As I have already noted this morning, Trump arrives today to promote his fascist regime of racist violence in the UK.
At the same time, and seemingly completely ignored by the UK press this morning, his regime has announced its intention to destroy political opposition in the USA.
As Robert Reich has pointed out (and I can't find the ink right now), he has now completed phase one of his programme.
He has gutted the civil service.
He has neutered Congress.
He has destroyed political objectivity in his government.
He has attacked the universities, and many have keeled over.
He has taken on the Smithsonian and other public bodies promoting what was thought to be the American way of life and subverted them.
And big business in the USA has, seemingly willingly, abandoned diversity, equality and inclusion whilst letting go of the green agenda.
Now he is going to gut politics.
As the New York Times says this morning (and he has just launched a $15 billion lawsuit against them, to destroy freedom of the press):
Investigators have said little so far about the motive for the assassination of Charlie Kirk, although the Republican governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, has said, without providing specifics, that the shooter held a “leftist ideology” and acted alone.
On Monday, though, Trump administration officials united in an effort to pin the blame for the killing of the right-wing youth organizer on something much larger: a network of their political enemies.
Speaking on Kirk's podcast, Vice President JD Vance vowed that the administration would “go after the NGO network that foments, facilitates and engages in violence,” without offering any evidence that any such network exists or was involved in Kirk's death.
They added:
Behind the scenes, two senior administration officials told my colleagues Katie Rogers and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, federal officials were working to identify organizations that funded or supported violence against conservatives. The goal, they reported, was to categorize such activity that led to violence as domestic terrorism.
Rumour has it that the Open Society Foundation and the Ford Foundation are in their sights, amongst many others. Indirectly (i.e., via organisations funded by them), I have been funded by both in the past. Neither does in any way promote domestic terrorism or violence, but they do promote programmes that offend violent conservatives, without a doubt.
It also seems that the Democratic Party in the USA might fall within this category of being a terrorist organisation, as far as the Trump regime is concerned. Trump's own language suggests that this might be the case. Vance is also using such threats.
I cannot find this being discussed in the UK domestic press this morning. It seems as if there is a collective belief that the fact that Trump is now seeking to end all vestiges of US democracy as he arrives in the UK to visit our eugenically selected head of state should not be mentioned in polite newspapers today. Why that might be the case is almost impossible to work out.
The greatest threat to the UK now comes from far-right activism that is seeking to end democracy as we know it, whilst terrorising millions of people living in, working in, and massively contributing to society in this country. To be candid, there is no other threat worth talking about when the British form of this threat, openly promoted in the style of Trump by Nigel Farage, is leading UK parliamentary opinion polls, whilst being opposed by around 70% of the public, as Trump is in the USA.
Why is this being ignored? I do not know. But I will not ignore it. Democracy is hanging on by a thread in this country because those tasked with managing and upholding it will not take the necessary steps to protect it and the country from fascism.
If there is something to be angry about today, it is about how readily the Tories and Labour are joining the march to fascism, as if the opinions of the people of this country on this issue do not count.
We are in deep, deep trouble, and will be reminded of that fact continually over the next three days.
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Might the approximate £240,000 cost of Mr. Trump’s visit be be better spent when we have some 20% of our children semi-starved/chronically underfed?
Yes
I understood the security costs alone are running into millions. Amazing how there is no problem in finding money for this, but not for so many other far more important issues.
As for the long term costs of the “deals” that are being done in our name- I fear for the future of us all. We will. be entirely under the control of US tech firms in every aspect of our benighted lives.
I think people should be judged not on the colour of their skin but on the content of their character. The Supreme Court has said a version of this too and we should respect that.
Why don’t we learn from history? So many asked how Hitler was allowed to progress from a democratic leader to a fascist dictator and why more didn’t speak out. And her we have Gaza and the situation in the US and it’s barely making the news. And on e again we are welcoming a leader who is not fit for office and effectively endorsing their actions. History will not be kind to us.
Agreed
I wonder what precisely are the necessary steps you have in mind to protect democracy in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Interest in local elections is always low with turnouts of around 1 in 3. We could make that more interesting by devolving more powers to Local Authorities. Personally I’d go through all the powers and tax responsibilities devolved to cantons in Switzerland and to the States in the USA and say to the Local Authorities that these are yours now, knock yourselves out. It would certainly make the next local elections about more than just bins.
As for national elections we have to wait until 2029 unless some internal change happens in the Parliamentary Labour Party to cause one before then.
I think you will find that the UK selection process is highly monitored. In any local council that has big money players, or here in Northern Ireland an unaddressed local (now largely loyalist) armed paramilitary families’ threats, if you gifted monies direct, things would only get even worse. Combine this gatekeeper legal structure with Great Britain’s arcane first past the post voting system and once any group of wealthy influential individuals capture corruptible politicians, it is game over for real democratic progress. As in America, the last stand against Reagan and Thatcher’s successful state capture by global corporate authoritarianism, lies with the courts. Hence the fevered drive by Farage to leave the ECHR.
They did mention the JD Vance podcast on Today programme – said it was ‘the most extraordinary thing he had heard from a leading politician’. But it wasn’t headlined.
It wouldn’t be headlined for the same reason they couldn’t show ‘Doctors Under Attack’ because if were given the prominence it deserves, the BBC wouldn’t appear ‘impartial’. The truth often isn’t impartial – its just the truth.
The mindset seems to echo the Gaza onslaught – take out the ‘opposition’ – the ‘terrorists’ wherever they are s perceived to be with no questions asked .
You wouldn’t believe that this could happen in a democracy but it is happening
You share my concerns
I did wonder when this would start to happen.
How soon will it be before those such as Bernie Sanders and AOC are arrested and portrayed as ‘terrorists’?
Scary, scary times and we seem to be sleepwalking to a similar fate.
Ref*** ‘Hey, turkeys, vote for Christmas’
Enough of the population ‘Yes, please. Now, give the great Nigel a knighthood’
Craig
I fear such things will happen
The main problem fascism faces is the fact that most people are opposed to it. In the 1930’s societies were far less diverse than they are now. The best they can hope for is a deeply divided population, perhaps a very unstable minority rule. I believe that is the agenda of Reform, with a premiership for Farage being a happy bonus. The sponsors of the far right are clearly doing so to protect their status and wealth. They will back anyone who promises not to tax them more or curtail their interests. My hope is that they push things so far that they cement opposition. They have given the Left a purpose, and a clear message. Oppose fascism, oppose it’s billionaire supporters.
The only issue is that recent history has provided a really solid framework for what fascism, genocide, and a dictator look like; in the form of Hitler.
In western societies, it feels like anything that isn’t militaristic rallies, a single race trapped in a hyper-efficient prison camp, and explicitly race exclusionary politics cannot be counted.
Obviously, many people can see through this, they can see the makings of genocide in different forms, or the rise of a Fascism that will happily include other races if it leads to them having more support and power.
Time will tell, I hope you are right. Social media is scary in how much it can refract collective attention, and who runs those services.
“The main problem fascism faces is the fact that most people are opposed to it. In the 1930’s societies were far less diverse than they are now
Is that true in the case of fascist Italy? A significant minority of Italians took up arms against the fascist regime and /or avoided the draft. Others found more subtle ways to subvert fascism.
I tend to conclude that the popularity of fascism and the emergence of fascist leaders is not the cause but the consequence of the failure of democracy. I mean when democracy inevitably ends, this is how it usually ends.
Although human stupidity is even more endless than the universe, a 21st century fascist leader with some instinct of survival doesn’t need to rely on arrests. Soft power works better. Make people disappear and people turn against you. Create a few tax and accounting rules that are impossible to comply with and then carry out an extremely particular tax audit, and all your opponents will be out of the game soon. Then use your media to discredit your opponents. Most voters won’t understand the trap, they will only see tax evasion and a bitter person who just wants to hide his wrongdoing by “spreading lies” about our duly elected leader.
Now, that’s the point when we might thank to God that neither El Presidente nor Farage are particularly wise “leaders”…
Richard, do you think Farage is Trump’s puppet? His Mussolini? My (slightly conspiratorial) theory is that since the tech bros sucked up to Trump we have seen increased fascist activity in this and other countries. Zuckerberg is his Goebbels perhaps. It wouldnt be hard for facebook algorithms to link say – been to an england football game then show them more anti immigration content, work as a scaffolder, then show more Tommy Robinson. Is there anything in this?
Its very brave of you to voice such public views, especially at the time of a state fascist visit. Are you not worried that you will be amongst the first they come for in their purge? I say to you (only slightly in jest) listen out for clicks on the telephone and mind you aren’t followed by men in a blacked out SUV!
Unless we speak out we have already succumbed.
And I have long presumed I have been monitored by security services. Given my track record they would be, as my wife puts it, negligent not to notice.
Alex FP: Charlie Kirk will be their Horst Wessel, perhaps?
The link to Robert Reich
Trump’s Phase 2 now begins
It’s a last-ditch effort to discredit all Trump’s political opponents. It will fail.
ROBERT REICH
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/trumps-phase-2-now-begins
Thanks
The predominantly young white men I saw last weekend running rampant through London said to me that they have found a way to express themselves. What has been blocked in their lives? A sense of self? A way to feel part of something that will give them an identity. How has this come about? Lack of opportunity, love, support, investment, be that with money or time. The system in England dictates that if you have wealth, then you are destined to ‘succeed’, be that in sport, the arts, education, travel, or politics, and many other areas. How do we level the playing field so that wealthy fascists and demagogues do not stride along and have easy answers? Socialism is desperate to be born, and capitalism is struggling to die. Now is the time of monsters. Forgive me, Antonio Gramsci.