WHAT PRICE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

(I wrote the following a few days ago before the House of Lords made various amendments to the proposed Crime Bill; which does not mean that the government won’t keep putting them back in. In addition it would seem that Boris Johnson is most likely going to slip through again as once more the Conservative Party distracts from the issue, arguing it is old news, happened over a year ago and look at what Boris has achieved over the pandemic. Boris in fact has achieved nothing but is riding on the success of the National Health Service which, had it not been in place, only chaos would have ensued. It is his habit to claim applause for work accomplished by other people, e.g. Boris bikes which were first proposed by Ken Livingston and the 2012 Olympics, which again were in the works well before Johnson became mayor.)

 

Whilst the Conservative Party scrabble round for justifying Boris Johnson’s continued presence as Prime Minister, or not, as the case may be, they are clearly in disarray; however, that has not stopped them from continuing with a raft of repressive legislation this country has not seen for centuries. It is being implemented to preserve their continued power in government, which is why they are in two minds about ditching Boris too quickly. This legislation, populist in origin, is attractive to those who see it as a proactive solution to current problems they feel need managing, such as immigration and determined protest by, what they see as, fringe groups, such as extinction rebellion. What they do not see, is that by creating more authoritarian legislation to ‘deal with the problem’, they are providing the tools for oppression and dictatorship.

 

Their program of government provides them with a certain popularity amongst the people whose fear and prejudice of the ‘foreign’ is deeply ingrained (which is sadly the case in much of this country’s population) but also those who are upset by strikes and demonstration that obstruct their movement to and from work, a night out on the town, or indeed some emergency services, which can prove difficult. They wish to appear tough on immigration, crime and what they call public nuisance. It is their idea of ‘taking back control’ and many of the electorate have bought into that point of view. What they do not realise is that a progressively repressive regime, giving more cause for arrest and incarceration, will become exactly that, a thoroughly repressive regime along the lines of Belarus, Myanmar, Russia etc. This Government equates the maintenance of good order with the maintenance of their continued ability to control. That is the control they are taking for themselves, let alone taking back.

This Government has so little vision they are either blind or unable to think beyond their own personal point of view, which they believe to be in the public interest. Priti Patel, the chief promoter of The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is an instance in point. Because she is so deeply rooted against immigration (despite her family history) and upset by Extinction Rebellion’s form of protest, she believes it is in the public interest to stop it, so she seeks to empower the State, through law enforcement, to arrest and incarcerate any dissenters of any kind. She does not see that by striking back at extinction rebellion, which is her focus, that she is striking out the right to protest entirely. The right of assembly and protest has been part of the British way of life and a long fought for civil right by the people of Britain. To impose the restrictions she contemplates is one of the most egregious attacks on the very democracy that supports that public interest.

So whilst we contemplate the pressing problems of the pandemic and the ridiculous callous behaviour of Boris Johnson, his cabinet is quietly going about the business of dismantling the very democracy they claim to serve and uphold.  What is worrying for them is that losing control as a result of Boris’s behaviour will prevent them from continuing to impose their dangerous agenda. This is why there is such hesitancy about Boris’s future. It is their own future that troubles them. An election now could wreck it all, so clearly that would be out of the question. A leadership election could lead to an early general election, so that too will have to wait. So the question of what to do about Boris is causing great consternation in cabinet and in the party.

This Government has not been acting in the public’s interest since David Cameron agreed to that disastrous referendum. It has reacted to populist and narrow nationalistic interest, which is not at all the same thing as the public interest. Boris Johnson’s very cry of “Get Brexit Done” was the mantra of popular separatists across the country and we now see the true result of that election.

A few more thoughts:

What saddens me most is the perception of the United Kingdom around the world.  Bear with me. Over the years, and particularly since the middle of the 19^th Century, large groups of people have emigrated from countries where they felt oppressed, disenfranchised, persecuted and generally lacking freedom.  That is still the case today, and many groups of people, ‘yearning to breathe free’ will do whatever they can to find a place of peace and freedom.  The propaganda of western nations and the continued proposition that they are the land of the free is still very much a part of a world view. The writing of Thomas Paine, born in Norfolk, and others who have promoted the rights of man have long been part of the education spread round the world through the British Commonwealth.  The idea that the United Kingdom or the United States could be anything other than a heaven is therefore not at all surprising. That, together with the continuing expansion of the English language as the lingua franca of the world, provides the seeds for current refugees, from Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen, Belarus, Myanmar and any number of areas of conflict and repression, to employ whatever mean necessary to gain access to those countries professing freedom as the cornerstone of the rule of law and their democracy. That is the image of Britain throughout the world and it is not too difficult to understand that people feel that risking their lives to get here is a better proposition than forfeiting their lives to stay where they are.

The current government is changing that view. Priti Patel, Liz Truss et al, seek to make of this country such a repressive regime that would resonate round the world so as to turn off any desire for tragic and desperate displace persons to seek refuge in the United Kingdom. That is ultimately the plan. What else could it be? By sending out the army and the gun boats to mow down the rubber dinghies, they will surely be turned off the idea of coming. By incarcerating protesters and the like, the word will get round, this is not the place to be, find solace elsewhere. That is the gist of their thinking, if actual thought could be ascribed to them. One wonders what they do think, indeed, Liz Truss was once a Liberal Democrat just twenty five years ago.

So far as the current migrants are concerned, it is difficult to know on what basis they still seek to come to Britain. Is it the former rhetoric concerning freedom, security, employment and a better life? Or is it ‘anywhere is better than where I am’? Do they really believe that the racism some have encountered will be absent in the United Kingdom? Or is it just that the languages they speak are limited to their own and English, supposedly making it easier for communication with authorities on arrival or in due course? I do not know, but I still suspect they believe the former propaganda which one still hears today. We are the country of freedom and the mother of parliaments. One wonders.

I recently commented of what I would imagine political public service was about. It is not an easy calling as it demands a great deal of one’s time and energy. It is not the sort of endeavour that can be done on the fly, as some would have it, enjoying the title and the kudos it can bring, whist not actually putting in the effort to find solutions to some constituent’s personal problems as well as general societal problems within one’s constituency and the entire country.

It seems clear that Boris Johnson is a title and kudos type. He enjoys a good photo opportunity, an elbow bump, a short burst of speech and a few answers, or not, to questions from the press. All the rest is delegated. He does not read documents or proposed legislation as was clearly demonstrated during some sessions in parliament. He leaves it to others to do the work and ‘advise him’, which advice can backfire as when in November 2021, Andrea Leadsom advised him to sponsor her amendment to scrap the suspension of Owen Patterson for breach of parliamentary rules. He promoted it in the house and ordered a three line whip from which he had to retreat the following day. This was just another example of his incompetence.

He has thus manufactured a cabinet of ministers who have demonstrated time and again their inability to serve the state with a progressive and forward looking international agenda, and rather seek to maintain a nostalgic fantasy status quo by quelling dissent, reducing aid and assistance to those in need, promoting out of date economics and business practices, and privatising public services directly or by stealth. The rail services are in crisis and the health service is slowly sourcing out work that should be retained within the NHS, are just examples of their lack of focus.

As against all that, maybe I misjudge them. Perhaps they are all genuinely concerned about the state of the country, what with continuing chicanery, violent crime, prejudice and racist behaviour. How to stop it. How to safeguard the NHS and other institutions that preserve the health and safety of the nation. How to promote continuing viable commerce to replenish the coffers of the nation to cover the cost of welfare and pensions. Perhaps they are sincerely dedicated to solving these problems of democracy and are deeply grateful that the electorate have seen fit to give them the opportunity to serve. We have had over twelve years of conservative Government. Are we still of a mind to give them the benefit of the doubt?

The longest lasting government in the last 100 years were the National and Coalition Governments which saw the country through the depression and the second world war. Between them, the various political parties dealt and coped with some rather extraordinary events. Nothing like a pandemic? Certainly far more lethal and destructive; yet that National Government fought to maintain the very freedoms this government seeks to curtail.

This government is in turmoil. It is not the freedom to remain unvaccinated or the requirements of a covid free passport to go to a nightclub or travel abroad that is the curb on freedom, it is the criminalising of the freedom to protest that is of import. If that goes through it might be the anti-vaxxer who ends up with a ten year gaol sentence.