Nov 1 2024
Abi Roberts: We the People. Personal stories of tragedy and suffering from Covid jabs
Join us on Hearts of Oak for a powerful conversation with comedian and advocate Abi Roberts as we dive into her latest work, We The People: Letters from Dystopia.
In this interview, Abi reveals the heart-wrenching stories behind her bookāa collection of real-life testimonies from individuals affected by the COVID-19 lockdowns and mandates.
More than just stories, these letters shine a light on the lasting impact of government overreach, personal loss, and the fight for freedom. Abi shares her journey of gathering these voices through her podcast Abby Daily, emphasizing the importance of truth and remembrance, especially in a time clouded by misinformation. With the evocative illustrations by Bob Moran, We The People stands as both a historical document and a beacon of hope.
Tune in for a deeply moving and thought-provoking discussion that balances the weight of serious topics with Abiās sharp wit, underscoring her mission to give voice to those who suffered and to remind us all of the importance of freedom. Donāt miss this interviewāwatch it now on Hearts of Oak.
Interview recorded 30.10.24
*Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast.
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Transcript:
(Hearts of Oak)
Hello, Hearts of Oak!
Thank you so much for joining us.
We have a returning guest who hasn't been with us for a while, and we've missed each otherāit's Abi Roberts.
Abi, thank you so much for giving us your time today.
Hi, Peter! Thanks for giving me the timeāit's good to see you amid all this craziness we're living through.
I'm in my kitchen, and you're in a place that looks much more professional than mineāyou can even see my microwave.
I had to move my oven gloves a minute ago and so you know what.
Mine just looks professional.
Abi's all about it's all about how it looks isnāt it.
All about appearances exactly and let's not talk about the big American studios exactly as we were talking about earlier yeah but I mean, you know, I think it's content isn't it, and you know size isn't isn't everything sorry Americans it is.
But it's content and it's engagement and it's actually being honest, yeah.
I think sometimes people worry way too much about things like lighting or other details.
As long as people can hear and see you, does it really matter?
I watch different things, and, weirdly, the more 'slick' they areāwith all the 'hey guys' razzle-dazzleāthe less interested I am.
I know that sounds a bit counterintuitive, but I really appreciate the grassroots approach. Stuff is where it is thatās for me personally.
100% agree.
Before we dive into discussing the book, Abi has been involved in, let me just mention that you can follow Abi on Twitter at @Abircomedian.
Sheās a comedianāor at least just about one!
We might touch on that, but today's topic is far from comedy.
It's about the tragic reality weāre all facing, no matter where we liveāin the States, the UK, or Europe.
We've all experienced the same tyranny, and today weāre here to discuss We the People: Letters from Dystopia, illustrated by Bob Moran and compiled by Abi herself.
Now, before people switch off if they get bored of us after two minutes, could you tell them where they can find this book?
After that, we'll dive into the background and the journey of bringing this project to life.
]Bless you, Peter.
You can get it from lulu.com.
Lulu as in, you make me want to shout that lulu.com.
Just type in Abi Roberts.
And actually it comes up pretty quickly with the people.
Designed by Martin Baker, you can find the book on Lulu.com.
Importantly, it's also available for free on Amazon Kindle and Apple Books.
Iāve mentioned this in a few places, but itās worth repeatingāthe book is printed at cost, so I donāt make anything from it.
Itās not like I set out to profit from a collection of people's letters about the harrowing lockdowns and the issues surrounding the vaccines.
The harming and killing people.
And I'm going to make some money.
It's not that.
This is people wrote to me when I started my podcast, Abi Daily, which is on Substack, Apple and Spotify.
In, I think it was March, April 2022, that kind of time.
I asked people to write to me about their experiences during the lockdownsāthe dreadful, barbaric restrictions and the tyrannies.
You know, like being told you canāt visit a dying relative in the hospital or that you must get vaccinated whether you want to or not.
No one even questioned what was in themāyou were just expected to roll up your sleeve.
So this book is a collection of testimonies, a record not only for the UK but for everyone, especially for doctors, politicians, teachers, unions, and the media, to truly understand what happened over the past four yearsāand, unbelievably, continues to happen.
The vaccines, for instance, and the return of mandatesāit's all fear-based.
I was just thinking about this the other day, Peter.
People are shocked because weāve seen this kind of tyranny before in places like Soviet Russia.
In Germany in the 1930s, in Maoās China, and under regimes like Pol Potās, we saw similar patterns. We looked at those histories and thought, 'That wonāt happen here.
It wonāt happen to us.'
But history has echoes, and itās crucial to pay attention.
As you mentioned, this book includes powerful illustrations by Bob Moranālet me show you so you can get a sense of it.
The book looks like this, with all the letters beautifully illustrated.
Can you see that clearly?
Thatās one of Bobās cartoons alongside the letters.
Itās really beautifully done, thanks to my friend Martin, who designed it.
The book contains about 37 deeply moving storiesāharrowing accounts.
Thank you, Peter! Actually, that particular cartoon is one of my favorites of Bobās, because it touches on the theme of worshipping fear, doesnāt it?
Itās about not believing in God, Christ, justice, or light; itās about worshipping darkness and evil.
The book includes 37 letters and cartoonsāletters written to me on all sorts of topics.
I read one aloud during a show in Ledbury.
A woman named Hanni, a podcast listener who had come to the show, had written it.
And honestly, Peter, you could hear a pin drop.
Iād done some funny material beforehand, but then we shifted to the serious topics you mentionedāthings that are not funny in the slightest.
People need to pay attention and understand the reality of whatās happened.
Will people face prison? Will we see justice?
No, likely not. Instead, the wrong peopleāthose who are simply angryāwill be the ones punished. But weāll get into all that, Iām sure.
We will, because I know Abbey could just interview herself.
I've got to know he
I could try and put on your accent, like insult, like all the Northern Irish.
Iād fail at accentsāIām so jealous of people who can do them well.
Very jealous!
But thereās so much to unpack here, from Bob Moranās genius to the letters included in the book.
And that back coverāit really struck me; weāll definitely come back to that.
But let me ask, because some people might say, 'Abi, we just need to move on.
This is in the past.
There's so much happening today, and we have a future to build.
The pandemic was a blip, and everyone did their best with the information they had.
Why spend time rehashing the past?'
I hear this argument often, especially from people who arenāt fully aware.
How would you respond to that?
Well, my response would be that all the information was already available to the powers that be, to the government, and to Big Pharma.
They already knew that what was going to happen would destroy people's lives: the barbarity, the lockdowns.
They also knew that they were experimenting with these vaccines.
And so, you know, itās interesting to say, well, obviously some of us woke up maybe earlier than others.
I was a little bit slow in 2020, which Iāve admitted to.
Itās amazing, actually, that I get more flack than people like politicians who quite happily went all the way through for two years and pushed the vaccines, the so-called vaccines.
But you know, thatās just who I am.
As you know, Iām honest; I wear my heart on my sleeve.
But getting back to it, I think itās because people donāt understand the crimes that have been committed.
People were told, 'You canāt go out,' or 'You canāt go to a hospital to see your loved one.'
We lost our morals and ethics during the last couple of years.
Itās because people just donāt understand how important they are.
For instance, with the vaccine rollout in particular, there are three stages of crime.
I think I tweeted about it yesterday.
The crimes are in three parts: coercion without informed consent, or even, in many cases, actual consent. They put sedatives in people with Down syndrome.
Thereās a man called Adamā not his real nameā and they put sedatives in his orange juice
Even though he didnāt want the vaccine, they gave it to him. So thereās a case going on at the moment. His poor mother is having to fight the Court of Protection.
Irony, that term is. So thatās the first part: coercion.
The second part concerns whatās in the vaccines. If I were a lawyer, that would be my argument.
The third part of the crime is the cover-upāthe enormous global cover-up. People need to start getting their moral and ethical heads on straightānot just focusing on the information, the data, and the statistics.
Whatās happening is honest; itās the likes of which we will probably never see again. The crimes that have been committed stem from the fact that people donāt read history books, Peter.
Theyāre too busy saying that nothingās real, everythingās fake. Much of history has been positioned, shall we say, to favor one side, like the causes of the start of the First and Second World Wars.
I agree with that perspective, but history does show us truths; it exists for a reason.
The testimonies in this book, We the People, will serve as a warning.
Iām speaking to my lovely nephew tomorrow about cancel culture and my arrest, and about the importance of having a moral structureāa backbone.
I think any Christians watching this will understand that importance.
Sort of thinking, is this good?
Would Christ be?
I mean, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, saidāand I quoteā'to love one another, as Jesus said, get vaccinated, get boosted.'
Iām not a biblical scholar, Peter, but Iām fairly sure that Jesus did not go around suggesting that his followersāthe good people who were following him, watching him, listening to himāshould take experimental things. Itās just, itās kind of obscene.
And I think thatāsā¦
hope, and I have to thank everybody, by the way, who wrote to me with these letters.
Because, Peter, some of themāas you know, youāve read some of themāare so powerful.
Itās important to write down the truth.
Iām still getting emails, Peter.
Iām still receiving emails from people who have been harmed by AstraZeneca, which, of course, the media is using to downplay the situation. I know what theyāre going to do; theyāre positioning it to say, 'Well, just donāt worry about it; itās AstraZeneca.'
By the way, that vaccine was taken off the shelves secretly, so nobody knew it was being rolled out.
Iāve had heart-wrenching emails just the other day.
After I tweeted, I received a message from a man who got a blood clot that then turned into avascular necrosis, which is, for those watching, an awful condition.
If you Google it, you'll see itās a blood clot that actually destroys your bone.
Heās had to undergo double hip replacements because he canāt walk.
So, the other thing I want to say to viewers and your listeners, Peter, is: donāt be ashamed.
Donāt be ashamed that the absolute relentless, military-grade propaganda got to you. People have lives to live.
They have families, jobs, and all sorts of things to worry aboutāmoney, etc.
Some say, 'No one was forced because no one actually held people down.'
Oh my God, is that the level weāre talking about?
People were threatened and bullied.
Iām very much of the view that I will relentlessly criticize the media and celebrities who pushed and advertised the vaccines. And then suddenly, theyāve become ill. Iām afraid I will
I reserve the right in my comedy to do that. But we, the peopleāthe ordinary men and women, and sadly, childrenāwho have been affected by this, I have nothing but love and sympathy for them. Thatās who I fight for.
Thatās why I do it.
Not for any other reason.
I canāt understand people who would laugh or ridicule.
And Abi, I agree with your point that we all make decisions.
Often, we can regret those decisions, and we can look back and say that was a good decision. The decision to get a jab is one that many people may regret.
I think people, after getting two jabs, thought, 'Well, surely Iāve got the jabs; therefore, Iām protected.' And theyāve begun to see through the BS that the media told us.
Whatever point you woke up, itās important to wake up. I like the way youāre telling the stories, Abi, because this is not about leaving people behind.
This is about people who have been damaged.
Yes, they may not have heeded the initial warnings, which could have been due to their friendship circle, or because they donāt watch certain thingsāwhatever it was.
Yes, yes.
And the fact that the media didnāt put out any warningsānot a single mainstream platform, not the BBC or any otherādidnāt comply with their Ofcom rules.
Itās actually weirdly stated in their Ofcom guidelines.
You know, if you advertise any kind of medical product, there has to be a disclaimer.
In the Ofcom rules, particularly in their health and wealth section, it states you have to present the other side.
But nobody did that.
None of the channels said, 'Actually, we have to draw attention to the fact that when the swine flu vaccine was released in 1976 in America, Gerald Ford stopped it because there were too many deaths.'
And when I say 'too many,' it doesnāt even touch the surface compared to what has happened since the end of 2020 with this.
So thereās a real issue here. And again, back to people who say, 'Weāll move on.'
Would you say that about...?.
Kristallnachtāwould you say that about Nazi Germany?
After that, would you say in 1945 or '46, 'Well, letās move on'?
Would you say it after Stalinās purges, the Harvest of Sorrow, the deliberate starvation and annihilation of 40 million people in Soviet Russia?
Would they say, 'Well, itās probably just a blip'?
I mean, people went to bloody gulags for it.
You know, itās that mentality.
I do understand, by the way, that people are horrified.
Iāve spoken to a lot of them, Peter. When I go out, whether Iām getting a cab or whatever, I get into conversations with ordinary people.
I have no agenda; weāre just chatting about the last four years, and itās honestly unbelievableāthe number of people who know it was wrong, who know it was morally wrong, and who regret having taken the vaccines.
I didnāt have any of the vaccines, and my view is not, 'Ho-ho, arenāt I intelligent, arenāt I wonderfully clever and educated?'
My view is, 'There but for the grace of God go I.
And that's what we have to, I mean you don't have to but I would advise that should be people's attitude moving forward and so mixing yeah, I mean I Yeah, the idea that no justice, that nothing will be done is so keenness.
I just can't, you know, I just can't. I mean, maybe I should, you know, we should have a crowd funder and build a museum for all the, you know, and put all the stuff in it. So people can see, or some kind of exhibition.
In fact, that's just come to me, Peter, so we could do that.
Because I just think this is a lesson, this is a warning.
This is a warning.
And these testimonies, and the last four years, by the way, are only a small part of what they're trying to do to us, as you know.
The global, the cabal, the socialists, the third-way socialists, Frankfurt's you know all the things we've spoken about in the past it's part and parcel of we want to control as many people as we possibly can and we're going to stamp out we're going to do this to the individual the divine spirit, the divine flame, we're going to blow it out because we hate humanity because.
This does give a little insight into part of what we are facing.
You mentioned, and we showed the picture of Bob's artwork depicting the jab vial as a cross.
Yes.
And on the back was a quote, which is a Bible verse that has been ringing in my ears for the last two years.
One of the key verses.
And it is this, from John 18:37: 'I was born for this. I came into the world for this, to bear witness to the truth, and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.'
'TĀruth,' says Pilate, 'What is that?' That line, 'Truth,' says Pilate, 'What is that?' is from when Jesus was arrested before he was crucified at the trial. That was Pilate's line: 'Truth.'
And that question, 'What is truth?' has rung through the ages.
I think that most generations have had some kind of concept and understanding of what truth is.
We now find ourselves in a time where you mentioned Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, supposedly the spiritual leader in the UKāour Pope.
And yet he has capitulated, is silent, and is more worried about plastic bags or environmental issues than about any other biblical truth.
But that concept of truthābecause what you've done is show something that is true, which is people's experiences.
This is the truth, and this is what the media are trying to cover up, saying that this is nonsense.
So, I mean, tell me about that idea of truth.
The idea of truth. Well, truth, God, Christ, the divineāthese are the things that weāve lost throughout time, even for people who arenāt particularly religious.
I heard Alain de Botton, you know, the philosopher, say he doesnāt have a particular faith, but he realizes that this is what has been lost: a pillar, something foundational.
Christ is who I speak to every day.
And Iāll go into itāI'm Russian Orthodox, as people may know or may not know; itās a long and complicated story.
But whatās happening now makes me realize that there was a point to it; there was real meaning in it, even though it was when I was in my 20sāwell, in fact, when I was 20, when I got baptized just outside Moscow by a well-known priest, Father Alexander Men.
But thatās another story.
Yes, weāve lost this idea that there is one truthāsomething we should have in our lives and that we sort of gravitate around.
Iām looking at a light on my table; itās a sphere.
I think of it like that: we gravitate around it.
And if we move too far away from it, then things like what has happened over the last four years will occur.
So, we need to navigate our way closer to Christ and God
Abi Roberts
I can only think of it as something that people should aspire to.
Always. And we may knowāwe look up to it. In fact, we don't look up enough, do we?
We donāt look up enough and say thatās what makes us humble.
Thatās the other thing as well, Peter.
I think these letters, these testimonies, these stories from brave, courageous, wonderful human beings, are very important.
Itās not about baubles; itās not about awards or, you know, chasing fame or fortune.
And that, again, is another thing: having belief in God and the divine makes us realize how tiny we are, actuallyātiny little humble beings, like little ants.
But it is important, though, that we do this; itās channeling something.
And thatās our, whatever our roles are in all this. Without getting too grandiose, Iām wary of the Russell Brand-esque idea of, āWell, you know, God spoke to me, and all of a sudden Iām a Christian.ā
I think we both know, Peter, that it takes a lot; itās a lot more than that.
Itās a struggle, isnāt it?
Itās a daily process of having to check in with yourself, looking in the mirror, just being quiet for a few minutes, and getting centered.
Yeah, itās constant reflection.
To me, Christianity is not about big stages or whatever people may think about the recent converts, shall we say.
Itās very much about thisāabout we the people and being humble as much as we can in this weird, I mean, look at us now.
Itās like weāve got a mic, and weāve got little bits of jazz hands, kind of showbiz stuff. But itās fine; thatās okay, as long as often enough we take a few quiet minutes for prayer and gratitude.
I agree.
And for me, itās the same, Abi.
Itās about looking to Jesus. If you want to know what is true, remember that Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life.'
The way, the truth, and the life.
Exactly.
Yes, you just said the exact quote.
He also says, 'I am the light of the world.'
So if you want to find the way forward in this dark world, then for Abi and myself, that would certainly be Christ.
I could talk about that for the next hour or two, but Iāll just leave that thought hanging.
Letās talk about people writing to you.
I think for many, including myself, I've focused more on the data and statistics.
You and others have personalized this experience and emphasized that itās not just about numbers; itās about individuals.
Can you share your thoughts on how people started writing to you?
It must have been traumatic to read these accounts, but how did that evolve into your decision to catalog these stories and publish them?
Yes.
Good.
Very good question.
I started gathering everything together at the end of 2022. Initially, it was in PDF form, which was quite basic. However, thanks to my friend Scott, who helped compile it, we realized that it warranted something more substantialāa book.
Martin and I decided that we needed to set it out properly, featuring Bob's wonderful illustrations.
I always feel that calling them 'cartoons' is slightly demeaning; they are more of an artistic record of everything that has transpired.
In fact, I wanted to share a letter with you, Peter.
I try to read one from different people when I talk to audiences, so I mix it up.
This one is from Paul, and itās important to remember that much of this is from back in 2022, reflecting on 2020 and 2021.
Itās interesting to read peopleās various perspectives.
Hereās what Paul wrote:
'Hi Abi, my 81-year-old mom has undergone a noticeable personality change since her second Pfizer, along with immediate excruciating headaches.'
My father-in-law was advised by his doctor that the AstraZeneca vaccine was safe right after he finished chemotherapy.
This was a provably false statement, as the vaccine had only been tested on healthy individuals under 55, and he was 79.
Within 48 hours, he was hospitalized with lung clots.
His lungs were destroyed within a week, and he died an awful death two months later.
He never once had a positive PCR test while in the hospital, yet his doctor wrote 'COVID' on his death certificate.
It seems they do this to prevent post-mortem investigations.
They are bastards.
Please keep fighting them.
Regards,
Paul
And there are so many stories like this in here, Peter.
For example, thereās a wonderful teacher named Maxine who came to my birthday gathering.
I have these gatherings not just for the presents; I invite my listeners who are just ordinary people
So, she came to my birthday this year, and she has been actively standing up for children, telling them the truthānot just about the COVID nonsense but also about all the other cultural weirdness thatās happening in our schools.
As you know, weāve discussed these issues before.
Thereās a lot of content in the book as well, and I want people to be aware that there are warnings throughout.
Iām just going to find an example of that.
Yes, you can phone those people up and they will help you.
Yes, they will.
Exactly.
You can.
Itās interesting because during the process, when I had this in the original PDF, Martin and I realized the extent of the situation.
We started receiving support from organizations like Samaritans, Shout, and Vaccine Ninja Bereaved UK.
Alex Mitchell and Wayne Connington are included in this work as well.
As you know, Alex had his leg amputated due to complications from the vaccines that were coerced onto people.
I find it astonishing that anyone could think we can just move on from this. Itās absolutely absurd.
It reminds me of Dr. Mengeleāoh, he was just fiddling around in a lab, right?
Itās easy to say we should just move on, but thatās not acceptable.
The reality is that many people donāt know their history, and I keep coming back to this point.
We seem to be a society that shrugs things off too easily, especially with the constant churn of news.
So, returning to We The People, I encourage everyone to get it.
You can find it on lulu.com, and itās available for free on Kindle and Apple Books.
Iām not necessarily happy, but Iām very grateful for the support I've received.
Someone mentioned to me yesterday, a listener of Abi Daily, that I shouldnāt forget how many people feel theyāve been saved through my podcast.
When I first started my little podcast, it provided a space for people to connect and share their experiences with each other.
I thought, 'Oh, yes, thatās true!'
This listener emphasized how important it is to acknowledge the connections that have formed, especially for those going through difficult times.
For instance, Trudy, whose story is featured in this book, faced the tragic loss of her son, Benjamin, who took his own life in July 2020.
These little networks are essential for people who are struggling and donāt know where to turn.
My friend Jules reminded me to mention this today and to recognize how many people rely on my podcast for support.
It's so important for personal stories to be told completely.
Iād like to touch on the cartoon aspect, particularly about Bob.
There are a few illustrations that I remember vividly when they first came out.
For instance, I remember this one very well; it really struck a chord with me.
And this one here? This was perhaps one of the most memorable for me.
It it's sort of like what's his name captain Tom.
Yes, Captain Tom!
But letās talk about Bob and his contributions.
Weāre all familiar with his work, but it's worth mentioning that Bob has a unique ability to blend comedy with deep, profound pain.
His illustrations evoke a range of emotionsāfrom smiles to moments where you think, 'Oh wow, that was dark.'
It's fascinating how he captures different feelings through his art.
I've known Bob for a while now, and I think itās important to highlight how the written text and the drawings come together.
The combination of words and cartoons creates something incredibly powerful and impactful.
Yes, Iām incredibly grateful to Bob for his contributions.
He wrote a beautifully crafted foreword for the book, showcasing his remarkable talent as a writer.
He has this unique ability to channel thought with both clarity and humor, which really brings the narrative to life.
Bob wrote the foreword at the end of 2022, as it was included in the original PDF.
His familyāhis wife, Sal, and their three kidsāare always supportive, although they sometimes mention when I swear too much!
Sal has had to say, 'Letās tone it down a bit,' especially when there were quite a few colorful words.
I have eased off on the more extreme language, though, just out of respect, as they know me well.
It's all in good fun, of course!
Lovely children.
And where was I?
Oh yeah, so when I was compiling the lettersābecause they listened to the podcastāthey knew I was doing the letters.
I said to Bob, 'Can I have your cartoons?
Can I put them in?' and he was like, 'Yeah, of course, absolutely!'
And the other thing, I'm actually drinkingāI don't know if you can see itāIāve got to show this: you know, for my birthday last year, Bob did a cartoon of me
Yes, I remember I remember that
And then somebody made a mug for my birthday, so itās got the cartoon and itās got 'Be seeing you,' which is my catchphrase.
At the end of Abi Daily, I say, 'Be seeing you,' which, of course, is from The Prisoner. Itās funny because I didnāt think about that at the time, but when I did the intro for Abi Daily, it was to the tune of 'Sweet Home Alabama,' you know, 'Sweet Home Alabama, where the skies are so blue.'
And then, at the end, I remember when I was recording it for the first time in 2022, I said, 'Be seeing you.' I thought, 'Oh, thatās interesting.'
It just carried on, you know, the way these things happen; you just sort of do it.
But Bob's contribution to this cannot be underestimated. And, of course, heās got his own book out showcasing his incredible work from the last four years.
So this is like a little sibling, a little sibling to Bob's book, you know?
Itās a companion piece, isnāt it? Itās all part and parcel of the same narrative. Weāre singing from the same hymn sheet
It is.
I know weāve learned a lot over the last few years, and it hit me that the reason for cartoons, the reason for comedy, and the reason for imagery is to elicit a response.
I remember one of the cartoons he did on Israel.
We may have different views on that, Abi, and weāve never really discussed it, but I thought, 'Goodness, that goes too far.
How dare he?'
I got quite annoyed. But then I sat back and realized that this is the point of a cartoon: itās supposed to elicit a response.
If Iāve been upset by something, laughed, or cried, thatās a response, and that is the purpose.
He has done his job, and well done to him
If I dig deep, I feel angry, and I totally get it.
Iāve received flack for doing a thumbs-up on the Netanyahu cartoon.
And don't forget, there were other people in the picture; it wasnāt just him.
There was also Rishi Sunak and someone elseāI canāt remember whoāso it was a criticism of the abhorrence of war and conflict as well.
But youāre right. You know, I did a Delingpole the other day, and oh my God, thatās causing a real kerfuffle because we actually had a disagreement.
Peter, I thought, isnāt that what friends do?
Itās going to get heated sometimes.
Iāve stayed out of the Israel debate a little bit, not because I donāt care, but because itās interesting, isnāt it?
People often use the straw man argument, implying that if you donāt speak up, you must be okay with destruction, war, and killing.
No, thatās clearly not what Iām about. Itās actually because I can only deal with one atrocity at a time.
Itās true.
Over the past four years, thatās all Iām strong enough for, along with my writing and my comedy.
But thatās no disrespect to my Jewish friends at all, and I hope Iāve made that clear in my podcast. Itās complex, very complex, but...
It's a whole area we don't need to touch on; it was just that response that really struck me.
Yes, that made you think, really good.
Brilliant.
Yes, it is brilliant because it does make you think about who wins in these situations.
You know, weāre back to the whole war machine and the reasons for war, etc.
And itās the little people, Peter, who are crushed underfoot, a bit like we the people.
Yeah, well, the world needs the war machine, just as some parts of the world need the pharmaceutical industry and others need the food industry.
Yes, quite.
You realize those lobby groups are hugely powerfulāhugely powerful.
Can I mention one thing that actually struck me, which is the back cover, and that is the quote?
You know, I'm so glad, Peter, that you brought that up about the quote because there was a suggestion on...
The back quote caught my eye, and I thought, 'Oh, I like that; that's quite cool.'
Iām glad because when we were considering quotes, there was a suggestion to use something Iād written, like a line from an article or whatever, and I said, 'Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no.
You cannot get better than this.
Itās like choosing Adele over Aretha Franklin.
Thatās my view.
So, in the conversation, should we use a quote from Abi or a quote from God?
In the end, we went with the God quote.
Yeah, that was kind of the conversation.
It wasn't quite... It was, yeah, because, I mean, you can't put it any better than that, can you?
There are no words that are better than that. So thank you for noticing, because I want people to realize the beauty of the design as well.
You know, Martin, by the way, designed this book for Naut.
So, obviously, I compiled it, and he designed it.
I'm actually grateful to him for providing me with a microphone and the nice setup because before it was a bit like, 'Crikey!
Is Abi going to appear like this?
Hello, Peter!
I'm doing all like this!'
So, yeah, I'm really grateful because there wouldn't be this version without him or without Bob.
The other thing that struck me, Abi, was that your name's not on the front, and that is obviously personal.
To say that.
Obviously, you're not wanting to be rich and famous; that's the first thing.
It's always nice to know when you connect with people, because there are some who do want to be in the spotlight.
You put Bob's name on it, but it is about the individuals who are involved.
You obviously say itās compiled by Abi inside, but that struck me.
You give credit to those who arenāt jumping up and down to get attention for themselves.
Yes, thank you, Peter.
Actually, you're the third person who has said that.
Lovely Dick Delingpole, you know, James' brother, mentioned that Iām not on the front. I mean, weirdly, that wasn't my decision; it just... that's how it happened.
And to be fair to myself, I never once said, 'Oh, hang on a minute.
Where's my name?'
It just seemed...
And where's my picture on the back?
Exactlyāunderneath the statement by God.
Yes, exactly.
Where's my picture?
Next to the best quote of all time.
Exactly.
In the little kind of, yeah, donāt forget about me there. Yes, thank you.
Because, well, yes, it is about the people inside the book.
So it's not about me, Martin, or, with all due respect, Bob; itās about the people who wrote in. But thank you for saying that because people have noticed.
Honestly, it didnāt even really occur to me. I was like, 'Oh,' and then people said, 'You're not on the cover.'
Well, Iām in the book, Peter. Iāve got quite a long introduction where I share the backstory of these letters, so I thought, 'Thatāll do.'
And then God bless the people. Iāve received messages from individuals who knew they were in the original PDF and are now included in this version as well.
A lady on Twitter said, 'Oh my God, Iām overcome with emotion; Iām just so wowed that my letterās in here!'
They can give that to their friends or their doctor or whoever they want to share it with and say, 'My testimony is in here, so you better read it.'
In fact, Iāve ordered several copies, Peter, and Iām going to take one to my GP, who has been very helpful to my husband.
My late husband was diagnosed with cancer, and he had a private GP whom Iāve kept in touch with over the last three to four years.
Iāve even gone in and deliberately paid to sit down with him to tell him the truth about whatās happened.
Heās going to be delighted when I say, 'Iāve got a little something for Christmas. Would you like to read it?ā
It is a perfect gift.
Yes. Last question: just to prove it, Abi's name is on it.
So just in case you thought we were doing this just for a laugh..,
We picked up someone else's book.
There is the content page with all the names. Just my file thought, it's could have been I've talked to people who've written books and putting in the information and often never having written a book often you have to dispense with a lot of you have more than you need yes and this is a perfect example of that that I'm sure you had so many and it's actually you'd want to just take a spread difference of different stories, but actually the book could have been much bigger because of the response I'm sure you've had
Yes, it could have been a lot bigger, and that's due to the time and, frankly, the emotional toll.
I mean, we did have to take breaks, feeling a bit dizzy from just processing it all, because we can't comprehend some of the cruelty and immorality of it all.
But yes, as I say, this is the tip of the iceberg; this is just a sample.
My podcast is not like a mass market thing, you know what I mean?
Itās not like a Joe Rogan podcast, but in a way, I see that as more important.
Itās just something that I wanted to do; it's my little
