Join us on Hearts of Oak for a powerful conversation with comedian and advocate Abi Roberts as we dive into her latest work, We The People: Letters from Dystopia.

In this interview, Abi reveals the heart-wrenching stories behind her book—a collection of real-life testimonies from individuals affected by the COVID-19 lockdowns and mandates.

More than just stories, these letters shine a light on the lasting impact of government overreach, personal loss, and the fight for freedom. Abi shares her journey of gathering these voices through her podcast Abby Daily, emphasizing the importance of truth and remembrance, especially in a time clouded by misinformation. With the evocative illustrations by Bob Moran, We The People stands as both a historical document and a beacon of hope.

Tune in for a deeply moving and thought-provoking discussion that balances the weight of serious topics with Abi’s sharp wit, underscoring her mission to give voice to those who suffered and to remind us all of the importance of freedom. Don’t miss this interview—watch it now on Hearts of Oak.

Interview recorded 30.10.24

*Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast.

Connect with Abi Roberts:

X |https://x.com/abircomedian
Instagram |https://www.instagram.com/abirobertscomedy/
Website: https://abiroberts.com/

Connect with Hearts of Oak...
𝕏 x.com/HeartsofOakUK
WEBSITE heartsofoak.org/
PODCASTS heartsofoak.podbean.com/
SOCIAL MEDIA heartsofoak.org/connect/
SHOP heartsofoak.org/shop/

Transcript:

(Hearts of Oak)

Hello, Hearts of Oak!

Thank you so much for joining us.

We have a returning guest who hasn't been with us for a while, and we've missed each other—it's Abi Roberts.

Abi, thank you so much for giving us your time today.

Hi, Peter! Thanks for giving me the time—it's good to see you amid all this craziness we're living through.

I'm in my kitchen, and you're in a place that looks much more professional than mine—you can even see my microwave.

I had to move my oven gloves a minute ago and so you know what.

Mine just looks professional.

Abi's all about it's all about how it looks isn’t it.

All about appearances exactly and let's not talk about the big American studios exactly as we were talking about earlier yeah but I mean, you know, I think it's content isn't it, and you know size isn't isn't everything sorry Americans it is.

But it's content and it's engagement and it's actually being honest, yeah.

I think sometimes people worry way too much about things like lighting or other details.

As long as people can hear and see you, does it really matter?

I watch different things, and, weirdly, the more 'slick' they are—with all the 'hey guys' razzle-dazzle—the less interested I am.

I know that sounds a bit counterintuitive, but I really appreciate the grassroots approach. Stuff is where it is that’s for me personally.

100% agree.

Before we dive into discussing the book, Abi has been involved in, let me just mention that you can follow Abi on Twitter at @Abircomedian.

She’s a comedian—or at least just about one!

We might touch on that, but today's topic is far from comedy.

It's about the tragic reality we’re all facing, no matter where we live—in the States, the UK, or Europe.

We've all experienced the same tyranny, and today we’re here to discuss We the People: Letters from Dystopia, illustrated by Bob Moran and compiled by Abi herself.

Now, before people switch off if they get bored of us after two minutes, could you tell them where they can find this book?

After that, we'll dive into the background and the journey of bringing this project to life.

]Bless you, Peter.

You can get it from lulu.com.

Lulu as in, you make me want to shout that lulu.com.

Just type in Abi Roberts.

And actually it comes up pretty quickly with the people.

Designed by Martin Baker, you can find the book on Lulu.com.

Importantly, it's also available for free on Amazon Kindle and Apple Books.

I’ve mentioned this in a few places, but it’s worth repeating—the book is printed at cost, so I don’t make anything from it.

It’s not like I set out to profit from a collection of people's letters about the harrowing lockdowns and the issues surrounding the vaccines.

The harming and killing people.

And I'm going to make some money.

It's not that.

This is people wrote to me when I started my podcast, Abi Daily, which is on Substack, Apple and Spotify.

In, I think it was March, April 2022, that kind of time.

I asked people to write to me about their experiences during the lockdowns—the dreadful, barbaric restrictions and the tyrannies.

You know, like being told you can’t visit a dying relative in the hospital or that you must get vaccinated whether you want to or not.

No one even questioned what was in them—you were just expected to roll up your sleeve.

So this book is a collection of testimonies, a record not only for the UK but for everyone, especially for doctors, politicians, teachers, unions, and the media, to truly understand what happened over the past four years—and, unbelievably, continues to happen.

The vaccines, for instance, and the return of mandates—it's all fear-based.

I was just thinking about this the other day, Peter.

People are shocked because we’ve seen this kind of tyranny before in places like Soviet Russia.

In Germany in the 1930s, in Mao’s China, and under regimes like Pol Pot’s, we saw similar patterns. We looked at those histories and thought, 'That won’t happen here.

It won’t happen to us.'

But history has echoes, and it’s crucial to pay attention.

As you mentioned, this book includes powerful illustrations by Bob Moran—let me show you so you can get a sense of it.

The book looks like this, with all the letters beautifully illustrated.

Can you see that clearly?

That’s one of Bob’s cartoons alongside the letters.

It’s really beautifully done, thanks to my friend Martin, who designed it.

The book contains about 37 deeply moving stories—harrowing accounts.

Thank you, Peter! Actually, that particular cartoon is one of my favorites of Bob’s, because it touches on the theme of worshipping fear, doesn’t it?

It’s about not believing in God, Christ, justice, or light; it’s about worshipping darkness and evil.

The book includes 37 letters and cartoons—letters written to me on all sorts of topics.

I read one aloud during a show in Ledbury.

A woman named Hanni, a podcast listener who had come to the show, had written it.

And honestly, Peter, you could hear a pin drop.

I’d done some funny material beforehand, but then we shifted to the serious topics you mentioned—things that are not funny in the slightest.

People need to pay attention and understand the reality of what’s happened.

Will people face prison? Will we see justice?

No, likely not. Instead, the wrong people—those who are simply angry—will be the ones punished. But we’ll get into all that, I’m sure.

We will, because I know Abbey could just interview herself.

I've got to know he

I could try and put on your accent, like insult, like all the Northern Irish.

I’d fail at accents—I’m so jealous of people who can do them well.

Very jealous!

But there’s so much to unpack here, from Bob Moran’s genius to the letters included in the book.

And that back cover—it really struck me; we’ll definitely come back to that.

But let me ask, because some people might say, 'Abi, we just need to move on.

This is in the past.

There's so much happening today, and we have a future to build.

The pandemic was a blip, and everyone did their best with the information they had.

Why spend time rehashing the past?'

I hear this argument often, especially from people who aren’t fully aware.

How would you respond to that?

Well, my response would be that all the information was already available to the powers that be, to the government, and to Big Pharma.

They already knew that what was going to happen would destroy people's lives: the barbarity, the lockdowns.

They also knew that they were experimenting with these vaccines.

And so, you know, it’s interesting to say, well, obviously some of us woke up maybe earlier than others.

I was a little bit slow in 2020, which I’ve admitted to.

It’s amazing, actually, that I get more flack than people like politicians who quite happily went all the way through for two years and pushed the vaccines, the so-called vaccines.

But you know, that’s just who I am.

As you know, I’m honest; I wear my heart on my sleeve.

But getting back to it, I think it’s because people don’t understand the crimes that have been committed.

People were told, 'You can’t go out,' or 'You can’t go to a hospital to see your loved one.'

We lost our morals and ethics during the last couple of years.

It’s because people just don’t understand how important they are.

For instance, with the vaccine rollout in particular, there are three stages of crime.

I think I tweeted about it yesterday.

The crimes are in three parts: coercion without informed consent, or even, in many cases, actual consent. They put sedatives in people with Down syndrome.

There’s a man called Adam— not his real name— and they put sedatives in his orange juice

Even though he didn’t want the vaccine, they gave it to him. So there’s a case going on at the moment. His poor mother is having to fight the Court of Protection.

Irony, that term is. So that’s the first part: coercion.

The second part concerns what’s in the vaccines. If I were a lawyer, that would be my argument.

The third part of the crime is the cover-up—the enormous global cover-up. People need to start getting their moral and ethical heads on straight—not just focusing on the information, the data, and the statistics.

What’s happening is honest; it’s the likes of which we will probably never see again. The crimes that have been committed stem from the fact that people don’t read history books, Peter.

They’re too busy saying that nothing’s real, everything’s fake. Much of history has been positioned, shall we say, to favor one side, like the causes of the start of the First and Second World Wars.

I agree with that perspective, but history does show us truths; it exists for a reason.

The testimonies in this book, We the People, will serve as a warning.

I’m speaking to my lovely nephew tomorrow about cancel culture and my arrest, and about the importance of having a moral structure—a backbone.

I think any Christians watching this will understand that importance.

Sort of thinking, is this good?

Would Christ be?

I mean, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said—and I quote—'to love one another, as Jesus said, get vaccinated, get boosted.'

I’m not a biblical scholar, Peter, but I’m fairly sure that Jesus did not go around suggesting that his followers—the good people who were following him, watching him, listening to him—should take experimental things. It’s just, it’s kind of obscene.

And I think that’s…

hope, and I have to thank everybody, by the way, who wrote to me with these letters.

Because, Peter, some of them—as you know, you’ve read some of them—are so powerful.

It’s important to write down the truth.

I’m still getting emails, Peter.

I’m still receiving emails from people who have been harmed by AstraZeneca, which, of course, the media is using to downplay the situation. I know what they’re going to do; they’re positioning it to say, 'Well, just don’t worry about it; it’s AstraZeneca.'

By the way, that vaccine was taken off the shelves secretly, so nobody knew it was being rolled out.

I’ve had heart-wrenching emails just the other day.

After I tweeted, I received a message from a man who got a blood clot that then turned into avascular necrosis, which is, for those watching, an awful condition.

If you Google it, you'll see it’s a blood clot that actually destroys your bone.

He’s had to undergo double hip replacements because he can’t walk.

So, the other thing I want to say to viewers and your listeners, Peter, is: don’t be ashamed.

Don’t be ashamed that the absolute relentless, military-grade propaganda got to you. People have lives to live.

They have families, jobs, and all sorts of things to worry about—money, etc.

Some say, 'No one was forced because no one actually held people down.'

Oh my God, is that the level we’re talking about?

People were threatened and bullied.

I’m very much of the view that I will relentlessly criticize the media and celebrities who pushed and advertised the vaccines. And then suddenly, they’ve become ill. I’m afraid I will

I reserve the right in my comedy to do that. But we, the people—the ordinary men and women, and sadly, children—who have been affected by this, I have nothing but love and sympathy for them. That’s who I fight for.

That’s why I do it.

Not for any other reason.

I can’t understand people who would laugh or ridicule.

And Abi, I agree with your point that we all make decisions.

Often, we can regret those decisions, and we can look back and say that was a good decision. The decision to get a jab is one that many people may regret.

I think people, after getting two jabs, thought, 'Well, surely I’ve got the jabs; therefore, I’m protected.' And they’ve begun to see through the BS that the media told us.

Whatever point you woke up, it’s important to wake up. I like the way you’re telling the stories, Abi, because this is not about leaving people behind.

This is about people who have been damaged.

Yes, they may not have heeded the initial warnings, which could have been due to their friendship circle, or because they don’t watch certain things—whatever it was.

Yes, yes.

And the fact that the media didn’t put out any warnings—not a single mainstream platform, not the BBC or any other—didn’t comply with their Ofcom rules.

It’s actually weirdly stated in their Ofcom guidelines.

You know, if you advertise any kind of medical product, there has to be a disclaimer.

In the Ofcom rules, particularly in their health and wealth section, it states you have to present the other side.

But nobody did that.

None of the channels said, 'Actually, we have to draw attention to the fact that when the swine flu vaccine was released in 1976 in America, Gerald Ford stopped it because there were too many deaths.'

And when I say 'too many,' it doesn’t even touch the surface compared to what has happened since the end of 2020 with this.

So there’s a real issue here. And again, back to people who say, 'We’ll move on.'

Would you say that about...?.

Kristallnacht—would you say that about Nazi Germany?

After that, would you say in 1945 or '46, 'Well, let’s move on'?

Would you say it after Stalin’s purges, the Harvest of Sorrow, the deliberate starvation and annihilation of 40 million people in Soviet Russia?

Would they say, 'Well, it’s probably just a blip'?

I mean, people went to bloody gulags for it.

You know, it’s that mentality.

I do understand, by the way, that people are horrified.

I’ve spoken to a lot of them, Peter. When I go out, whether I’m getting a cab or whatever, I get into conversations with ordinary people.

I have no agenda; we’re just chatting about the last four years, and it’s honestly unbelievable—the number of people who know it was wrong, who know it was morally wrong, and who regret having taken the vaccines.

I didn’t have any of the vaccines, and my view is not, 'Ho-ho, aren’t I intelligent, aren’t I wonderfully clever and educated?'

My view is, 'There but for the grace of God go I.

And that's what we have to, I mean you don't have to but I would advise that should be people's attitude moving forward and so mixing yeah, I mean I Yeah, the idea that no justice, that nothing will be done is so keenness.

I just can't, you know, I just can't. I mean, maybe I should, you know, we should have a crowd funder and build a museum for all the, you know, and put all the stuff in it. So people can see, or some kind of exhibition.

In fact, that's just come to me, Peter, so we could do that.

Because I just think this is a lesson, this is a warning.

This is a warning.

And these testimonies, and the last four years, by the way, are only a small part of what they're trying to do to us, as you know.

The global, the cabal, the socialists, the third-way socialists, Frankfurt's you know all the things we've spoken about in the past it's part and parcel of we want to control as many people as we possibly can and we're going to stamp out we're going to do this to the individual the divine spirit, the divine flame, we're going to blow it out because we hate humanity because.

This does give a little insight into part of what we are facing.

You mentioned, and we showed the picture of Bob's artwork depicting the jab vial as a cross.

Yes.

And on the back was a quote, which is a Bible verse that has been ringing in my ears for the last two years.

One of the key verses.

And it is this, from John 18:37: 'I was born for this. I came into the world for this, to bear witness to the truth, and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.'

'Truth,' says Pilate, 'What is that?' That line, 'Truth,' says Pilate, 'What is that?' is from when Jesus was arrested before he was crucified at the trial. That was Pilate's line: 'Truth.'

And that question, 'What is truth?' has rung through the ages.

I think that most generations have had some kind of concept and understanding of what truth is.

We now find ourselves in a time where you mentioned Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, supposedly the spiritual leader in the UK—our Pope.

And yet he has capitulated, is silent, and is more worried about plastic bags or environmental issues than about any other biblical truth.

But that concept of truth—because what you've done is show something that is true, which is people's experiences.

This is the truth, and this is what the media are trying to cover up, saying that this is nonsense.

So, I mean, tell me about that idea of truth.

The idea of truth. Well, truth, God, Christ, the divine—these are the things that we’ve lost throughout time, even for people who aren’t particularly religious.

I heard Alain de Botton, you know, the philosopher, say he doesn’t have a particular faith, but he realizes that this is what has been lost: a pillar, something foundational.

Christ is who I speak to every day.

And I’ll go into it—I'm Russian Orthodox, as people may know or may not know; it’s a long and complicated story.

But what’s happening now makes me realize that there was a point to it; there was real meaning in it, even though it was when I was in my 20s—well, in fact, when I was 20, when I got baptized just outside Moscow by a well-known priest, Father Alexander Men.

But that’s another story.

Yes, we’ve lost this idea that there is one truth—something we should have in our lives and that we sort of gravitate around.

I’m looking at a light on my table; it’s a sphere.

I think of it like that: we gravitate around it.

And if we move too far away from it, then things like what has happened over the last four years will occur.

So, we need to navigate our way closer to Christ and God

Abi Roberts

I can only think of it as something that people should aspire to.

Always. And we may know—we look up to it. In fact, we don't look up enough, do we?

We don’t look up enough and say that’s what makes us humble.

That’s the other thing as well, Peter.

I think these letters, these testimonies, these stories from brave, courageous, wonderful human beings, are very important.

It’s not about baubles; it’s not about awards or, you know, chasing fame or fortune.

And that, again, is another thing: having belief in God and the divine makes us realize how tiny we are, actually—tiny little humble beings, like little ants.

But it is important, though, that we do this; it’s channeling something.

And that’s our, whatever our roles are in all this. Without getting too grandiose, I’m wary of the Russell Brand-esque idea of, ‘Well, you know, God spoke to me, and all of a sudden I’m a Christian.’

I think we both know, Peter, that it takes a lot; it’s a lot more than that.

It’s a struggle, isn’t it?

It’s a daily process of having to check in with yourself, looking in the mirror, just being quiet for a few minutes, and getting centered.

Yeah, it’s constant reflection.

To me, Christianity is not about big stages or whatever people may think about the recent converts, shall we say.

It’s very much about this—about we the people and being humble as much as we can in this weird, I mean, look at us now.

It’s like we’ve got a mic, and we’ve got little bits of jazz hands, kind of showbiz stuff. But it’s fine; that’s okay, as long as often enough we take a few quiet minutes for prayer and gratitude.

I agree.

And for me, it’s the same, Abi.

It’s about looking to Jesus. If you want to know what is true, remember that Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life.'

The way, the truth, and the life.

Exactly.

Yes, you just said the exact quote.

He also says, 'I am the light of the world.'

So if you want to find the way forward in this dark world, then for Abi and myself, that would certainly be Christ.

I could talk about that for the next hour or two, but I’ll just leave that thought hanging.

Let’s talk about people writing to you.

I think for many, including myself, I've focused more on the data and statistics.

You and others have personalized this experience and emphasized that it’s not just about numbers; it’s about individuals.

Can you share your thoughts on how people started writing to you?

It must have been traumatic to read these accounts, but how did that evolve into your decision to catalog these stories and publish them?

Yes.

Good.

Very good question.

I started gathering everything together at the end of 2022. Initially, it was in PDF form, which was quite basic. However, thanks to my friend Scott, who helped compile it, we realized that it warranted something more substantial—a book.

Martin and I decided that we needed to set it out properly, featuring Bob's wonderful illustrations.

I always feel that calling them 'cartoons' is slightly demeaning; they are more of an artistic record of everything that has transpired.

In fact, I wanted to share a letter with you, Peter.

I try to read one from different people when I talk to audiences, so I mix it up.

This one is from Paul, and it’s important to remember that much of this is from back in 2022, reflecting on 2020 and 2021.

It’s interesting to read people’s various perspectives.

Here’s what Paul wrote:

'Hi Abi, my 81-year-old mom has undergone a noticeable personality change since her second Pfizer, along with immediate excruciating headaches.'

My father-in-law was advised by his doctor that the AstraZeneca vaccine was safe right after he finished chemotherapy.

This was a provably false statement, as the vaccine had only been tested on healthy individuals under 55, and he was 79.

Within 48 hours, he was hospitalized with lung clots.

His lungs were destroyed within a week, and he died an awful death two months later.

He never once had a positive PCR test while in the hospital, yet his doctor wrote 'COVID' on his death certificate.

It seems they do this to prevent post-mortem investigations.

They are bastards.

Please keep fighting them.

Regards,
Paul

And there are so many stories like this in here, Peter.

For example, there’s a wonderful teacher named Maxine who came to my birthday gathering.

I have these gatherings not just for the presents; I invite my listeners who are just ordinary people

So, she came to my birthday this year, and she has been actively standing up for children, telling them the truth—not just about the COVID nonsense but also about all the other cultural weirdness that’s happening in our schools.

As you know, we’ve discussed these issues before.

There’s a lot of content in the book as well, and I want people to be aware that there are warnings throughout.

I’m just going to find an example of that.

Yes, you can phone those people up and they will help you.

Yes, they will.

Exactly.

You can.

It’s interesting because during the process, when I had this in the original PDF, Martin and I realized the extent of the situation.

We started receiving support from organizations like Samaritans, Shout, and Vaccine Ninja Bereaved UK.

Alex Mitchell and Wayne Connington are included in this work as well.

As you know, Alex had his leg amputated due to complications from the vaccines that were coerced onto people.

I find it astonishing that anyone could think we can just move on from this. It’s absolutely absurd.

It reminds me of Dr. Mengele—oh, he was just fiddling around in a lab, right?

It’s easy to say we should just move on, but that’s not acceptable.

The reality is that many people don’t know their history, and I keep coming back to this point.

We seem to be a society that shrugs things off too easily, especially with the constant churn of news.

So, returning to We The People, I encourage everyone to get it.

You can find it on lulu.com, and it’s available for free on Kindle and Apple Books.

I’m not necessarily happy, but I’m very grateful for the support I've received.

Someone mentioned to me yesterday, a listener of Abi Daily, that I shouldn’t forget how many people feel they’ve been saved through my podcast.

When I first started my little podcast, it provided a space for people to connect and share their experiences with each other.

I thought, 'Oh, yes, that’s true!'

This listener emphasized how important it is to acknowledge the connections that have formed, especially for those going through difficult times.

For instance, Trudy, whose story is featured in this book, faced the tragic loss of her son, Benjamin, who took his own life in July 2020.

These little networks are essential for people who are struggling and don’t know where to turn.

My friend Jules reminded me to mention this today and to recognize how many people rely on my podcast for support.

It's so important for personal stories to be told completely.

I’d like to touch on the cartoon aspect, particularly about Bob.

There are a few illustrations that I remember vividly when they first came out.

For instance, I remember this one very well; it really struck a chord with me.

And this one here? This was perhaps one of the most memorable for me.

It it's sort of like what's his name captain Tom.

Yes, Captain Tom!

But let’s talk about Bob and his contributions.

We’re all familiar with his work, but it's worth mentioning that Bob has a unique ability to blend comedy with deep, profound pain.

His illustrations evoke a range of emotions—from smiles to moments where you think, 'Oh wow, that was dark.'

It's fascinating how he captures different feelings through his art.

I've known Bob for a while now, and I think it’s important to highlight how the written text and the drawings come together.

The combination of words and cartoons creates something incredibly powerful and impactful.

Yes, I’m incredibly grateful to Bob for his contributions.

He wrote a beautifully crafted foreword for the book, showcasing his remarkable talent as a writer.

He has this unique ability to channel thought with both clarity and humor, which really brings the narrative to life.

Bob wrote the foreword at the end of 2022, as it was included in the original PDF.

His family—his wife, Sal, and their three kids—are always supportive, although they sometimes mention when I swear too much!

Sal has had to say, 'Let’s tone it down a bit,' especially when there were quite a few colorful words.

I have eased off on the more extreme language, though, just out of respect, as they know me well.

It's all in good fun, of course!

Lovely children.

And where was I?

Oh yeah, so when I was compiling the letters—because they listened to the podcast—they knew I was doing the letters.

I said to Bob, 'Can I have your cartoons?

Can I put them in?' and he was like, 'Yeah, of course, absolutely!'

And the other thing, I'm actually drinking—I don't know if you can see it—I’ve got to show this: you know, for my birthday last year, Bob did a cartoon of me

Yes, I remember I remember that

And then somebody made a mug for my birthday, so it’s got the cartoon and it’s got 'Be seeing you,' which is my catchphrase.

At the end of Abi Daily, I say, 'Be seeing you,' which, of course, is from The Prisoner. It’s funny because I didn’t think about that at the time, but when I did the intro for Abi Daily, it was to the tune of 'Sweet Home Alabama,' you know, 'Sweet Home Alabama, where the skies are so blue.'

And then, at the end, I remember when I was recording it for the first time in 2022, I said, 'Be seeing you.' I thought, 'Oh, that’s interesting.'

It just carried on, you know, the way these things happen; you just sort of do it.

But Bob's contribution to this cannot be underestimated. And, of course, he’s got his own book out showcasing his incredible work from the last four years.

So this is like a little sibling, a little sibling to Bob's book, you know?

It’s a companion piece, isn’t it? It’s all part and parcel of the same narrative. We’re singing from the same hymn sheet

It is.

I know we’ve learned a lot over the last few years, and it hit me that the reason for cartoons, the reason for comedy, and the reason for imagery is to elicit a response.

I remember one of the cartoons he did on Israel.

We may have different views on that, Abi, and we’ve never really discussed it, but I thought, 'Goodness, that goes too far.

How dare he?'

I got quite annoyed. But then I sat back and realized that this is the point of a cartoon: it’s supposed to elicit a response.

If I’ve been upset by something, laughed, or cried, that’s a response, and that is the purpose.

He has done his job, and well done to him

If I dig deep, I feel angry, and I totally get it.

I’ve received flack for doing a thumbs-up on the Netanyahu cartoon.

And don't forget, there were other people in the picture; it wasn’t just him.

There was also Rishi Sunak and someone else—I can’t remember who—so it was a criticism of the abhorrence of war and conflict as well.

But you’re right. You know, I did a Delingpole the other day, and oh my God, that’s causing a real kerfuffle because we actually had a disagreement.

Peter, I thought, isn’t that what friends do?

It’s going to get heated sometimes.

I’ve stayed out of the Israel debate a little bit, not because I don’t care, but because it’s interesting, isn’t it?

People often use the straw man argument, implying that if you don’t speak up, you must be okay with destruction, war, and killing.

No, that’s clearly not what I’m about. It’s actually because I can only deal with one atrocity at a time.

It’s true.

Over the past four years, that’s all I’m strong enough for, along with my writing and my comedy.

But that’s no disrespect to my Jewish friends at all, and I hope I’ve made that clear in my podcast. It’s complex, very complex, but...

It's a whole area we don't need to touch on; it was just that response that really struck me.

Yes, that made you think, really good.

Brilliant.

Yes, it is brilliant because it does make you think about who wins in these situations.

You know, we’re back to the whole war machine and the reasons for war, etc.

And it’s the little people, Peter, who are crushed underfoot, a bit like we the people.

Yeah, well, the world needs the war machine, just as some parts of the world need the pharmaceutical industry and others need the food industry.

Yes, quite.

You realize those lobby groups are hugely powerful—hugely powerful.

Can I mention one thing that actually struck me, which is the back cover, and that is the quote?

You know, I'm so glad, Peter, that you brought that up about the quote because there was a suggestion on...

The back quote caught my eye, and I thought, 'Oh, I like that; that's quite cool.'

I’m glad because when we were considering quotes, there was a suggestion to use something I’d written, like a line from an article or whatever, and I said, 'Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no.

You cannot get better than this.

It’s like choosing Adele over Aretha Franklin.

That’s my view.

So, in the conversation, should we use a quote from Abi or a quote from God?

In the end, we went with the God quote.

Yeah, that was kind of the conversation.

It wasn't quite... It was, yeah, because, I mean, you can't put it any better than that, can you?

There are no words that are better than that. So thank you for noticing, because I want people to realize the beauty of the design as well.

You know, Martin, by the way, designed this book for Naut.

So, obviously, I compiled it, and he designed it.

I'm actually grateful to him for providing me with a microphone and the nice setup because before it was a bit like, 'Crikey!

Is Abi going to appear like this?

Hello, Peter!

I'm doing all like this!'

So, yeah, I'm really grateful because there wouldn't be this version without him or without Bob.

The other thing that struck me, Abi, was that your name's not on the front, and that is obviously personal.

To say that.

Obviously, you're not wanting to be rich and famous; that's the first thing.

It's always nice to know when you connect with people, because there are some who do want to be in the spotlight.

You put Bob's name on it, but it is about the individuals who are involved.

You obviously say it’s compiled by Abi inside, but that struck me.

You give credit to those who aren’t jumping up and down to get attention for themselves.

Yes, thank you, Peter.

Actually, you're the third person who has said that.

Lovely Dick Delingpole, you know, James' brother, mentioned that I’m not on the front. I mean, weirdly, that wasn't my decision; it just... that's how it happened.

And to be fair to myself, I never once said, 'Oh, hang on a minute.

Where's my name?'

It just seemed...

And where's my picture on the back?

Exactly—underneath the statement by God.

Yes, exactly.

Where's my picture?

Next to the best quote of all time.

Exactly.

In the little kind of, yeah, don’t forget about me there. Yes, thank you.

Because, well, yes, it is about the people inside the book.

So it's not about me, Martin, or, with all due respect, Bob; it’s about the people who wrote in. But thank you for saying that because people have noticed.

Honestly, it didn’t even really occur to me. I was like, 'Oh,' and then people said, 'You're not on the cover.'

Well, I’m in the book, Peter. I’ve got quite a long introduction where I share the backstory of these letters, so I thought, 'That’ll do.'

And then God bless the people. I’ve received messages from individuals who knew they were in the original PDF and are now included in this version as well.

A lady on Twitter said, 'Oh my God, I’m overcome with emotion; I’m just so wowed that my letter’s in here!'

They can give that to their friends or their doctor or whoever they want to share it with and say, 'My testimony is in here, so you better read it.'

In fact, I’ve ordered several copies, Peter, and I’m going to take one to my GP, who has been very helpful to my husband.

My late husband was diagnosed with cancer, and he had a private GP whom I’ve kept in touch with over the last three to four years.

I’ve even gone in and deliberately paid to sit down with him to tell him the truth about what’s happened.

He’s going to be delighted when I say, 'I’ve got a little something for Christmas. Would you like to read it?”

It is a perfect gift.

Yes. Last question: just to prove it, Abi's name is on it.

So just in case you thought we were doing this just for a laugh..,

We picked up someone else's book.

There is the content page with all the names. Just my file thought, it's could have been I've talked to people who've written books and putting in the information and often never having written a book often you have to dispense with a lot of you have more than you need yes and this is a perfect example of that that I'm sure you had so many and it's actually you'd want to just take a spread difference of different stories, but actually the book could have been much bigger because of the response I'm sure you've had

Yes, it could have been a lot bigger, and that's due to the time and, frankly, the emotional toll.

I mean, we did have to take breaks, feeling a bit dizzy from just processing it all, because we can't comprehend some of the cruelty and immorality of it all.

But yes, as I say, this is the tip of the iceberg; this is just a sample.

My podcast is not like a mass market thing, you know what I mean?

It’s not like a Joe Rogan podcast, but in a way, I see that as more important.

It’s just something that I wanted to do; it's my little contribution during this time, Peter.

So it could have been a lot bigger, and I'm sure there will be more.

Actually, strangely, no one else has done it. I was quite surprised.

I thought, surely there’s going to be something where people's experiences come out.

So I was going to suggest that there might be another one of these coming out, but I think, yeah, that’s enough for now.

It is a lot to work through, and it is emotional completely.

Abi, I really appreciate you coming on. We the People, that is from Bastopia, just in case I haven't shown it already.

Do get it from lulu.com; all the links will be in the description, whether you're watching or listening.

And of course, it's at the top of Abi's Twitter/X feed.

Abi Roberts

Yeah. And sorry, Peter, you can get it for free, don’t forget, on Kindle and Apple Books. Also, just a little something as we're chatting: I am back to doing live shows!

I’m going to be up north in the Dales, and I'll put that on Twitter.

Thank you for reminding me about my Abbey or Comedian, my new Twitter handle.

I was mad; I abandoned my Twitter account—crazy! But anyway, you do what you do.

We’re not living in normal times at the moment.

So yeah, look out for my live shows; I’ll be doing more next year.

I’ve got a thing called Abi’s Kitchen Table, which is filmed at my home with some guests around my table. It would be great, Peter, if you want to come on as a guest. We’ll just sit around, eat, and reminisce like in those old shows from the ’90s where people would sit around a table, and it’s all filmed.

So that’s kind of what I’m doing.

We can eat and drink poteen and Vodka together

Yes, yes, indeed, indeed!

In fact, there was vodka at the last episode—or was it the one before?

There have only been two episodes of Abi's Kitchen Table, but I’m sure there will be more vodka coming out soon!

Yes, that’s what I’m doing—that’s what I’m up to at the moment, just trying to be a good human.

Well the viewers and listeners can get the book, follow Abi wherever she is going comedy-wise and obviously follow her on X and Twitter for that.

So, Abi, I appreciate your time.

Thanks so much for coming and sharing the book.

Bless you, Peter.

Thanks ever so much for having me.

Green Beans

Recipe Club

What's Your Recipe for Green Beans?

The AI-powered Podcast Player