‘IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED’…. 18 MONTHS OF KEEP IT CASH CAMPAIGNING

When I started the Keep it Cash Campaign in April 2022 not many people were interested in campaigning or taking actions to promote or save cash, however at this point I knew that efforts were needed to move the ‘freedom community’ and remaining activists (thinner on the ground as lockdown restrictions had come to an end and vax passports were not introduced) towards actions to stifle and thwart moves towards a cashless society and the start of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) linked to programmable money.

I could see that the freedom community was becoming fixated on the vax rollout and debates surrounding covid and the side effects of the vax. While this is undeniably of great concern, looking at the bigger agenda I could see that the most important issue and issue central to all of the ‘great re set’ agenda or fourth industrial revolution is complete digital control of our lives and to do this completely, controlling peoples access to money is how you control all else. If you want to truly stop futurevax mandates, lockdowns, fifteen minute cities, LEZ controls on freedom of movement and if you truly want to save our right to protest; freedom of speech, freedom to work, buy/sell, to an education, family life and to the right to worship, it all traces back to the freedom to spend our money as we wish, without controls from banks and governments.

CRYPTO ‘FREEDOM ACTIVISM’ BUBBLE BURSTING -THANK GOODNESS

At first I was bombarded with arguments for cryptocurrency as a form of freedom and a way to manage our own money, away from the control of banks and governments and told I was ‘wasting my time’ trying to promote or save cash’.

I am not a city trader or someone with a background in banking or finance, or even economics (my background is political and social science). Therefore I do not know the ins and outs of how cryptocurrencies work or even the ways of ‘gaming’ it to make money. This idea goes against everything I believe in. I am not interested in making money for my self, I am interested in trying to stop a financial system that means end game in terms of our rights for every single human being and stopping the rights we have all enjoyed, that our children also have a right to. Therefore, no arguments around how to profit from crypto will convince me. To me the pursuit of profit and the ‘me first society’ is at the root of the mess we are in as a world. There’s much speculation (quite rightly) that cryptocurrency was created by the CIA to control it and to normalise the idea that money can be gamed digitally (and it is the case that the CIA invests heavily into crypto).

Cryptocurrency works in a similar way to a social credit system that is linked to programming money through a CBDC (central bank digital currency), that is that money is awarded on a credits and debits type system (this is how CBDC/programmable money will work).

When meeting cryptocurrency fanatics (who strangely also call themselves freedom fighters and awake) they can never explain to me or answer this question: ‘even if you can create or keep money in a truly encrypted chain, when you want to spend it you need to use either a card/phone devices to pay (controlled by banks), so what happens in a system of programmable money where the money can’t be tracked from source by the bank? Do you think you will still be able to buy or use the money? How will you escape surveillance and being controlled? Will the banks not cut your access to their digital systems?

It seems the crypto bubble is bursting and thankfully many are awakening to the fact that without cash our money can be programmed. We don’t need to be crypto experts to work out that the most powerful people, banks and governments control all that is digital. That will soon include all access to electricity, access to the internet and phones that is needed for cryptocurrencies.

It is simply a no brainer that using cash gives us all the freedom to not be tracked, identified and controlled and to buy and sell with freedom and privacy and, this is of course why they want to stop our access to cash. Thankfully, now people are awakening to this further distraction in our fight to save our rights.

GRASS ROOTS ACTIVISM HAS TAKEN OFF ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY

So eighteen months later and after the debates and attacks from the crypto fanatics, I feel that we are truly turning the tide on saving cash.

I have visited so many towns and cities (with street stalls, speeches, leaflets) to promote the the use of cash and to talk to the public. Lots of groups of activists have worked with me and I am proud and pleased to see that now, many all around the UK have taken up the issue; holding up yellow boards on this topic, leafleting their town centres, forming action groups and talking to businesses.

I have talked to many shop keepers and business owners about what losing cash really means. At first people were hesitant to engage on this topic, but with cashless establishments becoming a feature we all see every day when out; penalties now kicking in for many business owners that use cash and banks freezing peoples access to their accounts or to cash, the public and businesses are far more aware that there is a problem and engage with us when we are leafleting or talking in their town centre. They know that losing cash means they will eventually lose their business, jobs and communities. Only the largest of corporations can survive if access to cash is removed. Town and city centres will be obliterated even more, especially if ‘ 15 Minute Cities’ and Low Emission Zones mean that people can’t afford to travel to go to the shops or to socialise.

The furore over Nigel Farage having his Coutts bank account frozen as he is defined as a PPE (politically exposed person) has highlighted this fast developing financial tyranny to the British public and, the government and treasury have just announced they will pass legislation to make sure banks are penalised if there is no cash point within four miles of every community.

So we have TRULY put this issue into the mind of the public and, from all the outreach actions I have done, talking to people at length, I can confidently say that the majority of the British public do not want to lose cash.

On inspection of recent cash data, cash circulation is going up. (see latest cash circulation figures of the Bank of England: (https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/statistics/banknote, accessed 05/09/23).

A VERY BRITISH RESISTANCE

There are signs of what I call a quiet ‘very british resistance.’ Long queues are forming again in supermarkets for checkouts with a human being behind the till! In fact this is now something I see on a regular basis. In Asda last week I was excited to discover all ten checkouts were open (like a flashback to the nineties, in a wonderful way) with queues of people actually talking to one another, with staff trying to usher defiant shoppers to the quiet self service tills!

I got chatting to the lady behind me in the queue (a young mum with kids) and she understood it all; the war to remove cash or our access to it and the threat of programmable money. Another older lady joined the conversation and also understood. We told the lady working on the checkout why were were queuing (it’s for your jobs) and also understood, agreed and was appreciative. This kind of of ‘real life activism’ (conversations with everyone and everywhere you go about cash and the threat of digitalisation and automation) is truly how we resist, and I see it happening regularly.

WHAT CAN I CONCLUDE FROM 18 MONTHS OF STREET ACTIVISM?

The mass media, government, politicians and courts are all corrupt. We are living in the early days of a technocratic, post liberal democratic/capitalist society. Technocracy is a strange mix of corporate fascism (where big corporations, banks and very wealthy people control governments and work hand in glove with them to control people, i.e. Fascist Italy, Germany, etc), together with ‘communal/socialistic themes that appeal to a formally educated class of people that have been taught that post modern rights (the right to identify as you wish, whether male/female, climate change, etc) are human rights (and lets be brutally honest banks couldn’t give a monkeys about your gender/sex/identity rights . So let’s call it out for what it is – a facade to bring in financial tyranny, dressed in rainbow colours).

• Politicians are not going to to change it.

• The Courts and Judicial System are not going to rule to save our rights, no matter how lawful our cases are (I have just recently lost two high court challenges on the right to free speech and demonstrate).

• The way we truly can make this attempt to digitalise and control our money fail, is to hit them where it hurts. Banks only care about profits. Corporations only care about profits. They haven’t lost profits for so long that they have become arrogant and more power hungry. It’s time to change this.

If consumers show demand for tills with staff that take cash, they will of course switch back (as they had to that day in Asda). If consumers complain enough, they will take cash again (various Burger King restaurants have done this and I’m hearing lots of accounts of cafes re taking cash after complaints and many more examples from around the UK).

With an ever worsening ‘cost of living crisis (that they have engineered)’ the paradox is that people are pushed back to using cash to manage their money. this is why I always argue that the war on cash is one they will lose. There are still too many businesses that need money from cash (including even larger businesses) that will impact the banking sector badly.

WE DO HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE THIS!

The power lies in communities, in regular conversations with people and families and friends.

The power is in regular outreach , all around the country.

The power is in the boycott. Boycotting cashless businesses either as individuals or wider campaigns.

Out of all the campaigns and issues we currently face, keeping cash is a winner.

It is not politically partisan.

It is not ‘conspiratorial’ (if addressed and campaigned on by sticking to this topic).

It is not a ‘them and us’ issue they can use to divide us.

Campaigning to save cash and promote its use can bring communities and different activist groups together.

Watch this space for a new campaign in October 2023 that will build on the brilliant success of Keep It Cash.

Debbie Hicks

Keep It Cash