Case Files
Investigations into events where the accepted explanation simply no longer holds together. We trace the surviving paperwork alongside first-hand accounts to establish exactly what broke down. Our goal is to determine whether the failure was a routine administrative error, a wider institutional collapse, or something far more difficult to explain.
The Ayahuasca Patent – A Case Study of US Plant Patent 5,751 and Biopiracy
US Plant Patent 5,751 stood for seventeen years despite a 1974 Field Museum herbarium sheet already recording the flower colour it claimed as novel. A study in how the patent office missed the record.
Vietnam War Intelligence Failure – The Collapse of the Domino Theory
Declassified records show that the CIA and State Department repeatedly warned against the Domino Theory and reported systemic failures in Vietnam. This investigation traces how those warnings were systematically set aside.
BBC TV Licensing Enforcement – The Capita Contract and Accountability Gap
The BBC outsourced TV licensing enforcement to Capita in 2011. Records reveal millions lost to abandoned IT upgrades, exempt households trapped in automated enforcement cycles, and doorstep prosecution quotas running years after public condemnation.
Smart City Data Procurement – Public Promises vs Private Contracts
An investigation into four municipal smart city deployments, revealing how administrative loopholes allowed councils to bypass standard procurement schedules and grant private vendors unprecedented access to citizen telemetry.
BBC TV Licence Expansion – The £1.2bn Deficit and Household Tax Plans
Outdated statutory definitions and a failed 2016 legal patch tore a £1.2 billion hole in the BBC's budget. Now, broadcasting executives are officially lobbying to replace the current system with a universal household tax.
How the Green Party Tripled in Size Without the Paper Trail to Match
The Green Party's 2025 leadership election triggered an unprecedented membership surge. Internal documents and audit findings reveal an administrative collapse where tens of thousands joined through an automated, unvetted system.
Stormont Brake – UK Regulatory Alignment and Northern Ireland Trade
The first Stormont Brake petition tested the limits of Northern Ireland's regulatory safeguard as ministers weighed EU chemical rules, integrated supply chains and wider UK alignment powers.
UKCA and UK REACH – Post-Brexit Regulatory Capacity Under Pressure
UKCA and UK REACH promised separate British regulatory systems. Government records show repeated extensions alongside limited specialist testing, costly chemical-data requirements and pressure on regulatory expertise.
Brexit and the Retained EU Law Dashboard – The 2023 Sunset Clause
The retained EU law inventory grew from 2,417 to 6,757 items while departments worked towards a fixed sunset deadline that the government eventually abandoned.
The 1990 Strangeways Riot – The Warnings That Never Reached the Governor
This investigation examines the administrative bottleneck that prevented explicit warnings of the 1990 Strangeways uprising from reaching executive command, resulting in a catastrophic operational failure.