by PAUL COLLITS – THE work of third-wave feminists – the #MeToo Barbie generation – is never done.
It came to my attention recently that a gutter-presser and latter-day (very) minor podcaster from Adelaide – Yass with gays – thinks that I (and two others, Professors David Flint and Augusto Zimmermann) should be done for contempt of court.
- Brand is now confronted by, and confronting, the new-rich-Left.
- There is whiff of convenience in these attacks on Brand.
- And there is more than a whiff of a familiar pattern, seen previously in the Pell and Lehrmann cases in Australia.
This is the second time this has been urged against me. Not by some legal eminence (such as either of my two co-accused) but by two-bit journalists.
The first accusation related to something I wrote about the persecution of the late George Pell, and was concocted by The Age.
FARCICAL
The more recent, and even more farcical, case related to articles written about the terrible injustices suffered by Fr John Fleming, an Adelaide Anglican, then Catholic, priest falsely accused of sexual crimes.
Pell was, as we all know, jailed for more than 400 days, and Fleming lost his career and a subsequent defamation case against the journalist perpetrators.
All this came to mind when the weekend just passed brought us the latest hit job.
The most recent victim of loudly proclaimed yet unproven allegations is the British comedian and alt-media figure, Russell Brand.
Traditionally loathed by the Right of politics, Brand is now confronted by, and confronting, the new-rich-Left.
Here is the headline: “Russell Brand accused of rape and sexual abuse”.
“Comedian denies all allegations, including one claim that he ‘groomed’ a 16-year-old schoolgirl, and says all relationships were consensual.
“Russell Brand has been accused of a rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse in a period spanning seven years and during the height of his fame.
“The allegations from four women – including one who claimed she was just 16 when she was ‘groomed’ by the comedian – have emerged as part of an investigation by Channel 4 Dispatches and The Sunday Times.
“Brand, 48, who is in the middle of a UK tour, has vehemently denied the ‘very, very serious criminal allegations’, insisting that all his sexual relationships have been consensual.”
Brand joins a long line of accused males, a list that includes, most prominently, the aforementioned Pell and Fleming, John Jarratt, Craig McLachlan, Bruce Lehrmann, Dyson Heydon, Roger Ailes, the many British victims of the appalling paedophile-liar Carl Beech, various American sports stars and dozens of innocent clergy on both sides of the Pond and in Australia.
What all these cases have in common is that the accused have all proven convenient targets for those with a mission to put certain men behind bars, and that they have been underpinned by twin moral panics.
VICTIMS
Child abuse and female victims of male sexual assault. (We can leave aside here all the other victims of ghastly, dodgy prosecutions, like Bradley Murdoch, David Eastman, Lindy Chamberlain and Kathleen Follbigg).
The early defenders of Brand (in addition to family, friends and fans) include Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson.
Both are engaged in battles with key members of the PGGWC (progressive, globalist, green, woke, COVID) class. Not coincidentally.
Carlson, in particular, understands the source and the power of those who are either actively involved in the attack on Brand, or will profit from his defenestration.
The (London) Telegraph reports: “The messages of support apparently stem from the belief that Brand’s large following on social media and anti-establishment opinions are of concern to those in power.
“Bev Turner, 49, the co-host of Britain’s Newsroom on GB News, sent a message of support to Brand in response to his video regarding the allegations.
“She said: ‘You are being attacked. The Establishment media don’t know what to do with the fact that you have six million subscribers and generate autonomous, knowing and original content.
“ ‘Keep going. This proves you are winning. You’re a hero.’
“Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News presenter, appeared to sympathise with Brand after hinting that the allegations had surfaced because of Brand’s social media influence.
“The 54-year-old wrote on Twitter (X): ‘Criticise the drug companies, question the war in Ukraine, and you can be pretty sure this is going to happen.’ In response to the tweet Andrew Tate wrote: ‘Yep’.”
Innocent until proven guilty, as they say.
Brand has been a voice of reason during COVID mania. He now has a new “brand”.
A man of the Left, he perhaps has a predisposition to not trust billionaires and multinational drug and tech companies.
A predisposition that most of his former Leftist co-ideologues have been in an almost indecent rush to jettison.
RELENTLESS
He has questioned, questioned, questioned. He has been relentless. He has embraced new ideas that are more associated with the alt-Right.
He has reached across the philosophical aisle in pursuit of the truth and acquired new allies in the process. His outsized witness to the truth about the COVID State has been exemplary and influential.
He has been a hero to the deplorables and the excluded. And he has brought Leftist cache to the table.
That Brand has been a genuine COVID hero doesn’t make him a non-rapist. Innocent of the “charges”. Of course. Nor do the endorsements of other celebrities.
He does have the advantage of not being a Catholic priest. The law will take its wobbly, suspect course, if it ever gets beyond current stage of tittle-tattle and accusations megaphoned through the legacy media, media to which Brand has been such a threat with his podcasting.
No, his excellence in various fields does not mean that his private life is exemplary. But there is a pattern.
A recent book by Anna Funder (Wifedom, written about George Orwell’s wife) either seeks to bring down, or may have the effect of, bringing down another hero of the deplorables.
Orwell may or may not have mistreated his wife. She may or may not have deserved greater recognition. Orwell, of course, is not remotely the only literary or political figure of great stature to have lived an apparently less-than-exemplary private life.
Just take a read of Paul Johnson’s book Intellectuals, to see how our public figures are, often, assholes.
But there is whiff of convenience in these attacks on Brand.
Note this. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: “We are aware of media reporting of a series of allegations of sexual assault. At this time, we have not received any reports in relation to this. If anyone believes they have been the victim of a sexual assault, no matter how long ago it happened, we would encourage them to contact police.”
Ah, no police involvement. None of the complainants named. They are simply putting out there their version of events that Brand claims were consensual. A little of the Jared Hayne case here, too.
WHIFF
And there is more than a whiff of a familiar pattern, seen previously in the Pell, Lehrmann and Fleming cases.
Complainants approach the #MeToo embedded media – not the police – with allegations against an unpopular and/or famous figure, and use the “voice” of the media to air and mercilessly project unproven allegations, leaving the accused hanging loose at the mercy of the mob.
It has been reported in relation to Brand: “In a statement, Channel 4 said it was ‘appalled’ by ‘deeply troubling allegations, including behaviour alleged to have taken place on programs made for Channel 4 between 2004 and 2007’.”
It adds that “extensive document searches” have found no evidence to suggest alleged incidents were brought to the attention of Channel 4.
Ah, nothing said at the time. The contemporaneous smell-test is always useful. See under Brittany Higgins.
The strategy sometimes works (legally), and, if it doesn’t, well, as they say, some of the mud always sticks.
Mission accomplished. Another one brought down.PC
