#mp police class

[chauhanacademy]

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[nando161mando]

[workingclasshistory]

On this day, 15 April 1989, the Hillsborough disaster took place during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest when a crush occurred after police directed fans into overcrowded areas, resulting in 96 dead and over 700 injured. Though it was caused by police negligence and a ground which did not adequately meet health and safety standards, the police and the Conservative government, with help from the mainstream media, concocted an entirely false story blaming working class Liverpool fans for the disaster. The right-wing tabloid Sun newspaper falsely claimed that Liverpool fans robbed the dead, urinated on police and attacked officers who were trying to save lives. After years of campaigning by the families of the victims, eventually in 2012 the truth finally came to light, with the Hillsborough Independent Panel determining that the primary cause of the disaster was a "lack of police control". They also revealed that police had doctored 164 witness statements, that Conservative MP Irvine Patnick had passed lies from the police to the press. The police also went to extreme lengths in their attempts shift responsibility to the victims, even testing the blood of dead children for alcohol to try to blame them for their own deaths. New inquests held in 2016 also found that the crush was caused by police, exacerbated by stadium defects. They determined that the senior police officer responsible breached his duty of care and that this amounted to gross negligence. They determined that the 96 victims were unlawfully killed. To this day, many people in Liverpool still boycott The Sun. More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8641/hillsborough-disaster https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=609058297934056&set=a.602588028581083&type=3

[arteastica]

early in the morning, especially when it rains, and a little before noon. (1)

erwin x fem!reader

chapters: (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) | (6) | (7) | (8) | (9) | (10) | (11) | (12) | (13) | (14) | (15) | (16) | (17) | (18) | (19) | (20) | (21) | (22) | (23) | (24) | (25) | (26) | (27)

summary: I basically took Isayama’s work, forced it into a romance story, and made Erwin the love interest. Commander meets cadet and they fall in love (not instantly though)

notes: very berry canonverse (but some events were modified to fit my narrative), wasn’t intended to be this long, but it all is in the details right?

content warnings: smut where it fits (or where I make it fit. Also, reader is NOT underage, so likewise, MINORS DO NOT INTERACT, please.) slow burn (I really mean it. I’m not olympic diving into any form of smut for the first chapters). no angst. I dislike angst. I would never. I could never. (Although angst can be somewhat subjective so take it with a grain of salt?)

wc: 2.1k

One could say it was the most important night of that summer. Even the cloudless sky had allowed the stars to witness the scene unfolding beneath, and only the occasional barking of faraway dogs interrupted the silence. It was the night decisions were awaiting to be made. The type of life-defining decisions that no teenager should ever be expected, or rather forced, to make. Luckily for you, you were a couple of years ahead, ahead enough to not be considered a teenager anymore. And maybe this was the reason why looking around and seeing the tightly clenched fists, trembling jaws, and sweaty foreheads of your 15-year-old Training Corps classmates made you realize that you honestly didn’t know what you were doing in the middle of it all.

The choice was simple for those who actually had one. As it was tradition, the top ten students of the class would be allowed to choose the best out of the three options presented: to join the Military Police and enjoy the safety and commodities that came with life in the innermost wall, to settle for a more humble lifestyle by doing whatever it is that they do in the Garrison, or to put their lives in the line for humanity in the Survey Corps. With young brains still under construction, no one could be trusted to make the right call. The definition of ‘right call’ being ‘one you wouldn’t regret years in the future, or next week when a titan had you in their grip.’ However, you believed that joining the Military Police came with significantly lower risks of regret. And that’s why the MP was the one you were aiming for. Or would have, if you were part of that coveted top 10. That would have been ideal.

Ideal. In an ideal world, no one would have to make such a crucial decision at that age. In fact, there wouldn’t even be crucial decisions to make, in the first place. But this wasn’t an ideal world. It was far from that. A quick glance around at the faces you had gotten used to seeing for the last 3 years was enough of a reminder, in case you had forgotten. But who could forget? All of them standing next to you had either lost someone or everyone precious in their lives when the Wall fell. Luckily for you, however, you had your immediate family alive and well in the capital. And although you didn’t own enough wealth to be accepted into the social circles of the rich, you lived a comfortable life, and most importantly, a safe one. That’s why it came as a shock to your family when you enlisted as a-

“We will reach that basement in Shiganshina. However, this requires us to retake Wall Maria”

Retake what? Your backstory was left pending for another night. Because, before you could start narrating it to yourself, a solemn, modulated voice pulled you out of your thoughts, your head instinctively turning to the stage to locate the source. And that was the first time you saw him: The 13th commander of the Survey Corps, Erwin Smith himself.

“But with the Trost gate permanently sealed, we’ll have to take the long way around from Karanes in the east”

You had heard stories about Erwin Smith. A man of unyielding drive, an iron-willed leader, a liberator, you believed you heard someone called him once. And of course there was also ‘reckless’, ‘demented’, and ‘out of it’, all of which were adjectives commonly tied to his name, especially in the capital. ‘Insane’ was your father’s preferred one, usually heard around dinner time when the topic of Erwin Smith’s latest outrageous expedition somehow found its way into the family table. And you remembered feeling sorry for the man on more than one occasion. Because, from the safety of your Sina home, the closest titan surely miles away, as you fluffed pillows and slipped under warm blankets of undisturbed rest, you had struggled to think of anyone living a more different lifestyle to yours than the commander of the Survey Corps, that one man relentlessly trying to attain the unattainable: to free humanity from the walls.

“It seems the four years we spent preparing a route for an invasion force have gone to waste”

And that night he also seemed to be trying to attain the unattainable: convincing a group of frightened individuals to join a suicide squad.

“In those four years, more than sixty percent of the Legion’s forces lost their lives”

You wondered if there was at least a single easy thing in the man’s life.

“Sixty percent in four years. An insane figure”

His voice was controlled and pleasant to listen to. Even though the things he was talking about were far from pleasant. Life scouting beyond the walls sounded as rough as it probably was. And you guessed that there was no way to make it sound appealing, no silver linings to be mentioned or talked about.

“Any trainees who join us will participate in next month’s expedition beyond the walls”

You had heard that his branch was in desperate need for new recruits, yet you could tell he had decided to let honesty do the talking that night. Because not even when discussing the dire prospect of survival of a Survey Corps member…

“We estimate thirty percent will not return”

…not even then he seemed tempted to make false promises.

“And in four years, most new recruits will be dead”

In fact, the more he spoke, the more honest and raw his words seemed to get. And while, so far, he hadn’t mentioned a single appealing thing about joining his cause, you felt you were beginning to understand it…

“But those who make it through that hell will become superior soldiers, capable of surviving anything”

You see, you had heard all the stories, but you had never seen the man before. And rumors had left out the part about how compelling he was. As he extended an open invitation to a potentially deadly celebration, his voice had a commanding yet gentle feel to it, the type associated with reliable leaders. He had an enthralling demeanor to him, the one that’s used to persuade. His words were softly spoken but rose-thorn sharp. There was something about him, the way he spoke, and carried himself. Erwin Smith certainly looked like someone who could talk the winter into skipping a year, or the rain into waiting until he got home. So yes, you were starting to get it...

“Now you have the cold, hard facts.”

After all the contemplations, it finally clicked.

“Any still willing to risk their lives, remain here.”

It makes sense you thought, why men followed him to their deaths.

“Ask yourselves, am I willing to offer my beating heart for humanity?”

Why they ‘dedicated their hearts’ as they say.

“That is all.”

Erwin Smith was intriguing. Very intriguing.

“All of you wishing to join other branches are dismissed.”

Muffled footsteps brought you back from the realm of thought. You looked around to find the previously full plaza now more than half-empty. You could hear Reiner’s heavy breathing beside you. Jean fiddling with his shirt behind you. Sasha clicking her teeth to your left. And despite the close proximity between your bodies, it all sounded so distant. As if you had been thrown underwater.

“Are you willing to die if I ordered to?”

Erwin Smith’s question, on the contrary, felt as if it had been whispered right into your ear. It felt personal and targeted. And for a brief second you forgot that, although almost everyone had already left, you were still not the only one in the plaza.

I don’t want to die. You answered in your head.

“I like the looks on your faces” You heard him say.

I don’t want to die. You repeated as you picked up your pace to catch up to Hitch at the entrance of the plaza.

“What took you so long?” she asked when you finally joined her.

“I hereby welcome you all to the Survey Corps!”

You heard Erwin Smith’s voice, now nothing more than a faint sound blending with the rustling leaves and getting carried away by the wind, as you and Hitch made your way back to the barracks.

-

“Did you hear almost all the top students joined the Survey Corps last night?” Hitch sounded particularly excited and jolly that morning. A huge smile plastered on her face.

“Did they?” You didn’t want to let yourself get too hopeful. But Hitch’s enthusiasm was contagious.

“Yep! And you know what that means right?” Your roommate gave you a cheeky grin “There might be a spot left for us at the MP after all!”

You were sure there most certainly was a spot for Hitch. But for you, that was a whole different story. You were no Mikasa. You were no Reiner. And given the fact that your physical capabilities were pretty average, even a little below that on bad days, you were certain you weren’t even in the top 20.

“Jeez. Woman, please look excited! We are set for life!”

She is set for life. “I’m not sure I’ll make the cut. It was the physical aptitude test-”

“Who cares? To hell with that test. What would you need stamina for inside Wall Sina anyway? I heard they don’t even use ODM in the MP. In our first year, maybe we’ll have to run after one of those random idiots who steal papayas from the street stalls, but I’m sure we can manage that much”

You laughed at the thought “You catch him. I’ll write the report”

“Deal!” she said “but once we climb up the ranks…” her eyes lit up with ambition as a result of whatever was going through her head. And you could tell she was plotting something questionable. But before you could start prying she added “Plus you did well everywhere else.”

She was right. While your physical performance wasn’t necessarily stellar, your academics were very good. As an overthinker, often worrying too much about too many, you overstudied for tests like no one in your class did, and your efforts often resulted in excellent marks.

“You’re right. Everyone save Shadis left something nice in my report card. Nothing personal, I’m sure”

Hitch nodded enthusiastically, clearly satisfied with herself because her words were having the effect she intended. And they really were, your head was starting to pitch more and more ideas to support the possibility that maybe, just maybe, you would be able to join the Military Police.

“You know what? You’re right, Hitch. We’ll join the MP and we’ll be on our way to the capital tomorrow.”

Wrong. Later that day, as you held the application paper in one hand, fountain pen in the other, you couldn’t help but snort when imagining how foolish you must have looked that morning, believing you would be back home as a member of the MP brigade. But there was no use in reminiscing now. You needed to focus and make the second best choice.

But focus for what? The only available options for you were the Garrison and the Survey Corps. And the choice was plain and obvious, wasn’t it? The Garrison wasn’t cool or anything but it was safe. Except, of course, for that incident from a couple of weeks ago, when that random titan showed up again, and tried to obliterate Trost District. Luckily for you, however, you had been assigned to assist with the relocation of the citizens once they entered Wall Rose, so you didn’t even have to see any titan at all. That had been a rare occurrence. And with the Survey Corps, the chances of survival were significantly lower. Zero for someone with your physical capabilities.

Are you willing to die if I ordered to?

Erwin Smith’s words from the night before showed up uninvited.

Those who make it through that hell will become superior soldiers, capable of surviving anything.

You could hear his solemn voice loud and clear, even one day later.

I like the look on your face.

Your hand now hovered dangerously over the ‘Survey Corps’ box, centuries worth of handed-down survival instincts forgotten in the blink of an eye.

I don’t want to die.

Your brain repeated as a last resort, right before the ink found the paper.

I don’t want to die.

Now it sounded like a complain more than a petition.

I hereby welcome you to the Survey Corps.

You heard him say, somewhere inside your head, as you turned in your application and walked away.

-

next chapter

[ladymazzy]

Five years ago I would not have imagined feeling this ambivalent about Labour winning uk elections after so many years of tory hellishness, and yet here we are

Tories getting slapped to oblivion is great, but a huge chunk of the party that did it have proven themselves over and over again to be racist, transphobic, anti-palestinian, islamophobic, anti-immigration and pro dismantling public services

Rather than actively challenging any of the tories crackpot 'culture wars' talking points, Keith haphazardly leaned into them, giving them further legitimacy. Wittering on about 'stopping the boats' as if it's a normal, sensible proposition (that's centrists for you)

And of course the other reason that the tories got slapped to oblivion is because a huge portion of their voters are racist as hell and voted for reform

This one goes out to every lefty who still says 'it's not race, it's class'; Fuck You

Wake up and recognise that, yes the working classes are routinely fucked over by the state. But if you're from another marginalised community *on top of that*, we'll, the state has many creative ways to ensure that your very existence is precarious

This country has been *loudly* shifting to the far right for years. Black and Asian people *have been dying* because of racist polices on immigration, and structural inequalities that lead to worse outcomes for us.

Disabled people *have been dying* because of inhumane, contradictory, ableist policies that claim to be intended to 'give people the dignity of work' whilst stripping them of the means of working and/or attacking those who cannot work.

Trans people keep being reduced to a 'debate' talking point, riddled with wild nonsense from a platform lead by a random woman who happens to be very rich having written some kids' books. The lived realities of trans peoples lives routinely ignored in favour of supposed concerns for women's rights from people who increasingly seem to have nothing to say about the actual issues affecting all of us. Trans people are dying and we're expected to believe that the biggest threat comes from schools accepting kids for who they say they are, and people using a toilet

And the response to the genocide in Gaza - so hot on the heels of Russia's invasion of Ukraine - speaks volumes. Where the UK opened up the means for Ukranian refugees to seek sanctuary (which was, of course completely reliant on the humanity of the public and not an actual government thing because, you know; tories), the leading UK political parties have studiously ignored the mass murder and displacement of Palestinians by Israel, bombed Yemen for trying to support Gaza and provided military assistance for Israel in their genocidal campaign via base's in cyprus. And continued to arm israel

I've never seen so, so many horribly dismembered and maimed children as I have in the past 9 months. Absolutely horrific images of atrocities being meted out relentlessly day after day on a besieged population (who were betrayed by the British in 1948) who have been forced to film their own genocide because the west, by and large, continues to deny their very existence. And, once again, far-right Israelis have been given platforms to disseminate their lies in the same way Farage, Braverman, Meloni, Le Pen, Wilders, Modi Trump and others have been legitimised

No one should ever ask 'how was the Holocaust allowed to happen' because we live those conditions every day

Keith suspended Labour MPs for merely calling for a ceasefire back in November. How the party has treated Faiza Shaheen, Diane Abbott, Kate Osamor and others is beyond disgusting. The fact the Labour would rather tories - IDS himself no less - took the Chingford seat than let Shaheen win as an independent speaks volumes

To say we've got work to do is an understatement

[sourcreammachine]

LOONY PARTY MANICFESTO 2024 SUMMARY

[not a pejorative, party founder Screaming Lord Sutch was himself bipolar]

tdlr: “we are fighting this election on the basis of CHANGE… LOOSE CHANGE as this is all we’ll have left under a labour/conservative government”

💷ECONOMY

reduce taxes to 5%

get rid of value-added tax as it adds no value

ban the tipping of flies

convert number 10 and number 11 into a hairdressers called Government Cuts

abolish stamp duty because stamps are too expensive

fit airbags to the stock exchange, ready for the next crash

halve dole queues by making jobseekers stand two-by-two

improve quitters’ self-esteem by encouraging them not to start in the first place

🏥PUBLIC SERVICES

employ 80.00 teachers, police officers and nhs staff

reduce pregnancy from nine to seven months

reduce hospital waiting lists by using a smaller font

reduce class sizes by shrinking desks and making students sit closer together

glue unruly pupils together because if you can’t beat them, join them

give pensioners an ice lolly allowance when temperatures exceed 70°

🏠HOUSING

build five million new homes

aid “levelling up” by providing free spirit levels

🚄TRANSPORT

fill five million potholes

introduce an ROT to make sure all roads are carworthy

fit vehicles with a bungy rope to save fuel on the return journey

save money on paint by painting double-yellow lines where you CAN park rather than where you can’t

create the world’s biggest carwash by punching holes in the channel tunnel

👮FORCE

send all MPs who misbehave to rwanda

reduce net migration by making sure all nets are secured firmly to the ground

make terrorists wear little bells so we know where they are

replace border guards with GP receptionists to stop anyone getting in

introduce a court of human lefts

reduce prison overcrowding by releasing innocent prisoners

oppose capital punishment as it is not fair to londoners

🌱CLIMATE

wind farms to be constructed across the country where all will be encouraged to break wind

get more green cars on the road, with politicians having fluorescent green so everyone can see them coming

paint the grey squirrels red

greyhound racing will be banned to stop the country going to the dogs

puddles deeper than 7cm will be marked with a plastic duck

🗳️DEMOCRACY

MPs will have to sit in stocks during surgeries while constituents throw custard pies at them. companies to be encouraged to design new stocks, to be sold at the stock exchange

introduce a “cooling-off period” to allow voters to change their mind

replace the foreign secretary with a UK one

[lucysarah-c]

Not me thinking about writing a whole series about Levi falling for a Garrison Gal or (possibly) Military Police Gal and she isn’t a Scout since I wanna explore other possible angles in doing the story and I want to add some lore in how Garrisons and Military are. But anyways she does become somewhat involved in helping them out the Scout with some issues and primarily being around Levi more. And there is so much more I wanna say but I have to stop before I keep going off 😂😂

See, this is what you caused to happen 😂😂 You truly have an influence.

Here's the corrected version of your piece:

Hi, Sweetie! How are you??

Ah, I think that's a great idea! One of my main goals when I'm writing is to make the reader (or the MC) not be a Scout or doing something different than being on Levi's squad. Mostly because it allows you to create new scenarios other than "we were training, he was my boss, he's my captain," etc. I think it creates new dynamics.

In my main fic, the reader is part of Erwin's squad, and she's involved with the medical field of the military, so nurses and doctors play important roles.

In "Not in Season?" the reader is a nurse with the Scouts. In "Transactional," the reader is an MP. I'm planning an arranged marriage story where the reader will be a high-class civilian. I'm also thinking about a new omegaverse story where the reader will be a baker in the downtown area.

I don't know, I think it's better and always more exciting for me when the reader isn't from the Scouts! I 100% support the idea of you doing that!

Haha, maybe I have more influence than I think? Thank you for keeping me in mind!

Have a lovely day!

Stay safe!

[amuseoffyre]

Thinking about when I was in school, pre-1999, and we learned about English monarchs and World War I and the Industrial Revolution primarily in England (but with a school trip to one of the available industrial sites near us). While being in a school in Scotland.

I wonder how much sooner my worldview would have changed if I'd learned about the Battle of George Square in Glasgow in 1919, when unions were striking for a shorter work week. In advance of their gathering to hear whether they'd been successful, the Sheriff of Lanarkshire pre-emptively contacted the military for back-up in case of hypothetical trouble because a lot of working-class protests had been happening across Europe.

The strikers showed up on the day of the meeting to hear whether their terms had been accepted and were - according to witnesses - baton-charged by the police, their leaders arrested for triggering a riot, and when they fought back, the police wailed for reinforcements. The army were sent north with tanks and machine guns nests were set up in the square, even though the fighting between police and protestors had calmed down.

Nothing says appreciation for your local population like battering them with sticks, arresting them and then threatening them with machine guns and tanks to stop them asking to work a 40 hour work week 🙃 Apparently, they were considered dangerously "Bolshevik" by them in charge.

No wonder Scotland ended up with 29 Labour MPs, some of them people involved in the strikes, at the next election.

[pfhwrittes]

dealing drugs and feelings hcs (expanded bc i started some of it in the notes of bbbby-blu's post)

first up, captain john price.

TW: mentions of drug usage, mentions of implied alcoholism.

look in my hc price comes from a pretty sheltered middle class family (the kind that think drug usage is pure evil but doesn't see a damn thing wrong with drinking a bottle of wine every night - two bottles on a friday and saturday - and having a nightcap of whisky/gin before bed) so never really saw the darker side of drug usage/abuse like ghost or soap at a young age. had some mates in college (thats english college 16-18y/o not american college 18+y/o) that would smoke a bit of weed on their lunch breaks or at parties. was never really arsed about smoking it on a regular basis bc he hated how stupid he'd feel after smoking so eventually just stopped. did a bit of mdma at a concert once and fucked a stranger in the bathrooms - 10/10 experience for him but hated the come down the following day. was introduced to cocaine when he joined the armed forces by someone in his unit. he couldn't understand how these fellas were putting away pints and shots and still acting relatively fine in his pissed as a fart opinion. then he was hustled into the disabled cubicle by a sergeant and provided a tiny little bump of cocaine and that was that. (also you're gonna tell me that young, cocky, overconfident corporal price at 18 turned down cocaine? like fuck did he. he was finally allowed to be in the big boys club and shit if it all went wrong he would absolutely throw the sergeant under the bus with him) man does bumps every time he goes out drinking drinking (you know those nights, not just a couple down the pub but actual planned second night of leave drinking out in Cardiff/Liverpool/Manchester/wherever there's clubs and hotels) with the boys, justifies it to himself as keeping himself sharp so he can keep his men safe but really he just enjoys that zap of lightning rush that fizzes through his blood with every line. absolutely abuses his power as a captain to intimidate lower ranked military police into delaying urine testing when he knows he'll pass the "random" drugs test OR straight up bribes the dirtier MPs with better coke than they're currently getting (if they're not into coke, no worries he knows someone who can sort anything for a price...)

[georgefairbrother]

This month (April) in 1969, the BBC reported on a surprising by-election result;

“…A 21-year-old woman, Bernadette Devlin, has become Britain’s youngest ever female MP and the third youngest MP ever…Standing as an independent Unity candidate, Miss Devlin wrested the seat of Mid-Ulster in Northern Ireland from the Ulster Unionists…”

She had grown up in a working class family of six children, and both parents had died by the time she was a teenager, forcing her to balance furthering her education while taking care of her younger siblings.

Bogside 1969 (image BBC News)

Having been arrested and subsequently imprisoned for her role in the Battle of the Bogside, violent sectarian protests in Derry in August of that year, she was re-elected at the UK general election in 1970 and served one full term.

Following Bloody Sunday, she (literally) smacked Conservative Home Secretary Reginald Maudling in the face for asserting in the House of Commons that the behaviour of members of the the British Parachute Regiment, (which had killed 14 civilians and wounded at least a further 15 during street protests in Derry), had been justified on the grounds of acting in self-defence. Devlin had personally witness these events.

Having not sought re-election in 1974, she remained active politically, supporting the cause of the hunger strikers in 1981 and standing unsuccessfully for seats in the European Parliament and the Dail Eirreann (Parliament of the Irish Republic).

On January 16th, 1981, the BBC reported:

“…The Northern Ireland civil rights campaigner and former Westminster MP, Bernadette McAliskey (formerly Devlin) has been shot by gunmen who burst into her home…The three men shot Mrs McAliskey, in the chest, arm and thigh as she went to wake up one of her three children. Her husband, Michael, was also shot twice at point blank range…Three men are now being questioned by police. They were arrested by members of the Parachute Regiment, who were on patrol nearby when they heard the shots…The McAliskeys were flown by army helicopter to hospital in Belfast, where their condition is said to be serious, but not life-threatening…”

(Irish news sources claim that the British soldiers were 'watching the home' but did not intervene).

The BBC also reported that Loyalist paramilitaries were going after those who were campaigning for H Block prison reform, in the heightened tensions surrounding hunger strikes over demands for ‘prisoner of war’ status by Republicans in custody. Four campaign activists had been killed to that point.

Bernadette McAliskey continued to advocate for civil rights in Northern Ireland, and for inmates and former inmates of the Maze Prison. She later founded the South Tyrone Empowerment Programme, a community welfare organisation, now listed as a resource on the UK government family support webpage for Northern Ireland, researching and campaigning in areas such as housing, family support, civil rights, and the welfare of migrant workers.

Top image and additional material from the website of herstory.ie

[breezymichelle99]

You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This | Jake “Hangman” Seresin.

Summary: You Bar tend at “The Hard Deck.” with Penny. You’ve met hundreds of Pilots but there was something about Him that made you want to change your “No Pilots.” rule. And for him you just might. 

Warnings: Some Top Gun: Maverick Spoilers, Mentions of drinking, teasing, flirting, cursing, dancing, a bet, semi aggressive Jake, a lot of tension, angst, confessions of secret feelings, Cocky Jake, protective Jake, Rude Handsy Guy, sweet Jake, Crying, Inappropriate banter, female receiving, protected sex, Breakup, Dangerous mission, relationship doubts, make up, bullying from the top gun guys, Jake getting in trouble, fanboy being a bit of a jerk. 

A|N: Song: Story Loosely based on the country song “You shouldn’t kiss me like this.” Toby Keith. (photos 4 moodboard came from pinterest, I do NOT own.)

You’ve been working the bar at The Hard Deck with Penny for months now. Fighting off every flirtatious wanna be pilot in a 10 mile radius with a sweet smile and another beer. But this time was different. There was just something about him that made your heart flutter. “Y|N, would you mind grabbing that table over there.” Penny begs. You look up and you smile. “No problem.” you whisper. Grabbing a round and heading over to the table of newly minted TOP Gun Pilots. You hear them yapping at him the minute you step to the table.

“Uhhh Ohhh Jake here comes your girl you better look out.” they tease. Poor Jake couldn’t help the light shade of pink that tints his perfectly sculpted cheekbones. For weeks now since the new classes began at Top Gun; LT Jake “Hangman” Seresin had been desperately flirting with you. But you knew his type; cute but cocky, ego the size of Texas, The possibility of a new hot beach bunny on his arm whenever he wanted, but that wasn’t for you. However you had to admit he was pretty cute, but you knew you just couldn’t allow yourself to go there.

“When are you going to seal the deal with her, Seresin you’ve been at it for weeks, time to close brother.” Fanboy teases him.  Jake Slaps him. Fanboy shoots him a look. “Hey Jake.” you whisper. He looks up at you, a wide smile crossing his lips. “Hey Darlin.” he whispers back, playing with that toothpick between his teeth. You swallow hard, That all too familiar flutter returns. And you pass out the beers as quickly as you can, retreating to the safety of the bar as quickly as you could.

Penny chuckled. “Are you going to make him chase you forever?” she asks you. You look at her. “Wait what?” you say, terrified of this conversation. She chuckles again. “Hangman…” she pauses as she watches your eyes light up. She can’t help but see the same sparkle in your eyes that she once had for a certain young Top Gun pilot. She smirks as she catches Maverick's eye from across the bar. “What about Hangman… I mean Jake.” you stutter. Breaking the intense eye contact between Penny and Pete. “He’s been coming in here for weeks now, hopelessly trying and failing to catch your eye and you just smile at him, hand him a beer and walk away… I know you can see the way he looks at you.” she says with a smile. Honestly you hadn’t really paid it that much attention. He was always nice and talked to you like a regular human instead of some prize everyone was trying to win; you thought you were friends, he’d even walked you home a few times.. 

You look across the bar. There he is shooting pool with Bob and Fanboy, laughing. He looked perfect, happy and in that moment you knew Penny was right. You had fallen for Jake. you hadn’t meant to, it just sort of happened. “III hadn’t realized.” you stutter has your eyes meet his. She smiles at you. “That’s just how it happens, one minute you're laughing, thinking about how perfect his smile is, telling yourself it’s never going to happen and the next you're in the back of a police car an MP calling your dad because you spent the night on a joy ride in the sky.” Penny smirks. “Penny.” you laugh as you look over at Maverick sitting at the bar who gives you two a wink. “I can’t.” you say. “Give it a month Top gun will be over he’ll be on to his next duty station and he’ll forget all about little ol’ me.” you say grabbing a rag and wiping the bar, trying your best to run from this conversation. “We’ll see about that.” she says too confidently. But I guess she could say it that way because after everything she had ended up with Maverick. 

The bar slowly cleared out and the restless, weary, and the drunk headed home. You told Penny to go home, that you’d close tonight. She closed every night this week and she deserved the night off. You cleared your last table, wiping it down and tossing the bottles into the recycle bin. You’d been lost in your own little world, the words Penny had said bouncing around in your head, you hadn’t heard the door open. He stood against the door frame watching you sway your hips to some song you still had playing on that old jukebox in the corner. 

It started out as a stupid bet. Could he get you to go home with him but then somehow it turned into something more. It turned into that extra beer you’d bring him after you knew he’d had a bad day, or that smile you’d give him when no one else was looking or the nights he’d walk you home and the two of you would just talk about anything and everything or sometimes nothing at all. It turned into these little moments that no one else saw that meant more to him than anything. How you’d somehow managed to tame him, make him see no one else but you. And yet you hadn’t even realized. Jake “Hangman” Seresin had fallen for you, 

“Holy shit, Jake.” you say breaking his thoughts. He smirked. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you hun.” he couldn’t help the smirk that crossed those perfect lips. You swallowed hard as he made his way across the room to you. Nowhere to run now. 

“It’s okay. I just didn’t know you were still here.” you say. Your heart was beating out of your chest. He smiles. Oh boy. “I heard Penny say you were closing tonight, and I didn’t think you should be here alone so I decided to stay.” he says taking a seat at the bar. Oh Jake. you think to yourself. You blush. “You didn’t have to stay, I would have been fine.” he opens his mouth to protest but you cut him off. “But I appreciate you staying.” you say with a smile that made Jake’s own heart flutter. You leaned against the bar beside him. The two of you chatted for a few minutes. Those gorgeous eyes staring back into yours. 

“Come on.” Jake says, suddenly grabbing your hand. “Jake!” you giggle in protest but yet you still follow him. A new song had started to play on the jukebox.  He pulled you into his arms, dancing with you slowly. “Jake.” you whisper. Blushing again. “See I Love that.” he whispers back looking down at you. “Love what?” You whisper quietly back to him, getting lost in the way he smelt, and how he held you and how you felt in his arms.. He’s holding you tightly as you both sway slowly to the deep country tone of  this Toby Keith song. “I got a funny feeling The moment that your lips touched mine Something shot right through me My heart skipped a beat in time There's a different feel about you tonight It's got me thinking lots of crazy things I even think I saw a flash of light It felt like electricity You shouldn't kiss me like this Unless you mean it like that 'Cause I'll just close my eyes And I won't know where I'm at We'll get lost on this dance floor Spinning around And around And around And around.”  He’s looking down at you and for the first time you realize exactly what Penny had been talking about. The song kept playing on and on and you two kept dancing, getting lost in each other's eyes and you knew this was it, this was the moment everything would change. “That you always call me Jake instead of Hangman like everyone else does.” He says. His fingers caress your cheek now. Both of you are looking at each other. “They're all watching us now. They think we're falling in love. They'd never believe we're just friends. When you kiss me like this I think you mean it like that If you do, baby, kiss me again”  without even thinking Jake leaned down and those perfect lips met yours and he kissed you; Long passionate perfect. Not even realizing what you were doing You wrapped your arms around his neck, running your fingers through his hair, he deepens the kiss. At this point you two had stopped dancing and the song had switched to something else but you hadn’t noticed you were too lost in each other. 

You separate your lips from his slowly. “Jake I.” you pause looking away from him as quickly as you could. His green eyes dropped to the floor. His long index finger tucked under your chin as he made you look back up at him. “What is keeping you from being with me Y|N?” he asks with nothing but sadness in those beautiful eyes. “I can’t, Jake I don’t date Pilots, I.” your words trailed off. “That’s not what that kiss we just shared said Y|N. why can’t you give me a chance. Honestly you shouldn’t have kissed me like that.” “Jake, please listen.” you interrupt him. “I'm sorry.” he mouths, shutting up. The bar is thick with the silence that fills it and for the first time since you had laid eyes on Jake Seresin your heart hurt. His long fingers Caress your cheek and you melt into his touch. “Please talk to me.” he begs. You pull away from him. “I should go.” you say trying to run away but he grabs your arm and spins you back into his chest. “Don't do this.” he begs. You see the heart break in his eyes. 

“I'm scared.” you blurt out as you turn back to him. He stops and pauses. “Of me?” he questions. Silence fills the room again. You shake your head no. He steps to you. “What is it baby?” you can’t look at him anymore you have to get away. But you find yourself telling him anyway. “Of how I feel about you, of giving in to how I feel about you.” you confess. He smirks. Holding you tighter. “How exactly do you feel about me?” he grins and your heart flutters “Damn it Jake.” you curse at him. “I’m crazy about you and your stupid cheezy grin, and your cocky attitude and those damn gorgeous green eyes, and the way you always make me feel like I'm the only girl in this bar, when I know I'm not even close. And how you’re always different around me then you are around the rest of the guys, like your sweet side is just for me. Or How no matter where I am in the bar I can always feel your eyes on me, checking to see if I'm okay. How I love Those nights when you’d walk me home after work and we’d just talk and it felt like we’ve known each other for years even though it’s just been a few weeks. How you threw that guy out of the bar that one night when he got handsy with me. How you let fanyboy tease you endlessly about not getting me into bed yet because to you it's more than a hook-up. How you stroll in here after work with your aviators on and a damn toothpick in your mouth, don’t even get me started on what that does to me when you.” you stop before you get to graphic. 

Jake laughs. “Honestly babe I'm not really seeing the problem here.” he says. You scoff of course he doesn’t. That damn ego. “I'm scared I'm just some consolation prize to you, a conquest. You’ll get what you want, prove to your boys that you're the man after all, move to your next duty station and I’ll be here with a broken heart. I'm Scared to give into my feelings for you Jake. I'm scared to lose you, to lose myself..” you can’t take it anymore, you let the feelings for him overcome you and now you feel like an idiot. Before you knew it his long fingers had intertwined with yours. 

“Y|N.” he whispers. You can’t bring yourself to look at him. You know this is where you get your heart broken. “Maybe at first it started out as a silly bet.” he admits and you sigh. You knew it. “The rumor had been that you don’t date pilots, matter fact you didn’t date anyone, fanboy joked that if anyone could take you home it would be me. But then something happened. The more I got to know you. The more time we spent together. The long talks. You just knowing when I had a bad day and needed a little TLC. The way you say my name. The way you became the only woman I saw in this bar every night, no matter how many of them walked up to me flirting like their lives depended on it, there was only you. I wanted to kill that man that smacked you on the ass that night, had it not been for Mav I probably would have. It’s you and only you and it always will be. Don’t be scared. Please just give me a chance.” he smiles but this smile was different. This smile wasn’t the trouble, cocky grin… this smile was genuine sweet honest and you knew he meant it. 

“I don’t know Jake. What about when Top Guns Over and you leave San Diego. What am I supposed to do then, let you go? Chalk it up to a hot summer fling and let you just walk out of my life to your next duty station, to woo some other girl I can’t.” you had begun to cry. “Hey don’t do that.” he whispers, wiping the tears from your cheeks. “Come with me.” he says. “Wherever the next adventure is, come with me.. You and me against the world babe.” you can’t believe what you’re hearing. There is silence once again as you repeat his words in your head. “Are you sure about this?” you ask him. Breaking up the silence. “Because once you're in Seresin you’re in, no take backs.” you laugh. “Oh baby, I'm so in.” he smiles at you before he leans down to kiss you again, hand on your cheek, deepening the kiss. 

“Let’s get out of here.” you say, a look of lust filled your eyes and he knew it was Time to get you home. You take his hand, flick off the lights, lock the door and head out into the stars with Jake by your side. You couldn’t believe this was happening. He catches you looking over at him like he’s not real and might disappear at any second. He smirks. “So do you plan to tell me about the toothpick thing that drives you crazy. Or you just gunna leave me hanging.” you blush. You roll your eyes at him and he laughs. “Hey I gotta know what gets my girl going.” he Jokes. You shove him off the sidewalk. “Gross.” you giggle. “Maybe I’ll tell you or maybe it’s classified.” you add. He shakes his head. “Ohhhh I am sure I have ways to uncover that classified information.” he whines, raising an eyebrow over at you. 

“In your dreams Seresin.” you tease. He licks his lips. You know he’s about to say something dirty but you stop him. “This is me.” you say stopping at the door. The two of you stare at each other for a minute. Jake knows he should take his time. Let you move at your own pace but he was dying to make you his. He’d been thinking about it since the first time he laid eyes on you. “Until next time, beautiful.” he smirks, leaning down to kiss you slowly. He did not miss the unmistakable sound of a moan as his tongue tangled with yours. He pulled away incredibly slowly, making you want more, so much more. But you knew better. “Goodnight Y|N. See you tomorrow.” he says. He can’t stop looking at you. “Goodnight Jake.” you whisper into the dark as you slowly open and close the door behind you. He watches you go. 

You sigh as you lean against the door. What the hell just happened? Did you just break your number one rule? Never date a pilot. You were in so much trouble. And about to get yourself into even more. You opened the door again, throwing caution to the wind and giving in to him. “Jake.” you call to him. He turns around. “Yeah babe.” a wide smirk crosses his lips. He knew you couldn’t resist him. You step off the porch, his body meeting yours half way. “Stay.” you whisper. He looks down at you. Sparkling green eyes locked with yours, thumb running across your cheek. “Please.” you say again. And you don’t really remember what happened next, or if he had even said anything back. you just remember being swept up into his arms, lips kissing yours uncontrollably, him closing the front door with his foot. Quietly asking you which way to your bedroom. You gave him quick directions before his lips find yours again, articles of clothing being disposed of through the hallways as you made it back to your bedroom. 

When you get to your room he sets you down and you both finish undressing. It wasn’t long before his big muscular body was above yours. You look up into his eyes as he looks down at you. “Are you sure about this?” he asks, his long fingers brushing a long strand of hair from your face. You smile up at him. “Of course.” he smirks as you reach up and pull him towards you by his dog tags, his lips crashing into yours. The sweet sound of a quiet moan leaves your lips as his leave yours and trail down your neck.  “Jake.” You whine. 

His hand slides between your bodies separating your thighs, his long fingers sliding between the thin fabric of your panties onto your delicate skin. His lips kissing your neck again, leaving a trail of delicate bruises behind, careful to make sure everyone in The Hard Deck tomorrow would know you belonged to someone. a loud groan left your lips. He smirked that typical devilish little grin of his. He began to slowly rub gentle circles over your clit as he kissed down your body slowly; Neck, clavicle, tongue swirling around your nipple;gently pulling each one between his teeth. You fidget beneath him with each movement of his lips and fingers; a trail of kisses down your navel onto your thigh. There was where he paused for a second. 

You whine. You hear him chuckle. He pulls the elastic of your underwear between his fingers, ripping them off quickly and tossing them across the room. “Jake.” you whine as you hear the rip. “Hush baby.” he says, shutting you up instantly as he runs his tongue over your clit. “Ohhhhhhhhhh Jake.” you moan running your fingers through his hair, pulling it making him groan against you. You always knew he would be good with his tongue, just from watching him play with that damn toothpick in his mouth, but Jesus this man knew exactly what he was doing… “Fuck babe you taste so good.” he whispers, his breath warm against your skin as he keeps going with his tongue. “Fuck.” you cry out biting your lip, pushing your head back further into the pillow, pushing your hips into him. “Ohh God Jake right there. Fuckkkk.” you beg him to let you cum. He used his tongue and two fingers to send you over the edge. “Jesus fuck Jake.” you moan with a giggle that instantly sends a shiver down Jake's spine making him hard. 

Jake licks his lips. “You are my favorite taste, you know that baby girl?” he groans breathlessly as his lips meet yours, making you taste yourself on his lips. “Better stay that way.” you growl biting his bottom lip. “Oh there is no doubt.” he whines.  You reach between the two of you, running your hand over his erection. Jake can’t help but growl. “God the thought of being inside you makes me so fucking hard.” you can’t help but chuckle. “Well, What are you waiting for, Lieutenant?” you say breathlessly into his perfect lips. You had a feeling you would probably regret this in the morning but this man was like the goddamn devil, everything about him possesses your whole body no matter what you just couldn’t control yourself when you were with him. 

He paused, reaching into his pants digging around for a condom he found one in his wallet, rolling it on quickly and returning his body to yours. He kissed you slowly. You moan quietly as he slowly adjusts his hips entering you slowly giving you time to adjust to him. Your hips in perfect rhythm; slow at first before he picks up the pace. Your nails leaving scratch marks down his back, your hips keeping him in tightly as you wrap her legs around him pushing him deeper, guiding him to all the right places. Your lips meet furiously as you roll around your messy bed. Jake knew you were close, as he could feel you tightening around him. He puts his lips to your neck, breathlessly moans in your ear. “Cum for me beautiful.” he begs. His green eyes locking with yours dying to watch all your little movements, hear all your perfect sounds. Without another word you do what you’re told. “God yes Jake.” you call out his name as you cum for him. His name rolling out of that perfect mouth in a loud breathy moan. “That’s a good girl.” He watched as you come undone beneath him. Seconds later he follows with one final thrust of his hips and a loud moan of your name he too would finish. He kisses your lips passionately as he gently gets off of you, disposing of his used condom in the bin beside your bed. Then quickly returned to you. Pulling you close into him. 

You lay there in his arms, fingers dance across his chest. “What’s on your mind?” you ask him as you play with his dog tags. He sighs and you worry. “I don’t want this to end.” he admits. Fingers dancing across your skin. You smile over him. “It doesn’t have too, Jake.” you say running your thumb across his lips. “I'm yours for as long as you’ll have me.” you say, setting aside all your fears from your earlier conversation with him. You were in totally and completely no matter what happens between the two of you now. “I don’t know what's going to happen in the future Jake, I don’t know what's going to happen tomorrow or 10 days from now but I do know whatever it is I want to figure it out with you.” you add. He leans over and he kisses you slowly.  He looks at you for a few minutes before speaking. “I would love nothing more.” he whispers. His fingers caress your cheek. “Why Jake Sereisn, I never thought I’d see the day.” you smirk over at him as you run your fingers gently across his lips. He hums quietly as he closes his eyes, savoring your touch. 

“When you’d be a one woman man.” you whisper as you memorized his perfect features, and how relaxed he looked lying there beside you. How safe you felt in this moment lost with him. You see that cocky little smirk cross his lips and you know he’s about to say something stupid and you can’t help but smile. “Who says..” “Watch it, Seresin.” you say, eyeing him.  He laughs and pulls you on top of him. He brushes a hair behind your ear, his thumb lingers on your cheek. You look down at him. “There is only you, Y|N.” he says before his lips capture yours once more. You were almost certain this moment was what heaven felt like. 

The sun was peeking in through the curtains in your room, waking you up. Last night felt like a dream but you soon realized it wasn’t as you rolled over to see Jake still asleep in your bed. You smile. The picture was perfect as the morning sun danced off his tanned skin. You leaned in to give him a gentle kiss. Letting him get some sleep. As you got out of bed you noticed the trail of clothes all over the floor. You couldn’t help but smirk. You thought you would regret this in the morning, but as you look out into your bedroom to the clothes on the floor and Jake still sound a sleep in bed you knew you didn’t, you knew this was how you wanted every day to look. 

You walk into the bathroom. The first thing you see is the hickies on your neck and chest. You roll your eyes. Clearly those would need to be covered. You turn on the shower and slip in. The warm water felt good on your skin, a million little thoughts running around in your head. You hear the bathroom door open and Jake shuffle in. you smile. You open the shower door and poke your head out. “Good morning, sleepy head.” you whisper, taking him in. He leans over and gives your lips a gentle kiss. “Good morning, beautiful.” he smiles. “Mind if I join?” he asks. You don’t even answer him, you just step aside letting him in. 

The two of you hold each other there under the warmth of the water. Jake looks down at you. “What’s on your mind, beautiful girl?” he asks, his fingers rubbing little circles on your wet skin. You sigh. Too much time alone to think. “What happens now, Jake?” you, ask his light green eyes lock with yours. He smiles. “Well I don’t know about you but there’s only one option for me…” he says with a smirk. You raise your eyebrow at him. “Yeah and what is that?” you ask suddenly skeptical of his answer. “Well baby girl the only option for me, is that you’re my girl..Jake Seresin is off the market.” he says licking his lips and looking down at you like he was ready to devour you. You can’t help the little whine that leaves your lips. “You’re certain about this?” you question. He smiles. “As certain as I was that I wanted to be a pilot, Y|N…” he says reassuring you. He’d tell you ten thousand times if he had too.. YOU are his. 

You smile up at him. “Alright Hangman.. I’m yours.” you say and almost before you could finish your sentence his lips were on yours and he had your back up against the shower wall, the cold tile felt good against your warm skin, his body pressed firmly into yours. But like all good things do, your time together came to a sudden end as Jake looked down and saw his watch noticing the time. “SHIT!!!” he cursed. “What?” you say worried. He started laughing. “I am so fucking late for class.” you both started laughing. “I have to go.” he says with a smile and kiss as he jumps from your shower. He’s drying off as fast as he can and trying to find his clothes as quickly as possible. You smile as you watch him from the door. He meets you half dressed and kisses you wildly. “Until tonight, gorgeous.” he says. “Until tonight, lieutenant.” you smile. “I thought you didn’t date pilots.” he jokes. You chuckle. “I don’t” you wink at him.  He heads for the door but He turns back once more to get one last look at you, like everything with you may have been a dream and if he walks out that door you’ll disappear. “I’ll see you tonight at The Hard Deck, maybe If you’re lucky I’ll let you walk me home again.” you say, the way his eyes lit up with that promise, that was the moment you knew; you were madly in love with him. “I'm gunna hold you to that.” he whispers, getting one more look at you before he closes the door and practically running back to The Hard Deck to get his Truck and prepare for the shit he was going to get from the guys and not to mention, Captain Mitchell. But shit it was worth it. 

The whispers began the moment he stepped foot into that classroom. Maverick gave him a look that he knew if looks could kill he would have dropped dead right there. “See me after class.” Mav says Jake nods he knew he deserved it. He was just grateful he hadn’t been kicked completely out. “Bro what the fuck, you are never late to a single thing in your life what gives.” Payback says. Fanboy and Rooster giving him the same wtf look. He smirks. “Yall boys let me drink too much last night and I forgot to set my alarm.” he lies not ready to give up his secret just yet, he wanted to enjoy it. They all look at him. Fanboy knows he’s lying but he doesn’t press him for now. “Seriously which girl did you fuck last night??” Payback asks. “Had to have been one from the bar there is no way you would just forget to set your alarm.” he adds. “Whoever it was we all know who it wasn’t; that hot bartender, what’s her name Hangman…. Oh yeah Y|N” Jake plays with the toothpick in his mouth, he was about two seconds from flipping out but Maverick shut everyone up. “Alright that’s enough we all need to focus.” he gives Jake a knowing look and Jake nods grateful. 

The class was dismissed for the day and after a rigorous day of flying exercises the team was finally set free. “My office Seresin.” Maverick says as they pass each other in the hallway. “Yes sir.” he nods, leaving his friends and the promise of seeing you to get his ass chewed.   “Sir I'm really sorry for being late this morning, it's not what it seems, I promise I am serious about Top Gun, it was a mistake and I swear it will never happen again.” Jake begins to apologize profusely. Maverick chuckles and Jake looks at him confused.  “I know you’re serious Jake. I know it was a mistake. You may be a little bit cocky sometimes, maybe a bit of a big ego.” he paused because Jake raises an eyebrow at him like hello Pot but he says nothing. “But I know how much this means to you, let’s not make a habit of it okay.” Maverick says. “I really am sorry sir, it will not happen again.” he says. Maverick looks at him. “You wanna tell me the real reason you missed class.” Mav asks curiously. Jake’s smile could have lit up the entire room. “I was with Y|N” he admits. Maverick couldn’t help but smile. “Don’t break her heart Seresin, or you’ll have Penny to deal with and me.” Maverick says as he slaps Jake on the shoulder. “Sir I don’t plan too. She’s everything to me.” Mav gives him a nod of approval and they leave his office both Headed for The Hard Deck, Each after a beautiful bartender. 

The Moment the group hit the door you could hear them talking about Jake, and how he was late, and how he was getting his ass handed to him by Mav right now, and how he lied about why he was late they were so sure of it. You sigh, shaking your head. “Hey pretty girl.” you hear Fanboy say leaning over the bar chirping at you. “Can I get you something to drink?” you ask, trying to ignore his advances. “I'll take a beer and maybe some information.” he smirks. And you try to keep from rolling your eyes. This guy needed to chill and leave Jake alone. You place a beer on the bar sliding it to him. “What kind of information?” you ask, eyeing him. He smirks. “Well obviously you know my boy Hangman.” he pauses to see if there was any reaction from you. “Yeah, what about him?” you say. “Well clearly he’s been after you since we got into San Diego and me and the boys were wondering if maybe you finally gave our boy what he’s been begging for.” he raises his eyebrows at you.”you know a little slice of that sweet a..” his words are cut off by Jake entering the bar. 

“Fanboy, leave my girl alone.” he winks at you. The surprised look on your face must have been worth it all because Jake promptly walked over to the bar cut right in front of Fanboy, shoving him out of the way and passionately kissed your lips.  A 1000 hearts broke that night as the whole bar went silent as you kissed him back. He slowly pulled his lips from yours. “Hi beautiful.” he whispers. You can’t catch your breath. “Hey handsome.” you smirk and the entire bar erupts in cheers. You blush. Jake gives you a wink and you turn a thousand shades of red as you hand him a beer and he casually joins his friends like nothing happened. 

You turn around to see Penny with a big huge grin on her face. “Don't you dare say I told you so.” you shake your head and roll your eyes. “I'm not going too but I knew it would happen. You can never resist a man in that uniform.” she laughs and you both look out across the bar, her at Maverick and you at Jake; who of course just like always was already looking at you. The rest of the night went without any other issues and Jake stayed to help you close once again but this time he drove you home, parked his truck in your driveway and stayed the night again. And that night turned into another and then another and then another and before you knew it he was basically living with you. And things had never been better between you and Jake. and despite the end of Top Gun lumming your relationship was stronger than ever and there was even talk of relocation if he didn’t end up staying in SD. 

“These came for you.” Penny says with a huge smile on her face as she places a huge vase of gorgeous flowers onto the bar.. you can’t help but smile. You pull the card from inside the beautiful bouquet of Daisies. “Thinking of you.”-J♥️ “Thanks Jake.” You whisper as you tuck your beautiful flower bouquet behind the bar to take home with you tonight. You check your watch to see how much longer until he would walk through those doors, aviators covering those gorgeous green eyes, toothpick between those perfect lips, eyes locked on you. Only a little while longer now.

You looked up at the clock at 530 and just like perfectly timed clock work he strutted in. “Hangman, you joining us?” Rooster shouts from across the bar as he stands beside the pool table. “One sec, there's something I have to do first.” he smirks as he walks over to the bar. “Hey beautiful.” he says leaning against the bar top. You turn around, a smile on your face. “Well hello there, handsome.” you smirk leaning into his lips. “Thank you for the flowers, they made my day.” you say pulling your lips from his slowly. “You’re welcome, babe.” he says as his long fingers trace the soft skin of your cheek. “Hey Jake, quit making googly eyes and let me whoop your ass at pool.” Rooster calls to him from across the bar. You both laugh. “I’ll be right back.” he smiles, kissing you wildly as if you were his good luck charm. 

You watched him from across the bar as he and the rest of the pilots from Top Gun laughed and joked and shot pool. Suddenly Maverick came into the bar with a less than happy look on his face. Something was wrong. He looked at Penny then over to you. “Oh no.” you say pausing to catch your breath “They have a mission.” you can feel your heart beating out of your chest. The bar falls silent as he walks in. Penny looked at him with the same terrified look on her face. “All Top Gun Pilots need to leave immediately and report to base ASAP.” he says no further instructions were given. He looked over at Penny and she knew this was doozy.  Jake finds you quickly kissing your lips. “I’ll be home as soon as I can.” he says, even he had a worried look in his eyes. He kisses you once more before he leaves with the rest of his flight mates. 

You couldn’t stop the ache in your chest. You knew what this meant, you had been here long enough to know, you’d seen Penny with Mav enough, overheard conversations. What could you do? Sit and wait, that's all you could do.  The bar closed early that night and you headed home to wait for any word from Jake. but there was nothing; radio silence. And you knew that meant nothing good. Finally you heard the door open and shut. It was well after 2am. “Jake baby?” you call to him as you get out of bed and run to the living room. You stop instantly when you see him. There was silence for a long while, too long. “It’s bad isn’t it?” you ask him. He looks up at you with those perfect green eyes and you knew it was. “Come here.” he says, calling for you. You walk over and he takes you into his arms holding you close. “Jake, talk to me.” you whisper. 

“Can I just hold you for a second babe?” he asks, his breath warm on your neck. “Of course.” you whisper holding him tighter.  There in your living room there was silence, just the sound of your two hearts beating, and soft even breathing. After what seemed like hours Jake separated himself from you. His green eyes filled with worry looking down at you, long fingers caressing your cheek like he was memorizing your features. “There's a mission.” he finally whispers. You knew it. You pull yourself slightly away from his embrace and look up at him. “It’s going to be dangerous, isn’t it?” you ask already knowing the answer. 

“They are going to pick a select team of pilots and then a back up team to support them if anything were to go wrong. There are going to be trials all week and test runs before the teams are selected, it will be intense and rigorous.” he says with a deep sigh. In your heart you knew what the right thing to do was; not be a distraction to him during this important time in his life. You look away from him. “No no no don’t do that.” he begs you. He could see it in your eyes. “Jake I can’t ask you to worry about me right now, you need to focus on this. I know.” “Babe.” he begs you. “Jake I can’t please.” you had begun to cry. And he knew you had your mind made up. “I can’t be a distraction Jake, I can’t have you thinking about me while you’re on a dangerous mission. I can’t be the reason.” you sob. He holds you tighter. 

Even though his heart was breaking he understood. “Y|N.” he says quietly. Tucking his long fingers under your chin, making you look up at him. You can’t look up at him but he makes you. “I understand.” he whispers.  “When I get back, when I'm done with training and with the mission I'm coming home, and I'm getting you back. No matter what or when YOU are my girl Y|N, I am falling in love with you and absolutely no dangerous mission will ever keep me from living my life with you.” he says, kissing your lips wildly. He separates from your lips slowly. “This isn’t goodbye.” he whispers as he reaches the door. He almost has the door closed behind him leaving you standing in the living room before you call after him. The door opens back up and you throw your arms around him. “I love you Jake.” you whisper, kissing him slowly. You pull your lips away from his getting another good look at him, fingers tracing his chiseled jaw. “Go Kick Some ass Seresin.” you smirk at him. He smiles and right there in that moment he knew he too loved you. “Yes ma’am.” he says with a wink as he slides his aviators over his gorgeous green eyes. 

You watch as he leaves. Not knowing if you would see him again. As you close the door you realize that he had slid something into your hand before he left. His dog tags. You squeeze them between your fingertips. “Oh Jake.” you begin to cry again. You slid them around your neck vowing to never take them off until he had returned to you. The next few days were like a whirlwind. You barely knew what happened. “You know Mav will take care of him right, will take care of all of them, Jake will come home safe.” Penny pleads with you trying to get you out of the funk you’re in. “I know he’ll try his best but you can’t promise things won't happen.” you say. The bar was nearly empty without the pilots. “He’s going to be Fine, he’s Jake.” she whispers. 

Jake had yet to win a simulated mission he was struggling. This was the first time in his career he was unsure of what he wanted. Did he want to fly a dangerous mission? Did he want to be in a committed relationship with a beautiful girl whom he was madly in love with? The answer was yes to both. He just didn’t know how to navigate them both. “Seresin.” he hears the sound of Mavericks stern voice call to him after training. Jake tried not to roll his eyes but this was the last thing that he needed right now, to hear how poorly he was doing. 

“Sir?” he says, turning around. “What the heck is going on with you son?” Mav asks, slapping Jake on the shoulder. Jake had a hard time believing that Penny hadn’t told him Y|N had broken up with him. “Haven’t seen Y|N in a while.” he adds, eyeing him. Jake sighs. “She told me she loved me sir, and then broke up with me. I'm dying here. I can't think straight, I know she was right in giving me the space for the mission but that’s the problem now I can’t stop thinking about her. And what if I never get to tell her I love her too, more than anything, she changed my life. And what if I don’t get to tell her that.” Jake confesses. Mav couldn’t help but Chuckle. “Look Jake, you two will work through it, you just have to figure out how to balance a job you love and a girl you love. It took time but Penny and I figured it out, you just have to communicate; which to be honest I wasn’t always great at but we figured it out in the end and the two of you will too. Just give it time, I promise. You’ll see.” Mav says. Knowing he was headed to The Hard Deck to give you a talking to next, because he could not have his best pilot acting up. Jake sighed. “I hope you’re right.”Jake says. “I’m Always right kid.” Mav smirks at him. And they both laugh

“Now come on Seresin you got this, get your head in the game tomorrow’s another day.” Mav says and he heads over to the hard deck. Jake thought about everything that Mav said to him. He knew he was right but he felt like a mess right now and he really missed you. But he knew if Mav and Penny could work things out then so could the two of you. He would take the night to refocus. 

“Look here missy I know you think you are doing what’s best for him but the boys a mess.” Mav says as you bring him a beer. “Look, I just want what’s best for him. He didn’t need me as a distraction.. I'll talk to him, Mav.” you say. Looking away from him. “Good because I need my best pilot back, alright.” he jokes. You shake your head at him. It wasn’t your intention to become more of a distraction to him, you just wanted him to focus on the mission and not you. You would give him some space and then talk to him. 

Maverick came into the training room, very serious. “Time tables been moved up, we have one day to get this right and it’s game time.” Everyone in the room looked at each other. Jake swallowed hard, it was now or never. That day Jake flew his best mission ever and was named to the first flight team for the mission. “I knew you had it in you.” Mav says as he passes Jake in the hall. Jake had been crashing with Fanboy since the break-up and if he was being honest, he was his buddy yes, but he definitely wasn’t you. “Guys are going out, you want to come?” fanboy asks. Jake looks at him from his bunk. “Nah i'm good. Thanks though.” Jake says putting on some stupid Netflix show and scrolling through his phone looking at pictures the two of you had taken together. 

He stopped on one in particular. You were sitting on the beach watching the sunset. He had caught you looking at him instead of the sunset and he loved the way you were looking at him, so he couldn’t help but document the moment. He sighed. Two seconds later fanboy came running back into the room. “Warning order Hangman, it’s go time.” he laughed. Grabbing his go bag and heading out. Jake slipped his phone into his pocket, got back into uniform, grabbed his bag and headed to the hanger. 

“Place is dead tonight.” you say as you arrive late to work. Penny gave you a look and she knew you hadn’t heard. “You haven’t heard?” she says looking at you worried. “Heard what?” you say. Your heart had begun to beat out of your chest. “The mission got moved up, the guys are shipping out tonight.” Penny says, recognizing the instant fear in your eyes. “WHAT? That can’t be!!!” you shout looking around the bar hoping to see Jake, hoping to find those gorgeous green eyes already looking at you but he’s nowhere to be found. “Mav called to tell me the guys started clearing out about 20 minutes ago.” “Shit.” you curse. All the things you have yet to say running through your head. “Penny I'm sorry but I have to go.” you say grabbing your bag and running full speed out of the door. You had to find Jake before he took off, before you had to live with the biggest mistake of your life; letting the best man you’ve ever known get away. 

When you got to the flight line you could already see guys getting into their jets you knew you had to find him. “Miss, I don't think you’re supposed to be out here.” someone calls to you. But you ignored them, you had a mission of your own; Find Jake Seresin and tell him you love him, tell him you’re an idiot and you should have never given up on him, on us. Tell him he better make it back to you in one piece. “Rooster!” you call. He looks back. “Y|N?” he says, turning around. “Have you seen Jake? I really need to talk to him.” you pant you had been running since the bar. “I think I saw him heading to the flight deck, If I see him I’ll send him your way.” Rooster says. “Thanks.” you smile at him, but keep going on your way. “Good Luck.” he shouts after you. 

But suddenly you see him. Standing out on the flight deck; flight suit on, aviators covering those gorgeous green eyes. “JAKE!!!!” you call to him. He turns to see you standing there in that short light yellow sundress he loved. “Y|N” he says, turning quickly as you run to each other. You throw your arms around him. “Y|N what are you doing here?” he asks his long fingers caressing your cheek taking you in. “Penny told me about the warning order and I couldn’t let you leave without telling you this; I love you Jake Seresin, I want nothing more than to chase this dream with you, to hold your hand on the beach, kiss you as the sun goes down, travel the world with you, fight with you, make up with you, have a few kids with you someday. Be your compass in the dark, your home, your safe place.” you say, you were crying but you couldn’t help it. 

Jake couldn’t help but smile. “I love you too, Y|N. There is no other woman in the world I would love to have by my side. You make me feel safe, and happy and there is nothing more I want than to spend it with you. When I get back we’ll hash everything out but I love you so much.” he says leaning down to kiss you even though he knows better he couldn’t help himself. “You can hear someone calling him but you don’t want to let him go. “Hey.” you whisper. He looks back at you. “Come back safely to me. Okay?” you say touching his cheek with your hand. “always .” he whispers. Kissing you passionately. You can hear Maverick calling to him but you can’t bring yourself to pull your lips away from his. 

“I love you.” he whispers. “I love you too.” you say letting him go. He looks back at you once more. You wave trying not to let him see you cry. You see Maverick slap him on the back and they smile at each other. For the first time in weeks you felt complete. You didn’t know how long the mission would take but you knew you would be there when he got back. You worked the bar with Penny and got as much information as you could from her but still the passing time made you crazy. You worked a lot while he was gone trying to keep your mind as busy as you could, trying not to focus on the what ifs. 

Finally it was late and you were cleaning up the bar. It had been a long day and all you wanted was a glass of wine and hot bath. You had tossed the last of the bottles into the recycle bin and were wiping down the last table when you heard a sound behind you. You turn quickly to see what it was. “Penny told me you were closing tonight, thought I might stay and help, Maybe walk you home.” his voice, deep and smooth as ever and you would recognize it anywhere. “Jake Seresin, you can walk me home any night.” you say, wrapping yourself in his waiting arms. The two of you hold each other there in the dim bar light, neither one saying a word. “When did you get back? I would have been there.” you say looking up at him. “About an hour ago, we had a debrief and then I came straight here to you.” he says. “Wanted to surprise you.” he smirks. “Well color me surprised.” you smirk. You couldn’t let go of him, you felt like if you let him go he might disappear. 

He chuckled. “Hey, I'm not going anywhere.” he whispers. “What would you say about a Glass of wine and a hot bath?” you ask him as you toss the rag into the sink. He spins you around back into his arms. “I think that sounds perfect, baby.” he leans down and he kisses you. “I love you, and I'm glad you’re home safe.” you whisper into his lips. “Me too baby, me too.” those green eyes meet yours.  

The pair of you walk about to your place hand in hand, Jake telling you about the mission, well what he could tell you anyways, you hanging on his every word. He got the wine while you drew the bath. “Ohhhh Jake.” you call to him from the bedroom. “Coming babe.” he says walking into the room with two glasses of wine. “Ohhh my.” he says practically dropping the glasses on the floor at the sight of you. “This view is almost as good as the sight of you in that short yellow sundress you showed up in before I left, I almost had to go UA baby girl.” he says licking his lips. He sets the wine glasses on the counter and strips out of his clothes. He hands you the wine glasses and slides into the tub behind you, his large muscled body envelops yours as you melt into each other. 

The time passed Quickly as Jake graduated with top Honors from Top Gun. with Orders to stay in San Diego. You stayed working at the bar with Penny. Mav and Jake got pretty close, and Jake eventually helped him teach a Top Gun class. As for you and Jake, the two of you got engaged in a special moment shared by some family and friends at a beach side villa in SD. The Two of you planning a future together; one full of adventure, love, and dreams come true.

Part Two: The Rest Of My Life With you 

[themalhambird]

UK ELECTION 2024: WHO'S LEADING THE FOUR MAJOR PARTIES?

The Conservatives currently have a majority in Parliament and form the Government. The Labour Party, with the second highest number of seats, leads the opposition. The SNP (Scottish National Party) are the second largest opposition party, and the Liberal Democrats are the third. Who's leading them?

This is, as far as possible, a non-partisan guide. The information is chiefly summarised or otherwise pulled directly from the candidate's respective Wikipedia pages. Any other sources will also be linked.

Click below to keep reading, and all that jazz.

Rishi Sunak, Leader of the Conservative Party. Current Prime Minister; Member for Richmond.

Rishi Sunak was born in Hampshire in 1980. His father is a GP for the NHS and his mother was a pharmacist who owned her own pharmacy. Sunak became head boy during his time as a day pupil at Winchester College, and worked as a waiter in a restaurant during summer holiday. He read philosophy, politics and business at Lincoln College, Oxford, and during the course of his degree undertook an internship at Conservative Campaign Headquarters. 

Sunak’s pre-Westminster career was in banking. He worked as an analyst for Goldman-Sachs before moving to work for a hedgefund management firm. He later became a partner in this firm, , and spent a couple of years as Director of an Investment firm owned by his father in law: In 2009 he married Akshata Murthy, an heiress; business woman; fashion designer; and venture capitalist in her own right. The couple have two daughters, aged 13 and 11. 

Sunak first became an MP in 2015. He campaigned in favour of Brexit in 2016. He became Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2020  whilst Boris Johnson was Prime Minister, and shot to popularity after the COVID furlough scheme was implemented. His Eat Out to Help Out scheme, which was designed to boost the hospitality sector during COVID  by offering a 50% discount on eligible meals, is thought to have contributed massively to the need for a second COVID lockdown. In April 2022 Sunak was issued with a fixed penalty notice by Police as part of the investigation into Downing Street breaches of their own COVID rules (this is commonly referred to as The Party Gate Scandal). 

Sunak became Prime Minister in October 2022 after his predecessor, Liz Truss, crashed and burned rather spectacularly. 

Kier Starmer K.C., Leader of the Labour Party. Current Leader of the Opposition. Member for Holbourn and St. Pancress.

Kier Starmer was born in Southwark, 1962, and raised in Surrey- the second of four children. His father was a tool maker; his mother was a nurse. Both were active in the Labour Party and Starmer was named after Labour’s first leader, Keir Hardie. As a teenager, Starmer was a member of the Labour Party Young Socialists. Starmer was the first member of his family to attend university, studying Law at the University of Leeds and graduating with first class honours. He completed his Post-Graduate studies at Oxford, during which time he served as the editor of a Trotskyiest radical magazine, Socialist Alternatives. 

Starmer’s  pre-Westminster career was in law. He became a barrister in 1987, undertaking legal aid work, including pro bono cases: he was instructed by Arthur Scargill during the Miners’ Strike of the Thatcher years.

Starmer worked primarily on Human Rights issues, including defending people facing the death penalty. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2002 and became joint head of the Doughty Street Chambers that same year. He was Human Rights Advisor to the Northern Ireland Policing Board, and he marched and wrote legal opinions against the Iraq War. 

Starmer became head of the Crown Prosecution Service and Director of Public Prosecutions in 2008 and served in the position until 2013. Noteworthy incidents during his tenure include:

In 2009, Conservative MP David Davies calling for Starmer to be dismissed after Starmer  vocally opposed the Conservative Government’s proposal to repeal the Human Rights Act 1998 

In 2010, Starmer prosecuting MPs and a Member of the House of Lords for false accounting in the aftermath of the Parliamentary Expenses Scandal. 

In 2013, Starmer published a study demonstrating that false reports of rape are rare, and started an enquiry into the reduction of rape and domestic violence reports being made to the police. 

Starmer was knighted for services to law and criminal justice in 2014 and became a Labour MP in 2015. He was opposed to Brexit and  advocated for a second referendum. He replaced Jeremy Corbyn as leader of Labour Party in 2019, when Corbyn stepped down after Labour suffered their worst electoral defeat in roughly 80 years. 

In 2007 Starmer married Victoria Alexander, who was previously a solicitor and is now an Occupational Health Worker for the NHS. The pair have a 15 year old son and a 13 year old daughter. 

Stephen Flynn, Leader of the Scottish National Party* in the House of Commons. Member for Aberdeen South.

*Perhaps obviously, The Scottish National Party only stands candidates in Scotland. Flynn is therefore unlikely to be the next Leader of the Opposition, though the SNP will probably remain a major voting bloc in Westminster.

Stephen Flynn was born in Dundee in 1988. He studied History and Politics at the University of Dundee. He was elected to Aberdeen City Council in 2015, leading the SNP group in the Council. He was elected to Parliament in 2019. He replaced Ian Blackford as Leader of the Scottish National Party in the House of Commons in December 2023. 

Ed Davey, Leader of the Liberal Democrats. Member for Kingston and Surbiton.

Ed Davey was born in Nottingham  in 1965. By the time he was fifteen he had lost both his parents and was being raised by his maternal grandparents. He studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Oxford. In 1989 he became an economics researcher for the Liberal Democrats, and was elected to Parliament in 1997. During the coalition Government he served as Undersecretary of State for Business (2010-2012), and Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (2012-2015). He lost his seat in 2015, a disastrous election in general for the Lib Dems, but was knighted the same year for political and public services. He regained his seat in 2017 and became leader of the Liberal Democrats in 2019. He married Emily Gasson, also a Liberal Democrat Politician, in 2007. The couple have one son. 

***

Additions to this post are welcome, but please stick to facts and not personal opinion. Provide sources where possible. Do NOT attack or otherwise insult anybody mentioned in this post based on physical appearance or other similar traits. The UK election will be on July 4th 2024. You can register to vote here.

[beardedmrbean]

Following the police killing of George Floyd in the US, the Black Lives Matter movement was largely imported into Britain, with a rapid expansion of our own grievance industrial-complex. This disastrous superstructure peddled the myth that the UK’s social, political, and economic systems are deliberately rigged against racial and ethnic minorities. This form of aggressive racial identity politics from the US – a comparatively youthful country struggling to get to grips with the legacy of slavery on its own soil and recent forms of segregation – fundamentally undermined the credibility of the British anti-racist cause. 

I issued a warning over this in an article for this paper back in June 2020. Promoting the concept of “white privilege” – in a country where some of the most materially-deprived and culturally marginalised communities predominantly belong to that race – was always going to lead to awful outcomes. Yet public-sector organisations such as the BBC and the NHS, two woefully underperforming behemoths funded by the British taxpayer, time and again provided a platform for pro-BLM radical activists to pour scorn on one of the most tolerant, anti-discriminatory and pro-equality countries on the planet. 

BLM-mania also saw a flurry of corporations taking the opportunity to deflect attention away from their own business practices by jumping on supposedly virtuous causes of “racial justice”. Across a variety of sectors, a class of DEI “professionals” was ushered in – often as unproductive as they are divisive. Companies announced a range of costly initiatives, donations and hiring sprees, with little scrutiny. 

In mainstream politics, we were greeted to a cringeworthy image of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner “taking the knee” for a social movement that says it cares about young black lives but rarely flags the impact of gang-related knife crime in London. Labour MP Dawn Butler, no stranger to inflammatory language, weaponised Floyd’s death by calling for the Tory government to get its “knee off the neck of the Black, African Caribbean, Asian and minority ethnic community” in a House of Commons statement. All of this was a national embarrassment. 

Now, though, we seem finally to have come to our senses – and the BLM movement has been thoroughly discredited. Like many identitarian causes which are full-to-the-brim with rank opportunists, it has suffered from high-profile cases of fraud. In the UK, this includes Xahra Saleem – a high profile BLM activist. She was sentenced to two and a half years after it was found that she used her profile to raise money for young people in the St Paul’s area of Bristol and then spent it on herself. The judge said that money was used “not for their benefit but for your own, funding a lifestyle for yourself that you could not otherwise have afforded”. 

The prosecution said that, in the 15 months to September 2021, there were more than 2,500 payments made from Saleem’s account which included general shopping and bills, plus a new iPhone, hair and beauty appointments, clothes stores, Amazon purchases, taxis and takeaways.

Lessons must be taken on board from the era of BLM-mania. Attempts to coerce the wider public into believing that Britain should be ashamed of its history and appalled with its record on race relations should never be tolerated again. Because for all its flaws, Britain has contributed a magnificent amount to the advancement of humankind – and like many of my compatriots spanning a wealth of backgrounds, I am proud to call it home.

[gatheringbones]

[“It is worth remembering that there is an intrinsic class tension in all workplaces – between the interests of managers or owners, and the interests of workers. The structural role of managers and owners is to extract as much profit as possible from the labour of employees. In theory, decriminalisation brought sex workers’ workplaces in New Zealand up to the legal level of other workplaces in terms of workers’ access to rights and safety.

This is not to say, however, that decriminalisation has eliminated exploitation, any more than other workplaces (for example, restaurants or construction companies) are free of exploitation simply because they are not criminalised. Decriminalisation cannot wash away class conflict between the interests of management and employees; instead, it aims to mitigate the intense workplace exploitation that is propped up and fuelled by criminalisation.

To be able to work indoors with friends without fearing arrest adds to a worker’s power in their relationship with their manager. Ultimately, if they need to, the worker can leave and work with friends. This power is reflected in the data: since New Zealand implemented decriminalisation, fewer people are working for managers; more are working in shared flats with friends. (Managers even complain about this!) When working together is criminalised, predators can use the threat of arrest against workers, as we’ve seen throughout this book. In contrast, workers in New Zealand’s small co-op workplaces are not vulnerable to violent men using the law against them in this way. As a worker in this set-up told the Prostitution Law Reform Committee, ‘I feel more confident now I know I’ve got rights … there’s no fear now of being caught by police. It was difficult when I was younger. I felt like a criminal, and was less assertive.’ Petal, another private worker, says,

I just think the biggest thing with the law change is … emotional support for the girls to say, ‘Yeah, you’re not doing anything wrong … you’re only doing a job.’ I think that’s the biggest thing … saying it’s not illegal … that’s what I like about the law. It’s supportive.

New Zealand implemented some additional forms of regulation which – unlike German or Dutch laws – are designed with the benefit of sex workers in mind, rather than profiteering, control, or punishment. For example, one provision of the Prostitution Reform Act stipulates that if a sex worker wishes to leave the sex industry, they can access Social Security immediately, without facing the temporary penalty to which they would have been subject had they ‘voluntarily’ left another job. How did this come to be?

In 1988, the New Zealand government started funding a newly formed sex worker led group: the New Zealand Collective of Prostitutes. The NZPC was funded as a health-promotion group; its founding basis was that sex workers should be able to ‘take control of their own health programmes as much as possible in order to determine the direction those programmes should take’. The NZPC immediately identified the criminalisation of prostitution as a serious problem in the lives of sex workers and pressured the government to set up a committee to investigate decriminalisation. Throughout the 1990s, the NZPC worked on bringing their bill to Parliament; in 2000, MP Tim Barnett brought forward a proposal to decriminalise sex work. It passed in 2003, significantly helped by the intervention of MP Georgina Beyer, a Māori trans woman and former street-based sex worker. Beyer told Parliament, ‘It would have been nice to know that … I might have been able to approach the authorities and say: “I was raped, and, yes, I’m a prostitute, and, no, it was not right that I should have been raped.”’

The law was shaped by sex workers themselves. Beyond any one specific regulation, this was crucial – the extensive involvement of sex workers in putting together the law and the focus on the safety of people who sell sex are what distinguish decriminalisation from other legal models. Indeed, the text of the PRA describes its first priority as being to ‘safeguard the human rights of sex workers’. It is extremely unusual for legislation that deals with the sex industry to explicitly conceive of people who sell sex as having rights at all, other than the right to be rescued from being ‘sold’.]

molly smith, juno mac, from revolting prostitutes: the fight for sex workers’ rights, 2018

[convertgrapeling]

Why you should consider not voting - UK general election 2024

Overall, voting has limited power. You cannot vote to end capitalism or dismantle white supremacy. Nobody capable of enacting serious change will ever be given the chance to do so by party political systems.

Even within the limited scope of parliamentary politics, your vote has a limited ability to influence anything. This is partly because of the first past the post system and partly because MPs are generally compelled to vote with their party in the Commons. It's also because the options in British politics range from "centrist weirdos" to "openly fascist." There is no genuine choice here.

You should not feel compelled to vote for something you don't want out of a sense of obligation. You have every right to opt out of party politics, especially if you would rather channel your attention to more useful action like protest or direct action. Imagine if everyone who went out canvassing or posting leaflets instead decided to organise for Palestine or the NHS - these are far more useful things to do with your time.

The idea that you cannot do harm by voting is incorrect. A comfortable majority for any party is a bad thing. Labour will win this election but we shouldn't help them get a landslide.

Some people argue that if you can't choose a party you want to vote for, you should turn up anyway and spoil the ballot. Personally, I don't think there's any real difference between spoiling the ballot and simply not voting. Both are valid.

The argument about how people "fought and died for our right to vote" is irrelevant because those people wanted your vote to be meaningful. Under a capitalist system where media owners and right-wing business interests dominate the agenda, your vote is largely meaningless. Pretending otherwise only distracts us from more important actions we could be taking.

If you insist on voting, my recommendation is to vote based on whichever local independent candidate is calling for a ceasefire. It is completely legitimate to treat the genocide in Gaza as the main political issue in this election, because people who cannot be depended on to oppose a genocide cannot be trusted on anything.

"It's privileged people who are telling you not to vote." This is nonsense. Tactical voting is a behaviour predominantly associated with middle class voters, and the most marginalised people in this country are more likely to abstain from voting.

"You clearly don't care about people who will be killed by the collapsing NHS, benefit cuts, transphobic legislation, etc." I do care and that's why I don't wait for an opportunity to vote before taking action on these things. In my experience, people who are most self-righteous about voting are people who don't make an effort the rest of the time. If you feel an obligation to take action, don't wait for an election.

Voting Labour is no different from voting Tory nowadays. They have Rachel Reeves telling us she will be harsher on benefit claimants than the Tories. They have Wes Streeting telling us that he was wrong to say "trans women are women" in the past. They have Keir Starmer telling us that black people in the UK have nothing to fear from the police. Labour have turned down chances to oppose the Tories on so many major issues. They have openly said they will not reverse austerity. They have told us who they are and we should listen.

Over 230,000 people in the UK died from COVID-19 and no politician cares because the media has moved on. That should tell you all you need to know about this system: these people despise you.

Many people are still voting on the same basis they voted on decades ago, whereby they don't like Labour but they think Labour is still preferable to the Tories. This is outdated thinking. Voting for Labour now means rewarding them for their dramatic lurch to the right, ensuring that the country as a whole continues sliding to the right.

In addition to this, Labour have repeatedly said that they don't want leftists voting for them, so that's fine with me. Again: they despise you.

British politics is not going to be pushed to the left. We tried this from 2015 to 2019 and it only resulted in our political centre moving further to the right, with horrible consequences. Stop putting your energy and time into this system.

I am not participating in the pattern of continually getting absorbed in pointless discussions about which politicians are worse behaved, who is least trustworthy, what they are saying in debates, what's in the manifestos, etc. It's all irrelevant. This is all I'm saying on the issue of this election and I've already heard all the counter-arguments, so save your breath.

[theculturedmarxist]

Three British journalists I know personally – Johanna Ross, Vanessa Beeley and Kit Klarenberg – have each in the last two years been detained at immigration for hours on re-entering their own country, and questioned by police under anti-terrorist legislation.

This is plainly an abuse of the power to detain at port of entry, because in each case they could have been questioned at any time in the UK were there legitimate cause, and the questioning was not focused on their travels.

They were in fact detained and interrogated simply for holding and publishing dissident opinion on foreign policy, and in particular for supporting a more collaborative approach to Russia – with which, lest we forget, the UK is not at war.

These detentions have taken place over the period of a couple of years. All were targeted for journalism and this is plainly a continuing policy of harassment of dissident British journalists.

I have three times in that same period been questioned by police in my own home in Edinburgh for journalism, over three separate matters. I spent four months in jail for publicising essential information to show that a high level conspiracy was behind the false accusations against Scottish Independence leader Alex Salmond.

Julian Assange remains in maximum security jail for publicising the truth about war crimes. Meanwhile a new National Security Bill goes through the Westminster parliament, which will make it illegal for a journalist possess or publish classified information.

This has never been illegal. The responsibility has always lain with the whistleblower or leaker, not the journalist or publisher. It seeks to enshrine in UK law precisely what the US Government is seeking to achieve against Assange using the US 1917 Espionage Act. This is a huge threat to journalism.

It is also worth pointing out that, if Evan Gershkovich was indeed doing nothing more than he has claimed to have been doing in Russia, that action would land him a long jail sentence in either the USA or the UK under the provisions which both governments are attempting to enforce.

On top of that, you have the Online Safety Bill, which under the excuse of protecting against paedophilia, will require social media gatekeepers to remove any kind of content the government deems as illegal.

When you put all this together with the new Public Order Act, which effectively gives the police authority to ban any protest they wish to ban, there is a fundamental change happening.

This is not just a theoretical restriction on liberty. Active enforcement against non-approved speech is already underway, as shown by those detentions and, most strongly of all, by Julian’s continued and appalling incarceration.

To complete the horror, there is no longer a genuine opposition within the political class. Keir Starmer’s Labour Party opposes none of this wave of attacks on civil liberties. The SNP has been sending out identical stock replies from its MPs on Julian Assange, 100% backing the UK government line on his extradition and imprisonment.

I feel this very personally. I know all of these people affected – Julian, Alex, Kit, Vanessa, Johanna, and view them as colleagues whose rights I defend, even though I do not always agree with all of their disparate views.

Two other people I know personally and admire are under attack. The campaign of lies and innuendo against Roger Waters this last few weeks has been astonishing in both its viciousness and its mendacity, recalling the dreadful attacks on Jeremy Corbyn.

More mundane but also part of the same phenomenon, my friend Randy Credico has had his Twitter account cancelled.

To be a dissident in the UK, or indeed the “West”, today is to see, every single day, your friends persecuted and to see the walls close in upon yourself.

A unified political class, controlled by billionaires, is hurtling us towards fascism. That now seems to me undeniable.