There is a problem that the British and US political systems share in common. It is the deeply delusional far-right politics that has in each case entered and captured one of the two main parties within both these supposed democracies.
In the US the rise of Trump has been obvious. The current hearings on the 6 January 2020 storming of the Capitol makes clear, using evidence from Republican sources alone, how profoundly corrupt Trump and those around him were. Former senior administration members say Trump has lost touch with reality. But, and this is the key issue, millions of Americans still believe Trump. They contend that the man who apparently sanctioned the hanging of his Vice President is the victim here, and should be given another term in the White House. And so powerful are they, and the money that backs them, that many elected Senators and Congress members appear to share their view.
The UK situation with the corruption of the Conservatives is not quite as stark as yet. So far they have not invited the violent takeover of government. But, where the Republicans go so, seemingly inevitably, does the current Tory Party follow, so rule nothing out yet.
What both offer is, of course, populist politics. This is largely devoid of meaningful policy content, because those leading both movements know that populism works best when it cannot be nailed down to a position. Instead what it creates is the fear of ‘the other'.
Racism drives both parties.
So too does deep seated misogyny.
France comes high on the list of common enemies; the Tories just extend it to the whole EU.
The rule of law is considered flexible. Both seek to capture the legal process for their private gain.
Their economics is dressed up to appeal to the person on average earnings whilst giving most benefit to their wealthy backers. Those on lower incomes who suffer as a result are persuaded this a price worth paying to beat the enemies who line up against them on the left, and elsewhere.
Government paralysis is by political choice: their belief is that they win from chaos. As soon as a crisis appears to subside they deliberately create another.
And all the while they seek to grind down reasonable people, making them by attrition gradually accept that what is exceptional is normal.
Except it isn't. Those of us who are appalled are the sane in this situation. We should be disgusted by what our government is doing, and we are, just as we are disgusted by the media that exonerates them.
So what can be done? Inevitably, there are options available.
One is to not accept what they are doing, from Brexit onwards. Disappointment with Labour's failure to reject Brexit is entirely reasonable in this situation.
Another is to continually point out the Tories' failings. Social media let's us do this. Taking part is to be part of the necessary opposition to what they are doing.
Third is to protest, peacefully. It is encouraging that spontaneous protests around migration related issues are now happening.
Then we need to vote Anything But Conservative. This is not a by-election policy, but one for general elections too.
And after that the pressure for real reform has to be made. A Labour government that perpetuates the system that has permitted fascists to seek control of government would fail us all, because fascism will try again.
Finally, for now, keep talking to Tories - or the people who vote for them. Make clear that the party they say they support is nothing like even that of Cameron and is only remotely related to that of Major, Thatcher and others most Tories recall. The seeds of disquiet have to be sown, because the great hope is that the Tories collapse into factions. This is seemingly inevitable after Johnson goes because there is no one who seems remotely capable of reconciling the factions within the party. It is only by splitting that the Tories might be beaten, but I stress, might be.
And remember, we are fighting fascism. And there is a duty to do that.
Thanks for reading this post.
You can share this post on social media of your choice by clicking these icons:
You can subscribe to this blog's daily email here.
And if you would like to support this blog you can, here:
“Splitting the Tories”. I have just returned from a holiday in England visiting relatives and friends, and judging by their opinions, and their choice of news channels, G.B News ,etc, their views are, if anything, becoming more hardened. Brexit is blameless, refugees are the problem, and it’s the correct policy to deport them to Rwanda. So if my small sample is anything to go by, it’s going to take one heck of a shift in public opinion to unseat the Tories, and quite frankly, who would vote for Labour, who seem to be trying to ape the Tories.
“So far they have not invited the violent takeover of government. But…don’t rule nothing out yet.“
You feeling the “fascism” when you step out your front door leafy Ely,..there is an election within the next 18m. The thing is i think Johnson will return to power..not by “a violent takeover of government” but by a democratic election.. voted in by the hordes of people you abuse.. yes it is abuse to call normal working people like teachers and doctors “racist and fascist” because you object to who they vote for in free democratic elections..i suggest you wing your neck in..
Is that a the threat of violence?
Pardon? In as much as its possible to make any sense of your badly written screed i think a couple of things need to be pointed out.
Who are the hordes of people Richard is abusing? Given this government’s treatment of doctors and teachers very few of them are going to vote tory. They’re too well educated and knowledgeable for that; unlike you it appears.
Free democratic elections? You are aware the government has passed legislation with the help from it’s ‘democracy loving MP’s’ , that will be used to suppress the vote of non-tories and stop the electoral commission from ensuring the elections are free from corruption?
Finally, I suggest you try and write intelligible English. It makes you look less stupid.
anyone who voted tory is in richards eye is a racist and a fascist.. normal working people vote tory, He is abusing a lot of people including many teachers, doctors and nurses who chose to vote tory..
You pose three questions.
One is why is it that you are also called tony sibson, because you provide me with ample evidence that you are one and the same person?
The second is what is your aversion to capital letters except, inappropriately, in the middle of sentences?
The third is why is a person who votes for an openly racist, neo-fascist party who you claim to be capable of reason not themselves a fascist when that is their electoral preference?
“The third is why is a person who votes for an openly racist, neo-fascist party who you claim to be capable of reason not themselves a fascist when that is their electoral preference?”
There is the abuse.. confirmation in richards head that anyone voting Tory is a racist and a fascist.. you really are an outlier and that is me being very polite!
Wow…now you have another identity
Amazing
Maybe you need help?
I wouldn’t bother trying again
There was a time when an appeal to patriotism was seen as the last refuge of a scoundrel.
These days, thanks to Boris Johnson, Cummings, Rees-Mogg, Arron Banks etc., and some dodgy Russians, it is an appeal to ‘democracy’ that has been reduced to the same level.
Any system that results in only 30% of a country’s morons enabling a bunch of Fascists to be in power through gerrymandering and lying is no system of democracy Mr Sibson. And what is worse is the Untermensch (inferior people) who exploit this. Yes – that’s right, people like Boris, Cummings, Rees-Mogg and Lynton-Crosby to name but a few of the criminals.
Now, since you and your fellow morons are outclassed here intellectually and – I can reassure you – physically – please wind YOUR neck in – and make it right quick.
‘Patriotism having become one of our topicks, Johnson suddenly uttered, in a strong determined tone, an apophthegm, at which many will start: ‘Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.’ But let it be considered, that he did not mean a real and generous love of our country, but that pretended patriotism which so many, in all ages and countries, have made a cloak for self-interest’
(from p. 543, The Life of Samuel Johnson, James Boswell, Everyman Library, 1996). Now lets just replace the original words with the word ‘democracy’ shall we?:
‘Democracy having become one of our topicks, Johnson suddenly uttered, in a strong determined tone, an apophthegm, at which many will start: ‘Democracy is the last refuge of a scoundrel.’ But let it be considered, that he did not mean a real and generous love of our democracy, but that pretended democracy which so many, in all ages and countries, have made a cloak for self-interest’.
It still rings true when changed doesn’t it?
So dave/tony, whatever your name is, care to comment on PSR’s well made point re democracy, viz
“Democracy having become one of our topicks, Johnson suddenly uttered, in a strong determined tone, an apophthegm, at which many will start: ‘Democracy is the last refuge of a scoundrel.’ But let it be considered, that he did not mean a real and generous love of our democracy, but that pretended democracy which so many, in all ages and countries, have made a cloak for self-interest’.”
Again, given the public sector’s treatment by this government, very few teachers, doctors and nurses will vote for them. And your normal working people claim who vote for them are either totally deluded, or know what they are and are willing to vote for a bunch of neo-fascists. So what does that make them?
dave/tony is blocked now
The Tories, even if they don’t ditch Johnson, may well be elected back into power with a minority of the votes in a somewhat free and fair democratic election. However, in the event that they are not and that they try to take over the government by force, whose side would you be on?
Where on earth do these relatives and ‘friends’ live Alex? Judging by their choice of news channel and their views it must be a sinkhole of ignorance and stupidity. I’m not sure I’d want to have friends and relatives like these!
“A Labour government that perpetuates the system that has permitted fascists to seek control of government would fail us all, because fascism will try again.”
That’s certainly true. Get rid of FPTP and work with other parties Labour, for God’s sake.
I live in a working class area of the north east of England. I am very much afraid that my experience is similar to Alex Beveridge. Including a long term union-supporting Labout voter who peferred to vote Tory than support Corbyn, but would not explain why.
I met some like that
I then look for those where I have more chance of success
It’s all we can do
Some causes are lost and not worth pursuing
A question for the supporters of the current administration might be do you think it is competent, if so why?
The ‘body language’ around Johnson at ‘International Meetings’ is pretty clear – he’s Billy No Mates
Since abandoning their early belief in the total omnipotence of Milton Freidman and despite the continued cultish following for Ayn Rand most Tories now affect to believe in the ideas of Fredrich Hayek,
So it is surely one of the great paradoxes of political economy that a government that claims to be disciples of the great anti-ideologist is now the most ideological that this country has ever seen. Determined to carry on with policies that have repeatedly failed and continue to do immense damage.
If we haven’t learnt anything else in the last three hundred years then surely we should have learnt that at some point all ideologies whether they are political, religious or based on the conquest of other people are the greatest begetters of savagery and incompetence this planet has ever seen.
Well put
I work in Brexit Central – Sunderland. Let me assure brexit supporters are alive and well. They freely accept that brexit will make them and their families poorer. But they demand a hard brexit anyway because.
Because they want it. Because they voted for it and they are entitled to it.
As for fascism. They nearly took france. They have taken Russia
Depressing
Even more depressing is that Labour seems just a paler version of the Tories. Starmer saying railway workers shouldn’t strike, stop the oil protesters should have injunctions to stop them, and now here is news that Wes Streeting is taking donations from an American with significant interest in private healthcare. https://skwawkbox.org/2022/06/14/shadow-health-sec-streeting-takes-large-sum-from-tory-donor-with-huge-private-health-interests/
And of course, no mention of Brexit.
Never have we been so ill served by politicians.
Tony-Dave
The question you have to ask yourself is why does a voter support a leader and a party who wish to break international law, break their own covid rules, lie persistently about everything, mislead Parliament, pursue policies that have lead to the deaths of voters in this country, accuse the leader of the opposition falsely of not prosecuting Jimmy Savile, the list of misdemeanours is endless. In any other time in history these people would have been forced out. You clearly do support him and his Party and I would be genuinely interested in what motivates you to do so and other normal working class workers, nurses, teachers and doctors. The Party Boris Johnson leads is not a Tory Party I recognise, one that respects British parliamentary democracy and it has changed significantly from what was historically the UK Conservative Party.
Might it be that democracies/”democracies” are influenced to governed by those who own the Main Stream Media?
https://www.globalresearch.ca/boris-johnson-billionaires-useful-idiot/5782821
Might it be possible to persuade the B. B. C into assertive objectivity and Labour and the Lib-Dems to being more than passive Conservatives?
Any suggestions?
I hope to have some more to say next week
To avoid populism we need a new form of politics not an anti- people we don’t like politics.
I suggest that new policies have to be both acceptable to the masses – a Commons to represent them perhaps
And also acceptable to the elites – some betters or Peers to represent that group perhaps.
Both with the power to block legislation.
Worked well when UK had it. USA had a better version until the 17th amendment(ish)
Is it really the case thst professional bodies such as the ICAEW and academic institutions such as the Sheffield University Management school and Anglia Ruskin University don’t have any controls over their members / professors?
I know that, regardless of it being outside of my professional work, I would certainly be in trouble with my professional body if I was to make the fanatical, abusive and offensive claims that you publish on a regular basis.
Do they not monitor the content on your blog?
I have replied in a blog comment
“And also acceptable to the elites – some betters or Peers to represent that group perhaps.”
BETTERS??????
Couldn’t agree more. We are living in a fascist state. It chills me to the bone when I hear words like ‘solution’ used in reference to refugees being sent to Rwanda.
At best we are living in a corporatocracy where big business can quite legally pay politicians vast sums of money, far exceeding their already generous salaries, so we know who is pulling the strings. That this is legal means the judiciary is obliged to make judgements in their favour which just emphasises the extent of the corruption. Mass media are also involved and serve to make all this appear legitimate. All this is wrapped up in pomp and circumstance and sold to the British public who seem to be swallowing hook, line and sinker. I can’t wait for Scotland to be independent and get away from Westminster which is rotten to the core. Independence won’t mean freedom from corruption but it will be an opportunity to design something better.