I found this weekend depressing.
Partly that was the result of having a ferocious cold.
Partly it was lowish mood in anticipation of my father's funeral this week (it has taken an age to happen).
Then the result in Brazil was bad.
And, of course, there was the approval of Brett Kavanaugh. Even if he never committed a crime, that a person so deeply misogynist could be confirmed as a member of the US Supreme Court on the basis of a strictly partisan vote shows a break down in all the norms of decency that underpin representative democracy as the price of loyalty to a party that has lost touch with the most basic of respect for large parts of the population, and women in particular.
What is depressing is that this does not even seem like an accident. It appears very deliberate. And that to me stinks.
But it also suggests something else: it suggests that breakdowns such as this, grim as they are, can and, I think will, be the catalyst for the changes that are coming closer.
Of course I can misread mood, and I am under no illusion about the fact that the Republicans and populists in general have significant support, but what I think will happen is that a moment will arrive when anger will spillover and people will simply declare that they have had enough of being abused.
There is a chance that will be brutally suppressed. That has happened before, of course. But when I look at young people I see too many who think that equality is implicit in all their values and cannot now be abused by anyone, even if they are not oppressed. They are from an age of empathy. And although it feels like we are a long way from that this weekend I think the dinosaurs are dying. I remain optimistic that there will be change.
But it requires an act of considerable faith on occasion.
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The absence of empathy by the old “ruling elite” is indeed the reason for the rise of “Popularism”. Until the reasons for that anger are recognised, understood and dealt with, people will seek out others who offer an(y) alternative.
Not once have I heard a discussion about why people are NOT voting for the old order. If Brexit, Trump, Macron, Five Star etc. are rejections of something. One (or more) of the core principles of the old order is wrong.
Agreed….
Which one?
In reference to your apposite comment about the Brazilian election. I’ve just read this article from the seasoned and respected independent Brazilian journalist Pepe Escobar which quite literally sent a chill down my spine. If his analysis is correct then the storm clouds of neo-fascism are truly looming on our horizon: ‘The Future of Western Democracy Being Played Out in Brazil’ – https://consortiumnews.com/2018/10/09/future-of-western-democracy-being-played-out-in-brazil.
Those clouds are amassing…,
@Peter Dawe
I agree that frustration with the ruling elite has fueled the rise of right-wing populism. I think that the elites have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Globalization and immigration were sold on the basis of economic efficiency, but the benefits have been allowed to accrue to a limited section of the population.
What are working class people to do when the Democrats were responsible for opening up their jobs to competition with low-wage Mexico and slashing benefit programs? When the Labour party seemed more concerned about being nice to Finance and was at least in part signed up to the myth of trickle down economics.
When people don’t feel that anyone represents their concerns then the door is open to false prophets; people will be willing to try anything that seems radically different.
I don’t believe for a moment that Donald Trump or the Brexit fanatics care a jot about the working poor, but policies over a number of decades on both sides of the Atlantic gave them a fertile constituency to prospect in.
It boils down to the lack of fairness. The central principle in organising common endeavour amongst apes.
It will all run it’s course. The poisoned politics in America will end.
Eventually you will think of your grandfather as he was when at his best. Trust what I say having been through some dreadful times.
You will have peace of mind. Life can be rubbish at times.
My very best wishes to you,the sun will shine for you again,
Fiona
It won’t be in time. Honestly it’s already a decade too late to have anything resembling a functional economy by the end of the century.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/07/climate/ipcc-climate-report-2040.html
Empathy, or lack thereof, has always been the key central aspect of humanity for me. But I don’t think it’s as lacking as some would like us to believe. I think it is most often suppressed by fear not actually lacking. But those that really lack it, or simply don’t care, do tend to rise to the top.
You are right I think to see the things that cause concern as a desperate rear-guard action by the established order.
Neo-liberal and Buchan-nite libertarian forces have done well out of duplicity and hushed meetings in closed rooms and informal networks that are not informal in intent. When their machinations start to become more brazen (out of arrogance or desperation) they expose themselves for what they are and there is a risk that it will not be accepted.
Having said that though, the Kavanaugh case is based in America. America has not functioned as a democracy for some time. It is a basket case, falling far too short of what the founding father’s designed. Prepare to dig in.
Having said that I think that the Left is the only force that can turn this sort of thing around.
How?
By humanising the problem. The concerns of most far right activists need to be listened to using the empathy you talk of. Yes – the way in which they express themselves has all the ugliness we’d associate with racism, sexism etc., but where does this hate come from? Why are they hurting?
Whilst the Right stokes the fires of division, we need a Left who will not look down its nose at those drawn to such fires like moths but whom will talk and find out what is going in these people’s lives and then offer something better.
Is the Left doing now? Anywhere?
‘Weltschmerz’ is an almost inevitable result of keeping up with news of events over which we have no direct (or any) control. Progressives will need to build up inner immunity because, unlike you, I fear there’s little chance of a more empathatic generation successfully overcoming the prevailing and growing forces of sociopathy.
For reasons that are too complex to elucidate here I believe global society, led by the financialised west, is sliding into a new Dark Age from which hopefully it will emerge like a Phoenix from the ashes – assuming the planet is still habitable. But history is not on our side. In spite of 2 apocalyptic world wars and all the subsequent horrors of Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Libya, Syria … the list is almost endless …. democracy has not fared well.
You write ” … all the norms of decency that underpin representative democracy …”. But there is no fully-functioning representative democracy within the world’s major powers. That’s the problem. The mega wealth that has been scooped up by the 1% increasingly finances oligarchic tendencies that aim to suppress and oppress the ‘will of the people’, and it’s working. It’s theft of our democracy on a post-industrial scale.
I’m sorry to post what might appear to some to be overly pessimistic. However, everything I read, learn and inwardly digest suggests it’s a realistic appraisal of where we stand. Clearly the situation is better in some countries than others, e.g most members of the EU, but it’s the direction of travel that should be a major concern, especially what we’re witnessing in the US which is a democracy in name only.
Exactly 60 years ago, and 26 years after the publication of ‘Brave New World’, a prescient Aldous Huxley wrote in his ‘Brave New World Revisited’ : “By means of ever more effective methods of mind-manipulation, the democracies will change their nature; the quaint old forms — elections, parliaments, Supreme Courts and all the rest — will remain. The underlying substance will be a new kind of non-violent totalitarianism. All the traditional names, all the hallowed slogans will remain exactly what they were in the good old days. Democracy and freedom will be the theme of every broadcast and editorial […]. Meanwhile the ruling oligarchy and its highly trained elite of soldiers, policemen, thought-manufacturers and mind-manipulators will quietly run the show as they see fit.”
Not much more one can add to that, except to encourage everyone to do whatever they can, no matter how seemingly insignificant, to reverse this ominous trend. It’s a call to arms.
That said – I pray you will overcome the sadness of this week. At such times there is great strength in family and friends. Blessings.
Thanks
Agree with your analysis, John. I’ve never felt as pessimistic as I do now – even when it looked as if we were moving towards nuclear war, with the Cuban missile crisis and the building of the Berlin Wall. As you see, I date back!
Richard – my thoughts are with you and your family as you move through the shadow. Later, it will be small things that bring back memories of him – like snowdrops for my father and daffodils for my old friend Geraint.
Thanks
The collective faith we have taken for granted in Britain, that we are a civilised country and ‘things like that’ don’t happen here is being rapidly eroded.
Listening to (as much as I could stomach of) Theresa May’s speech at her party conference I wonder what country she lives in. It isn’t one that I recognise.
I’m sorry to hear about your cold, Richard. It seems to be an inevitable consequence of being in public places. At least we haven’t got cholera back yet, but we’re going in that direction. I’m sure Thames Water are working on it.
Just thought I’d throw that in to cheer you up. When you’re feeling down you might aswell revel in it. Whisky, honey and lemon juice is recommended with enough hot water to dissolve the honey. Doesn’t make the cold any better but it’s very pleasant, and makes you feel better. Well it works for me.
I might well accept your suggestion…
Not much to cheer about in these days. Sorry about your Dad but he lived through some good times. Let us hope that our children and grand children have a better future than it looks at present. As I get into my middle seventies I mourn that I am leaving a world behind that doesn’t have the optimism that the one I entered at the closing stages of the war. Truly my generation had it all to look forward to and we did well out of the education system, we had the best popular music on offer and we had the opportunity to travel this wonderful planet. All is not lost, yet, but it’s obviously going to get worse before it gets better. I hope to live long enough to see the turning point and I really don’t think it’s too far away. People like you and George Monbiot are doing a great job. I’m glad you both have the energy to keep going. By the way, I wouldn’t adulterated my elixir with honey and hot water – a glass of Talisker is perfect.
Thanks Rod
“We know the state is going to be doing less for us in the future,” he said. “We know we are going to have to be more self-reliant. We expect people to plan for retirement, then every year or two the government is broke and dips into people’s pension pots to make up the hole in their budget.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2018/10/07/pension-tax-relief-will-cut-pay-nhs-chancellor-expected-announce/
Richard,not relevant but important i thought,mro.
I approve of the logic
The supposed hypothecation makes no sense at all
None of us can expect to see the world put to rights in our lifetime. The best of us will inspire others to do things we might not otherwise have done. Suspect this is true of your Dad. It’s certainly true of you.
Never underestimate the power of example. It changes the world and if it takes a long time, well, it keeps both the hope and the desire alive. Very few of us will ever achieve what have already achieved and the power of example will multiply it beyond what you know. Be sure of it.
A multiplier effect?
I like it
I was at City on Saturday for the open day with the young ‘un. Impressive.
Had hoped we might see you there. Were you there? If not, the weekend you’ve had explains why we missed you. Maybe next time.
I was at Leeds with my son who does not want a London student life….
Cheer up all, a new internet beckons https://solid.mit.edu/ The Fat Lady hasn’t sung yet 🙂
As an Internet pioneer who pre-dates Tim by several years, I can assure you that:
1) Solid has as much likelihood of success as man limiting CO2 emissions below the 2degree threshold
2) The Internet exacerbates many of the problems facing humanity rather than help solve them
3) Its food and the politics of distributing food that we need to solve FAST!
Power-napping helps Richard. I leave the revival switch permanently broken and play nine-pins with Rip Van Winkle and his mates. Quite possible to live that dream while teaching neo-classical econorot to compliant youth. It will turn out to be much worse than we think. Even being able to say ‘we told you so’ won’t be fun. We might write some scripts for a revival of Hancock’s Half Hour!
Sorry to hear you’re under the weather Richard. Your blog often wakes up my little grey cells in the morning, and for thousands like me.
When all the stars align against you, the world out there looks quite dark.
Find some small comforts, watch Fawlty Towers with a nice glass of something, or a hot tea…allow yourself some time out of this world if you can.
You already do more than most to educate, campaign, and help to change attitudes and policies.
Each of us who wants the world to be a better place for our children, or other people’s children if we have none, do that at our own level too, with our own competence.
It’s always two steps forward remember…but sometimes three steps back…but always two forwards again, at some point.
Right now we’re going back, on all fronts.
Young people will wake up, they’ll organise the next steps forward, but they need guidance.
They’ll get bruised along the way, as we were.
So they’ll need picking up. That’s our job as parents, educators, mentors.
Trust them to take the next steps forward.
And have a nap and a cuppa.
I slept well…..and did not wake as early as usual
I am following your advice….
Glad to hear it, you’ll feel better for it.
A cold takes 7 days to clear, nothing you can do to speed it up!
As for the rest…be kind to yourself. All the best for the next few days Richard.
Take care of yourself, Richard, during this difficult time. Politics will still be here when you feel ready to return to it.
Yes, sexism is everywhere.
I remember when a former colleague of yours, Ellie Mae O’Hagan, was subject to “belittling and sexist” remarks.
And a young economics graduate, Poppy Disney, was insulted and demeaned just for being female.
Do you remember it Richard?
Or has your selective memory edited it out?
I have no idea who Poppy Disney is
And the Mail grossly misreported comments I made about the sexist selection of spokespeople for Newsnight. The comment I actually made was not sexist at all. In fact, quite the opposite. But the Mail has never distorted a story, has it?
Wasn’t reported in the Mail? I didn’t know that.
It was Ellie Mae who called your comments “sexist and belittling” not the Mail. Are you now accusing her of distorting the facts?
Ellie Mae said you apologised for your remarks at the time. Perhaps your apology was not genuine if you now say your remarks were the ‘opposite’ of sexist?
Still, here you are saying the media can distort things yet what you say about Kavanaugh you can only base on what you know through the media. I would have thought someone who claims to have been misreported by the media would be cautious about making judgements based on the media.
I have just made the necessary comments
And I confirmed that I did apologise for the reasons I have just noted
Ellie Mae was rightly miffed with the reports. So was I, for the record.
And sure as heck I learned the lesson.
But if you’re saying that proves me a misogynist, I’m sorry to say that is a profoundly incorrect argument.
In which case to discuss this further is a waste of time.
I can only complement your tolerance at not suing The Standard for suggesting that you had offered an ‘unreserved apology’ for supposed mysoginistic remarks they had suggested you made.
If you are referring to the fact that of course I apologised to Ellie Mae O’Hagan on the way comments had been reported, of course I did offer that apology. Why wouldn’t I?
But were the reports accurate? No.
Was it my finest moment? No.
Do I regret talking to the Mail? Yes.
But had I been misreported? Yes.
And was I being misogynistic in reality? No. I don’t think so. Not at all. And nor am I.
And that’s my final comment on the issue.