As of 15th September 2022, my main source of income, which I have relied on for two years as the primary way of earning money and maintaining my websites (this one, my original one, STRIVE, and Informed Consent Matters), has been permanently cut off, with no notice or warning.

"Hi, Miri Finch," began the jaunty email from PayPal. "After a review of your account activity, we've determined that you're in violation of PayPal's Acceptable Use Policy. As a result, your account has been permanently limited and you won't be able to conduct any further business using PayPal. This is permitted under the PayPal User Agreement sections Restricted Activities and Actions We May Take. Please remove all references to PayPal from your website(s) and/or auction(s), including removing PayPal as a payment method, the PayPal logo and the PayPal shopping cart. You'll no longer be able to use PayPal account."

You'd think from the above I'd been engaged in some sort of international espionage, arms dealing, or at the very least, a bit of money laundering, not just... writing words.

But this is where we now are in this war. Warfare has advanced, and nations aren't conquered through guns and bombs any more, but through the control and manipulation of information. And in an information war, by far the most powerful weapon, is the pen.

(Or, cheap orange Asus laptop, in my case.)

That my labours are now being de-monetised follows extensive de-platforming, including a permanent ban from Twitter for spreading alleged "misinformation" (I am still waiting for a reply to my open letter to Twitter's CEO asking for some clarification of what this misinformation actually was), and endless months-long bans on Facebook for "violating communist standards" (the last one for linking to the UK Government's web page on Covid vaccine risks).

Apparently, I am a threat to the establishment, but they don't need to go to the trouble of killing me or even locking me up, when they can simply de-platform and de-monetise me instead, which has the same effect - if I lack both visibility and solvency, then I cannot continue what I'm doing.

Of course, the silver lining here is that the establishment appears to consider what I'm doing to have achieved enough of an impact that it is now worth trying to shut me up. I was depressed for a few hours about the loss of PayPal (where more than half of my regular supporters made their contributions and I know I won't be able to get them all back), and I will feel the hit hard financially, but now, I am no longer depressed and instead feel optimistic at what is effectively a glowing endorsement: I must be making a genuine difference for "them" to bother to do this, so, rather than giving them what they want - my disillusionment and defeat - I will instead re-double my efforts to keep being heard, and to become more visible and impactful than ever.

But to do this optimally, I really need your help. So, if you are reading this now, please can I ask for your vital assistance in maintaining my visibility and solvency by....

*Making a small monthly donation either via Patreon or BuyMeACoffee or direct to my bank (details at the end of article) - the establishment knows that, by far the best way of controlling the information is by controlling the money, so they are going to double-down on trying to bankrupt independent journalists who go against the narrative. Therefore, it sends an incredibly powerful message to these enemy forces when, against all the odds, independent researchers are still able to earn money and thus keep going. If all my readers donated just the price of a cup of coffee a month, this would make a huge difference in ensuring the survival of my endeavours. All contributions are really appreciated, and thanks again to all those who do already donate or have in the past.

*Joining my mailing list, which is a direct way I can reach readers without having to battle with the algorithms and shadow bans of social media (the mailing list can be found at the very bottom of the site on a phone, and to the right and down a bit on a computer).

*Sharing my articles on your social media and with anyone you think might be interested (HUGE shout out to the Manchester 'Rebels on Roundabouts' who printed out my 'Queen' article and handed it out to random passers by!)

Thanks very much for any and all assistance in maintaining, marketing and re-monetising Miri's massive missives, and with your help, I can ensure these remain available for a long time to come. As they say, "they tried to bury us: they didn't know we were seeds."

Thanks for reading! This site is 100% reader funded, with no advertisements or paywalls. If you'd like to make a contribution, you can do so through Patreon, BuyMeACoffee or bank transfer to: Nat West, a/c 30835984, s/c 54-10-27, account name FINCH MA. Your support is really appreciated. Thank you.