Exclusive +++Nick Hogan – Without those Walls!
Nick Hogan is safely back behind bars. Not the bars which the government sought to contain him behind for failing to act as an unpaid policeman and report his customers for smoking – even when he was not on the premises to witness them to doing so – but the bars, the snug, and the restaurant of his own private property, the Swan with Two Necks, in Chorley, Manchester.
It was with the greatest pleasure that I was able to telephone Denise Hogan, his wife, a few minutes ago, and ask her to go and collect her husband from the Forest Bank jail in Pendlebury.
The indefatigable Old Holborn had moved heaven and earth, above and beyond the call of duty, to arrive at the jail with £8,664.50p in cash, to exchange with the Custody Officer there in return for Nick Hogan’s freedom.
Nick was jailed as an example to us all, that when the State barks ‘jump’ you only question ‘how high’.
He didn’t. He said ‘Why’?
The State made him pay a high price for his temerity; they harassed him, hounded him, bankrupted him, and finally forcibly removed him from his family and friends and jailed him for six months.
His crime? No longer the original charge that he had failed to prevent two customers from smoking on his premises. No. He was actually jailed for being unable to pay the £11,600 in fines and prosecution costs resulting from that charge. He had managed to pay off £1,600, but incomprehensibly to the State, he was not able to put his hands instantly on the £10,000 balance.
The State is so used to having a bottomless pot of Taxpayers money to dip into whenever they feel the need, that they have literally lost the ability to comprehend what the recession means to ordinary people.
I blogged about this affair on the afternoon of 28th March. My primary concern was, and always would be, Nick’s wife Denise.
Nick objected to the smoking ban. He was part of a group of people, unsurprisingly largely publicans, who violently objected to the smoking ban, both regarding choice and their viability as a business. That is both his right, and his concern. He hosted a demonstration on the day the ban came into force. He stood up to be counted. He was willing to challenge the law.
He eventually paid the price for doing so.
Did Denise? She stood in the background, the loyal wife. She is not a ‘campaigning person’. She is not macho. She is just a wife and Mother.
When the Bolton Evening News story came out, I tracked Denise down to interview her. She was ‘shell-shocked’. Having run a busy restaurant and hotel myself, I was only too aware of the position she had been left in.
‘Put a smile on your face girl; keep the show running’, while the posturing idiots make their political point. Not her choice.
Within minutes of my blog appearing kind hearted people were asking how they could help, where could they send money? I asked Old Holborn if he would let me use his Paypal function and cross post the story onto his web site. Unwittingly I had lured him into a nightmare situation where he would be abused, vilified, threatened, and harassed himself. One day I shall blog about the back ground events to this saga, but today is a day of celebration.
Within 36 hours over £5,000 had been raised. A further £1,200 was donated over the next two days before the campaign received a crucial helping hand from political blogger, Guido Fawkes, who publicised it on his influential site.
Money came in from all over the world, the International Blogosphere had reacted in a truly heart warming way, outraged at the behaviour of the State.
Four days after my story first appeared, Old Holborn’s Paypal account held in excess of £9,700 in assorted currencies. We had to ask people to stop sending money! Then began the battle to persuade Paypal that we were not part of an International money laundering cartel….
Today we succeeded, and with the good wishes of thousands of ordinary men and women, equally battered by the recession, Nick Hogan is once more in the bosom of his family, able to support his wife Denise and their children, instead of being locked up with drug dealers and murderers.
Thank-you Blogosphere – and well done.
The fact that so many of you responded is a powerful message from the voting public that politicians would be well advised to heed. The Blogosphere will not be controlled by politicians, bound up in regulations, throttled by impenetrable legislation. It is not a single target that a ‘D’ notice can be fired at. We are not beholden to advertisers.
“We are the authentic, unfiltered, voice of your electorate”.
UPDATE: 
so much for the quiet half hour with Denise, the press have caught up with him……..
March 14, 2010 at 16:25
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well done to everyone who supported the campaign. lets have more of this to
combat this faciast law.
Brian Moore.
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March 13, 2010 at 16:37
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Terrifically well done guys! Looking forward to the seeing the honorable
member for Chorley in the house, now he is free to stand!
It just pisses me off that the heavy-handed authoritarian bastards who ruin
our lives on a daily basis got their hands on all that cash, which could have
been put to better use. Let’s hope that the voters reflect on that in Chorley
on May 6th
Paul
- March
12, 2010 at 20:22
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What pisses me off with the anti smoking brigade (I’m a non smoking
libertarian) is they lecture people who like a ciggy but few of them are
strangers to the pleasures of the fragrant herbal mixture that can usially be
bought from rather dubious individuals who lurk in dark corners of sleazy
pubs.
Bloody hypocrites.
- March 12, 2010 at 13:46
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I am very happy for Nick Having said that : The fact he was in there in the
first place is such a blemish on the UK “democracy” and those who are in power
. I cannot begin to tell how disgusted I am . Being from Holland the UK for me
was ( years ago) the state of freedom and the people who stood up against
Hitler and helped us on the continent What happened that this country steps on
freedom and civil rights ?
- March 12, 2010 at 13:48
- March 12, 2010 at 12:16
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IRA mass murderers walk free because they are ‘political’, but a smoking
ban landlord is jailed. You wouldn’t believe such utter incompetence to govern
was possible, would you?
This Chapter ends, but the Battle against the DISCRIMINATION smokers have
to suffer goes on. It’s up to ALL of you, EVERY day to keep standing up and
demanding that your human rights be respected because if you don’t, I promise
you that this government isn’t going to suddenly reverse its crimes against
freedom. Party of Fairness? HA! – QUITE THE OPPOSITE!!
- March 12, 2010 at 07:30
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Elsie, very well said.
I’m glad you did summat about putting your well composed thoughts here.
- March 12, 2010 at 01:53
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Hi Anna
I read your blog every day, but I never post, I think my views
are far too strong and poles apart from many of your regular posters, but
tonight after reading all the in-fighting, accusations and foul language being
spewed forth in OH’s blog, I just want to say this…..
I believe that you are a caring person with a heart of gold, I sussed out
many months ago that you had got ‘hurt’ by all this blogging game, and you had
to get away from it to regain some normality back into your life, and I could
understand and I ‘felt’ the sorrow in your written words, but I knew you would
bounce back.
Me? I’m just a silly old woman and the secondary modern school education in
the 1950/60′s didn’t educate me with a wide enough vocabulary to explain what
I want to say with ‘fancy’ words, but after reading OH’s blog tonight……
Anna, don’t let anybody try and taint what drove you from your heart to do
what you did for this family, you and you alone, recognised the injustice of
the whole sorry saga, don’t let anybody try to say that you did it for any
other reason, because I for one would never believe them.
I don
- March 11, 2010 at 17:09
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Great work Anna! Just one example of the insanity of the British Government
– and its sheeplike followers. Luckily I live in a city where smoking and
spilling someone
- March 11, 2010 at 13:06
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Anna,
Well done to you and OH. I get the impression that you also provided what
was probably a welcome sympathetic ear for poor Mrs Hogan, again much praise
due to you .
My best wishes, also, to the Hogans and I hope they can recover from this
and their other losses.
As a gesture of solidarity, would it be an idea to organise a Libertarian
conference at their pub, to give a bit of business to them, and to have a
sympathetic venue for the Libertarians?
- March 11, 2010 at 08:38
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A great day for power of the little people over the overbearing, muscular
state. But why isn’t this story getting more coverage in the national
press?
- March 11, 2010 at 08:44
- March 11, 2010 at 07:54
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Absolutely brilliant, is the first time in ages I’ve felt positive about
anything remotely related to politics, proves that there is still hope and
little people (no comment on your or OH’s actual height) can have an impact.
Awesome, well done to you both.
- March 11, 2010 at 03:51
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Very happy news about the release. Am glad we little folk had a chance to
participate by way of AR & OH making the Paypal button easily accessible.
If it’s quite possible to expect more political prisoners be taken, for other
trumped up charges against the next victim, perhaps the Paypal button could be
made permanent, so a fund balance is always available.
Statistically speaking, one could say that the blogosphere outperformed the
government charity ASH in its money collecting ability and maybe shows us
where the hearts and votes are of the public majority. On the issue of
anti-smoking alone, ASH, primarily funded nearly 99% by the government and
corporations, took in less from individual donations over the entire last year
than in four days of privation donations pouring in from around the world for
Nick Hogan by way of the blogosphere thanks to AH’s and OH’s
blogopresence.
The mainstream and the politicians prefer to ignore the reality, then let
them do so at their own peril.
- March 11, 2010 at 01:43
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Applause.
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March 11, 2010 at 01:02
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Fantastic news, well done Anna and OH.
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March 11, 2010 at 00:04
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OH, you are a star. xx
- March 11, 2010 at 00:16
- March 11, 2010 at 00:00
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I have just spent an entire day and 600 miles in a car with Beauty and the
Beast.
Conversation snippet on M1 near Nottingham
- March 10, 2010 at 23:56
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excellent news
Anna, you asked a while ago about where blogging can go – well, it can get
someone out of gaol for a start …..
maybe we can get a decent government one day …??
- March 10, 2010 at 23:28
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Now, where would you find such a picture…..
- March 10, 2010 at 23:04
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How dare Nick ask for your hand in marriage. A duel is called for. Ever
since I heard about those long legs I’ve been besotted! How about releasing a
picture of those pins when you were on Top of the Pops?
Nick and I can then study the picture before the duel commences.
- March 10, 2010 at 22:20
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And let me add that this has been an action to my heart. Smoker or not, the
law is draconian and oppressive.
- March 10, 2010 at 22:19
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Anna, you’re on the Beeb site!
- March 10, 2010 at 21:56
- March 10, 2010 at 21:45
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Chuffed to bits. And on No Smoking Day.
Oh sweet irony.
paulo
- March 10, 2010 at 21:23
- March 10, 2010 at 21:17
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Well done!
- March 10,
2010 at 21:13
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Feel free, Marvo. Any particular reason?
- March 10, 2010 at 21:03
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Well done to everyone who contributed to set Nick free, its a pity that it
has taken 4 years for the pubilc to wake up to the fact that their Freedom has
been taken from them
Now I will be heading off the The Hague in the company of Dickpuddlecote to
ensure that the wheels of change keep rolling along throughout Europe. But
wait, just when are the other publican going to stand up and fight, or are
they content to let their customers do the dirty work for them
Alcohol and Food is in the sights of Government … so be warned.
http://www.antiprohibition.org/ticap_pages.php?q=15
It is fitting that Nick should be released today, as he was the only person
from the UK able to attend the funeral of our good friend and colleague Gian
Turci who died 10th March 2009 and was a founding father to the Freedom
movement. He would have willingly changed places with Nick shouting ‘you
bastardos’ as he entered the cells.
- March 10, 2010 at 20:54
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Bless you Anna Raccoon for your hard work on all of our behalf as well as
Nick’s.
Fucking Marvelous result.
- March 10, 2010
at 20:46
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This of course is only the beginning.
The British State, whether under Socialist-Labour or the Socialist-Tories
or a socialist-hung-parliament, will not stop now: it knows that it does the
things that it does _/because/_ these things are wicked and undermine liberty.
It acts on purpose.
This will all have to be done again, and again, and again. It is of course
possible that most ordinary individuals, who have lives to run, families to
look after and taxes they are forced to pay, will shrink understandably from
the risks, and the Endarkenment will indeed follow. I hope not but I fear so.
I for one would not be brave enough, to do what Nick Hogan did.
- March 10, 2010 at 20:43
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That’s a great outcome, I’m pleased I contributed a small amount and it
shows what can be done when like-minded people team up – It may be the only
effective way to counter the state-bully. It’ll be interesting to see if the
mainstream media pick this up
- March 10, 2010 at 20:42
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Well done all.
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March 10, 2010 at 20:25
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Marvo, I think Snowolf was being ironic
- March 10, 2010 at 20:08
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Well done to you both! And as it’s No Smoking Day today, how appropriate.
I’m having a Cohiba to celebrate – at home.
- March 10, 2010 at 20:02
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Snowolf, may I point out that you’re a proper cunt?
- March 10, 2010 at 20:09
- March 10,
2010 at 19:45
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What a mixture of emotions. Anger at the situation Nick found himself in.
Delight at hearing of his release. Pride at the manner in which his release
was brought about.
Libertarianism won’t work. People will only look out for themselves. The
vulnerable and needy will cast aside to fend for themselves.
Wanna bet?
- March 10, 2010 at 19:44
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Typical!
You nip outside for a quick fag….
- March 10, 2010 at 19:34
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Have I missed something?
- March 10, 2010 at 19:41
- March 10, 2010 at 19:31
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l am so glad the people responded to yours and OH’s appeal although l
understand it still needed hard work from you 2 to make it happen. Maybe
you’ll tell us about it?
Well done!
- March
10, 2010 at 19:16
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Excellent stuff. A huge pat on the back to your good self Anna and Holby
too, of course.
- March 10,
2010 at 19:14
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Thanks for all you have done Anna, I know it wasn’t at easy.
A brilliant day for Nick and his family and proof, if any were needed, that
the power of the blogosphere is something that the Government finally need to
take notice of.
They must be wondering where we are going to ‘strike’ next
- March 10, 2010 at 19:04
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Thank you, Anna for kicking this off – for the first time since this
hateful ban came in people have fought back. And thanks to all the non-smokers
who contributed. Thank God some people can see beyond the end of their own
noses.
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March 10, 2010 at 18:52
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Well done to EVERYONE involved. Now let the MEN have your views on the
jailing of Nick and the Smoking Ban.
- March 10, 2010 at 18:31
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Well done Anna and Old Holborn! Isn’t what we have all done tantamount to
paying ransom to kidnappers? If so, it feels bloody marvellous. If only HMG
could divert money from the international sleaze and bribe budget to release
the Chandlers from the Somali pirates.
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March 10, 2010 at 18:25
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Let’s hope full details of his release are reported on the TV and in the
newspapers.
- March 10, 2010 at 18:23
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Well done, peeps – they don’t like it up ‘em, Captain Mainwaring!
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March 10, 2010 at 18:23
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Bravo a vous.
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March 10, 2010 at 18:23
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Thank God.
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March 10, 2010 at 18:19
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Well done to all concerned. Today, national no smoking day, is a great
one!
- March 10, 2010 at 18:10
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As Steve L – very well done and proud to have taken part in this in our
own, small way.
- March
10, 2010 at 18:02
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As I said on Old Holborn well done that woman, oh yes, and man.
- March
10, 2010 at 17:56
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My heroes!
- March 10, 2010 at 17:53
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Excellent news Anna, I say a big well done to both yourself and Old
Holborn, I was about to make a second larger donation on the day that the
funds were recieved and will do exactly that if it is what is needed to help
out again.
- March 10, 2010 at 17:50
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There’s not many things that make me feel good lately, but I’m beaming and
proud to have been a teeny part of this!
Love the photo!
- March 10, 2010 at 17:49
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Well done.
- March 10, 2010 at 17:36
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Superb news, Anna. I know how much effort you put into this so enjoy that
wine to the max.
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March 10, 2010 at 17:21
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What does Denise have to say about Nick’s declaration?
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March 10, 2010 at 17:14
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I’d let Mr Raccoon tell him that, Anna!
- March 10, 2010 at 17:16
- March 10, 2010 at
17:12
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Awesome result, awesome effort, a credit to you all.
- March 10, 2010 at 17:11
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Sorry for being pedantic Anna on this joyous post, but you first blogged
about this on the 28th of February, and not March, and it kind of threw me
over at Old Holborns place, to think that you may have first highlighted this
eleven months or so ago.
- March 10, 2010 at 17:13
- March 10, 2010 at 17:08
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Excellent news, that’s made my day.
(Slight error in the post, it was the afternoon of 28th Feb, not
March!)
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March 10, 2010 at 16:54
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Applause! And on No Smoking Day too!
- March 10, 2010 at 16:48
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A1
- March 10, 2010 at 16:45
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Yay!
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