I quoted Lord Sumption on the end of democracy yesterday.
Ivan Horrocks pointed out a US version of the same theme. This is Bill Maher's view:
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Thanks for elevating this clip to a blog, Richard.
To reinforce the importance of this message you may have noted this morning the story from the US that Trump removed his National Security Advisor replacing him with a Trump lakey with no national security experience), and several others, because they chose to brief Congress (as they should do) on the threat to the 2020 primaries and presidential election by Russia and their backing – again – of Trump.
Another graphic example of the destruction of democratic conventions and norms on the road to authoritarianism.
Anyway, Rachel Maddow sums in up well in 90 seconds here: http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show (the title of the clip is ‘Trump attacks US intel…’)
Thanks Ivan
The Director of National Intelligence, not the National Security Advisor.
Hi Richard,
While I agree that the Republicans are monstrous, I’m not surprised to see the Russiagate nonsense has reared it’s ugly head again.
If you get some time free time, maybe you could read these three articles:
https://consortiumnews.com/2019/04/16/vips-fault-mueller-probe-criticize-refusal-to-interview-assange/
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/11/assange-never-met-manafort-luke-harding-and-the-guardian-publish-still-more-blatant-mi6-lies/
http://johnpilger.com/articles/why-the-rise-of-fascism-is-again-the-issue
The Russians are not the problem.
All the best.
With respect
They’re not the only problem, maybe
“End of democracy”? When did it begin??
America is a strange place, amusing and entertaining when viewed from afar but more un-nerving when you get up close or come into contact with it,
some judge me as being un-American or anti-American but I qualify my view by saying I’ve American ancestry and family ties, but having grown up and lived my life in Britain I view America from the outside looking in,
American democracy has always been a struggle for control between ‘we the people’ and the brokers of centralised power,
even the birth of the nation was a struggle between the colonial people and the centralised power of the British Crown,
even as the nation was gaining independence a new localised centralised power was rising and in effect taking over the role that the British Crown had previously performed from a greater distance,
since 1776 the struggle between ‘we the people’ and ‘we the brokers of centralised power’ has continued, relentlessly,
in many ways both groupings are mutually dependent, one cannot thrive without the presence of the other,
freedom and liberty become chaos without the structure of law and governance,
law and governance become totalitarian control without freedom and liberty,
the obvious solution has to be a symbiotic compromise with one hand washing the other and both carrying the burdens that might arise,
let me note that I consider neither of the current iterations of the Democratic Party or the Republican Party to be representative of ‘we the people’, they are both, currently, largely captured by the interests of the centralised power brokers,
American politics are certainly ‘wacky’, the nation’s culture is very open and visible, the nations ‘newness’ means the view is unimpeded with the trappings of previous historical power brokers such as a Monarchy and hereditary peerage,
when the ‘family’ of America argue it always seems to spill out onto the front lawn and the brouhaha is visible to the whole neighborhood, the global community,
I tend to agree with Americans describing themselves as ‘the exceptional country’ if you use the synonyms suggested by the Merriam Webster dictionary definition;
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exceptional
to be exceptionally anything is to be extremely or freakishly so, be it good or bad,
I think it’s fair to say that America is demonstrably susceptable to mass panics, hysterias, phobias and self delusions, possibly more so than older nations,
witch trials, sinophobia, religion, financial panics, the Red menace, guns, terrorism, pandemics, etc.
race has always been an issue in such an ethnically diverse population,
I think it important to step back from the very immediate ‘here & now’ that is thrust in our face by the media, to reflect on how this culture viewed itself and it’s struggles over it’s history and how it appeared in previous media output,
I watch old films because they hint at the zeitgeist of their era, not a representation of verbatim truth, more an application of lipstick to the pig of history, portraits of a nation comissioned on the condition they soften features that in reality were a little ugly,
if you’re hiding from the wind and rain today you could explore how America viewed itself in the past, it’s hard not to conclude that America and it’s politics have always been pretty ‘batshit crazy’!
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, 1962
Mr Smith Goes To Washington 1939
Dr Strangelove (or how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb) 1964
The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming! 1966
Billion Dollar Brain 1967
Network 1976
Canadian Bacon 1995
Wag The Dog 1997
Idiocracy 2006
by all means follow America from afar, it’s hard to ignore, you can sit and chuckle or sigh, but remember it’s always been way out and wacky, you are under no obligation to emulate their tomfoolery, it’s over there.. not here,
in remaining faithful to our trans-atlantic family ties it’s important for us to keep our feet on the ground while they run wild in the streets and howl at the moon,
tis but a passing phase,
when they come back to their senses we’ll still be here, stolid, British, reticent,
tempered by the follies of our own distant past.