Lorrain Osman Campaign (1990-91)
Although it was working on this campaign that got me my NUJ card, it is something I have come to bitterly regret. The only projects I regret more are my involvement with the POW Trust and book I was commissioned to write that was never published – as with this campaign – and my later involvement de profundis with a similar project which also involved a romantic entanglement, albeit an in retrospect one-sided one. For someone who has been such a professed skeptic and who has exposed liars, frauds and scumbags where others have feared or not even thought to tread, I have really exhibited some dreadfully piss poor judgment at times.
Can this really be the only man who proselytised the truth about Satpal Ram, exposed Gerry Gable, documented the lies of Organised Jewry about the Holocaust, and was the lone voice on this side of the Atlantic querying the deification of convicted murderess Linda Carty? Apparently so.
At any rate, I have said all I want or ever intend to say about this particular worthless cause in Why Do Rich Men Steal? and I take my leave.
The publications in this section are not in strict chronological order, but they were all written and published over a relatively short period, so are treated here as one unit. By and large there were/are no specific publication dates. I can’t remember when my LA pamphlet was put out but I believe it was fairly early on in the campaign.
The final publication – the aforementioned Why Do Rich Men Steal? – was actually published sometime after the campaign was over, but it did last only for about a year, so to date it 1990-93 would be misleading.
Unless stated otherwise, it should be assumed that all these publications were issued by The (non-existent) Friends Of Lorrain Osman, and written entirely by me.
The one good thing – Providential thing! – that happened because of this campaign was my one chance in a trillion meeting with “Rabbi Cohen”, which led to other things such as which I could not possibly have conceived.
Sydenham,
London,
August 16, 2010
IMPRISONMENT WITHOUT TRIAL: THE LORRAIN OSMAN CASE, by Al Baron, published by the Libertarian Alliance, (Legal Notes No. 15), 1991.
With an introduction by Chris Tame. A four page A4 leaflet/pamphlet on this most unworthy of causes.
A CONVERSATION WITH BARRY SHEERMAN MP
A double-sided A4 leaflet, questions and answers. It is the leaflet rather than the scan that is slanted! This took place at his Palace of Westminster officer; I can’t remember the date.
A yellow, A2 poster, with photograph supplied by Michael Kingston. Published 1990.
The above photograph – which was added February 7, 2014 – was edited by but not taken by me; if it looks bent, that is because Osman was.
The following were published in a variety of colours.
anti SOCIAL
un DEMOCRAT ic
il LIBERAL
A double-sided leaflet, A5 in height, slightly less in width.
FREE LORRAIN OSMAN – an Osman campaign sticker.
HONG KONG IS A WONDERFUL PLACE:
FOR SOME
An Osman campaign two-sided A4 leaflet.
It’s a Pity He Didn’t Drink Guinness
A double-sided A5 leaflet.
LORRAIN OSMAN IS INNOCENT
An Osman campaign sticker.
The above is a double-sided A5 Osman campaign leaflet.
A double-sided glossy A4 leaflet.
THINKING OF VOTING FOR
JOHN PATTEN
IN THE GENERAL ELECTION?
THEN THINK AGAIN
PATTEN AND HIS CRONIES ARE KEEPING AN
INNOCENT MAN IN JAIL
A double-sided A4 Osman campaign leaflet. My humblest apologies to the falsely maligned Mr Patten.
A double-sided A4 leaflet.
An Osman campaign double-sided A4 leaflet plus a one-sided A4 leaflet beginning with “Dear Film Goer” and explaining the “joke”. Apparently one of these found its way back to Hong Kong.
VISITING
HONG KONG?
WHAT THE HONG KONG TOURIST ASSOCIATION
WILL NOT TELL YOU ABOUT FRAGRANT HARBOUR
A double-sided Osman campaign leaflet, written, to be perfectly honest, without a great deal of conviction.
An Osman campaign double-sided A4 leaflet.
THE NATIONAL FRONT SAYS: DON’T REPATRIATE THIS IMMIGRANT!!
An Osman campaign double-sided A4 leaflet. A humorous one this, it gives the impression that it was published by the National Front. No one noticed though.
AN APPEAL TO THE
STUDENTS AND STAFF OF
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY
ON BEHALF OF A
FORMER STUDENT WHO
IS IN GREAT DISTRESS
HOW AN OBSCURE MALAYSIAN
BUSINESSMAN AND LAW GRADUATE
BECAME THE MOST INFAMOUS ALUMNUS OF
TRINITY COLLEGE
A 12 page, glossy covered A4 pamphlet published for The Friends Of Lorrain Osman with an ITMA ISBN, (1990). I decided not to scan this. Ditto the satirical pamphlet below.
THE PRICE OF DEMOCRACY, published by ITMA, London, (1991).
This is a small, 10 page pamphlet published for the Osman campaign by a misguided fool named Alexander Baron. The inside back cover says that it is also available on disk. I don’t think it ever was, although I may have intended to send it out as an ASCII file or upload it to a bulletin board or two. Maybe I did, I certainly never sold any, but posted a few copies to Bruce Kent and one or two other people and a magazine or two.
An untitled, uncredited article published in Third Way, January 19, 1991, page 10.
An article on Osman. I got his age wrong here, and in a number of other places, I believe, but that wasn’t my fault. I was misinformed, the same way I was misinformed (and disinformed) about many aspects of this totally worthless cause.
Untitled Osman campaign video (nasty).
Ugh! Starring Al Baron sitting at his computer backed up by Mark Taha. Cameraman supplied by Tony Hancock! We did this fairly early on in the campaign I believe; I sent a copy to Chris Smith, who was technically Osman’s MP, and got an approving letter back.
The Osman campaign also got coverage in the Cambridge local media. A story was run – or was supposed to have been run – in a local newspaper. The journalist I spoke to said he would send me a copy of the article. He didn’t. I gave an interview to a radio station which I think was used, although I can’t remember the details. There was also a rather unflattering report of our Cambridge activities in the London Evening Standard, although I can’t remember the date it appeared or the content, and can’t find it in NewsBank.
WHY DON’T THE
CHURCHES
DO SOMETHING ABOUT
THE CASE OF
LORRAIN OSMAN?
An 8 page A4 pamphlet published with an ITMA ISBN but distributed by The Friends Of Lorrain Osman.
I tried to cover every angle, but none of them came to anything.
This is a 12 page A5 pamphlet published in September/October 1990. The interview was actually recorded covertly by Michael Kingston in Pentonville Prison, but I suppose you could call me the author. I wrote the introduction anyway. Published on the ITMA label.
A photograph published in Management Today, May 1991, page 13.
Uncredited, given or sold to the magazine without my knowledge by Kevin Cahill who obtained it from Michael Kingston. Clive Clements aka as Chris Evans is holding the placard and Libertarian Sean O’Sullivan is handing out the leaflets.
February 23, 1991: Alleged fraudster appeals to Trinity by Rob Drent, published in the Cambridge Evening News (LATE SPECIAL), page 11.
The above was added June 28, 2023. At this distance I can’t be sure of the context, but we went up to Cambridge at some point and did some leafletting thene in addition to a special mailing.
Topical BOOKS, Summer 1991, Number 4, page 47 under CLASSIFIEDS is an advertisement for Lorrain Osman: In His Own Words.
THE DEMONISING OF ROBERT MAXWELL;
THE WHITEWASHING OF LORRAIN OSMAN;
AND THE CONSPIRACY THEORIES
SURROUNDING THE DOWNFALL OF THEM BOTH, by Alexander Baron.
Published by Anglo-Hebrew Publishing, London, (August 1993). 13 page A4 pamphlet. As far as I can recall, there was only one printing, but the front cover came in two colours: yellow(ish) and pale green
Alternative link for the above pamphlet.
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