I mentioned yesterday my concern about what might happen to democracy as the omicron Covid crisis develops.
Last night 99 Tory MPs voted in outright rebellion against Boris Johnson in defiance of a three-line whip. Why did they rebel when they toed the line on removing free movement, the right to nationality, creating an internal customs border within the UK, filling rivers with excrement, denying children Covid protection, corruption and so much else? It was the seemingly innocuous issue of vaccine passports that they saw as a massive affront to liberty.
Leaving aside the fact that very recently the same MPs who voted against vaccine passports to save people's lives voted for the compulsory presentation of ID to vote, which makes a mockery of their position, this seemed like the weirdest of hills on which to stage a rebellion. Their claim was that this is the thin end of a wedge that will result in the creation of an authoritarian state.
In many ways these MPs are right. It is entirely true that their own party colleagues do seem intent on creating an authoritarian state where the rights of vast numbers of people are to be curtailed, but if anything those who rebelled seem keener on that process than those towards whom their protest was directed.
So what is this all about? It cannot be, as these MPs claim, that any reasonable understanding of freedom can actually underpin this rebellion because very clearly freedom does not drive the thinking of these people or they would have been in open rebellion on a great many issues over the last two years. This claim is, then, nonsense. That claim is, then, at best rhetoric, but not justification.
I suggest that the reason for this rebellion is much more toxic. If we assume that whatever a populist says is not what they mean, but nonetheless gives a clue as to their motivation, then in this case what we realise is that this rebellion is not about the freedom of the individual - which Dominic Raab has made clear is a matter of no concern at all to the Tory right-wing - but is instead all about the freedom of capital. The aim of those mounting this rebellion was to keep the economy open, come what may, so that the making of profit could continue unimpeded whatever the human cost.
More than that though, I suggest that these people are also dedicated to the destruction of the state as we know it, and so want to make sure that the NHS does fail, again whatever the human cost. This would then provide them with the perfect opportunity to argue for its privatisation.
What we have on display here then is pure, far right, dogmatic politics that is dedicated to the pursuit of corporate profit over the interests of people and the state itself. There is, of course, a political term to describe that, which is fascism.
What we also do know is that truth is alien to those pursuing this argument. For example, they argue that they need more evidence of the threat from omicron when that is not only readily available but is also profoundly worrying. If the data that we have is not sufficient to persuade them to change their minds then it is very clear that these people have lost touch with reality.
The concern about this comes from the power that this significant grouping has within the governing party. We saw the same broad grouping create havoc over Brexit. We know that the cost of that has been considerable. We are also seeing this group demand measures that oppress migrants; are targeted at protestors; that undermine the freedom of the media; and impose austerity when none is needed. As a result, we can be unambiguously sure that they seek to undermine almost all the ideas on the nature of society that have sustained this country during the lifetimes of almost anyone now living in it. As such they are an unambiguous political threat. Rishi Sunak's threat to impose austerity because of the need for booster vaccinations is just a variation on this theme. The aim is to extract reward for themselves out of a society that they seek to control but in whose interest's they will definitely not govern.
I think that the threat arising from these MPs is very significant. No government can survive forever by relying upon the support of an Opposition, especially when that government is as toxic as the one that we presently have, despite which it is still unable to win the support of its far-right MPs. That at some point a confrontation with the government is inevitable must be certain. What we cannot know is what Johnson will do, if he is still in office. Will he tack to the right? Will he risk a no confidence vote? Will he fail? We quite simply do not know, but what is inevitable is that at some point this fundamental confrontation between the far right and the rest of politics as we know it is going to happen, and I suspect that will be sooner than we realise precisely because that far-right grouping sees coronavirus as the opportunity that they can exploit to achieve power.
My very strong suspicion is that there are those within the Conservative Party, even now, who will resist the far right. Sufficient remain for this divide to precipitate a crisis. I think I am sufficiently confident on that point. What I do not know is what then happens. The reason for that is threefold.
Firstly, quite where Labour stands is uncertain. It is unambiguously the case that the party has shifted very much to the right under Keir Starmer. The difficulty is that we do not know what this means, and nor does anyone else. History suggests that managerialism is impotent against dogma. If only I knew what Labour believed in I might then think that they could represent a bastion against the far-right, but as yet I do not have that confidence.
Second, I am not entirely sure that people will forever stand aside and watch this dispute go on without reacting to it. Quite extraordinarily there has to date been almost no civil unrest in the UK despite the vast numbers of excess deaths that have been suffered by this country as a consequence of misrule. I doubt that this will change, even given the current crisis, excepting one thing, and that is that if the far-right supporters of this group of MPs in parliament decide to take to the streets then I think civil unrest is very unlikely, with no known outcome. I consider the risk that this will happen to be high. I simply cannot imagine the majority in this country sitting aside to let a far-right grouping deeply detached from reality take it over when it is very obvious to most people how utterly irresponsible they are. Civil unrest is incredibly rare in the UK, and I am not promoting it. What I am suggesting is that I think that there is a risk that it might happen.
Third, if anything like this were to happen then I think it very unlikely that people would then demand a restoration of the status quo when that has so obviously failed them for so long. Political disenchantment in the UK is high, simply because the two-party system cannot represent the complexity of peoples' views in a modern society. Despite this it has been maintained by politicians who know its failings but who benefit from its continuation. I really cannot see people tolerating that for a lot longer. If there really is a significant political backlash in the UK against those who are now trying to impose far-right positions upon us then the reaction is going to be against much more than the far-right, but will encompass a reaction to a long history of political failure. I think that people will demand a proper democracy, true representation, better government and governance and accountability for politicians to which they are unaccustomed. All that might, of course, come at the same time that the breakup of the Union is demanded.
That said, none of this might come to pass. The far-right might in the face of the reality of Covid pipe down. But I doubt it, and that means that we might be living in very turbulent as well as difficult times quite soon. 2022 looks like being a difficult year.
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I agree with you that profit support is the real motive for opposing the vaccine passport proposals. Even 22 Labour MPs supported this “rebellion” showing how they’re lurching to the right under Starmer. I was also surprised that Liberty the human rights NGO is criticising the passport scheme in their Winter 2021 newsletter as a threat to civil liberties despite the health risks which are an even greater threat to liberty than not being able to visit a nightclub without the necessary documentation.
@Bill Hughes : “Even 22 Labour MPs supported this “rebellion” showing how they’re lurching to the right under Starmer. ”
While its undeniable that Labour are lurching to the right, given that the “Labour rebels” included Diane Abbott, Apsana Begum, Dawn Butler, Bell Ribeiro-Addy and Clive Lewis (and Jeremy Corbyn) none of whom could even vaguely be considered on the right of the party, perhaps there’s another reason.
There was a feeling on the left beforehand that as Johnson was going to need Labour’s support, this was a perfect opportunity to wring some concessions out of him.
As this article : https://skwawkbox.org/2021/12/14/guest-article-starmer-to-prop-up-johnson-as-80-tories-rebel-on-covid-passports-and-compulsory-jabs/ suggests, Labour might have, for example, made their support conditional on :
” – full sick pay for all those who succumb to the virus
– support for businesses & workers that will be affected by work from home – particularly the transport industry,
– ventilation & filtration systems in schools & key worker workplaces
– support for nhs staff who are too weary to go on
– and so many other things.
As Christmas approaches, remember there will be children who won’t be getting a Christmas dinner least alone a present. How about demanding support for food banks over Christmas?”
Instead, as a comment to the above article neatly summed it up :
““The duty of the opposition is to oppose” not brownnose or cheer on or acquiesce. The job is to expose illogicality, stupidity, self interest, contradiction, bad leadership and nonsense.
Starmer had an open goal with the ball at his feet to make Johnson look even more stupid, further increase divisions amongst the Tories, sap their morale and encourage insurrection.
He did none of those things, he was a loyal and dim retainer scurrying to serve his master another glass of port.”
That, I suggest, is point that those “rebels” on the left of the party were trying to make. A protest against Starmer’s unconditional propping up of Johnson.
Glenn Greenwald’s take on those Labour rebels is worth reading (explained for a largely American readership). https://greenwald.substack.com/p/led-by-jeremy-corbyn-the-british
Entirely agree, however you failed to mention the poisonous influence of the media. That I believe is the reason the population is so docile. Take for example the revelation by the Mirror of those parties, the S*n had no mention at all, no doubt they were there and had a party themselves around that time.
Until the media is not ‘fixed’, we will sail on into dystopia without a murmur.
Well you either go along with society or you don’t.
You’re a herd animal or you’re not.
I think that those who don’t in this time are those whose time has come in many respects. And I’m not talking about the ‘silent majority’ types that inhabit the Alt-Right either.
My biggest fears……………….well…..
We are heading towards some form of environmental reckoning that is going to redistribute life around the planet. A planet that increasingly does not want to share.
A planet whose preeminent life form can’t get along with itself nor other life forms. And that has been getting worse through the early 2000’s.
Part of our ‘road to ruin’ is existentialism which I see has led us down an obsession with self-realisation with no thought about any limitations being present at all; then the marketing of self -realisation on the internet and T.V.
Two films I’ve seen this year made me stop dead and think.
Firstly ‘Everest – The Death Zone’ – was a film about the melting glaciers and ice in the highest of places and how local Sherpas self organise to try to clean it up. ‘Death Zone’ now takes on a different complexion. As the glaciers melt, and become dangerous themselves, the mountain is giving up its dead mountaineers whose distended corpses are defrosting and decaying into the local water supplies; even worse, the latrines that generations of mountaineers have used are also defrosting and their faeces and urine (as well as their litter) is also getting into the water supply and food system. I’ve always hero worshipped mountaineers for their bravery and being at one with nature, self challenging etc., but this takes the lid of all of that. I mean, what do they think they’ve been doing all these years? Self realising at any cost – that’s what. With an industry cashing in on it right behind it.
Then there is a film called ‘The Ivory Game’ which focuses on the plight of the African elephant. In some parts of Africa it has been wiped out through poaching.
Now I love my polar bears and bears in general but a fully grown tuskered African elephant is something else. I fail to see how anyone cannot be moved when you see one even on a screen. The idea of something so majestic, so huge on dry land is just , incredible. Yet their shrinkage in numbers since the 2000s has been nothing short of precipitous and it seems that growing wealth in Asia is the engine of their demise. One day – and not too far away – we will will wonder how the African elephant ever existed at all because they will just not be there. Because of us.
Self-realisation again.
Throw in the other self realisations of populist politicians, one-eyed industrialists, religious fundamental exceptionalists (hey Dickheads – we’re ALL special – Right!) and events like the conflict in Yemen of all places and I can see why you speak of turbulence!
I’m a housing development officer building affordable housing. I see people without hope crying with relief when they move into one of our houses we’ve managed to get built. So I sort of know I’m doing a good thing.
But when you look at the scale of issues we as a species face, you wonder if you are doing enough? My wish for myself in 2022 and onwards is to answer that question satisfactorily and be at peace with myself about that.
A form self-realisation – yes indeed – but one that has more outward facing, connected benefits as will as personal ones? A form of self-realisation that needs to be fostered more I feel I these times.
Yoru comments here are appreciated PSR
As is your work
As you say, ‘…the making of profit could continue unimpeded whatever the human cost’
That in a nutshell summarises todays libertarian, populist Conservatives. Callous as well as corrupt. However, whatever one thinks of Starmer’s positioning and Labour policies, they are a million miles from today’s Conservatives. They may be to the ‘right’ of where Corbyn might be but that does not make them ‘right wing’.
Do you not understand that left, right and centre are all relative. Compared to the incipient facsist government that we have today, Starmer’s Labour party is not right wing. Surely that is the wrong starting point. Starmer’s Labour party is, I would suggest, to the right of Heath’s conservatives and it has no shred of socialism. It has no interest in the safety, security and well being of the people of this country which is, in my opinion, the only role of a government.
While Starmer’s approach on this has seemed rather unenterprising, even wimpish, it may turn out a good strategy. Knowing there was Labour support guaranteeing the Bill would pass emboldened many Tory MPs to rebel – and once an MP has defied their party once they get the confidence to do so again.
Johnson may soon find himself struggling like Theresa May did.
If Johnson is driven out in 2022, this will the THIRD Prime Minister to have to resign after two years or less into their elected term.
How can any party retain any credibility with this sort of record?
Sadly, they do.
Are you going for understatement of the year?
2022 “MIGHT” be turbulent ?? WILL be turbulent, I think.
Damn
Second time in a week I have been accused of caution….
I’m slightly depressed at how few contributions there’ve been to this post…
What I dont understrand is why the hoo haa about vaccine passports.
You are required to have one for things like nightclubs and theatres not the daily essentials of life, shopping, buses etc
You can choose not to have one and yes if you are a theatregoer or clubber then it has an impact but not on most peoples day to day life