This is the fifth chapter of a novel being published in serial form in the Daily Sceptic. It’s a dystopian satire about the emergence of a social credit system in the U.K. in the near future. Read chapter one here, two here three here and four here.
Ella sat at her desk, contemplating her to-do list for the day: preparing for Thursday’s hearing, filing some more Freedom of Information Act requests – bugger all good that would do – starting a letter of complaint, email to school to check arrangements for Libby’s art trip next week, MUST REMEMBER TO BUY POPPY NEW TRAINERS, collect kids!!!
She had cases coming out of her ears; people who felt pissed off and let down and some – many – whose lives had been all but destroyed. Angry, devastated, many felt the same fury as she did about what was being done to them under the banners of ‘efficiency’, ‘safety’ and, lately, ’sociality’, especially to the kids.
IT IS NOT OKAY!!!! She had wanted to howl on so many occasions since it started. But to what end? To who? Better to get busy fighting.
What had started as a solo gig, something she’d managed to squeeze in seamlessly around the kids was now a full-on, full-time operation involving three colleagues and devouring, it seemed, every spare minute of her day, and more besides.
There was Arthur – wise, cutting, insightful Arthur who resigned a few months back from the ranks of the senior civil service with half a century’s experience under his belt and who was now committed to “spending the rest of my days bringing the bloody bastards down”. There was Jeannie who, like Ella, was a lawyer but had walked the tightrope that Ella had at some point tumbled off; astute and far-sighted and keeping her views to herself, Jeannie now led something of a double-life — General Counsel for one of the big media conglomerates by day, stealth freedom fighter by night. And then there was Danielle, their get-it-done and hold-the-rest-of-them-to-account kind of gal. None of them really knew her background, a point which occasionally gnawed away in some dark recess of Ella’s mind. However, Danielle was extremely competent and sufficiently essential to the whole operation to mean it was best not to think too hard about it.
Top of Ella’s list today was the prep for next week’s appeal in front of the Industrial Processes Appeals Tribunal.
She read through the file that Danielle had sent over, another involving Zeeta, “Your Children are Our Future”.
“What have they done now?” she shook her head, picking up the file.
Dr Rolander, Zeeta’s Sales Director, had given a TV interview during which he shamelessly promoted Zeeta’s “pioneering” ATTENTIONLOCK implant for 5-11 year-olds. He’d made a series of outlandish claims:
“The average attention span of under-fives will increase by at least 300%”, “the benefit lasts into adulthood” and is “more effective than natural concentration for improving memory and productivity”.
But soon after the implant had been authorised parents had started to report children were developing eye problems, headaches and splitting migraines. A regrettable concatenation of a media blackout on the possible safety issues, children being seduced by the snazzy colours of the ‘Child Safe Bim’ and parents attracted to the promise of docile kids and the stigma of not wanting Jack or Jane to be the only kid in the class without one, meant that the implant was being dished out to the nation’s young at an alarming rate.
The little boy in Ella’s case was called Billie Fralard. Two days after his implant the headaches had started. At first, it was nothing serious, but they’d got gradually worse. His eyesight deteriorated and now, six months later, he was near blind. His distraught parents were convinced the implant was to blame but had got nowhere with Zeeta, the hospital or the eye specialist. They couldn’t afford to sue Zeeta, and anyway the web of indemnities and immunities had made it all but impossible to launch the sort of claim that would make a difference. However, there were, in theory at least, still rules about what these companies could and couldn’t say to the public when trying to flog their wares and there was a chance they might be able to get Rolander for good old fashioned lying.
She read through the file and bit her pen, thinking. It looked remarkably straightforward, too straightforward even. Wanting a second opinion, she rummaged through her desk drawer for her old brick-phone – the only mode of communication that, as far as she knew, wasn’t being snooped – and texted Arthur, the old-fashioned way.
“Can we speak quickly? Want to check we are agreed wrt next week’s hearing.”
She’d barely put the phone down down when Arthur, as efficient and eager to help as ever, called her back.
“How can I help?” he said.
“Hey, thanks. It’s this Zeeta case, Billie’s one about the attention implant. Presumably we’re going for a straightforward breach of Clause 12, right? Misleading the public and making unfounded claims?”
“Yes, I think so,” said Arthur. You might also try them for false marketing and if you wanted to be really punchy, you could try for a Clause 7 ruling too — endangering the life of a minor, that’s the biggie really — but I doubt the Tribunal will give you that, too much risk of the press deciding they need to report on it.”
“Okay, that’s helpful, thank you. No harm in giving it a shot, I guess.”
“Hang on”, said Arthur. “Just before you go. Are you sure taking on another of these cases is the best use of our time? I’d be surprised if we don’t win this one – I can’t see they’ve a leg to stand on – but it’s not like anything will happen to them, is it?”
Ella thought for a moment, then stood up. Pacing the room she could feel herself getting defensive.
“I know, but I’m not sure we have a better plan do we? I get that the fines won’t be big but at least they’ll be guilty of something that will stick?”
“Yes, maybe,” said Arthur, his voice betraying his lack of conviction. “I’m just conscious that it’s another week – at least – of our time and at best they’ll get a slap on the wrist. I doubt they’ll even get a proper fine. It’ll be a mosquito bite for those guys.”
Poised to reply, Ella was interrupted by the jarring vibration of the Biometer. She recoiled, as always every inch of her body resisting the twang it punched up her arm.
“FOUR HOURS SINCE YOUR LAST WALK,” the miniature orange screen flashed, more annoying than even the most nagging of spouses.
“Urgh, I have to go,” she said. “I’ll have a think about what you said – thanks again for the chat.”
Staring out of the window Ella debated with herself. Arthur wasn’t wrong; this would be, what, the fifth time they’d taken a worthy case to a hearing before the Tribunal, and although they’d basically won them all nothing ever seemed to come of it.
But, it was 2:15pm, and with less than an hour to go before she risked failing to do the third and most essential item on the kidmin list – collect the dear little critters from school – she pushed those doubting thoughts out of her mind and beavered on.
Look out for chapter six next week.
M. Zermansky is a pseudonym.
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Try as I may, I really cant conjure up any scenario where a firefighter could ‘work from home on an ad-hoc basis,’ unless of course he/she set their own gaff on fire.
Just when you think things can’t get any crazier, up pops something to prove you wrong.
Try pulling this stunt in the private sector.
This is where going back to basic and irrefutable biological facts come into play. Andropause has always been an established thing but it certainly cannot be likened to women’s menopause, with many women suffering hot flashes and night sweats that can impair their quality of life. By the way, I also don’t think women should be taking time off work for the menopause, this seems a relatively new thing. There are many ways in which women can counter the unpleasant effects of menopause, and most do not involve medication. I’ve worked with loads of menopausal women and they each cope in different ways but they never rang in sick over it. Here’s the good old NHS describing the male andropause;
”The “male menopause” (sometimes called the andropause) is an unhelpful term sometimes used in the media.
This label is misleading because it suggests the symptoms are the result of a sudden drop in testosterone in middle age, similar to what occurs in the female menopause. This is not true.
Although testosterone levels fall as men age, the decline is steady at about 1% a year from around the age of 30 to 40, and this is unlikely to cause any problems in itself.
A testosterone deficiency that develops later in life, also known as late-onset hypogonadism, can sometimes be responsible for these symptoms, but in many cases the symptoms are nothing to do with hormones.
Some men develop depression, loss of sex drive, erectile dysfunction, and other physical and emotional symptoms when they reach their late 40s to early 50s.
Other symptoms common in men this age are:
These symptoms can interfere with everyday life and happiness, so it’s important to find the underlying cause and work out what can be done to resolve it.”
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/male-menopause/
Yawn – just as women use menopause (and child-bearing) as excuses for putting on weight! Here’s a revolutionary statement. Men who have large bellies/man boobs/loss of muscle mass are simply eating and/or drinking too much and not getting enough exercise. But, just like women, a lot of them don’t want to hear it.
Yes that’s correct. Why have so many people turned into pathetic snowflakes these days? Take some ownership over your health FGS. Now we’re medicalizing something which even the NHS admits is not related to hormones but has its roots in a myriad of other possible causes, such as what you mention, which certainly sounds like a good place to start. I would also add poorly managed stress as a likely cause. Women seem generally better at opening up to friends and colleagues about stuff, also initiating doctor’s appointments or seeking counseling. Men not so much as they tend to internalise their problems and not speak about their feelings. How can this not impact on physical health at some stage?
All funded by the taxpayer – just add it to the list.
The sooner public services are returned to the competitive, free market, private sector – whence they came – and get these blood-sucking public servants of the public payroll, the better.
And the Conservative branded government will do …… nothing.
Absolute insanity. But then there shouldn’t be any ‘female menopause’ policies either. Menopause is a normal stage of life and, for the vast majority of women there is no reason for menopause to need time off work. I never took a day off during mine, and if some women do have such debilitating symptoms that they are unable to work (appreciate we’re not all the same) then they should simply get a sick note from the doctor.
It is an excuse to start medicating half the population after a certain age. Follow the money.
As a woman, if I went to my gp demanding a prostate check because I am a certain age, I would be laughed out of the surgery. However, if I was male, and went in complaining about the menopause, or, if I was a male who was pretending to be a woman, and demanded some kind of gynaecological check, (to support me in my fantasy/mental illness) I would probably be humoured and treated with sympathy. Wokeness only seems to work in certain directions.
Only because the doc would be sued if he did not take your ideas seriously. It is much easier for the doc to go along with the delusions & pass on the problem to his colleagues.
Watching the people in the market today walking past our local trans with a beard, long hair in a pony tail, a tartan mini skirt high heels & tights none of them gave him a second glance which is why they have to develop ever more extreme plans to be noticed as most are sad and lonely people.
I do wonder if they are hoping that their male patterned baldness will be reversed by taking female hormones. Won’t be able to change the size of their feet though.
Yes you can bet your bottom dollar that the men who have ‘periods’ will also want a piece of the menopause action.
I mean, just because it has “men” in the word, for fluff’s sake!
Is it just a coincidence that all these ‘work when you like it’ policies are in the public sector? When you don’t have to produce the revenues to cover the costs you incur it’s all so easy to waste money.
We are coming to a point where the entire public sector need to lose their jobs. Surely all this is just plain idiocy by people who cannot even do their jobs properly. All of the public services are now useless, yet we still pay? It is time to shut off the money.
Which ‘Charity’ has this nonsense come from..? Stonewall, or someone else.?
This is bollocks isn’t it? Or at least something to do with them.
ha ha ha ah jeezus. ——-Yesterday at the Pharmacist getting a flu jag I was asked was I white, male , mixed race……. de da de da. ——-I said politely “Can I just stop you right there, and can we bypass all of this stuff please”? ——-The lady scrolled down and said “Oh yes there is a bit that says would you prefer not to answer”. I said ” I refuse to answer nonsense like this thankyou”. Then she got on with the job of giving me an injection. There is only one way to STOP this garbage and that is to refuse to indulge their wokery
Always the public services, free from the financial imperative. Spend more, tax more, never mind the cost.
If women can get special treatment then so should men.
It’s about equality.