A Media Note on “Police Whistleblowers” and the Conspiracy Milieu

From the Daily Express, December 2017:

POLICE whistleblowers are calling for an independent body to be set up where officers can expose corruption without being bullied out of their jobs.
By JAMES FIELDING

MP Andrew Bridgen has written to the policing minister Nick Hurd asking him what support is currently available to officers who raise concerns over criminality within their force.

In the letter Mr Bridgen told him that those who “dare” to speak out are often “put under pressure to back down and keep quiet.”

…The letter added: “Any new body should act as an ombudsman and be a point of contact for serving officers who wish to come forward with information. 

…Two former detective constables, John Wedger [sic – should be “Jon Wedger”] and Rochdale whistleblower Maggie Oliver told the Sunday Express how their lives were made unbearable once they reported police corruption to their senior officers.

Oddly, it seems that Bridgen’s enquiry was informal: it does not appear on the list of Bridgen’s “Written Questions and Answers” on the Parliamentary website, nor is it mentioned on Bridgen’s own website. I have been unable to find any report about Hurd’s response, if there was one.

I noted Wedger and Oliver just a few days ago; Oliver is a mainstream celebrity, based on her involvement in exposing the Rochdale “grooming gang” case, while Wedger claims that he was forced out of the Metropolitan Police after raising a concern that evidence about a paedophile ring had been covered up – more recently, his allegations have come to include claims about Satanic Ritual Abuse (as noted by Hoaxstead Research), and he appears to have introduced Oliver to a conspiracy-theory milieu that includes the likes of Robert Green.

James Fielding, the author of the above article, wrote about both Wedger and Oliver in November 2017 (here and here); previously, Oliver had said that she had resigned in 2012 over how the Rochdale case was being handled, but in Fielding’s piece she re-framed her experience as “bullying”, explaining that she had not spoken out until now “so as not to detract from the way in which the young victims were let down by the police.”

Bridgen is a backbench MP who frequently obliges journalists with rent-a-quotes on a range of topics (1), and given his intervention just a couple of weeks later it is very reasonable to suppose that he was brought in at Fielding’s request to generate an easy follow-up article that would give a sense of the November stories moving onward and upward. (2)

A couple of months later, in February 2018, Wedger undertook a canal walk from London to Manchester, to raise awareness of his “whistleblowing” cause and to raise money for a drug rehabilitation centre; according to his Justgiving crowdfunding blurb:

Support has also come from morally focused MPs who have faced resistance from their peers for supporting us, as well as victim and survivor support groups and members of the public. Well-wishers have included the Mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham; Cardinal Vincent Nichols; and the original and most famous police whistleblower, Frank SERPICO.

The canal walk was also reported by Fielding, this time for Mail Online, but the journalist focused on the detail that Wedger was being accompanied by Chris Lambrianou, a former East End gangster and associate of the Kray Twins who is now a Christian after having had a conversion experience in prison.

Manchester was also the location of the mysterious “police whistleblowers’ meeting” attended by Wedger and Oliver that I noted in my previous post; in a short video, Wedger said that the meeting was taking place somewhere in the north of England, but an associate then gave the game away by complaining that it had taken him an hour to get to the venue from Manchester Airport, when the journey should have taken just two minutes.

Several other short “to-camera” videos from the meeting were uploaded to YouTube, but for some reason some of these have now been removed. In one of them, Wedger complained about an unnamed individual who was causing “unlimited damage”; and just yesterday he used social media to announce his immediate withdrawal from campaigning, supposedly due to “threats”. This is despite having recently launched a line of merchandise, including t-shirts bearing an image of his face and the words “I Stand with Jon” (3).

From context, it is obvious that the person Wedger says is causing “unlimited damage” is the former pop-singer Brian Harvey. However, it is difficult to see how this can be substantiated: in a recent YouTube video, Harvey spoke respectfully of Wedger, but appealed to him to disassociate from Bill Maloney, a self-styled activist who has made extravagant allegations of sex abuse and murder against politicians. Wedger says that he has known Maloney for eight years.

Harvey at one time worked with Maloney, and he has video clips, apparently from late 2013, that show Maloney “coaching” an obviously vulnerable adult in a way that is disturbing and demeaning, and asking this same man to confirm whether he had been abused by various celebrities. Maloney’s list of names also included a private individual known to Harvey, and Harvey very reasonably believes that this name was included to manipulate him (4). There is also a clip in which Maloney tells Harvey and the vulnerable adult that his life is in danger, and warns them that theirs may be as well.

This brings us back to James Fielding. Harvey claims that Fielding travelled with him and Maloney to meet this man; he says that Fielding was not present when Maloney read his list of names to him, but that he conducted a separate interview that yielded a sensational headline about supposed abuse by an unnamed politician. This was during a period when posthumous allegations against Jimmy Savile and the ongoing farce of Operation Midland meant that any lurid “VIP abuse” allegation would be published uncritically, although details were often kept vague to skirt libel laws and evade proper scrutiny.

Was it through Maloney that Fielding came into contact to Wedger? And if so, what does this tell us about the interactions between rabble-rousing conspiracy activists, journalists seeking sensationalist scoops, and publicity-hungry politicians?

Notes

(1)

As I have previously noted, the media has faithfully conveyed Bridgen’s view that it is “totally inappropriate” for the National Trust to be promoting gay rights; that he has “no idea” why John Lewis is selling children’s clothes as gender neutral; that police have “more important things to investigate” than a car being accidentally splashed with water from a watering can; and that “people will be shocked” by the proportion of National Lottery grants that go to Scotland. Etc, etc.

(2)

Last October Bridgen received a pre-publication copy of Wiltshire Police’s underwhelming report into Edward Heath, for which he provided positive publicity before the rest of us could see it and judge for ourselves. In the same month, he spoke supportively of  Wiltshire Chief Constable Mike Veale, when it announced that Veale was facing a disciplinary investigation on an unrelated matter. Fielding wrote this up for the Express in an article that carried the headline “Edward heath chief investigating constable victim of ‘ridiculous’ accusations” – the single quotes around “ridiculous” serving as cover for the obvious editorialising in such an announcement.

(3)

The items are for sale via a shopify website called “resistanceclothing”, apparently based in Thornton, Wirral. Alongside the “Jon Wedger Whistleblower collection”, the site sells “Clothing etc for patriots (rebels) with a cause whilst helping fund the patriots cause!” The items for sale mostly carry designs based on the Union Flag; there are also mugs advertising bacon, and a range of items promoting a Tommy Robinson supporter who goes by the name of “The Pissed Off Patriot”.

(4)

Harvey suffers from a bipolar disorder, and has in the past made something of a spectacle of himself (e.g. turning up outside Downing Street in 2014 and demanding to be seen by Davd Cameron). His broader narrative involving phone-hacking and police statements is difficult to follow, and some of his inferences are arguable. He also appears to remain invested in conspiracy theories. However, the Maloney material speaks for itself, and it’s a shame that journalists show no interest in it while running trivialising “weird news”-type articles about Harvey’s reduced circumstances and supposed mental state.

Harvey most recently gave his account in an interview with a London-based activist who goes by the name “Eddie Is OK” (var. Eddieisok, Eddie Isok). “Eddie Is OK” is a black Briton who, from his various videos, appears to be supportive of Tommy Robinson and of Anne Marie Waters’s For Britain party. He believes that immigration to Britain by Muslims is a conspiracy, and the blurb on one of his YouTube videos directs readers to a book by William T. Still entitled New World Order: The Ancient Plan of Secret Societies.

51 Responses

  1. I don’t know if the information is useful but I would like it to get back to the gentleman called Eddie who interviewed Brian Harvey.

    I attended a CSA event at the houses of commons hosted by whiteflowers.

    I was one of several police officers that was in the audience, we had all been involved previously with child protection matters and had been ignored or victimised.

    We were a little surprised to see this Mr Maloney attend the meeting and attempt to disrupt the meeting, people were scared of him, walking around and continually swearing, the chair of the meeting who I think was Liz Davies had to try and calm him down.

    What was worrying was that he came with this officer Jon Wedger who was still serving at the time and Mr Maloney appeared to be using him as a puppet. Mr Wedger was clearly unwell and didn’t say a thing with Mr Maloney pointing at him identifying him as a police officer and what the police were doing to him.

    Mr Wedger appeared to be either under heavy medication or under Mr Maloney’s spell, very odd.

    Mr Wedger appears to have taken on Mr Maloney’s persona and is acting in the same way with swearing and becoming aggressive, again this seems odd.

    Anyway, regarding the campaign that Mr Wedger is doing where he appears to be creating a brand for himself, other police whistleblowers don’t appear to be impressed because he is effectively doing this solely for the child abuse people if I can call them that because he is not helping any other police whistleblowers.

    His advertising states that it is to help other police whistleblowers as well.

    The information that he is giving also appears to be embellished, he has never worked at New Scotland Yard or worked globally, we are not sure if he was even a DC, from enquiries we think he was a PC on child protection.

    He was not on no pay for three years but was off sick whilst under investigation for various matters. Whilst off sick he was involved in various other businesses.

    He now has a web shop advertising his merchandise and it is felt that he will be making a living out of this, it is not for proper charitable purposes. It is also not known who is funding his venture.

    He was given an ill health pension because the MPS became exasperated with him and he was putting victims of child abuse at risk.

    • @SusanRose

      There’s another ex-copper, IIRC (and I do) who has been accused of exaggerating his career in the police. Those who have been following closely will know who I refer to.

    • Really?
      Who are you trying to kid?
      So a police whistleblower attended the CSA meeting just as you did. Mr. Wedger was perfectly entitled to do so. Make your mind up, he either ‘didn’t speak’ or he was ‘swearing and aggressive’.

      Why you’re surprised a victim of child abuse like Mr. Maloney is angry makes you naive to say the least.

      Mr Wedger is not his brothers keeper. He’s not responsible for Mr. Maloney.

      However as a police officer I’m shocked that you would make unfounded statements like someone was, “heavily medicated”. You didn’t even say medicated but heavily. So you’re a Dr. now or are you a witch? Able to identify someone under a, ‘spell’. This is conjecture on your part and as such you should be ashamed of yourself.

      Mr. Wedger has clearly stated that he did not set up a merchandising site and that was done by well wishers and he’s not made a penny out of it.

      You state that he’s not helping other whistleblowers but he is. His walk highlighted the need to support those who have blown the whistle. He’s campaigning for protection. If he’s done it alone then ask yourself the question. Where were you? Did you join him whilst walking through sub zero temperatures during some of the worst weather this country has had in years?

      He has arranged meetings for whistleblowers and he’s also opened up to other whistleblowers who are not police because this problem is not just a police one. You can see him talking to other officers and people who work for the prison service. He spends lots of time advising victims and helping them get their cases reopened. He does not receive a penny for this work.

      More people are aware of the poor treatment of whistleblowers since he started his campaign. Instead of knocking him maybe you could support him?

      If you can’t find it in your heart to support him them stop making up nonsense about him. Fact, he was a DC. That is actually public knowledge. You only have to Google his name and newspaper reports have quotes, unrelated to this, to his work, DC Wedger states….Funny how you have no clue about his job title but have access to information that is actually protected under data protection law. You have no access to his, wage, pension or ill health retirement records. You’ve just made it up, which is a vicious thing to do. Nobody dealing with his case in the police would have any right to discuss them. It would be a disciplinary matter if they did.

      Then you seem to think you can speak for MPs.

      Oh dear, you really need to do your research.

      • Wedger: “He does not receive a penny for this work.”

        Could you explain where the £4,874 (see below) disappeared to on his last jaunt?

        Could you explain why he has just made a ‘donation’ (actually a partial distribution of OTHER PEOPLE’S donations) of only £2,000 to one of the two charities his latest holiday was supposedly in aid of? As £6,142 has been raised the figure seems a little short…

        http://barthsnotes.com/2018/08/13/some-notes-on-express-journalist-james-fielding-bill-maloney-and-jon-wedger/#comment-1968142

      • You make me laugh, if you actually believe an ex DC, who is in the middle of a litigation case with the MET police, is stupid enough misappropriated funds you need your head testing.
        He’s an honest loving and caring human being. He’s suffered greatly for simply doing his job. He’s lost a lot and so have his children. You have no idea what he’s been through but you keep on judging from your armchair whist playing mini incompetent detective.
        Walk half a mile in his shoes and then judge. He’s doing something to help change this world for the better. I hope you do the same. Let me know when you’re doing something positive and courageous and I’ll back you up. Anyone would think you didn’t want him to succeed. Now why on Earth would that be?

      • Flew away like a butterfly… don’t suppose Mary will be back!

        “You have no access to his, wage, pension or ill health retirement records.”

        But Wedger’s biblical begging page does:

        “Jon’s salary was cut in half in January 2017, and the police intended to reduce his salary to zero in June 2017. The relentless bullying that Jon has endured for being a whistle-blower has brought on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He applied for medical retirement from the police, which would at least bring him his pension, but this had been refused.”

        “You only have to Google his name and newspaper reports have quotes, unrelated to this, to his work…”

        Again, thanks to his strong Christian conviction we don’t need to soil our hands with ungodly googling:

        “He had received eight senior officer commendations, three service medals and many quality of service reports. His investigative ability has been praised by local, national and international media. Jon had even gained a place in Scotland Yard’s Black museum as the result of one of his investigations.”

        No wonder Serpico is a fan!

        https://fundingmorality.com/project/view/jonathan-wedger.html

      • Oh I’m here, it’s just that I don’t spend all my time glued to a computer. I’ve got a life!

      • Mary, all that may well be true but unfortunately if he associates with Maloney many of us will have concerns about him. Maloney has a track record of bullying vulnerable survivors of CSA into making dubious claims against VIPs.

      • Some are attempting to discredit a man who can shine some light on the corruption of the establishment and the systems within. Based on nothing you’re willing to take such a risk?

      • “Oh I’m here, it’s just that I don’t spend all my time glued to a computer. I’ve got a life!”

        Then you won’t mind answering this straightforward question which would put many minds at ease (and would be more productive than entering into silly arguments):

        “Could you explain where the £4,874 (see below) disappeared to on his last jaunt?”

        You say he doesn’t make a penny, so I’m sure you’ll be as interested in the answer as I am.

        You might also ask Wedger to update his ‘fundraising’ pages; the current one (or one of them!) still has him on dry land preparing for the swim. As a total of £6,142 has been given to the man who received media-training from Anna Brees (who is also an admin on his Facebook page) yet he doesn’t even have the decency to tell his fans what he’s done with the cash.

        He does, however, have time to upload a video to Facebook wherein Brees discusses the breakfast menu at a newly-opened restaurant…

      • Oh you poor thing. You’re actually obsessed with him.

        You’ve actually quoted from his own page where the money went to from the walk.

        However I will summarise my understanding of it.

        1. To logistics.
        2. Publicity in raising awareness of the treatment of whistleblowers. To help promote a legal campaign to protect whistleblowers.
        3. Charity.

      • “However I will summarise my understanding of it.

        1. To logistics.
        2. Publicity in raising awareness of the treatment of whistleblowers. To help promote a legal campaign to protect whistleblowers.
        3. Charity.”

        £4,874 on “logistics” and “publicity”? Please provide us with the itemised breakdown of this expenditure as it seems like an absurdly high figure. In fact, I simply don’t believe it/him/you.

      • You’re determined not to believe it. There’s little point in continuing a conversation with someone who has accused me of being untruthful. Take care. I wish you well in whatever work you do in the protection of innocent abused children.

      • Are you Anna Brees, Mary Posita?

      • Ha ha, see there you go again. Based on absolutely nothing you’re making the most ridiculous assumptions.
        No I am not and I don’t even know the lady.

      • It wasn’t an “assumption”, it was a question; the giveaway was the use of the question-mark.

        It wasn’t a question based on “absolutely nothing” but on your apparent deep knowledge of the saintly Wedger & his finances.

        Unfortunately your lofty claim that the missing £4,874 can be put down to what amounts to ‘miscellaneous deductions’ is not going to satisfy anyone with half a brain. If they were justifiable, he/you would be justifying them.

        And of course we haven’t yet seen what these ‘deductions’ might be this time around.

      • Oh you poor thing. You’re actually obsessed with him.

        You’ve actually quoted from his own page where the money went to from the walk.

        However I will summarise my understanding of it.

        1. To logistics.
        2. Publicity in raising awareness of the poor treatment towards whistleblowers. To help promote a legal campaign to protect whistleblowers.
        3. Charity.

      • P.S. And have a word with Brees too!

        Her ‘fundraising’ page hasn’t been updated in 2 months:

        “2 months ago Anna Brees started crowdfunding”

        Let’s see the receipts for whatever she splurged the £390 on. Or do we need a whistleblower?

      • Fluttered away for good this time has Mary, it would seem… But no matter as Brees has revealed the ‘secret’ of the massive numbers achieved for video-clip watchers:
        http://oi63.tinypic.com/2u7vkg5.jpg

      • Mary Posita:
        “Mr. Wedger has clearly stated that he did not set up a merchandising site and that was done by well wishers and he’s not made a penny out of it.”

        Yet he posted the link on his very own website – or ‘one of his websites’ as for some unfathomable reason he has several – and says:

        “All proceeds from ay merchandise purchased will go towards the charities mentioned above. Thank you. God Bless.”

        Presumably he meant to write “all PROFITS” rather than “all proceeds”? But let’s hear about the proceeds/profits that those charities have received from the sale of the products carrying his name & marketed upon his own website. Shame you don’t know Anna Brees or you could pass the request along!

      • Wedger has yet more products – a total of 43! – for sale on another site; this is certainly my favourite so far:
        https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.590307354.5672/drawstring_bag,x1404-bg,ffffff.u1.jpg

        Handbags, stickers, notebooks…
        As in the case of Resistance Clothing no mention is made of proceeds/profits going to charitable causes.

        It is described by Gareth Slinn (an official ‘team memeber’ responsable for “Promotions & website”) on Wedger’s official Facebook page thusly:

        “this is Jon Wedgers official merchsndise site to help fund the cause and cover expenses”

        Ah! Those “expenses” again, eh?

      • I think you need to do your research and ask questions, have these police whistleblowers been totally honest?

        1. In relation to Maggie Oliver she states she resigned to expose corruption. She was dismissed, the terminology is that she was required to resign.

        2. What has Jon Wedger actually blown the whistle on? He has failed to name anyone including the senior police officers who apparently tried to cover up his disclosures? Another officer claiming to have done things whilst serving but has not followed anything through. He is now raising awareness of victims but is certainly not helping any other police whistleblowers and has not arranged any meetings as you have stated.

        You can’t see the wood for the trees.

        Name any other police whistleblowers who are actively supporting Jon Wedger, you won’t be able to.

        He is not trusted and not considered to be a genuine police whistleblower.

    • I remember bill moloney at the white flowers campaign it was disgusting behaviour. Jon wedger seems to be mixed up with the likes of Belinda McKenzie who is well know for her defending child abusers. And assisting padeophiles in the courts.also her financial adviser was Terrence Ewing roger gleeves business partner. Who was part of the dirty dozen along with Sidney cook that murdered mark tydlsey and Jason swift back in the 80s. Also Jon wedger has teamed up with the krays henchmen there seems to be a stink in the air with Jon wedger his not named a single person yet his suppose to be a whistle blower. He refuse to answer questions regarding being associated with these people who’s linked to padeophiles and calling for amnesty for padeophiles. His knew thing now seems to be around SRA which there has never been a proven case of this. is Jon wedger taken over bill moloney job of discrediting survivors of abuse by making all sorts of wild allegations of a massive conspiracy involving high political politicians I wonder whilst making lots of money out of this with at least five go funds me that I know of and his shop selling all sorts of clothes cups and wrist bands and various other stuff. Tragedy seems to sell amongs these so call child abuse campaigners.

      • On the subject of the reformed gangster, I think even Wedger’s fans are a bit bewildered by the dot-joining he performs in order to link it to child abuse.

        There’s an interesting comment at the bottom of this piece: http://thekraytwins.wikia.com/wiki/Chris_Lambrianou

        He probably means well, but…

      • Yes, it is a possibility that there is another motive of trying to discredit victims of child abuse.

        It is odd and other police whistleblowers appear to be distancing themselves from Jon Wedger.

  2. “A couple of months later, in February 2018, Wedger undertook a canal walk from London to Manchester, to raise awareness of his “whistleblowing” cause and to raise money for a drug rehabilitation centre…”

    Not quite right:

    “Your donations will go to supporting the walk and the logistics and organisational team. Any SURPLUS raised will go to…”

    Meanwhile Wedger has the “full support” of his MP…
    https://www.penning4hemel.com/content/police-whistleblower-campaign

    … and can add a BBC Three Counties Radio interview to the BBC Radio Oxford one he did:
    https://www.bitchute.com/video/fvfVbqVx70ya/

    • And here he is raising money a “British Crusader Against Child Sexploitation” on a CrowdScrounging site for folks not prepared to “compromise their moral and biblical convictions” and who “in turn have been persecuted by those who are intolerant of a Judeo-Christian worldview”:

      https://fundingmorality.com/project/view/jonathan-wedger.html

      No “surplus” here!

      • No mention of pocketing anything for ‘logistics’ here, though it all sounds a little vague for my liking:

        https://www.gofundme.com/justice-for-victims-of-abuse

        This time he’s popping off on his bike before going for a swim around an island… dig deep!

      • I’d like to see you do it. People like you are all talk, whilst sitting on their back side criticising others who are trying to make a difference.

      • And I see Maloney’s crony Brenda ‘Mumsy’ McNamara pops up in the well-wishers on the last link.

      • Aye, TDF:

        “GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM”

        ‘Mumsy’ is probably ON the team, perhaps providing ‘logistical support’ by arranging the hire of the campervan that Wedgie belatedly reveals will be necessary in order to complete his “hard arduous journey”/holiday!

        Just out of interest I checked out his largest donor (a whopping grand!) to see what other worthy causes they were flinging their money at; here’s one of them:

        ‘Expose gofundme scammers!’

        “I offer FULL TRANSPARENCY. All funds will be FULLY accounted for so the donors know the money is going to what they intended it for. Unlike scammers who asked for money without provided a specific price list and having any plans to itemize the spending of the money. We need to raise this money quickly…
        [Goes on at some length before providing the ‘price list’]
        P.S. Most money will be used to promote the content to a larger audience until the channel gets large enough to have a big reach on it’s own. Also it takes HOURS to edit and reasearch. I’ve taken weekends and even some days off to do these video with NO ADS on them so it’s free. So say 90% for promotions and 10% for my time.”

        Brilliant! A scam scamming money from people eager to stop scammers scamming! And it works. What a world!
        https://www.gofundme.com/NoMoreYouTubeScammers

      • Here’s Wedger handing over a big cheque:
        https://www.facebook.com/theleycommunity/photos/pb.183216268495055.-2207520000.1532455832./1056262457857094/?type=3&theater

        The amount raised: £7,340
        The amount handed over (or the “surplus”): £2,000

        JustGiving’s fees are 5% (or £367) and the payment processing fee is between 1.25% and 1.45% (if we say an average of 1.35% that would be £99).

        £7,340 – £367 – £99 – £2,000 = £4,874.

        It looks like that “hard arduous journey” earned Wedger & team almost five thousand pounds, and the charity just two.

      • Ok. I just wonder if some of the donations are he himself using dummy names, hoping to generate interest. Not that I’m defending him, mind.

      • “I am training whistle-blowers for free, showing them how they can do live broadcasts on social media using their mobile phones. I am also supplying equipment like tripods and microphones out of my own pocket. This crowdfunding is for advertising costs ONLY, to spread this message globally…

        … I recently met Jon Wedger a former Scotland Yard detective. He along with others are exposing an establishment cover up of paedophile rings in the UK, and I am requesting donations to enable me to spread this message on social media, via boosting these post to everyone in the UK. ALL of the money donated will be spent on this. I have spoken to Lenny Harper who led the investigation into child abuse in Jersey at Haut de la Garenne…”

        https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jonwedgerboostmessage

      • Ah yes, this is the young lady who popped up claiming to have encountered a new DNA testing technique which would finally bring the Haut de La Garenne scoundrels to justice. Hmmm. She also claims to have been a reporter on the scene when allegations of human remains being discovered at HdlG were broadcast across the world’s media back in early 2008.

      • Seems that she was genuinely a presenter with BBC South as of 2008:

        http://www.bbc.co.uk/southtoday/content/articles/2008/10/30/anna_brees_feature.shtml

      • Although Brees claims to train “whistle-blowers for free, showing them how they can do live broadcasts on social media using their mobile phones” she also offers a “one day intensive course” which “is a hands on workshop where attendees will learn by doing filming, editing and presenting on their mobile phones.”

        Price: £103 (and no refunds).

        The two grand she claims to need to “boost” Wedger’s message could put 20 ‘brave whistleblowers’ through her course – if she was able to offer herself a small discount!

        https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/london-mobile-video-workshop-androidios-tickets-47945108109

      • There doesn’t seem to be a lot of info about this canal-side stroll, though it was hoped to start on the 24th February and seems to have terminated a little over a week later with Oliver & Green in tow:

        https://twitter.com/PeteJacksonGMP/status/970725235455680512

        (The Mayor of Manchester was a no-show. No sign of Serpico either!)

        Green had met up with Wedger a couple of days earlier according to this mesmerizing video (which is – gulps! – part 2) where, over several pints of what I assume were energy drinks, they shared their beliefs in Satanic animal cruelty and the like:

      • Well, I’d written Brees the cheque for £2,000’s worth of Wedgie boosting and was genuinely looking forward to learning how to use my ‘phone on one of her courses/seminars/indoctrination events, but must admit to some doubts after watching this:
        https://www.pscp.tv/w/1kvJpWwgeZDGE
        Ah well. At least I’ve finally heard the sound of one hand clapping…

      • “wedgie-boosters” lol. Maybe we should coin that one as our stock phrase for bullshit merchants.

      • Anna “I work for free” Brees on the “inspirational pair” of Oliver & Wedger:
        https://twitter.com/BreesAnna/status/1020032170235133953

        “Thanks to @wedger_jon for training with me last week on how to use his mobile device to capture this interview …”

        Wedger seeks to dispel accusations that they are acting in their own self-interest – nothing could be further from the truth, he says…

      • The Rt Hon Sir Mike Penning MP quite literally wearing the t-shirt:
        https://www.penning4hemel.com/sites/www.penning4hemel.com/files/mike_penning_jon_wedger1_0.jpg

        He stands with Jon – the bloody fool!

  3. TDF: “I just wonder if some of the donations are he himself using dummy names, hoping to generate interest.”

    You may not be far of the mark, TDF! Eager to learn how the latest Wedgeathon-funded holiday was going I had a look yesterday and noticed that the last big donor (£250) shares a name – and perhaps an identity – with one of his “team memebers [sic?!?]”.

    Another of his ‘memebers’ is responsible for ‘Security’ (why?!?) and shares an unusual name – and perhaps identity – with a recidivist weed-farmer whose latest brush with the law saw some fairly unconvincing explanations being given: he wanted only the male plants which “do not produce any skunk buds” and these only for the extraction of oil to protect himself from cancer.

    Meanwhile the jaunt has begun: “Alls going well. On way to Cornwall” he says – or rather ‘said’! Three whole days have passed and it seems that media course in using mobile ‘phones (course giver last seen in mutual backslapping with producer of ‘Paedos In Parliament’ YouTube schlockumentary) hasn’t paid dividends and his supporters (over £6,000 at time of writing) are being left in the dark as to his heroic struggle navigating the M5. Fingers crossed he survives!

    Half expecting him to claim the find of a coconut/bone of child victim of Satanic sacrifice while paddling in the sea. Let’s see if he manages to break through that elusive 28% barrier of raised funds actually going to the charities (and not behind the bar!).

    P.S. This made me laugh from his latest big donor: http://oi66.tinypic.com/a5aiaf.jpg

    • My mistake – although he doesn’t seem to be updating the funding site he’s keeping us updated elsewhere & is well on his way!
      https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dj0QmWiXcAACAsy?format=jpg
      The ‘Johnny Wedger’ is “a 30-year-old bike he rescued from a canal and then restored. He chose this as a symbol to show that no matter what start you have in life you can be transformed into new.”

      “[H]e renovated [the] old bike for a charity fundraiser after a young boy with no family and no bike, asked him to help.”

      • For a soi-disant whistleblower, he strikes me as suspiciously healthy looking in all of his media appearances (genuine whistle blowers, I suspect, usually die in poverty, sadly, and don’t have the resources or psychological well-being to go running around doing charity walks with their sun-tans and their grins and bulging biceps, etc). AND MOST OF THEM DON’T GET TO TAKE EARLY RETIREMENT WITH A GILT EDGED PENSION EITHER. Ok, I’m getting angry again, which usually doesn’t end well, so I’d best check myself.

        Suffice to say, there’s something that I’m not buying about Wedgie’s shtick. Something doesn’t quite stack up here.

      • Really? He doesn’t look sick enough! Are you kidding me? He cycled a bike from London to Cornwall during a record breaking heatwave. Now he’s not even allowed to smile because that raises suspicion that he may experience some sort of happiness. Have a word with yourself.

      • I have to admit the man is a mystery, TDF – at times he appears rational and speaks quite convincingly in a way that, say, Bill Baloney never could… but this sheen of respectability makes him dangerous in that it opens those doors behind which we usually find the rightly excluded Baloney ranting and raving like the nutter he is.

        I’m not linking to it but in my travels last night I delved into the anti-Wedger movement and found the most serious (and specific) accusation being made against him from those whom we’d normally expect to be on our brave whistleblower’s side. I didn’t believe it for one second, but it’s ‘out there’. They eat their own, it would seem (then charge it to ‘expenses’ before calculating the ‘surplus’!).

    • Re donors, had a further check and the first three donations all came from ‘team memebers’, two of them from the same fella mentioned above.

      So yes, TDF, I think we can assume that a little bit of manipulation takes place to generate interest to get the ball rolling.

      • And the ‘memeber’ who donated three times to the current one seems to have donated a total of seven times/£400 to the previous JustGiving beg-a-thon.

        [£50 March 5, £30 March, £20 Feb 26, £100 Feb 9, £50 Feb 7, £50 Jan 25, £100 Jan 21.]

        Also of note a not-particularly-generous £30 from a “J Fielding Jan 30, 2018. All the best John and Bill. Get those miles in!”

        (Anonymous donations are allowed & it’s possible to use false names so a little bit of caution here.)

  4. […] noted this comment on the BarthsNotes blog a few weeks […]

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