Mick Foley is a Hero

Mick Foley is a legendary wrestler (Cactus Jack, Mankind, Dude Love). He's famous for taking the hardest knocks in the business. 

He forged a respectable post wrestling career as a writer. His memoir of his wrestling days: Have a Nice Day: a Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks - is a joyous, bizzare ride through one of the strangest parts of the entertainment industry. 

A lot of his peers - who  won't name because fuck 'em - have publicly supported Trump. But Foley is a hero and does things his way. Always.

Candace Owens needs help

Not shit-posting but drowning.  Cries for help don't always sound like cries for help.

Candace Owens providing another ... uh ... unique and evidence free take on reality.

Owens alleged that the US ‘military is involved’. Like many of her other claims, which came in the wake of the Turning Point USA founder's assassination, she's yet to provide proof to back this up.

I initially started off planning to make fun of her.  It's still tempting.  After all, this is a woman who - in the last few months has claimed Brigitte Macron is a man and is now being heartily sued for it.  She's burrowed deeper into the strange rabbit hole that is her brain by claiming French special forces (aided by Israelis) are plotting to murder her.

But I remembered many years ago a post about Shoah / Holocaust denier David Irving (who, like Candace, has some problems with the Jews) and how I started off by laughing at his absurdity as much as condemning his evil, but within a few lines I found myself feeling pity more than anger and contempt.  The man was obviously deeply troubled and while that doesn't exculpate him, it does provide some context.

(For the record, that post probably hasn't aged too well - the interviewer who prompted those revelations from Irving was Johann Hari, a gentleman who has turned out to have his own problems with what we will politely call objectivity.  Because it turns out you can have self-serving liars, narcissists, bad actors and straight out fantasists on the left as well as the right.)

Candace Owens has been a diligent miner of the MAGA seam, conjuring outrage and alientation into gold (for her).  But her output has become more and more extreme and less and less hinged.  I don't think this is a cunning marketing ploy.  She's alienating potential marks.  Only people as disconnected from reality as she is will be buying.  This doesn't look like the normal rightwing grift.  This looks like someone having a breakdown in public.

For the benefit of Elon Musk, Alan Gardiner, Nick Tenconi and others

 This is how you make a celebratory or exultant arm gesture without looking like a neo-Nazi.

The Battle of Caerphilly

So the results are in and it seems the battalions of Reform have been dealt a swinging defeat at Caerphilly. Wales is a bit like Afghanistan - you just shouldn't try it on there.

Perhaps the Battle of Caerphilly represents the turning of the sinister nationalist tide? We can but hope. 

 At least is Wales and Scotland, pissed of Labour has somewhere to go that isn't Reform.  Given Labour seems unwilling to do anything to make it look like a party anyone would want to vote for, England needs a similar not-Reform receptacle. 

With due respect to Zak Polanski, I don't think the Greens are it.  They might have more members than the Conservative Party, but bragging about that just confirms their fringe status.  With a following wind and Labour engaged in a curious act of self-destruction they are on 12%.  Enough to split critical votes but not consolidate potential voters into a cohesive, winning whole.  Though there may be time for that.  I may be wrong, it happens.

While I have a place in my heart for the Corbyn / Sultana party / Acrimonious Break Up / Party, I don't think they quite get the urgency of the situation.  Given they are currently touring the country to 'workshop' policies with 'the people' (i.e. the sort of people who sell Socialist Worker and attend meetings), they might be ready for the fight sometime about 2083 - probably with a manifesto of policies which could have been copied and pasted from the 1983 Labour manifesto.  Though I may be wrong, it happens.

But assuming I amn't, what is to be done?