The far-right has long engineered the egregious spread of its evil doctrines of exploitation and hate through the propagation of networks of NGOs and think tanks.
The process began with the Mont Pelerin Society, founded by Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman in 1947.
Then it spread through the Atlas Network. Many of the so-called think tanks that populate the panels in far too many media broadcasts in this country come from far-right organisations linked to this network.
Think of Tufton Street, and you understand what Atlas set out to achieve: a society populated by many organisations all proclaiming similar messages about supposed freedom that, in practice, result in oppression for the vast majority of people around the world.
For example, the Institute of Economic Affairs is a partner and affiliate of the Atlas Network. They shared a common founder in Antony Fisher.
Now the FT has reported:
The US state department is set to fund Maga-aligned think-tanks and charities across Europe to disseminate Washington's policy positions and challenge perceived threats to free speech.
They added:
Senior state department official Sarah Rogers travelled to Europe in December to meet influential rightwing think-tanks and has spoken to key figures in Nigel Farage's populist Reform UK party about deploying a pot of money to spread American values, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.
The funding was linked to the 250th anniversary celebrations of US independence later this year, the people said.
What this amounts to is state-backed replication of the hate-filled rhetoric of the far right that has always been aimed at the state, except that now the state has been captured, it is being used to assist the process of its own destruction in the USA and elsewhere to ensure that any remaining elements of democracy might be destroyed.
And there is Farage, lapping it up, given that his own commitment is to the politics of destruction, which, once it has succeeded in its goal of undermining the effective state, turns into the politics and economics of failure, which in turn is used as the justification for undermining even further the universal provision of well-being for all, whilst declaring some to be the enemies of society.
You have been warned. This is coming our way. The fight against state-sponsored fascism is now a part of our agenda.
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It is important to remember that when human beings embrace hate and conflict, it is not necessarily natural at all. It is driven by money – lots of money – someone somewhere wants us to be like this because it suits THEM.
It is important to reflect on this because money works and it could be people we know, love and are close to who may be affected by it.
This is, of course, foreign interference in British democracy. US interference has become so normalised in this country that it’s treated as part and parcel of how political parties, think tanks, news and social media, function. If the funding were Chinese, say, or Russian, pundits would be rightly clamouring. No such clamour when the funding comes from the pockets of ultra right-wing billionaires or oddball religious groups.
Much to agree with
“being sued to assist the process of its own destruction”
being used?
Thanks
On a practical level, any contact with these organisations can be used primarily to ask politely who is funding their activities. The question is redundant as far as this blog is concerned: most readers know where their money comes from. The general public do not know and perhaps assume a grand sounding name must have some authority and expertise.
These people are forever on discussion panels on TV. Only rarely are they asked about their funding.
My suggestion is to email these shows asking them to put the question of who funds them to anyone appearing. If enough people do this, the producers might start putting this question to their guests. of course, the producers and host know perfectly well who funds their guests, but never ask knowing they are likely to be blanked by the Tufton Street gang. The viewer can see this and make up their own minds whose interests are being served.
Programme makers are likely to ignore a few emails, but not 50 or 60. It’s up to us to start pestering them.
Please do
We’ve got you and this forum to help protect decent values. So chin up, and keep going.
Thanks