I think I have to call 2025 the year of greed and hate. Those with more than too much aren't satisfied with what they have so they stir up hate. In my 72 years, I've never known a year like it. That people got put into the house of Lords, who instead should have been in front of a court, is beyond me. Blatant liars like Johnson and Farage have done so much damage, they too should be in front of a Judge. I won't even go there with Trump, Putin and Netanyahu, each one evil and guilty of so many crimes against humanity. I despair! However, that there are decent people calling out the evil, lying, greedy and just plain nasty, gives me some hope that there are more of us who can make a difference. Hope you had a good Xmas and I wish you a happy new year.
Personally, I think of 2025 as the country sized bog blocker, no amount of flushing will shift it.
2026 will either be the year that the 5l bottle of bleach finally breaks its ternacious grip one the bottom of the bowl with the poor bog giving off a squeel of joy as its life finally starts to feel a little, albeit tiny, bit lighter. Or the bog just gives up, and with final cry and commits commodal suicide, releasing its unbearable load on everything we hold precious - like respect, dignity, compassion and civility.
2025 was the year I finally gave up on watching anything to do with news or politics and my life has been so much less angry for it… I stay on my mountain side in Wales, do my work as an artist and watch the birds on my bird feeder, so your round-up has come as a series of revelations to me that I have no desire to delve into any deeper. I’m of an age now where I just want to enjoy my remaining years sans the hassle of idiots who should know better being in charge when most of them shouldn’t even be in charge of a public toilet!
I love your scribblings Bear and long may they continue… I wish you all the best for 2026!
Thanks Bear for summerising so succinctly the hole we have dug and are still digging for ourselves. I often wonder if this era of our history is the beginning of the end of us, we are regressing so quickly. Hopefully as long as there are still those who stand up and speak up against what is very clearly wrong, balance and decency might be restored.
I’m exhausted! Did we all live and survive through all that? How amazing the majority of human beings are, now, it’s time to destroy those greedy, immoral, crazy few who would destroy all of us.
Certainly a year when civilised society has almost come off its hinges. And the underlying reason for all of it? Money.
A half century of neo-classical (i.e. politicaly motivated) economics, courtesy of Milton Friedman and his ilk, has created a received wisdom that the wealthy must not be curtailed or we'll all be poorer. Except the reality is we've all become poorer precisely because of unconstrained wealth.
The result is the morbidly rich have been able to buy both news and social media, in order to keep telling the populace that this state of affairs is good for them.
Then they've bought the politicians to ensure their wealth is not diluted by tax or inconvenient rules, and that all laws passed are in their favour.
The next step was to take over the machinery of government, in particular by supplying the technology that all organisations need today in order to function - databases, data gathering systems, communications, voting systems. Consequently all government information is now (or soon will be) in the hands of rich, unaccountable people - think Larry Ellison, Peter Thiel.
Their ability to spend eye-watering amounts on technology is enabling them to build AI systems on a frightening scale, whose outputs can be artificially biased in subtle and totally opaque ways so that supporting their agenda appears to be normal and right.
By bringing politicians into their club with huge bribes (after neutering anti-corruption legislation), they can embark on annexing resource-rich countries and territories using now unlimited military power. Why do you think Putin & Trump want to carve up Ukraine between them? Why Xi wants Taiwan with its globally-critical chip production capacity? Venezuela with the world's largest oil reserves? And on and on.
And why is Trump anti renewables? Nothing to do with hating windmills, he wants the world addicted to the fossil fuels that he and his mates control and profit from selling.
And that's without even mentioning scamming everyone in sight with cryptocurrency.
And just to be clear, Putin & Trump in particular are not leaders, they are greedy, morbidly rich, psychopathic kleptocrats (or klepto rats as my auto-complete rather appropriately tried to write!).
Unless we can find a way to de-fang these rich ghouls, which won't be easy, nothing's going to change, other than getting worse. The solution to that problem is left as an exercise for the reader. 😳
Oh dear, time to end this overlong rant, perhaps I should develop a more considered Substack blog on this topic.
Thank you, Bear, for your insight and wit. Your words do bring hope in the midst of all the noise online telling me that "everyone" or "all Brits" think in a way that is ignorant and cruel. In a slightly different context in the brilliant poem he delivered before Christmas, Adam Hills also said a line that sticks with me "There were just two of them, there are millions of us". Keep on leading the voices of the millions! Wishing you all the best for 2026.
Brilliant summary, it’s been a wild ride here in the US, a ride I didn’t want to take. Also, as the spouse of a UK citizen, I am increasingly worried about my ability to emigrate to the UK in the future, apparently I am (immigrants) the scourge of UK society
As long as you're white skinned with English as a first language and not a follower of Allah you'll be fine - and if your spouse is comfortably in an upper tax bracket it doesn't matter about any of the above.
Yup, that’s all true. Another bracket of society that is massively affected are women who need to earn the required MIR as the UK sponsor for their non UK spouse. They will just not have the same earning power men will. Many, many transnational families are kept apart or not able to return to the UK to live because of these draconian family visa requirements. Thanks to Cameron and May, they made the UK a hostile environment for those UK/non-UK families wishing to return.
DOGE may not have been much, if any, benefit to the people of America but it did benefit a certain Elon Musk. It managed to stop every investigation into his companies that could have resulted in fines or worse. Strange that. 🤔
Yes the country lurched backwards and forwards between the sink and the bog. I lost virtually all confidence in the U.K. government, the police and the general public.. as represented online by the nasty minded gobshites who seem to be everywhere.
Of course I was mostly obsessed with Palestine so that has been ghastly with the bar falling lower and lower with every dead child.
Substack is one of the better things, and you an ingredient. Thanks.
Thanks for summing up a completely insane year, Bear. Its only when I read a summary like yours that I realise just how completely crazy everything has been. I find the prospect of more of the same in 2026 almost too much to contemplate, thank goodness for your clarity and wit...it reassures me there are still people with their heads screwed on.
My personal favourite for all manner of reasons was definitely, "The Dyson guy was still not impressed. He can fuck off." Feel the wonderful townspeople of Malmesbury in Wiltshire (who the greedy twat royally shafted when he moved the co to the far east) would agree wholeheartedly...
I think I have to call 2025 the year of greed and hate. Those with more than too much aren't satisfied with what they have so they stir up hate. In my 72 years, I've never known a year like it. That people got put into the house of Lords, who instead should have been in front of a court, is beyond me. Blatant liars like Johnson and Farage have done so much damage, they too should be in front of a Judge. I won't even go there with Trump, Putin and Netanyahu, each one evil and guilty of so many crimes against humanity. I despair! However, that there are decent people calling out the evil, lying, greedy and just plain nasty, gives me some hope that there are more of us who can make a difference. Hope you had a good Xmas and I wish you a happy new year.
2025: the year equivalent of a ‘floater’ that just won’t flush.
Personally, I think of 2025 as the country sized bog blocker, no amount of flushing will shift it.
2026 will either be the year that the 5l bottle of bleach finally breaks its ternacious grip one the bottom of the bowl with the poor bog giving off a squeel of joy as its life finally starts to feel a little, albeit tiny, bit lighter. Or the bog just gives up, and with final cry and commits commodal suicide, releasing its unbearable load on everything we hold precious - like respect, dignity, compassion and civility.
Malcolm your metaphorical plumbing advice had me reaching for the loo roll😬
I saw just that headline earlier. On a comment about TV letdowns of the year on the Graun: That floating poo was far too symbolic.
And those bloody flags were probably made in China. And one of them had a coat of arms on it showing it to be the national flag of Georgia.
Goes with the territory, I fear. Lack of awareness all round.
2025 was the year I finally gave up on watching anything to do with news or politics and my life has been so much less angry for it… I stay on my mountain side in Wales, do my work as an artist and watch the birds on my bird feeder, so your round-up has come as a series of revelations to me that I have no desire to delve into any deeper. I’m of an age now where I just want to enjoy my remaining years sans the hassle of idiots who should know better being in charge when most of them shouldn’t even be in charge of a public toilet!
I love your scribblings Bear and long may they continue… I wish you all the best for 2026!
Thanks Bear for summerising so succinctly the hole we have dug and are still digging for ourselves. I often wonder if this era of our history is the beginning of the end of us, we are regressing so quickly. Hopefully as long as there are still those who stand up and speak up against what is very clearly wrong, balance and decency might be restored.
I’m exhausted! Did we all live and survive through all that? How amazing the majority of human beings are, now, it’s time to destroy those greedy, immoral, crazy few who would destroy all of us.
Certainly a year when civilised society has almost come off its hinges. And the underlying reason for all of it? Money.
A half century of neo-classical (i.e. politicaly motivated) economics, courtesy of Milton Friedman and his ilk, has created a received wisdom that the wealthy must not be curtailed or we'll all be poorer. Except the reality is we've all become poorer precisely because of unconstrained wealth.
The result is the morbidly rich have been able to buy both news and social media, in order to keep telling the populace that this state of affairs is good for them.
Then they've bought the politicians to ensure their wealth is not diluted by tax or inconvenient rules, and that all laws passed are in their favour.
The next step was to take over the machinery of government, in particular by supplying the technology that all organisations need today in order to function - databases, data gathering systems, communications, voting systems. Consequently all government information is now (or soon will be) in the hands of rich, unaccountable people - think Larry Ellison, Peter Thiel.
Their ability to spend eye-watering amounts on technology is enabling them to build AI systems on a frightening scale, whose outputs can be artificially biased in subtle and totally opaque ways so that supporting their agenda appears to be normal and right.
By bringing politicians into their club with huge bribes (after neutering anti-corruption legislation), they can embark on annexing resource-rich countries and territories using now unlimited military power. Why do you think Putin & Trump want to carve up Ukraine between them? Why Xi wants Taiwan with its globally-critical chip production capacity? Venezuela with the world's largest oil reserves? And on and on.
And why is Trump anti renewables? Nothing to do with hating windmills, he wants the world addicted to the fossil fuels that he and his mates control and profit from selling.
And that's without even mentioning scamming everyone in sight with cryptocurrency.
And just to be clear, Putin & Trump in particular are not leaders, they are greedy, morbidly rich, psychopathic kleptocrats (or klepto rats as my auto-complete rather appropriately tried to write!).
Unless we can find a way to de-fang these rich ghouls, which won't be easy, nothing's going to change, other than getting worse. The solution to that problem is left as an exercise for the reader. 😳
Oh dear, time to end this overlong rant, perhaps I should develop a more considered Substack blog on this topic.
Thank you, Bear, for your insight and wit. Your words do bring hope in the midst of all the noise online telling me that "everyone" or "all Brits" think in a way that is ignorant and cruel. In a slightly different context in the brilliant poem he delivered before Christmas, Adam Hills also said a line that sticks with me "There were just two of them, there are millions of us". Keep on leading the voices of the millions! Wishing you all the best for 2026.
Brilliant summary, it’s been a wild ride here in the US, a ride I didn’t want to take. Also, as the spouse of a UK citizen, I am increasingly worried about my ability to emigrate to the UK in the future, apparently I am (immigrants) the scourge of UK society
As long as you're white skinned with English as a first language and not a follower of Allah you'll be fine - and if your spouse is comfortably in an upper tax bracket it doesn't matter about any of the above.
Yup, that’s all true. Another bracket of society that is massively affected are women who need to earn the required MIR as the UK sponsor for their non UK spouse. They will just not have the same earning power men will. Many, many transnational families are kept apart or not able to return to the UK to live because of these draconian family visa requirements. Thanks to Cameron and May, they made the UK a hostile environment for those UK/non-UK families wishing to return.
DOGE may not have been much, if any, benefit to the people of America but it did benefit a certain Elon Musk. It managed to stop every investigation into his companies that could have resulted in fines or worse. Strange that. 🤔
Do have a great 2026, and thank you for your writing throughout this year. All the best, John.
Yes the country lurched backwards and forwards between the sink and the bog. I lost virtually all confidence in the U.K. government, the police and the general public.. as represented online by the nasty minded gobshites who seem to be everywhere.
Of course I was mostly obsessed with Palestine so that has been ghastly with the bar falling lower and lower with every dead child.
Substack is one of the better things, and you an ingredient. Thanks.
Thanks for summing up a completely insane year, Bear. Its only when I read a summary like yours that I realise just how completely crazy everything has been. I find the prospect of more of the same in 2026 almost too much to contemplate, thank goodness for your clarity and wit...it reassures me there are still people with their heads screwed on.
Hard to believe all this and more went on. Thank you for all your work. I would recommend the Quiet Riot podcast which also summarises 2025 events.
Super concise & missing nothing of note Bear.
My personal favourite for all manner of reasons was definitely, "The Dyson guy was still not impressed. He can fuck off." Feel the wonderful townspeople of Malmesbury in Wiltshire (who the greedy twat royally shafted when he moved the co to the far east) would agree wholeheartedly...
Yet another example of quality writing, we can look forward to far more excellent writing in 2026