With the recent spate of deaths occurring for anyone showing anything other than the nepotistic cronyism which has become rife under this regime, it appears to me that something as simple as an opinion is now outwith the realms of acceptability for those not currently residing within these corridors of power.

Only recently I was informed by a very powerful mobster in this thing of ours that an out-of-character opinion of the behaviour of this regime is not something I should be permitted to discuss. I’ve been called pathetic, a cheat and verbally abused on an almost daily basis for something as simple as trying to correct the record on a false allegation levelled by yet another lofty mobster that - to this day - has not been recanted.

I’ve been killed for holding an opinion on the mobsters who attempt (in vain) to degrade and humiliate me, whilst also saying “but we offered you a home” - a home I neither want, need, nor care for. I’ve been told I shouldn’t frequent these streets by mutes who rarely visit these hallowed, cobbled alleyways of discussion, because I opine.

The sad thing is, I know I’m not the only one to face this constant barrage of abuse, ridicule and humiliation.

”Well, why do you put up with such hatred? Just stop visiting then?”, one might argue… and it’s a valid point. Why do I continue to frequent the streets which have brought nothing but abuse from the elders in power? Well, my momma always taught me that if a bully pushes you to the ground ten times, you get up eleven times.

Why should I mediate my language or hold an opinion I don’t believe to be true, just to satiate the bruised egos of a few megalomaniacs? I, for one, don’t believe I should have to. Nor do I believe in lying down to an illegitimate regime who purges any dissenting voices, in a vain attempt to extend a futile, aimless legacy - one whose only route to omnipotence is the destruction of those they seek to rule?

Does that make me pathetic? A cheat? Stupid? Or any of a hundred other vile names I’ve had to endure at the hands of the rich and powerful? Or does it make me a hero, who shrugs off these petty words, stands tall, chest out and continues to hold the powers-that-be to account? I’d hate to sound aggrandising or egotistical, so I’ll allow the sands of time to judge me… and hope they remember favourably the Robin Hood figure, resolute in the triumph of good over evil, despite facing such overwhelming adversity.

One can only hope.

It doesn't take long to get +1400