Later this evening, I’ll post a multi-part series of posts in one drop. It will outline the full strategy for the new Truth Matters brand, and I'm calling it that because it’s time to take the Truth Matters values, vision, and ambition into the next phase of a project I have long been working on. Some will see it as overambitious, which is why I’ve spent a week honestly assessing my ability to deliver it. The first step is a proof of concept that lets readers and the public experience it at no cost. It will be a FREE information service that will always remain free. My job is to prove that this is the groundbreaking service I believe it to be. This community will make that judgement.
Users will be able to interact with it at no cost; you will NOT need to sign up to use it, but if you do become a subscriber to the site, again at no cost, or as a patron who wants to make a contribution to its development and upkeep, all contributions will be greatly received. The key is that the project will remain true to my belief that ‘Nobody should have to pay to hear the truth, or become better informed about politics.’ Nothing will change about the site's editorial position. It will NOT be a partisan resource; it will operate on the basis that this is not about right or left; it’s about right and wrong.
At a very fundamental level, it will reflect my belief that no family should be left behind and no child should go to bed hungry in the 21st century, so there’s a mountain of work to do. This will not be a project that tells you what you want to hear; it will respectfully advise you of what you need to hear. The series of posts later today will outline every aspect of my vision and ambition to make a difference in this crazy, upside-down world.
What I’ve shared so far is somewhat fragmented by necessity, simply because it's taken a week of 16-hour days to validate all the pieces required for a soft launch. The posts will, unusually for me, be without images, simply because I don’t have time to go looking for them during what’s a really busy time. I know a wall of text can be intimidating, so I have split it into headers and shortened the paragraphs, which I hope will help. If you are using the Substack App, you’ll also be able to listen to them rather than have to read them.
I’m mindful that some people don’t like change, and for those of you who come here just for the reading, the odd nod to the arts, and the moments of dark humour, nothing will change; it will be business as usual, so please don’t panic.
For those looking for expanded, unvarnished truth and honesty, that’s what this project is all about. I said almost 10 days ago that anyone interested in joining me on this journey would be welcome, and that offer still stands, because the weeks leading up to the midterm elections will see the project slowly come to life as a prelude to it operating at cruising speed at the start of the next election cycle.
The burning question on my mind last week was: could I deliver this vision with nothing but my own money and the generous support of this paid community? A small army of truth seekers who have invested in me to date? I say ‘invested,’ because that's what every paid subscription and ‘Buy me a drink’ donation is: an investment in a FREE-to-all, fact-centred information resource to better inform everyday people about political engagement and the benefits it can deliver.
I'm entering this new phase of the Truth Matters journey with a dedicated domain, truthmatters.org.uk (the domain isn't active yet, as everything is being tested offline). It provides total transparency on the project's location because, while this will be US-focused as part of the initial rollout, the aim is for it to become a global advocacy tool in service of protecting democracy and social justice. The project will next extend to the UK as part of a new Substack launching in October called The Battle for Britain. A journey into supporting democracy in the UK. The final phase will see it roll out in Europe.
By necessity, it's an enterprise containerised solution; the tech-savvy amongst you will understand the need to build it that way, so it can scale seamlessly as demand grows and the roadmap develops. It is a real-life exercise in adopting AI for good. In that spirit, it will NEVER be used for writing, but rather for management and some development aspects. The transparency and labelling policy will be a click away from anywhere in the site map. For those interested in the intersection of politics and AI, the site will offer a walled-off frontier lab where users can experiment with political research and visual data presentation. I'll share more about this in later posts this evening.
There will be no pay-to-play, no large investors, no vested interests or sponsors; it will be a ‘people-first’ project funded by the same small-dollar donations that have funded my work here to date. After the three posts I’ll be posting later, consider them my posts for the remainder of the week, so I can get back to preparing for the launch of the new site. While the site is not active on the internet yet, the domain is now live, so if anyone has any questions, you can reach out to me directly by clicking the button below
I apologise in advance for sending you this email with three others to follow on the same day, but I hope you’ll understand the reasoning. It’s just a one-off thing. Thank you as ever for your support. Rest assured, normal political commentary will resume following the coming weekend, and I will still continue to post notes daily.
If you would like to support my work but can’t commit to a paid subscription, you can now make a one-off donation by clicking the image below. Your donation helps cover research costs and keeps my independent reporting FREE for all. It also now helps support the Truth Matters Project.
Ready …. Set ….. Go !!!
Best wishes for your “soft launch”!
I’m certain it will be informative & authentic.