Happy New Year from BIG PHIL

Happy New Year from the U.K.

It’s that time of year again when everyone gets a fresh start, makes a thousand promises and declares a new way of life. I am no different and want to welcome you 2018 the way I see it. I’m going to give you two takes: one of my own personal goals and ambitions and the other on how I see the world panning out. There is a lot going on and I want to get involved in as many ways as I can to try to make a small dent of a difference, even if it’s only as far as my own predicament and standing on this planet is concerned.

Last year was fun, but I try to look forward and not behind; “when forging ahead it helps to look in the direction you are travelling.” I only carry positives forward and can always find a positive from a negative. Everything you do has potential of some kind — it’s up to you to make it good or bad. Aim at the floor and you’ll find the gutter; aim at the top and beyond and you’ll get somewhere, even if it’s not as high as you wanted — at least it wont be the gutter. The Regiment says “always a little further” and that is absolutely right.

So where is my “a little further” this year.

I want to take my online activities to the next level. I am looking at ways I can bring pre-recorded footage to my live shows onto SOFREP.com. I am lucky to do some great stuff during the day with some proper-interesting people. I want to share my experiences with you all. I have bought new kit and equipment and am doing my best to learn how to use and utilize it to maximize the content I can bring to my nightly live slot. I am visiting killing houses, travelling round Europe’s battle sites, doing loads of K9 stuff with Danny at Britannia K9 Security and so much more; there is not the space in this article to list it all. Needless to say, showtime will be a lot more interesting with this added content. I am receiving requests to visit charities and help raise awareness for the great work they do. I want to help give them some limelight so that they can succeed in their aims with helping the less fortunate. Wendy and I plan to spend some proper time with those who are living on the streets and see if we can get some of them back on track and at least fed and watered.

This year will see the third Remembrance Rumble — I am already in training for November and will be contacting fighters from both sides to start lining up this year’s spectacular event. We took a bit of a beating last year from Jon and his Marine connections and will be looking to avenge this. Again, we will showcase those who have not only the guts to step into the ring but do so with disability — we have the wheelchair veterans fighting again. I have so much respect for those guys, and words cannot describe how proud I am to fight on the same card. I am in talks with the WBC who provided the medals last year to now provide an official former special operations green belt which will help promote the event, taking it to the next level. This should bring in much-needed sponsorship so that we can do as much as possible for the chosen charities. It will also help raise the profile of the event to attract national and international media. My personal goal is to drop significant weight before my next bout. I will of course bring you all the latest news from both camps as and when things happens to keep track on my progress. I need to change my diet and my training and I’ll let you know how it goes through my live show.

As far as the rest of the world goes, the Middle East is still boiling away. You are never out of the woods there and as far as politics is concerned you would need a brain the size of a small planet to even begin to understand the basics. I am sure our brave troops will be gainfully employed there for quite some time yet as the remnants of various regimes resurface in different forms and change fronts. Iran remains on the radar as does Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Pakistan is never far from the news and has been mentioned more than once in recent times.

Africa is steadily on the rise too. There are problems all over from various groups; Nigeria is in constant conflict, just like most of West Africa — where as one place stabilizes another erupts. Sudan, Somalia and Kenya could all go off full-scale in a heartbeat and Zimbabwe always provides operators with a job. Aid monies continue to fall into the wrong hands and corruption is huge as greed takes over when compassion is required. There continues to be extreme wealth and abject poverty in many places all over. Some would argue that many developing countries are not ready for the advances being made and I tend to agree, in some scenarios anyway. Too much too soon in many cases is making a volatile place even more unstable.

I could discuss what’s going on in the world without special mention to Kim Jong Un. His sabre rattling and gobbing off at the American president is at times comical if not down right absurd. Yes, he is a danger, but more to himself and his people than anyone else. His constant buffoonery whilst he has an audience is boring and perhaps it is time someone put him out of his misery. He can fool his people by denying them the capability to see what is happening in the rest of the world, but nobody else believes North Korea won the World Cup or any of his other lines of bullshit. So yes, there may well be some action to be had in the Far East, but I can’t see this one spilling into our streets at home.

And it’s at home where I will conclude. We are not out of the woods with extremism and terror — we are far from it. Immigration is still a major problem here with our borders in disarray and lacking proper control. The public voted to leave the EU and the people in charge of making that happen repeatedly stall and find excuses, so that it does not happen. The major problems faced by the general public in the U.K. are homegrown, and I hope that the tide will turn and we can start doing stuff about the issues within our borders as priority and not leave it until we have lost control and it is too late. If you asked me which is more likely: “Brit troops fighting in North Korea” or “Brit troops involved in a civil war,” I’m afraid the latter is more likely as far as my crystal ball can tell. We will touch on all these aspects in detail throughout the year I’m sure. Have a great one, stay focused and remember: WHO DARES WINS.