I have posted here previously on my concerns over a potential lack of confidence in democracy amongst the young. Several polls have suggested consistently that there is a gulf between the younger and older in our nation in the degree to which the fundamentals of democracy are valued. I hold that universal suffrage, the secret ballot and the right to associate and form political parties are together one of the most profound achievements of human civilisation; some folk don't share this faith in fair decision making in our society.
The benign rule of technocratic experts is a model of anti-democracy much beloved of supranational organisations. Why bother with popular opinion, campaigning for elections, allowing actual people to vote as they like? Surely like-minded well qualified experts can rule their subjects to ensure the best possible outcomes for the maximum number? It is not extraordinary that those who who belong to or support such organisations should believe this, but I am genuinely mystified as to why this form of anti-democratic serfdom would appeal to any subject person with more than one brain cell. Yet apparently it does - and the young, who should in a healthy society be the most intolerant of all of authority, would seem to be amongst them.
I am old enough to remember Franco ruling a Spain that had been politically and culturally shut off from democratic Europe since 1939. When tourism could be resisted no longer, from the early 1970s, the social impact was akin to dropping a lump of Sodium in water. The harsh, backward rule of a Catholic church complicit in fascism (unelected technocratic experts who thought they knew best what was good for people), a population fearful of the secret police and the night-time hammering at the door, could not withstand the bikini and the transistor radio. Democracy is contagious.
And in my heavy-smoking days when Spain sold cheap fags, the £60 cost of a day-return trip to Barcelona with easyjet was exactly equivalent to the saving of UK duty on just one single carton of cigarettes. The aircraft left Gatwick at about 7am and Barcelona at about 4pm, allowing for a leisurely lunch in the Ramblas and to be home in time for Eastenders. There were always little tents and roped off areas in the large expanse of flat, scrubby wasteland between the city and the airport; only later did I find that they were exhuming the remains of the victims of Franco's death squads, clearing the ground for development. That made me value democracy even more.
I am fearful of the anti-democrats within our nation; the propaganda lies of broadcasters, the intolerance of the snowflake generation, the violence of the Soy Boys, the coarse, bullying ignorance of those who would sell their democratic inheritance for a Eurorail pass. The anti-democrats, the democracy-deniers, are truly the enemy within, and we must defend from their assaults with our every breath our democratic rights and freedoms.
22 comments:
Well, I'm confident that the young's interest in democracy could be restored by allowing them a vote on this so-called deal of Johnson.
Having taken part on the pro-independence side in a programme of debates and lectures in sixth forms for almost a decade, I noticed a marked swing in favour of EU technocracy from around 2014. This was as part of a balanced programme in which the participating schools were mostly doing their best to be fair and impartial . The schools I visited ranged from top public schools to independent days schools and what some call “ bog standard” comprehensives (some of which were really excellent).
Colleagues in the programme noticed the same thing.. Up to this point, we nearly always won. Afterwards, we almost always lost to the European Movement. I came to the conclusion that the change of attitude had been achieved as part of a subtle programme of “ information” provided by the EU Commission from infants’ schools upwards, starting with colouring books and games, attractively presented.. I have a teacher’s course book for one project which is called “ The secret of the golden stars” ( for juniors). It explains how the EU ensures that toys are safe.
To this must be added the changes in curriculum - particularly in history, the enforcement of PC standards by OFSTED and the general leftish opinions of teachers themselves . In geography, only the “ official” line on climate change is taught - as we have recently seen by the well indoctrinated children going “ on strike”
If you look in the resources section on www.campaignforanindependentbritain.org.uk in the pamphlets section, there is a PDF “ Generations Betrayed - Cutting the Roots of National Identity in Schools” which covers the history curriculum. Hard copies also available.
The author, an experienced head teacher, showed me a circular which was published in the West Country in 2015 by the association of history teachers. It said that this was a year of significant anniversaries - amongst which was the fiftieth anniversary Of the Bristol Bus Strike. So forget Magna Carta and Waterloo! In fact the curriculum does not enforce teaching of specifically British history but either South American or early Islamic civilisation is compulsory. The emphasis throughout is not n facts but on “skills” where ( for indtance) pupils may be asked to imagine themselves as a mediaeval peasant or colonial freedom fighter on the basis of texts provided by the teacher. ( No boring “ kings and queens and dates and battles”)
Democracy is popular because it means all things to all people, it can be dressed up to mean almost any form of government. Always was a carefully managed illusion.
I am pretty sure the likes of Dominic Cummings are looking at China and thinking 'that looks a bit more efficient'. As our population goes up and the money goes down we will probably have to follow the path set out by China et al. Old style 'Democracy' will be strictly for the top 5%, the rest will get the democracy-lite.
But a crude division will not work. Much more satisfactory to build on the existing symbiosis between the media and government. Manipulation is much better than coercion. Social Credits are coming to a dole office and a magistrates court and an ISP near you.
I recommend the book "Revolting: How the Establishment are undermining democracy and what they're afraid of" by Mick Hume. He calls what we now have a "Shamocracy" - a State with the trappings and appearance of Democracy, but with all the levers of power deliberately sabotaged by the Elite.
The teaching of our history in our schools is significantly to blame for young peoples disinterest in democracy. They are not taught a narrative: how we slowly progressed towards Parliamentary Rule and universal suffrage. They have no comprehension of how the Constitution worked (before Remainer MPs, Bercow and the Supreme Court blew it up). They are deliberately taught to despise our history.
You do not value what you don't understand.
Fuck off Cheesy. Go join the latest 100 thou "million soyboy march" and practice your ability to count. That skill will make you a rare commodity among your treasonous brethren.
And as for your Franco fetish Radders--he was scum --but no scummier than the vile left whose victims will never be dug up.
Had the Marxist Republican shite won the Civil War the death lists and poverty etc would have been vastly higher. How do we know? Look at the 150 million people murdered by socialism so far and tell me which is worse. Franco's backyard antics or the scum of the left. If you have an honest bone the answer shrieks out.
uhm, neither Ecksy.
I suspect you're right that the death toll and poverty would have been much greater under a far left than it was under a fascist dictatorship, but I abhor totalitarianism and authoritarianism of whatever stripe. Neither are worthy of support, post-hoc or otherwise.
Neither would have brought democracy to Spain - it took capitalism to do that.
OK Cheesy - I'll back a 'public vote' on Johnson's deal. Let's assume it 'wins' 52/48.
Does that predicate the start of protests and court action to overturn it? If not, why not?
What makes YOUR case so special?
The current situation shows just how far EU corruption in the UK has reached – MPs, civil service, the judiciary, big business, the educational establishment, the MSM, quangos and many institutions.
The young have been brainwashed and like fashions democracy may skip a generation and be followed by a generation who wants the return of their democratic rights.
If the EU and our membership of the EU continues there will inevitably be pro-democracy demonstrations like those we have seen in HK.
Our undemocratic, unrepresentative and pro EU Parliament are intent on cooking up a rotten “deal” with the EU in order to put it against remain in a second referendum. This has been the plan from the start.
But however bad is this deal we need to vote for it and not for remain so that we have left the EU and the current “ever closer union” treaties.
We need to salvage something from the referendum result and not just totally capitulate and vote to remain. Just as we didn’t surrender after Dunkirk but saved the lives of as many soldiers as possible, salvaged what we could, and fought on.
The pro-EU Parliament deal may be colonial status - as described by Mr. Verhofstadt’s staff - but then even more so is remaining in the EU and under the control of unelected and un-removable Marxist bureaucrats together with QMV between 27 (soon to be 34) other countries.
Out of the EU we have a far better chance of voting for a Parliament who will be more interested in looking after the people of the UK rather than EU interests and will fight for our eventual freedom.
Being a horny-handed son of toil, I am disgusted by the EU's 'rights' agenda.
The impression given, and swallowed whole by our younger generation, is that
the EU is the font of our human and working rights.
I despise socialism, but I do believe that manual workers need to have somebody
in Parliament representing their corner: trade unions and a representative party - Labour
- are necessary in some form.
To see a Labour Party and trades unions trotting out the line that the EU are responsible
for all our democratic and working rights is an insult to preceding generations who fought
for so much.
The brainwashing of our youth with this propaganda, and its acceptance by Labour and
the TUs, is disgraceful.
Orwell was right - pigs on their hind trotters.
I said he was scum Radders--a scummy socialist in fact. A socialist heretic--but socialist none the less.
JPM said : "Well, I'm confident that the young's interest in democracy could be restored by allowing them a vote on this so-called deal of Johnson."
Really???? Do your really believe that????
They'll get a vote in a general election but I have little faith in the youth of today understanding the issues. They have been cossetted. They have no real life experience. Who was it said recently that we need another referendum to let the youth vote after all the crusties have died off?
Even the young these days are sick of Corbyn and his fantasies. But these are the same people who accepted the lies over abolishing tuition fees only to see them increased. The establishment will always ride roughshod over the naivety of the young and they will always succeed.
JPM said @ 07:45
'Well, I'm confident that the young's interest in democracy could be restored by allowing them a vote on this so-called deal of Johnson.'
In June 2016 we had a vote - the choice on the ballot paper was approved by parliament: Remain or Leave. No mention of 'deals' no mention of 'treaties'. It was a binary vote similar to the one in 1975. In '75 it was Yes or No. If you don't except the vote in 2016 -and you most certainly don't - then you don't except the vote in '75. Since both were about the principle of membership where does that leave you? On a matter of principle such as this you can't have it both ways.
Steve
After all these years, of wrongly complaining that the European Union's parliament is a "mere rubber stamping agency" you complain about the UK's because it is not. Some of your readers are apparently sent into a murderous rage by its attention to its duties too.
The irony is rather pleasurable.
Sir, do you really find surprising that the "youngs" prefer a technocratic cabal of unelected bureaucrats, when you look at the current results of the democratic process at work in your parliament?
an american friend of mine claims that we need government because people are douches.
so to solve the problem of people being douches, we have figured out a process, elections, through which the worst douches available reach absolute power through lying, cheating and scamming on an industrial scale. a brilliant solution indeed.
personally i think that democracy can only work in communities of no more than maybe a thousands people.
can you bring 50 million people to dinner, split the bill, and not have cheating on a massive scale?
As has been said elesewhere, one thing was definitively decided in the 2016 Referendum: the option to Remain has been ruled out. Yet there are still politicians floating the idea of a second referendum to decide between (a) any Withdrawal deal on offer and (b) Remain.
If - and I don't advocate it - there is to be a "second referendum" (or a second binding plebiscite, like the first?), it has to be between leaving with a "deal" (how used-car-salesmany that sounds!) and leaving without one.
John Redwood seems very reasonable on the subject - which I suppose will make him "far-right" or "extremist" in the eyes of doctrinaire word-twisters: http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2019/10/21/how-to-leave-the-eu/
Time for the awards ceremony and....... 'shit weasel of the week is......'
ta dah..... JPM.
(no surprise to anyone then?)
Hat tip to 'We got a Problem' (Youtube).
Edward Spalton 07:48, work that backwards and you get to children born at the end of the 1990s...what ever did that coincide with?
Raedwald: "I suspect you're right that the death toll and poverty would have been much greater under a far left than it was under a fascist dictatorship"
'far left' and Fascist are very similar. Just different names. Maoism, Marxism, Leninism, Stalinism, Trotskyism, anarcho-communism etc are others. All are authoritrian and about control of the people in one form or another. All are 'left-wing'.
@Span Ows: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_theory
Thanks Sackerson. I have seen that before but feel it also wrong. The left-right spectrum isn't enough; if anything a full circle MAY be more appropriate with real pure anarchism (no government) on the right, beyond Minarchism. and anarcho-communism on the left which could possible become beneficial and lead to real anarchism.
Trouble is it doesn't fit: "right-wing" tends to mean (really...not the non-Conservatives we have now) smaller government, "left-wing" means much more government.
The term "far-right" was a lefty insult between Stalin and Hitler, exactly as Chavez called his (very) left-wing opposition "far-right". that stuck and allows the MSM and others to wrongly portray ANY violence or racism as "far-right" (lately getting worse with Farage and anyone not in agreement with the Establishment as far right). BNP, national Front etc, all those called 'far-right' were and are as left-wing as you can get, just read their manifestoes.
Most members of BNP (when they have their popular months/times) are ex Labour voters.
Fascism was born from Mussolini who fell out with International Socialism (Communism) as it was working across borders and so adopted his 3rd way (bit like Blair!) which was "National Socialism". it is ALL of the Left.
last apragraph should read "as it WASN'T working across borders"
I think the key feature of Fascism is a preference for violence as the first solution to any problem.
Most have been at least nominally left wing, but the Spanish, Hungarian and Yugoslav ones were definitely right wing. Left or right, both murder or jail anyone who opposes them.
Don Cox
A propos, spare a thought for Julian Assange, whose treatment is a stain on our national conscience:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50132599
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