TRUTH TO POWER - YET AGAIN

It is sometimes informative to look back. A short while ago I commented:  ' it is unfortunate that in order to preserve the liberties we have, one must at times side with what may be reprehensible; but, the reprehensible usually has a way of exposing itself in the long run. It is certainly better and healthier to defend the principles of freedom and justice for all individuals, than for the state to imprison, crush or kill the innocent.'

Oppressive, dehumanising or potentially illegal legislation of any kind, as has been proposed and contemplated by the current conservative government, is a grievous assault on the continued liberty and wellbeing of the citizens of the United Kingdom.

Today, on looking at the statistics relating to views of this blog, I noticed an item on Liberty-Defining the Obscene, a posting on the 21^st June 2012, ten years ago. In it, I noted the following:

 In the course of this ponder, I came across one William Lloyd Garrison who stated:

"He who opposes the public liberty overthrows his own." Garrison was a prominent American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer. He is best known as the editor of the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator, and was one of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society, he promoted "immediate emancipation" of slaves in the United States. Garrison was also a prominent voice for the women’s suffrage movement. In the first issue of The Liberator, Garrison stated:

I am aware that many object to the severity of my language; but is there not cause for severity? I will be as harsh as truth, and as uncompromising as justice. On this subject, I do not wish to think, or to speak, or write, with moderation. No! No! Tell a man whose house is on fire to give a moderate alarm; tell him to moderately rescue his wife from the hands of the ravisher; tell the mother to gradually extricate her babe from the fire into which it has fallen; – but urge me not to use moderation in a cause like the present. I am in earnest – I will not equivocate – I will not excuse – I will not retreat a single inch – AND I WILL BE HEARD. The apathy of the people is enough to make every statue leap from its pedestal, and to hasten the resurrection of the dead.

 I will be as harsh as truth and as uncompromising as justice

The charade of a leadership election equating with an election of a Prime Minister of this country, by some 160000 supposed members of the Conservative Political Party, is an outrage against democracy. The fact that it continues and that the citizens acquiesce in this charade is beyond apathy. It is, in my view, akin to criminal negligence leading to the death of the democratic institutions which are the pillars of British democracy, so long in the making and so bitterly fought for since the 10^th century.

What is going on before our eyes and ears is so manifestly wrong that it beggars’ belief. What Mr Garrison says, “The apathy of the people is enough to make every statue leap from its pedestal, and to hasten the resurrection of the dead.” is as appropriate today as it was in the United States of the 1830’s -1860’s. “Who opposes the public liberty overthrows his own” should be emblazoned on every school portico across the country.

Only an immediate general election would be appropriate in the circumstances. Far too much is currently at stake in this country and around the world for there not to be a general election of parliamentarians who can at least show some degree of maturity and understanding of what is needed to provide for the health and safety, both personal and economic, of the nation.

Whether such an election would sweep away the members of the present government from their parliamentary constituencies, is not known; but, there is every chance that, although they might remain in parliament, they will no longer be in government.  Indeed, there may not be a sufficient majority by any single party to form a government, given the present situation, but at least a democratic coalition could be established, and given the spectrum of thinking amongst some members of the Labour Party and the Liberal Democratic Party, the current government’s legislative agenda will be discarded.

There is the saying “If voting changed anything, it would be abolished,” or “They’d make it illegal”, which is largely attributed to Emma Goldman (1869-1940) anarchist, political activist and writer, and Russian immigrant to the United States at the age of 16. She was quite an impressive individual and well worth a look at. Be that as it may, voting is indeed problematic as the outcome of elections is never quite what one expects, particularly in so called western democracies. There is no doubt a wide political spectrum to choose from. More often than not the centrists, leaning (depending on the prevailing mood of the electorate) to either left or right, tend to be elected as representative of the various constituencies. Certainly the parties are never really that far apart, save for a few volatile extremists, or orthodox party members, who on the whole are kept in check.

Sadly, in what now appears to have been a year of aberration, 2016, the electorate on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, often referred to as ‘the pond’ made disastrous choices. On the western shore of that pond, an unscrupulous narcissist was elected President of the United States, and on the eastern end, a country that was doing quite well, decided by referendum, to separate itself from a difficult but profitable union. This lead to the eventual election of another unscrupulous narcissist, as party leader and prime minister. Both of these leaders were serial prevaricators with a mendacious spine running from head to toe. The problems left in their wake have been exacerbated by yet a third unscrupulous narcissist who has initiated violent conflict in middle Europe thereby creating world havoc, and an excuse for the first two to hide behind.

This unholy trinity of Putin, Trump and Johnson has plunged the planet into barely rectifiable chaos. Attempts to expose Trump's evil have seemingly floundered in the United States, despite an overwhelming body of evidence. He should have been impeached twice over during his term in office, and should, by now, have been brought to justice for his incitement to violence and his assault on the American Constitution and rule of law. He is a violent terrorist attempting to disguise himself in a cloak of super patriotism.  

As to Johnson, his total lack of integrity, irresponsibility and chicanery still has not penetrated into the brains of his local party members who continue to endorse him. No matter what they see and hear about his dishonest and disreputable character, they still regard him as someone who has been hard done by and who should have continued as prime minister. His acolyte Liz Truss, who also continues to support him, has clearly been chosen by them as their next leader and, consequently, our prime minister. So no, their voting in this leadership election changes nothing.

As to Mr Putin, it is clear that so far as Russia is concerned, voting has already effectively been abolished. The control of media and message in the former Soviet Union is unchanged. How long this is likely to continue is impossible to predict. Will the situation get worse and expand into all out world war, is equally difficult to predict. So far most heads of state round the world are able to keep things in check; however, some disturbing rhetoric from Liz Truss is particularly dangerous. She is apt to say stupid provocative things in the guise of trying to sound prime-ministerial and show strong leadership. She is neither of these things and should keep her mouth shut. How she will behave as the actual Prime Minister from Monday the 5^th September is anybody’s guess. Is there anyone to keep her in check?

Over the last six years this world has been put through a mangle and that unholy trinity with its adherents is still turning the handle. Unfortunately the only way to stop it in our democracies is at the ballot box. The United States must find a way to prevent the onslaught of Trump’s allies in the coming mid term elections. The likes of Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnel, Kevin McCarthy, Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor-Greene, Matt Gaetz, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, etc, must be defeated.  In the United Kingdom the wider electorate must push for an immediate general election as soon as possible. To allow the current Conservative Party leadership to continue for another two years is permitting the continuing demise and impoverishment of the United Kingdom, both economically and spiritually. This nation cannot afford to vanish down a plug hole where it is most assuredly headed if it continues along its present path. We should all be as harsh as truth and as uncompromising as justice.