'Bill of Rights 1689 (legislation.gov.uk)': https://www.legislation.gov.uk/aep/WillandMarSess2/1/2'Magna Carta (1297 version on legislation.gov.uk)': https://www.legislation.gov.uk/aep/Edw1cc1929/25/9'Coronation Oath Act 1688 (legislation.gov.uk)': https://www.legislation.gov.uk/aep/WillandMar/1/6'Oaths Act 1978 (legislation.gov.uk)': https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1978/19'Gavin Newsom (Office of the Governor, California)': https://www.gov.ca.gov'BP (British multinational energy company)': https://www.bp.com'Feargal Sharkey (campaigning on UK rivers)': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feargal_Sharkey'TikTok (platform referenced)': https://www.tiktok.com'WhatsApp (used for comms during the show)': https://www.whatsapp.com

In this episode I’m joined by Andy to explore public concerns about EMF exposure from modern communications tech — from 5G masts to Wi‑Fi 6/7 in schools — and what parents can practically do about it. We discuss the WHO’s International EMF Project and IARC’s 2011 Group 2B classification of radiofrequency EMF, perceived gaps between roll‑outs and risk communication, and Andy’s grassroots letter‑writing approach aimed at pausing planned Wi‑Fi activations in classrooms pending safety evidence and transparency. We also touch on wider digital‑era risks: ed‑tech data breaches, biometrics in schools, and how to push for informed consent and better governance.Beyond EMF, the conversation widens to personal sovereignty themes: food quality and hemp’s forgotten uses, big‑finance consolidation (BlackRock, Vanguard), and whether open networks like Bitcoin could reduce data centralisation. It’s a lively, sometimes provocative round‑table that keeps returning to one core message: equip parents and grandparents with practical steps, credible sources and community to protect children and ask better questions of institutions.Andy's site https://www.waketfup.co.uk'WHO – International EMF Project': https://www.who.int/initiatives/the-international-emf-project'IARC (WHO) 2011 – RF Electromagnetic Fields classified Group 2B': https://www.iarc.who.int/pressrelease/iarc-classifies-radiofrequency-electromagnetic-fields-as-possibly-carcinogenic-to-humans/'IARC Monographs – Non‑ionizing Radiation, Part 2 (RF‑EMF)': https://publications.iarc.who.int/Book-And-Report-Series/Iarc-Monographs-On-The-Identification-Of-Carcinogenic-Hazards-To-Humans/Non-ionizing-Radiation-Part-2-Radiofrequency-Electromagnetic-Fields-2013'Wi‑Fi Alliance – Wi‑Fi CERTIFIED 7 announcement': https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/01/08/2805409/0/en/wi-fi-alliance-introduces-wi-fi-certified-7.html'Wireless Broadband Alliance – Wi‑Fi 6 overview': https://wballiance.com/wi-fi-6-/'NHS (UK health service) – About the NHS website': https://www.nhs.uk/about-us/about-the-nhs-website/'NIH (US National Institutes of Health)': https://www.nih.gov/'Seesaw (learning platform)': https://seesaw.com/'Clearview AI (facial recognition) – Overview': https://www.clearview.ai/overview'GB News (UK TV channel)': https://www.gbnews.com/'TalkTV (UK broadcaster)': https://talktv.co/'BlackRock (investment manager)': https://www.blackrock.com/corporate'Vanguard (investment management – corporate)': https://corporate.vanguard.com/'Bayer – Monsanto acquisition (press release)': https://www.bayer.com/media/en-us/bayer-closes-monsanto-acquisition/