It is just a game of contracts

To regain our freedom we need to learn the rules of the game

It has been a painful realisation to acknowledge that I am practically illiterate. Sure, I can read and write, but that is not sufficient. To engage in our society you need to understand the language, culture, and idiom of power. My belated realisation is that I am barely able to comprehend what is being said to me, and am easily robbed of rights and assets by the corrupt system as a consequence. Harassment, fraud, intimidation, human trafficking, and crimes against humanity are standard operating procedure in our courts, supported by the legislative system.

I have previously discussed my fight with Durham County Council over a court summons and judgement against me for Council Tax. They are running unlawful “star chamber” administrative courts to rubber stamp their own (unlawful) demands for money. I have challenged them to show me the Liability Order of the judgement, in the same way that you ask to see a signed warrant for someone who comes to your home. They are refusing, because they know nobody will sign off on it and make themselves accountable.

Here is the most recent response I have received from them:

What you should take note of here are:

• The switching of the framing from my personal case to general law, so they can dismiss my due process request as vexatious.

• The intimidatory nature of insisting that they will proceed with recovery because they are the arbiters of what is right, not the law.

• The failure to put a name to the letter or to sign it, so nobody is accountable for their actions.

This is the legal equivalent of a thug coming and putting a note into your letterbox of “we know where you live, so pay up”. The system is designed to suck away your energy, either by taking your money, or by wearing you down through endless rigged courts and correspondence via the hunt for justice. I am engaging with the latter route in order to make a point and spread the word that we live under a wholly compromised system of government and law.

If the Council Tax scam and scandal becomes widely known and understood then people will ask how it went on for so long, and what else is also organised crime disguised as statehood. The powers that be cannot afford for the masses to see that they are trapped in a maze of legal personas and (faked) contracts, because fraud will unravel the whole system and their privileges as tax farmers of humanity. I am selecting to fight back on their own terms (contract law) to see how far this gets. At the end of the day they are powerless, and it doesn’t matter if they send debt enforcers around; I just get to collect compensation for their criminality.

Here is my response:

I have received your letter dated 29th September in response to my correspondence of 5th September. I note it has no name or signature, and hence carries no weight in contract law as a valid notice. It further indicates a lack of lawful intent by Durham County Council.

My notice questioned the lawfulness of the debt recovery process involving myself, not the legality of Council Tax in general, or your compliance with its regulations. That you raise such issues also suggests you have a lack of confidence in the lawfulness of your actions and processes.

You have asserted to me in writing that a Liability Order exists. The existence of a Liability Order in my name is a question of fact. I am fully entitled to see the Liability Order to check it is valid, and signed by a judge or clerk of a lawful court with the correct stamp. It is the equivalent of asking for a warrant when someone comes to your home. This should be a simple administrative request, if you are acting lawfully.

You have failed to provide any evidence of a legitimate court having issued an actual Liability Order against myself. As such, I have to assume that none exists. Merely asserting a “rumour of a liability order” does not create an obligation to pay. Indeed, this is exactly the behaviour one would expect in the case of fraud, and it is immaterial how many people accept being defrauded. It is also in contravention of Article 6 of the European Convention of Human Rights on the civil rights (and obligations) of citizens.

Can you please let me know the name of the officer responsible for the letter to me, as you appear to be acting unlawfully and ultra vires, so that I may raise a complaint and, if necessary, sue you in your personal capacity. Failure to do so will mean your correspondence is harassment, and not intended to be lawful.

You have completely failed to address the core of the dispute, which is the existence of a valid and lawful court-issued Liability Order. As you have failed to offer me evidence of an actual Liability Order, I am entitled to assume that you are wasting my time and intend to act unlawfully. Per my previous notice, this means you have accepted my contract terms. I enclose my invoice, and will recover this through the small claims court if necessary.

To avoid controversy, I reiterate that I am willing to pay any lawful charge. You have yet to show that this is lawful, and are being given every opportunity to do so. Asking for written evidence of a valid Liability Order against me cannot be vexatious, given that you assert that one exists! You are the plaintiff, so I am not obligated to take your word for it.

I hereby remove the right of implied access to my property, and do not give you permission to pass my personal data to third parties, as this is in breach of GDPR and the Data Protection Act. In the event of an unlawful visit to my property by an agent under your direction, there will be a fee of £1000 per visit for trespass. My original schedule of fees also applies.

This case remains in dispute, and I remind you again that no recovery action is permitted until the dispute is resolved.

The more they wriggle, the deeper they fall into the trap of exposure. The smart thing to do would be to go silent and not engage in any further debt recovery. But now I get to push this into a test case. They will keep trying to drag it back to general law, but I am asking for the Liability Order in my name. I know that there is no legislation enabling them to operate in this manner. The consequence is that ALL past (and unlawful) court proceedings against the public could be reversed, and it would be the end of local government in the UK as we know it.

The cruel game only ends when we stand up in sufficient numbers and refuse to act like serfs. It isn’t easy — I physically feel the stress in my body from having to deal with this, and I don’t relish confrontation with debt collectors acting as hired henchmen. It all takes time away from doing things that truly serve me, like book publishing and art sales. Just once you see that they are cheats and robbers, you cannot unsee it, and are obligated to act in the interest of future generations and the liberty of all.

I would prefer to be doing my photos to keep me calm. signup.martingeddes.art