I just tweeted this, which sums up my mood this morning:
Our politicians can offer us these lies as often as they like, but they cannot alter the fact that none is true.
Each in itself is a disastrous denial.
Collectively they represent the failure of the mainstream body politic.
And what is worrying is that there is no hint of a change on the horizon.
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First of all I would like to thank you for what you have been doing for the last decade. I received a message yesterday from a public political philosopher (who i started following in the last year) encouraging all his followers to make sure that we tell those who we follow that we are grateful for their contribution. All too often we only seem to praise these political influencers at the end of their life or as an obituary. Far too late.
I didnt think much of the comment at first. However while catching up with a Steve Keen lecture he mentioned the loss of Martin Weitzman. I never knew Martin Weitzman. I should have known him. Those who knew him and his work failed to praise him while he was still living. Only know that he is gone do I know how influential he was, what he stood for, what he was doing, what he was warning about.
Politics in a way is not just about influencing others to get what we want but the process of understanding what it is we see happening around us. This understanding helps us feel free and more positive of ourselves. At the moment there is a lack of understanding.
Your argument can be condensed into one thing. The political project started by Disraeli, which is often called “One Nation Toryism”, has failed. The broad outreach and social inclusion that is required for a large scale political organisation is almost non-existent. It has been completely erased from our history and resold to us as something else.
Thanks, in several ways
A heartfelt and powerful testament, with which I totally concur. Thank you.
I can only add a glimmer of hope via a link to yesterday’s article in the Guardian reporting Mark Drakeford’s views on the state of the nation. His is a voice of reason and sanity, that at least in Wales, gives us some encouragement that not all politicians have lost the plot.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/may/29/uk-could-break-up-unless-it-is-rebuilt-as-solidarity-union-says-mark-drakeford
The six points are a 2023 up-date to Orwells 1984 three points (love is hate etc). You last two points
(“Collectively they represent the failure of the mainstream body politic. And what is worrying is that there is no hint of a change on the horizon”)
are linked in the sense that the mainstream media is a sounding board for political ideas and thus possible change – but in its current iteration, it reflects back to political ibeciles of all persuasions (vile-tory, less-vile-tory (Liebore) and Lying-Dems) the noises that they make. The MSM is a mirror nothing more, politically useless.
The G’ and New statemen regularly spew unoriginal nonsense – which comforts Liebore political imbeciles (there are almost no other sort) that their trajectory is correct.
To illustrate the level the UK has sunk – in 2022, as the G noted – Ukraine, during a war, FOR ITS SURVIVAL, built more on-shore wind (circa 115MW worth) than the UK. The New York Times had a good article on the same subject noting that the on-shore wind farm was built whilst Russist cruise missiles flew below the bloody turbines and the Ukrainians had re-puposed a 100tonne crane to lift the nacelles and blades (cos nobody would loan them one). Compare, contrast and ponder.
Saw that myself Mike; tells you all you need to know about the rotten politics emanating from that joke of a Parliament of ours.
No surprise that the spineless joke Sunak is more concerned with pandering to the pathetic pricks in his party who object to the cheapest form of wind power rather than think of the long term good if the country the nauseating liars say they believe in so much.
Those in power, whether in formal government or more critically, the immense power of ‘behind the scenes’ corporate wealth, will never countenance anything that will challenge their unrivalled abiiity to extract profit and their disregard of any other factor whether social, environmental or ethical that stands in their way. They do this through the overwhelming influence of the press and mass media which are controlled exclusively (maybe some exceptions like the Guardian, Morning Star and small independent You tube channels .etc) by the Davos billionaire class. It is in their interests to denigrate ‘experts’ whether in the terms of health and Covid, trade with Europe and freedom of movement, Whether neoliberalism works or not, one should ask those queing at the food bank or unfairlry sanctioned on Universal Credit. Of course inequality is no big deal for those billion and millionaires living in their gated communities thinking they are safe from the food riots and other disturbances that may occur. Ask those people in North East Italy who have suffered recent floods whether sustainability can wait or those in Alber ta where wild fires rage. As for one nation Toryism, Johnson, Gove, Patel ,Braverman, Sunaks et alare tearing the country apart by their hatred of migrants and the scapegoating of any progressive thought.
What is worse is that there are always a certain amount of suckers in the country who will believe otherwise unfortunately.
Difficult to recall – was it always thus? Politics has always been messy and contradictory – but as you say this does seem worse.
And the way people seem to be passive in the face of the six myths – either accepting them knowing that is what is expected of them or turning away in despair.
But if the country is to stagger on, surely the internal contradictions built into each myth will have to be played out one way or another and will produce some kind of forward movement for better or worse.
That is why some of us are still trying to push the internal contradictions inside Labour’s ‘policies’ rather than just despairing
I admire your persistence
No doubt futile
Two weeks ago there were 3550 hospital beds with Covid patients in them.
Covid over? Pull the other one.
https://lowdownnhs.info/private-providers/private-sector-cant-solve-crisis-in-waits-for-nhs-ops/
Inequality is no big deal? Tell that to people who can’t buy food or have operations they need.
I get so angry at people who argue about Covid and poverty. “Nothing we can do about it, so why get so angry?”
If I don’t get angry I may as well just turn my face to the wall and never get out of bed again. It’s getting angry about it that keeps me going.
Me too
It seems that Starmer is a ‘true believer’ in the Britmyths you so aptly pick out.
His latest Daily Express bluster re Brexit is jaw-droppingly myth based.
“Britain’s future is outside the EU. Not in the single market, not in the customs union, not with a return to freedom of movement. Those arguments are in the past, where they belong.”
Does this weather-cock really believe this nonsense? – for if he does Britain has no future as any sort of prosperous country. And if he does not and actually intends to ‘pivot’ – newspeak for change entirely and without apology – does he really think people will ever trust him? Either way his latest pitch is either a testament to staggering political stupidity or a revelation of a man imprisoned by the myths made by his nominal opponents.
The claims are in the politest possible description, stupid
Tonight is the start of the Labour Left’s Arise Festival, starting with a zoom called Our Right to Resist. A lot of Labour MPs listed. It will be interesting to see what happens to them. I don’t think any are on the front bench.
Another stupid Starmer decision.
https://skwawkbox.org/2023/06/02/breaking-starmer-bars-successful-tyne-mayor-driscoll-from-standing/
Jamie Driscoll is Labour’s answer to the red wall, so why does Starmer not want him to stand?
Hopefully he will stand as a socialist independent.
He’s always seemed like a good guy to me
A lot of people will be waking up to the knowledge that Brexit is not done and dusted. Led By Donkeys is putting up 150 posters with Farage saying Brexit has failed.
They have shown the ones in Bolton, Barnsley, Manchester and Wigan.
David Byrne says:
Get hold of a copy of the book Chums by Simon Kuper. Read it and all will be revealed.
It appears that this government’s mentality hardly rises above public school (Eton) puerile, playground games maturing into big boy antics at the Oxford Union and the Oxford University Conservative Association. Job done!
They don’t do facts, lies abound and hard work is for others.
The joke is on us. And this privileged, entitled group of (largely) schoolboys and their chums are living their selfish, xenophobic dreams and getting away with it to the detriment of all.
Hopefully, a vote of no confidence will be tabled in Westminster soon in order to lower the curtain on this pantomime.
Don’t really need to read that to know that, do we?
Much rather read The Boris Letters by Michael Rosen.