Matthew J. Ramsden

Foreign Affairs specialist, Founder & MD @comvuue, occasional writer. British, Irish and American. All views own.

[Matthew J. Ramsden @MatthewJRamsden]

I assumed the paperwork would speak for itself. Apparently, it needed subtitles.

In all seriousness, I wanted to share this and where I am, in the hope it provides some clarity.

With that, I’m stepping away again. That is all.

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Statement text for accessibility:
I had intended to stay offline for a few days and let the court filings speak for themselves. That plan proved optimistic.

To avoid confusion or unnecessary speculation, the statement below reflects my position. Nothing more should be read into the fact that I briefly turned my phone off.

I have been contacted by a number of people over the past few days, and rather than attempting to reply individually (and inevitably missing someone), I am providing a single statement that I can refer inquiries to. This has been written by my attorneys, so please understand that the legal components reflect their wording.

I can confirm that I have filed a civil complaint in the U.S. District Court against another party, whom I will not name here. The complaint concerns serious allegations and is now properly before the court.

As is typical in matters of this nature, the action addresses conduct attributed to that party and, where supported by the evidence and appropriate under the law, the involvement of others may also be addressed through the judicial process. The allegations will be addressed through the legal process, where evidence can be tested and findings made.

Because this is an active proceeding, I am not able to comment on the substance of the case beyond what is reflected in public court filings. Certain aspects of the matter may also be subject to confidentiality requirements or court-ordered restrictions, and it would be inappropriate to speculate or comment beyond what is properly on the public record.

I am grateful to the people, both personal and professional, who have supported me in recent days. I respectfully ask that the legal process be allowed to run its course. I have no further statement to make at this time.

[Matthew J. Ramsden @MatthewJRamsden]

@PolitlcsUK I’ll do it for free. Seriously.

[Matthew J. Ramsden @MatthewJRamsden]

@angloturabi @SimonHarrisMBD Thank you, doctor, for your resoundingly nuanced comment. Contributions like yours truly make X the best social media platform for spouting utter bullshit.

[Matthew J. Ramsden @MatthewJRamsden]

Should only fly the Union Flag (or Union Jack, but I think it’s only called that on a ship??) - 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

Not to fly the national flags. We’re a union. Suck it up. Americans don’t fly their state flags, they fly the Star Spangled Banner because it represents them all 🇺🇸🇺🇸

Lucky to be related to both.

[Matthew J. Ramsden @MatthewJRamsden]

@JamesMartinTVR You’re alive! I was wondering where your posts over May were. What happened?

[Matthew J. Ramsden @MatthewJRamsden]

@1stChurchofGoff Sorry to resurrect an old thread. I’m just clearing out my DMs and found this. Does this message look similar to what you got? Obviously Keith hasn’t posted since, so I’m guessing they hacked and took over the account.

[Michael SW @msolwilliams]

My letter to Matt Brittin on the extraordinary, unnecessary self-destruction at the BBC and its profoundly serious implications. @robinlustig @LauraPh222 @lewis_goodall @maitlis @jonsopel @GaryLineker #BBC #loveourbbc #saveourbbc

[Matthew J. Ramsden @MatthewJRamsden]

@msolwilliams @robinlustig @LauraPh222 @lewis_goodall @maitlis @jonsopel @GaryLineker “Do you realise that W1A was meant to be satire?” is the funniest line you could ever write to a BBC exec ��

[Matthew J. Ramsden @MatthewJRamsden]

Nuclear submarines get the so-called “Letter of Last Resort”, which is opened if the Today Programme isn’t broadcast on R4 longwave for ‘a few days’ as that’s when it’s presumed the UK has fallen.

How’s that gonna work now? FM, DAB etc doesn’t reach far enough. The internet could be severed yet the country may still exist so digital isn’t the best.

[Matthew J. Ramsden @MatthewJRamsden]

@undsupermegahot The BBC also does it, and whilst you think they’re the best public broadcaster and that’s what every other PSB is based on, they really do spill the same shit as their corporate overlords.

[Matthew J. Ramsden @MatthewJRamsden]

I should say - I’ve seen the statement. It’s cryptically worded at best. Somebody reached out to CBC re: participation in ESC, they said that they “did not have anything further to say than was in the statement” - so yeah, they’re participating.

Does that now mean that since CBC, and potentially SBS soon, will be a full member, they get the hosting rights? Or does the geography preclude that? It makes no sense as yet.

Ignore my ramblings - I am trying to make sense of it.

[Matthew J. Ramsden @MatthewJRamsden]

@esc_gabe What exactly have they changed in the statutes? I know @CBCRadioCanada have been admitted and some Catalonian broadcaster is now “ancillary” but what exactly are those criteria? Particularly for ancillary, wtf is it? Hopefully to come out imminently.

[Matthew J. Ramsden @MatthewJRamsden]

Yes, but not more than 7 minutes per hour so they don’t show them through the hydration breaks. ITV is still a public service broadcaster, hence why they are governed like this. Sky are not.

Looking at the rules, advertising can begin 20 seconds after a hydration break is called, and must end 30 seconds before it ends. Hydration breaks are meant to be 3 minutes.

But there was a case of overrun. At the opening match, the ref actually kept the players on the pitch before restarting because the adverts inserted by the U.S. broadcaster had not finished in time. Think about this happening for any broadcaster globally.

The BBC and ITV not being able to do this is an absolute Godsend, and Britain should be grateful.

[Matthew J. Ramsden @MatthewJRamsden]

@radioactivitii Fleur Anderson too!

https://t.co/S1wPF8aj5I

[Fleur Anderson MP @PutneyFleur]

My statement on the resignation of the Prime Minister

[Matthew J. Ramsden @MatthewJRamsden]

@eurofan716 @groetjesnar This one is confusing to me. I thought the point of public service media was so it was independent of the government. So why should this stand?

[Matthew J. Ramsden @MatthewJRamsden]

@makodi_jakano @spidey_simp @CasualSaturdays It’s only mandatory for live TV. You can still watch the on demand stuff on ITVX, My5 and whatever Channel 4 is calling their VOD these days.

[Matthew J. Ramsden @MatthewJRamsden]

@b75690 @GBNEWS Better value than Netflix tho

[Scott Bryan @scottygb]

What is overlooked in the BBC Radio 4 cuts is a simple fact:

94% of people use BBC content but only 80% of people are paying for it.

Until that funding gap is closed through Government Charter renewal, cuts like these are inevitable.

[Matthew J. Ramsden @MatthewJRamsden]

@AaGibbs_KU @mtgreenee Probably one of the few things we’ll agree on, but I’ll take it. Who seriously thought this is coming out of the taxpayer’s pocket? 🤦🏻‍♂️

[Matthew J. Ramsden @MatthewJRamsden]

@koryodynasty “BBC New’s” ☠️🤦🏻‍♂️