Way back sometime I think it was around mid 2025 a high profile US free speech lawyer named Preston Byrne was involved in representing his clients, US websites, in their dispute with Britain’s censor Ofcom.

Ofcom imposed fines on these websites but because what these websites have done is not just not illegal in the USA but highly protected by the US First Amendment, Mr Byrne basically told Ofcom, in polite language, to ‘go forth and multiply’, occasionally accompanied by a picture of a Hamster called ‘Mr Whiskers’.

If the pen is said to be mightier than the sword then the US First Amendment is far more powerful than Ofcom’s legal reach. Ofcom quite rightly have no recourse to the law in the USA to get these fines paid because these sites and those who run them are protected by the First Amendment.

If you want to know more about this case then please read the stuff on the link below either before continuing with this piece or in conjunction with it.

https://prestonbyrne.com/2026/06/16/free_speech_hamsters/

I told Mr Bryne during a conversation on X that if he could get one over on Ofcom, which I doubted knowing Ofcom’s dictatorial powers in the UK, then I’d climb up on top of an Iron Age hill fort somewhere in England and sing the US National Anthem. I lost that bet and lost it fair and square and in spades. Mr Byrne excelled and managed to not only make Ofcom look impotent in the face of the US First Amendment but also managed to make Technology Minister Liz Kendall also look silly. This is because Ms Kendall had to make media appearances discussing the ‘Mr Whiskers Hamster emails’ that had been sent to Ofcom in response to Ofcom’s demands for fines off of Mr Byrne’s clients.

When I saw of Mr Byrne’s success in representing his clients and going that extra mile to protect their freedom of speech I knew that I could not breach my promise to do what I said I would do. Unfortunately life got in the way and I was not able to pay back my debt in as short a time frame as I might have liked.

I am now paying back the bet to Mr Byrne by having myself filmed doing what I promised I’d do and driving to an Iron Age hill fort and singing the US National Anthem whilst in a full on three piece suit.

Here’s the video. I apologise for the skanky singing as I’ve not sung in public for twenty years and when I did it was some rather risible karaoke (Band of Gold and I Fought The Law if you are wondering what it was I sung).

I would also like to apologise for the less than suitably high flagpoles which had to be short and be jammed into a fallen tree trunk as His Majesty’s Government takes a very dim view of people banging flagpoles into the ground on legally protected ancient sites.

Star Spangled Banner movie

As I do not currently have access to the X platform I’d be grateful if any of my readers who have access to that platform could alert Mr Byrne to the fact that ‘Mr Eff has done what he said he would do’. Mr Byrne can be found on X as @prestonjbyrne Many thanks in advance

Yes I know I may look foolish but not half as foolish as Mr Byrne has made Britain’s state censor Ofcom and a Cabinet Minister look.