Summer in the City

That US election, Fireworks, Luxon's Clangers and Costello's Mistruths.

Go out and find a girl
Come on, come on, and dance all night
Despite the heat it'll be alright
And babe, don't you know it's a pity
That the days can't be like the nights
In the summer, in the city

Song: John Sebastian, Mark Sebastian, Steve Boone

Thank You

To begin today, a thank you. Yesterday, I was feeling down about the number of subscribers opting to go, and your kind messages meant a lot. Normally, it’s supposed to be me that makes you feel a bit better about things, but yesterday, you very much returned the favour.

I get that the subscriber thing is nothing personal. It’s not about my writing—few people indicate that as the reason. It feels like it’s more about the economic situation, and chances are that if I were writing for those who have property portfolios and not those more likely to have become public servants, things would probably be going great guns.

One of the reasons I write is to let people know others feel similarly. Especially where the media fails to cover that viewpoint, but it seems like something many might be feeling. We often talk about some pretty negative things, but sharing a joke or shaking our fists together can provide some comfort in being among like-minded individuals.

Rest assured that I have no intention of stopping writing; it’s just that the economic downturn and resulting fall in discretionary spending are somewhat delaying my plans for world domination. These are essentially two-fold:

1. Get enough subscribers so I can earn an income writing without needing to send out requests like yesterday's one.

2. Reach as many people as possible to make them laugh and reaffirm our humanity, kindness and compassion at a time when they seem out of fashion.

That first goal is achievable, but I must remind myself that short-term setbacks are mostly out of my control. The second one is the bigger one, and yesterday, you reminded me that I sometimes achieve that - so that’s what I wanted to thank you for.

Just in terms of the economic uncertainty, I would like to reiterate that if you find yourself in hardship and need to cut costs, please let me know. I’m happy to provide a complimentary period if you cannot afford your subscription at the moment.

I’ve been made redundant before; it bloody sucks; if I can help, please let me know. Both you and I will feel better if you keep reading than if you simply cancel - that’s how I look at it.

The US Election

With the election tomorrow, we have reached full saturation, even here. Half of our press pack seems to have gone to the US to provide coverage. Although, as David Slack wrote in his newsletter yesterday, you have to question how much value they’re actually adding.

Tomorrow, I’ll flick between the different channels, looking at the coverage, but for now, as Mr Slack pointed out, the offerings from Substackers seem much more informative than what we’re getting from sending a mainstream media pack over there to say the same things they would’ve said here but with America in the background.

Personally, I enjoy Robert Reich and Caitlin Johnstone, but to be honest, I get most of my US coverage from the late-night shows with Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert. Makes you wonder what those gentlemen will do come Thursday when this is all done and dusted. That last bit was a joke; I suspect this one has rather longer to play out.

Like many of you, my enthusiasm for Kamala Harris is hugely impacted by her failure to take a strong position against the killing in Gaza. I get that it’s politically expedient for her, but it’s a damn hard sell to get people to vote for someone so weak on telling Israel to stop murdering people. But I would still vote for her if I were able to.

There are so many reasons, the racist rhetoric from Trump or the threats not to respect the outcome. He is a revolting human being in every way; I can’t think of a single decent thing to say about him.

I listened on RNZ this morning to a 78-year-old woman who was voting for Kamala because of women’s health rights. She said they weren’t just for women. They were important to families, and that struck a chord with me.

You don’t have to be a woman to value women’s rights. You don’t have to have a sister, a friend, a child, or anyone who might opt to have an abortion. You simply have to care about other human beings and not want them forced into dangerous and difficult situations. For that reason alone, I would vote for Kamala, and I very much hope she wins.