The local elections are over now, most of the numbers are in, the politically correct issues have been pontificated upon, the streets pounded, the megaphones packed away, the leftover leaflets lie waiting to be recycled. Interesting that nobody really wanted to talk to me about the upcoming “austerity” cuts, the complete cock-up that is the economy, the illegal wars, or the ever-increasing corruption though, not if they can get away with it of course.
A pitiful projection of 32% turn out of the dutiful Englishmen and women (estimated 40% in Scotland) have trooped out to make their contribution, often their only one to the political discourse. The projected voter share (if we are to believe the BBC) is as follows: Labour 38%, Conservatives 31%, Lib Dems 16%, others 14%. My area in Scotland seems to be about 40.58% turnout. simplistically, we’re talking about sharing a percentage of 2/5th of the registered voters, not even counting the total of potentially ‘eligible’ but unregistered (whatever their reasons) individuals. Autonomousmind had some cold hard reality in this post, the sad truth is that in the London Mayoral election an amazing 61.9% of people did not want to engage in the voting farce. Captain Ranty also had a fantastic take on the Insanity of Politics.
So where are you on the political spectrum; are you fervently active, politically engaged, on the fence, disillusioned, disenfranchised or just plainly don’t give a fuck?
Here in Scotland Graham Hope, West Lothian’s returning officer, said:
“Elections have a huge impact on all our lives, and it’s important that as many West Lothian residents as possible take part.
It only takes a few moments, but is such an important task, which allows residents to have their say.”
The followers of the cult of personality stride hand in hand to the polls with the serial conformists who always vote for their favored party, often despite proven poor track records and for whatever reason they care to have while those other dutiful voters who don’t know any other way to express their voice. At the macro we see the party lines with broadly written divisionist, favoritist policy and their ubiquitous broken promises; while at the local micro everyone’s talking points are roughly the same; local issues broached in general terms and platitudes to appeal to the receptive. I get really concerned when all these parties only argue over lesser issues like abortion, gay marriage, proposed social programs and reforms, the critical ones like illegal wars, foreign aid, climate change, economics, misappropriation of funds, public office misconduct and malfeasance, the black pit that is the EU, ridiculous monetary policy and the list could go on and on… There is however a remarkable (and highly suspicious) consensus on all these issues, I don’t care what tosh you see on question time, judge them on what they do, not what they say. Please note , if the ‘lesser issues’ comment above offends you then too bad, if an issue does not impact on the overwhelming majority of a community it is just not that serious.
A vote for me is a vote for [insert cause here]…
Social housing is always favourite, “last year we built so many… we will pledge to build so many…” Yeah, so what, then your local authority goes and turns them over to a “Public Private Partnership.” Nice!
The good little voters, vote decisively. The dutiful voters, vote as the feel they must. Disillusioned voters are often left to choose the lesser of two evils. Individuals like me, political atheists or at the very least agnostics, feel we cannot support such a system of governance as we have come to realize it is. Then there is the disenfranchised, often the lower/working classes, ignorant and uncaring? Not hardly, enough know fine well what the script is, that the guys (supposedly) making the decisions are a bunch of lying, traitorous bastards hiding behind an increasingly thin veneer of an assumed and all too often unquestioned legitimacy. I don’t give a damn what colour their little plastic rosette is or if they seem sincere, the second they swear into public office they become part of a single homogeneous group that blessed by privilege and adored by lickspittle lackies to stroke their rapidly inflating egos. All of them eager to please, vying always for the next step on the ladder, to that they will almost inevitably step on anyone the need to in order to progress. The big league corruption and back room dealing might be reserved for the university toffs and their appointees but any reader of blogs like Enemies of the People knows that the government we get is defined by its leadership and moral principles from the top down.
Most people prefer to believe their leaders are just and fair even in the face of evidence to the contrary, because once a citizen acknowledges that the government under which they live is lying and corrupt, the citizen has to choose what he or she will do about it. To take action in the face of a corrupt government entails risks of harm to life and loved ones. To choose to do nothing is to surrender one’s self-image of standing for principles. Most people do not have the courage to face that choice. Hence, most propaganda is not designed to fool the critical thinker but only to give moral cowards an excuse not to think at all.
-Michael Rivero
So is this what you are voting for? Really?
** Please note: I do not support any political party, period. **
BNP candidate Mike Whitby standing for elected mayor of Liverpool is accused of electoral fraud three days before the election and as you see from the YouTube clip above it was a very heavy handed affair to say the least. Whatever you think of his policy, this is ridiculous, undemocratic and unlawful. “We just want to talk” indeed! Did any storm trooper turn up to beat down the doors of the lying, cheating thieves in parliament for pocketing tens upon tens upon tens of thousands of public funds in the expenses scandal? Or what about those MPs that War Criminal Blair protected from Operation Ore with those D-Notices, the Honours for cash fiasco, the dodgy dossier…
Will these allegations be founded or not, buggered if I know, but the treatment that family received for daring to ask questions is a terrifying precedent. Today it’s the BNP, we don’t care for ‘racist thugs’ so it’s no skin of our nose many will think, but tomorrow you have to wonder, will it be me or someone I care for? What then?…
Government has a presumption of legitimacy?
The common man does more to defend the system than any PR campaign; by just accepting the status quo, believing that there is some ‘right’ form of governance. That’s a whole topic in of itself and one I will write on, but not today.
There is allegedly duty, a responsibility, even one may say an obligation. The question is to who? Yourself, the government, society, your progeny, or even your ancestry?…
That last one is especially interesting to me and seems to me to be nothing than a tired old statist apologist argument; my uncle’s brother’s grandfather (once removed) fought Hitler to keep our rights intact, to maintain our freedoms from dictatorship in the war, he was marched from Germany to Poland as a prisoner of war…” Yes, bad things happened in war, long before I was born and please people forgive me for saying this but, so what? I don’t say forget them, or not learn from them and just about every family was touched by that war seventy years ago, but what does that have to do with the current system? Where does that directly affect our lives and our ‘chosen’ government? I don’t feel any king of deep-seated genetic guilt for past deaths but I do feel guilty that in my past ignorance I was not out doing more to stop unlawful wars waged on brown people by those supposedly representing OUR interests.
I.e. It is not in my interest that they dropped a £500,000 cruise missile on a yurt in some country impoverished by decades of sanctions.
Just as irrelevant, and even more ridiculous is the, “you better hope you don’t have a problem,” pitch. I guess the assumption there is that I need, not may voluntarily want, the government intruding on my everyday life. Voting they believe is the only way to have a voice, I beg to differ, if there is a form of government necessary, then it must only be as a medium to do for the collective needs of the people what the people may not conveniently or practically do for themselves. OK, lets take a reasonable look at that one; Council Tax, we are told it pays for services and yet FOIA requests have discovered 50% of this seems to subsidise public pensions, then there was the Icesave debackle, if it was for services then how was there such sizable surplus to invest outside our own economy? I’m happy to pay my way, but where did I benefit from this?
What I see is increasingly militarized police, Demos groomed professional politicians, unaccountable NGOs, blatant revolving door practice between business and governance, corporate owned media whores, corrupt judiciary in a veritable kleptocracy. I’m by no means alone in seeing before me the absolute merger of state and corporate powers:
Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power.
– Benito Mussolini
The online dictionary says thus:
fas·cism (fshzm) n.
1. often Fascism
a. A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.
b. A political philosophy or movement based on or advocating such a system of government.
2. Oppressive, dictatorial control.
What few definitions will actually state is that fascism or corporatism (where the rubber meets the road) is where profits and assets are privatised while losses and costs are socialized. Remember these terms: “Too big to fail,” and “bailout.” So what I’m getting at is that if anyone still thinks that the above definition isn’t closer to the reality we actually live in, you are delusional. Every so often the ‘right’ people are elected, and we are allowed the opportunity to vote on them… Yeah! Great stuff, you get to choose the right or the left boot of governance that is upon our throats. Let’s look at it this way, we are back in a modern-day feudalism, we are tenants upon the land, seemingly owned by those that hold the right bits of paper that this system of governance recognizes.
Oh joy…
I wonder how this world we are given to live in, with all its benefits and privileges, would look if we were able to hold those who lie to us, steal from us, abuse our misplaced trust. Be they in the government, judiciary, financial, religious, armed forces, police or any other ‘public’ office), up to the same level of scrutiny as is imposed on those who point out their lies…
Ever heard of malfeasance in public office? Sort of rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? Or here’s a good one, what about treason? I could go on, the list of their crimes are myriad and guarded too by those we also trust to protect our collective rights…
No? – But we can sure bitch about a few busted bank windows and some graffiti, bemoaning the “damage to private property” but lets not worry about the devastation wrought by banker manipulation, fraud and let’s not sugar coat it and call it anything less than financial terrorism.
I find this absolutely wonderful…
informedminds
informedminds 