The New York Times reported this last night:
President Trump unleashed his fury about weakness in the labor market, saying without evidence that the data were “manipulated” and that he was firing the Senate-confirmed Department of Labor official responsible for pulling together the numbers each month.
This is Orwellian in the extreme. The era of the Ministry of Truth has arrived. For those not familiar, a Google search suggests:
In George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, the Ministry of Truth, or Minitrue, is one of the four governmental ministries in the totalitarian state of Oceania. Its primary function is the dissemination of propaganda and the manipulation of historical records to align with the Party's ideology. It is a place where lies are manufactured and truth is systematically distorted.
This is precisely what Trump is now trying to do. A fascist, authoritarian leader cannot face the truth. The news must always be good, and as they want it.
We are living in very dangerous times, as I seem to have said for a while now, but all I feared is coming true. It is not only obvious that Trump lives inside his own fantasy, but that he wants all of us to join him in that fantasy, and has the power to try to make that totalitarian and fascist dream of his come true.
Trump is already destroying the US Constitution and the powers within it that are meant to constrain his ability to rule by decree. Now he wants to ensure that people do not know that his plans are totally destructive.
He will not, of course, be able to hold back the truth for long. But the possibility of an ugly conflict when his fantasy meets reality cannot be avoided now, and has to be thought about as a real risk.
This is profoundly worrying, because when what even approximates to the truth in the neoliberal world is abandoned, what happens next is simply unknown, but all the precedents suggest that the outcomes are never good for humankind.
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I’m afraid Trump has never developed emotionally above the age of about 4. Very sad for him, but the fact that someone of his calibre is able to rise to the very top tells you a lot about America. I was brought up to believe that America was a country that we should aspire to be like. Unfortunately we are more like America than our European neighbours.
When I went to America, I didn’t like what I saw at all.
It’s worthy of the worst days of the Soviet Union, and the announcement of the latest figures for tractor production. Add in the spinelessness compliance of Congress and Senate, the co-option of the judiciary, business trotting along to Trumps’ tune with rare exceptions despite the damage they know its doing (my son is in Detroit), with a supine media. When Trump looks ever more demented, in all senses of the word. At the moment it’s left to academia, civil society and very few politicians. Sadly Saunders has shot himself in both feet with his support for Israel’s genocide.
The Democrats are nowhere. Harris was on with Stephen Colbert last night and have not heard it all but I am not impressed so far.
Yet we had our own pre mini-me version of Trump here in Johnson. His taking the reins of power here told you everything about the UK and the people who voted for him. The same chaos, lawlessness, incompetence, privileged self entitlement and greed and the other negative qualities. In Trump and others our fragile democracies and the bodypolitic that underpin them have been shown up for what they are. Good or bad, it’s certainly that way to me.
Relevant:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/02/self-termination-history-and-future-of-societal-collapse
Possibilities:
USM goes on as-is = state collapse & possible civil war. – this is likely to trigger China to invade Taiwan.
Trump is removed and Vance moves into power (= tech-bro take over of the USM)
As the book reviewed by the G’ suggests: the world has a chance to step back – but it is a small chance & the window of opportunity is probably closing. In the case of the European war (currently Ukraine vs Russia) Putin is banking on USM collapse and an EU+UK unable to provide Ukraine with the support it needs @ which point the war in Europe will become generalised probably with a modest amount of tactical nuclear weapons (Brussels gone?) & UK & France unable to respond @ a tactical level – China happy to see the EU cut down to size/cease to exist & thus we move into a Hobbseian world.
I have not read it all: but note, he sees positive outcomes from collapse.
I will read later. Too much birdwatching so far today.
Hobbes was full of shit. Have you ever read Kropotkin’s “Mutual Aid”?
Matthew
RE: Hobbes.
You are a naughty boy.
Before I scald you any further please tell me why Hobbes was ‘full of shit’?
And it had better be good. Hobbes identified a lot of factors that would lead any society into the dark ages – from universities legitimising stuff like Neo-liberalism to the abuse of language we see in fascism/Alt Right. Ultimately Hobbes identified that what drives human animals is self-preservation – and that includes co-operation and mutual aid a la Kropotkin. I also like Rousseau, but a realistic take on human beings would be incomplete without Hobbes.
I let this through when bird watching.
I am glad you have picked it up.
[Replying to myself ‘cos I can’t reply directly]
PSR,
Apologies for any offence caused, my impudence was to attract attention, I hope you understand.
I would counter your argument by suggesting that Hobbes’ work is used to justify oppression. If nature really is red in tooth & claw then of course we must seek to control it but some indigenous cultures see nature as a bounteous mother and I think their analysis is fundamentally correct, given that we would not be here without her.
Carolyn Merchant’s “Death of Nature” offers an alternative interpretation to Hobbes’ Leviathan, and I find it far more convincing.
Hope this helps 🙂
[…] what Trump is now doing to official statistics, this data may be more important […]
There is story (which I hope I remember correctly) told in Russia during the communist era.
An accountant applies for a job. He is asked “Comrade, what is two plus two”. He gambles they want some caution and suggests ‘three’.
‘Get him out of here. Underestimating our Soviet achievement.’
The next guy answers ‘five’.
Sorry, comrade but we can’t risk that sort of figure.’
The third one says ‘Whatever you want it to be.’
Lets us show you to your office.
Someone might remember a more accurate version.
🙂
Many years ago I worked in the management consultancy practice of an international firm of chartered accountants. The senior partner, himself an accountant, bemoaned the tightening of accounting standards at an internal conference, saying the point of drawing up accounts was “What profit would you like?”
IFRS standards were created to allow that possibility, in my opinion.
Dangerous times indeed, in fact I haven’t felt this apprehensive since October, 1962, when a lot of us felt that nuclear armageddon was very close. The news that Trump has ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in what he calls, “the appropriate regions”, in response to again what he calls, “highly provocative”, comments made by former Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev. Very dangerous.
Medvedev is just a troll this days.
But then, so is Trump, and he has the nuclear codes.
But let’s also be clear, the subs were already most likely in position and this is just more deflection.
Richard wrote:
“Medvedev is just a troll these days”
I would take it further and suggest that Trump, Medvedev and Putin worked together on the submarine show. Even Trump’s limited intelligence can recognise the damage even a limited nuclear exchange would do to his property portfolio.
I added a comment on this late yesterday evening, when I first saw the report (but can’t see the comment), but it’s worth watching the segment on it from Chris Hayes on MSNBC yesterday evening. https://www.msnbc.com/all Trump will try to cook the books. Yes, it’s Orwellian, but as I said in my comment yesterday evening, it’s also straight out of Putin’s autocratic playbook – which is where Trump gets his ideas from, as he damn sure hasn’t ever read Orwell – but he’s been speaking to Putin for years.
The merger of big tech into the military is another disturbing step in Project 2025, where “Detachment 201, also known as the Executive Innovation Corps, is a United States Army Reserve group formed of US technology executives directly commissioned to the rank of Lieutenant colonel.” [quote from Wiki].
What is the purpose of enlisting media CEOs etc as Lieutenant Colonels? Direct control of information from the Commander-in-Chief.
We really can’t say that we haven’t been warned — but that doesn’t make the path we are on any more palatable.
Two other snippets that seem relevant, if my recollection is correct:
– Wasn’t a key issue with some of the industrial and agricultural failures with the Soviet regime that they didn’t have accurate numbers (on food production or factory output) — and that was because regional ‘managers’ could only feed up good news (despite the actuality). So the central planning was never working with accurate data?
– It is likely that the distractions in the US (and here) will need to get ever more extreme as the impact on normal folk gets worse ….. wasn’t Oceania kept in a constant state of War?
Your recollection seems to be correct
As i recall the communists thought that profit was not the best measure in deciding investment. Some things might be profitable but anti-social ( we can think of examples here today) .
They experimented with other measures such as weight or numbers (with less regard to quality ) Khruschev gave an example ( my memory of things said during my teens is quite good ) of producing chandeliers but some bright spark used total weight produced as the measure. They got heavier and Mr. K said they were falling out of the ceiling.
I’ve just read an interesting article in the Guardian that was essentially a review of a book by Luke Kemp called Goliath’s Curse.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/02/self-termination-history-and-future-of-societal-collapse
I wasn’t quite sure where to put this but it does in many ways relate to this post. It also relates very much to the posts about telling stories and debunking myths – very pessimistic about the stuctures we have created but optimistic about people.
Worth a read!
I am going to read it now.
Notice how Putin is prepared to let Trump use nuclear submarines as a diversionary tactic to cover up bad numbers but Russia merely dismisses Trump’s actions as sabre-rattling rather than identify the diversion itself. It is all a game.
The Smithsonian’s museum had to remove mentions of Trump’s 2 impeachments. The exhibition now looks like it looked in 2008.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/01/smithsonian-trump-impeachments
“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered…” — Orwell, “1984”.
Full on fascism…
Dear Richard
I am appalled by your comment that Bernie Sanders supports the Israeli genocide. He is, in fact, the leader of the increasingly effective movement in Congress to end American funding of the genocide.
I noticed and stand corrected.
I have edited the comment to correct it.
Bernie has, I note, been party of the Senate group demanding change. So, apologies to you and him.