Michael J Burgess

Classic music raised me. The Eagles, Ray Charles, and Aretha Franklin. Then Ren arrives, and you realise there are still artists willing to stare straight at the mess and put it in a song. Vincent's Tale is Ren at his best: narrative songwriting about trauma, consequences, and a society that pushes people until something breaks. The newest chapter, "Starry Night" (premiered 29 January 2026), carries that Van Gogh energy: darkness, beauty, and art as a form of survival. Watch: If these themes hit you too, I write about the same pressures (privacy, control, modern life, the UK mood) over on my blog: https://beitmenotyou.online What Ren track pulled you in first? #Ren #VincentsTale #StarryNight #UK #Storytelling #UndergroundMusic #IndieMusic #Art #Culture #MentalHealth

Why is Starmer in China, and what’s really being negotiated behind the polite photo ops? This video goes digging past the surface story. Watch: #UKPolitics #China #Geopolitics #ForeignPolicy #Trade #DigitalRights #Sovereignty

Sovereignty Signal is back ✊ This edition digs into: decentralised storage (CT3’s launch), privacy as a human right in Web3, the EU Digital Services Act and online speech, and why decentralised platforms matter when gatekeepers decide what you can say. Plus a stack of video picks on Web3 privacy, decentralised identity, privacy networks, and community owned spaces. Read it here: https://beitmenotyou.online/sovereignty-signal-privacy-freedom-and-the-decentralised-future/ What’s the one part of your digital life you’re taking back control of this year? #SovereigntySignal #Privacy #DigitalFreedom #Decentralisation #Web3 #SelfHosting #Linux #FreeSpeech #OpenWeb

'Thousands in, a few out' is the claim Patrick Christys is making in this GB News segment, calling it a "catastrophic day" for UK border policy and tearing into the "one in, one out" approach. Watch it, then tell me: policy theatre, or a workable start? #UKPolitics #Migration #BorderPolicy #ChannelCrossings #CivilLiberties

Central bankers aren't "terrified" of Bitcoin because it's a chart that fluctuates. They're rattled because it's money that doesn't need their permission. No printer. No freeze button. No quiet dilution. No "sorry, your transfer is under review" queue. When a system is built on control and narrative, the scariest thing in the Room is a Protocol that keeps producing blocks, whether or not they approve. Watch: #Bitcoin #CentralBanks #SelfCustody #SoundMoney #FinancialSovereignty #Privacy #CensorshipResistance #Decentralisation #FreedomTech #ProofOfWork

WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption is under fire again. A new lawsuit alleges that Meta staff can access users' messages. WhatsApp denies it, and experts are already poking holes in the allegations. Either way, this is your reminder: encryption is not the whole story (metadata, backups, device security). Video: #privacy #encryption #WhatsApp #Signal #opsec #selfsovereignty

Why Trump backed down in Minnesota This one digs into how a hard-line crackdown ran into reality: public backlash, court scrutiny, and even GOP nerves once the Minneapolis shootings hit the headlines. If power can be pushed back, it starts with people paying attention. Watch: What part worries you most, the tactics, the rhetoric, or the data grabs? #Minnesota #Immigration #CivilLiberties #DueProcess #Privacy #Accountability

UK TV Licence could be on borrowed time, and the BBC teaming up with YouTube adds petrol to the argument. If "public service" content starts living on the world's biggest platform, what happens to universality, accountability, and the idea of a household levy? Worth a watch: Quick rule of thumb for comments: on-demand YouTube is fine without a licence, but live TV on YouTube still counts. #BBc #YouTube #TVLicence #UKPolitics #Media #PublicServiceBroadcasting #DigitalShift #Privacy

New blog post: The Privacy Squeeze in 2026: Digital IDs, Age Gates, Chat Control, and the New Normal Privacy isn't being taken in a single headline moment;it'ss being squeezed from every angle. Digital IDs, age checks, pressure on encryption, facial recognition, internet shutdowns, and risk scoring. I traced the story from the early 2010s to today so you can see what's happening, why it's happening, and what to watch next. Read it here: https://beitmenotyou.online/the-privacy-squeeze-in-2026-digital-ids-age-gates-chat-control-and-the-new-normal/ What are you seeing roll out where you live, and what's the one thing you refuse to normalise? #Privacy #Encryption #DigitalID #SelfSovereignty #Decentralisation #OnlineSafety #Surveillance #DigitalRights

Student loans are starting to look less like “support”, and more like a long, quiet graduate tax. TLDR News just did a sharp breakdown of how the system’s warped, and why so many people feel like they’re running on a treadmill that never stops: If you’ve got (or had) a student loan, I’d genuinely love to know this: do you still think it’s fair, or does it feel like a policy trap? #StudentLoans #UK #Education #StudentFinance #Debt #CostOfLiving