In every Tory leadership election since Thatcher, the bookies’ favourite has lost. And while you cannot easily discern where the winner would come from on the economic left/right scale, the authoritarian/libertarian scale is absolutely significant. In every single case the winner has been the Tory of the most authoritarian views, and the losers – think Ted Heath, David Davies, Ken Clarke, Michael Portillo – have been on the socially liberal side of conservatism.
Our political “journalists” only think left/right. So Cameron’s victory was a Tory move to the “left”. In fact it was not about that at all. David Davies, the favourite defeated by Cameron, has described the new Tory anti-trade union bill as “Francoist”. He opposed control orders, stop and search, detention without trial and the banning of protest from around Westminster. That is why he lost – the Tories have a dog whistle reaction to follow authoritarian figures. Cameron’s Old Etonian patrician authoritarianism is what they wanted.
That is why Theresa May is going today to give a bloodcurdling speech attempting to stir up racism against immigrants by saying they are making us poor and making our society less cohesive. She will even pander to the ludicrous notion that an economy is of a fixed size no matter how many people are in it, with a fixed number of jobs, so “they” are taking “our” jobs. Doubtless she will also outline yet more definitions of thought crime and new reasons to lock up young Muslims.
She may be vicious and dangerous to our society, but she is not stupid. It is the way to become Tory leader.
Nobody ever lost money overestimating the viciousness of the Tories. In fact the arms and security industries and the bankers, the private health companies, the hedge funds and the private agencies enforcing government policy make fortunes out of it every day.
The Tory leadership contest was predictable from their mugshots. It was a pretty boy contest – Cameron winning.
Of course “Team Cameron’s Big Jewish Backers” helped. (That sounds racist-conspiracist but its the Jewish Chronicle speaking…)
http://website.thejc.com/home.aspx?AId=46698&ATypeId=1&search=true2&srchstr=++%22big+jewish+backers+%22&srchtxt=0&srchhead=1&srchauthor=0&srchsandp=0&scsrch=0
Mr Murrays you said “extremely aggressive western neo-liberalism is not a good thing”. Is not it what contributed to the crush of the USSR and their satellites? Arms race coped with the support of all sort of liberalists in Eastern Europe forced Gorbachev withdraw from Berlin and then further from other satellite states leaving them at the mercy of neo-liberals.
I think you are confusing two things here. On one hand support for neo-liberals in fight against authoritarian regimes and on the other hand neo-conservative drive to employ realpolitik methodologies in order to enrich military and financial elite masqueraded by what you call “extremely aggressive western neo-liberalism”.
And these Tories are what the forces of Better Together (‘Scottish’ and UK newspapers, BBC, Labour, LibDems) worked so hard for.
Labour stands out far and above any of that list.
No shortage of people looking for easy answers, Uzbek.
I just re-read “The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists”
Truly, there is nothing new under the sun.
Mark,
I also found myself below and to the left of Gandhi.
I am concerned about this, and even woke up about it in the night thinking about it.
http://www.killick1.plus.com/home.html
Although I do not know him, I realise he is mentally fragile, and much of that has been due to all the years he has been a moderator on this blog – which is an extremely difficult job, particularly if you become personally involved with strong political beliefs. Its worse than piggy in the middle – its almost being like in the middle of an info war zone.
Whilst I may give the impression of being totally barmy, its extremely rare for me to be depressed, and I have never been suicidal. I have however experienced it at very close hand with my father and my sister – both of whom made serious suicide attempts – my Dad right in front of me. They were both extremely lucky to survive, yet both made full and complete recoveries after appropriate Medical Treatment.
I have never actually come across such a blatant statement of intention via a blog. After reading other blogs where he writes – it seems he is still in Scotland – and was photographing the moon with a friend only a week ago.
These changes can happen very quickly. He really does need someone to be there for him. I would assume there are several regular commenters here who know him well, but that doesn’t help if they are hundreds of miles away.
Tony
Paul
Surely thinking that all BUT me are stupid is not correct approach? If you one of those who think that only small number of people (most of whom day and night on this blog) are the only (or at least good number of only those) who have good understanding and not being fed by “easy answers” then by proxy you are most likely to support authoritarian style of government.
There is no perfect system of government BUT the one that at least once in 4-5 years requires mandate from public is far batter than the one which relies on small group of smart people to support them.
“Although I do not know him, I realise he is mentally fragile, and much of that has been due to all the years he has been a moderator on this blog ”
Tony, pardon me but that is rather far fetched when your first sentence is that ‘you do not know him’. Clark has been fighting depression for some time and had no significant help for it, mental health care is almost non existent today, a Cinderella service more likely.
But I agree with the rest of what you say, politics do screw with your mind and make you feel impotent most of the time. We do not currently know where he is and he says he’s disconnecting.
I could not sleep much last night either, it is an equally impotent feeling, you just do not know what else you can do….
Uzbek, you need a fair proportional voting system to shift this establishment bias and cronyism, to be able to exchange these cretins for accountable politicians.
There is not one party, except the Green party, who are smarting to give us a fair vote, not even Corbyn saw this opportunity when it hit him in the face, our political parties love nothing more than to interfere in the voting process, as much and as self serving as they muster and get away with.
First step is to scrap the electoral commission, or make them wholly Independent and accountable for election malpractices.
I mean who ever heard of a safe seat,. that is not a democratic term, it reeks of egotism and self serving.
nevermind
Wholly agree with you in the need of election reform. That is what I was pointing at. No need for revolutionary approach when the mechanism can/should be fixed.
Deep Green Puddock
The diamonds are probably blood diamonds.
https://www.globalwitness.org/campaigns/conflict-diamonds/
I missed it thank goodness.
This is the Guardian commentary with segments of the speech.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/live/2015/oct/06/conservative-conference-david-camerons-morning-interviews#block-5613aaafe4b0d6630794b7b6
She seems to have been glammed up judging from the photo but still resembles the Queen of Darkness.
Nevermind, Clark emailed me this morning 🙂
I’ve sent on a sample of the good wishes from the previous thread, and will continue to keep in touch with him.
thanks Jon, lets hope he’ll get some help.
Nevermind
“Was Portillo rejected due to his past? was he a PM candidate that is unsafe from stories that might have been leveled at him?”
_____________
Thank you for the restrained way you put that (“stories that might have been levelled”).
Others on here – and not only from these shores – would have hinted (or more) at what those stories were…and then, when called to account, would have said “Oh, it wasn’t me who said that, I was just saying what xxxx said”).
Good, Jon. Glad he can respond to you.
Je
“Of course “Team Cameron’s Big Jewish Backers” helped. (That sounds racist-conspiracist but its the Jewish Chronicle speaking…)”
__________________
I’m afraid that does sound not racist (cf my definition of racism several threads ago) gut expressive of a certain dislike of or perhaps even fixation with “the Jews”*.
You might consider the obvious fact that ALL of Team Cameron’s Big Backers helped, whether they were Jews, Christians, Muslims or none of those. All Big Backers help, that’s why they’re called Big Backers.
You are either a fool or a knave.
_________________
* in that sense, you are well at home on this blog.
Uzbek
“Surely thinking that all BUT me are stupid is not correct approach? If you one of those who think that only small number of people (most of whom day and night on this blog) are the only (or at least good number of only those) who have good understanding and not being fed by “easy answers” then by proxy you are most likely to support authoritarian style of government.”
_________________
That is an excellent comment.
And it is true that there are several on here who daily give the very strong impression that only they are clever enough to see past the “lies” of the Establishment/MSM/whatever and recognise the real truth.
That is why Theresa May is going today to give a bloodcurdling speech attempting to stir up racism against immigrants by saying they are making us poor and making our society less cohesive.
So Craig, are you claiming that the immigrants criss crossing Europe and the Mediterranean at the moment will make our society richer and more cohesive if we admit them ?
If you read German perhaps you should get hold of this book (written by an SPD bigwig, not, thankfully, a German version of Theresa May)which argues that third world immigration is demonstrably a drain economically and culturally on Germany, and by implication other rich countries such as the UK-
http://new.spectator.co.uk/2011/01/you-cant-say-that-here/
Regular readers of Craig’s blog might also like to ask themselves why this book, rightly described by Caldwell as the biggest publishing event in Germany since 1945 is still, 5 years after its very successful launch, not available in English translation. What does this say about the quality of the debate about immigration in the Anglosphere, of which Craig’s knee jerk playing of the racism card, quoted above, is emblematic ?
Those also tend to be the people who most often call for others not of their persuasion to be banned from this blog.
Jon at last you have proved to be useful in something!!! 🙂
Thanks Jon I am glad to read your latest on Clark, you know him so you can be of some help to him.
I also recall that one of the most prominent commenters on here – it’s the chappie who specialises in pro-Putin nd anti-Ukrainian comments – once said something to the effect that the press should be obliged (=forced) to “write the truth”. That was a very sinister comment indeed.
Geez Craig – you’re foreign policy stuff and your Burnes stuff is great but when you talk about British Politics, it does come across as a petulant teenager – meh, but but they’re wacists, wacists I tells ya! Yeah, course they are. Keep up the err…work!
Certainly agree with you, Ruth, about the Beatles and politics, especial;ply when the politicians behind Reagan’s election decided that killing John Lennon would make up for any ‘October surprise’ the Democrats arranged with the mullahs in Iran for the release of the hostages which ultimately resulted in John Hinckley, Jr., whose only love was Lennon, shooting The Gipper when hr couldn’t get to top arranger G.H.W. Bush.
We are just ruled by highly deranged clowns.
Trowbridge go give your keyboard a shake, it is typing nonsense!
The Democrat you are talking about; was Carter whom was ousted neatly and cleverly by Rockefeller et al whose point man; Kissinger was injected into Carter’s administration and despite Carter’s full knowledge of the plots to oust him, poor old Jimmy could not stop it.
The Bu$h and his cronies whom later set up the PANC were too busy mediating and negotiating away and managed to deliver the goods just as Regan was getting sworn in.
PS Rockefeller participated the hostage taking by upending the loan for the power station construction in Tehran.
DtP
you are failing to distinguish between the ways that racism is expressed. Unfortunately it is difficult to pin this down. I don’t have much doubt that thee are anti-semitic posts here, made by people who would not actually be anti-semitic in person.
It is all about the ability to use or misuse words, as well as the ability to understand ideas that are inevitably fluid-i.e. interpreted differently according to background, experience, and ability, and even mood and perhaps the extent of self knowledge. We are all subject to petty prejudices and malicious ideas, and spite but hopefully we become, over time, able to control and counter these emotionally based ideas which take on the appearance of ‘logic’ or ‘common sense’.
I don’t doubt that the Tory party will have ugly overt racists hanging around the fringes and I don’t doubt there will be people who are fantastically adept to constructing their language in such a way that it minimises, to a vanishing point, or makes untraceable, any underlying prejudices that motivate them.
I also don’t doubt that the professional development of policy involves a distancing from overt signs of prejudice.
Is Teres May a racist? At a personal level I think she is able to master both her thoughts and appearances to be acceptable to her audience.She would never utter a word that might be termed racism.
Is the policy of excluding ‘others’ related to overt racism-possibly not.
Is it possible to interpret the exclusion of a group of people on the basis of their origin and status (refugee/economic migrant etc)? Well of course it is and of course this has many similarities to ‘racism’ in that, superficial signs (e.g. skin colour (which is related to variation in a group of about 10 genes out of about 25.000) are used to exclude and control, for reasons that are more often to do with material advantage.
Again we have to be careful because the wish to exclude control and exploit others is very deep seated and shared between many of us.
At the moment an extremely difficult economic/resources/economic and political problem (immigrants/refugees/ economic migrants) is being couched in language of exclusion and exploitation (only acceptable if english speaking and economically advantageous) rather than using the language of reconciliation compassion and finding solutions to grievous human problems by the most humane way.
It seems fair to me to call that racism – or something very like racism.
I also have not the slightest doubt that Teresa May is capable of the kind of amoral calculus that would persuade her that she can gain support for her ambitions by using such language and adopting such a position that appeals to those with less control of their prejudices. She’ll accept a racist’s (overt or otherwise) vote, gladly.
Habbabkuk
“expressive of a certain dislike of or perhaps even fixation with “the Jews.”
No. The Jewish Chronicle came up with the title. My problem is with the Israeli lobby funding British politicians. I’m happy enough for you to call that a fixation if you like.
What does that article have to do with the Israeli lobby? Well, it says
“Although he is popular with Jewish Tories, Mr Cameron’s criticism of Israel’s actions in Lebanon sparked doubts about his stance — voiced particularly by Tory donor and former party treasurer Lord Kalms.
However, Conservative Friends of Israel chair Richard Harrington stressed that the leader had given LFI “every possible access” and had met CFI officials several times.”
So he was one of the boys after all. Cameron a little while after his election was telling a Friends of Israel meeting.
“There is something deep in our Party’s DNA that believes in Israel”.
The support, the money… then that statement. It smells like it shouldn’t doesn’t it? Or can’t 2 + 2 = 4?
Off-topic, but of interest to folks here. 38 Degrees point out that the govt survey on the future of the BBC closes in 48 hours. Thus far I haven’t been able to bring myself to take part, and wonder – like our host does – whether the news output of the Beeb is even worth saving.
Nevertheless, others may draw different conclusions about how to fight against the increase of corporatised media in the UK, and so may choose to preserve the BBC instead of risking a worse alternative.
https://speakout.38degrees.org.uk/campaigns/protect-our-bbc
“We are just ruled by highly deranged clowns.”
_______________
…and subjected to “comments” from even more highly deranged clowns.
Just your usual garbage, Fedup.
Rockefeller had nothing to do with the ‘October surprise’ about the hostage release. It was all Richard Allen, John Connally, Pappy Bush.and Ted Shackley who had Hinckley stalking Carter to force him to stay in the Rose Garden which he did.
Then when the covert operators heard that the Dems had allegedly achieved a surprise of their own, and Hinckley was no longer available to do dirty work, Connally instructed Shackley to get Mark David Chapman to do it, and by the time he could, Reagan had already won the election, but they had Chapman go ahead with assassinating Lennon to help prevent any damaging blowback when he recovered from being a Manchurian Candidate.
When Hinckley realized how he had been similarly used, he set out to kill Pappy, but had to settle for shooting Reagan.
And that goes for you too, Habby.