‘Sell the kids for food, Weather changes moods…’ 1

 

Can nothing stop the Johnson bandwagon rolling?

There is only one week of campaigning left, and despite everything his lead looks solid, and what do I mean by ‘everything’.

In the last 10-years we have had:

 

  • the Grenfell disaster,
  • the Windrush scandal,
  • £5bn of cuts to disability benefits,
  • 4 million children at risk of malnutrition owing to poverty,
  • a parliament of landlords voting against a measure that would ensure all homes were fit for human habitation,
  • rough sleepers in Westminster evicted after a complaint by the Commons chaplain about their ‘ongoing stench’.
  • The home secretary, Priti Patel, standing in a food bank, shifting the blame for growing poverty on to the local councils whose budget her government had cut.

 

And what was Johnsons’ answer? There’s no way to ‘magic up’ money.

Although, when it was necessary funds were magicked-up to bail out the banks, for a bung to the DUP to keep the Tories in power at the last election. Austerity and economic misery seem to be for the many not the few.

‘the slow cancellation of the future’

What we have seen is perhaps best explained in the word of the Italian theorist Franco Berardi; ‘the slow cancellation of the future’.

Why then are people seduced into wanting more of the same?

Analysis by Matthew Goodwin and Roger Eatwell into who voted for Brexit and Donald Trump found certain similarities; support for both was more widely spread across ages and classes than initially supposed:

 

  • Average leave and Trump voters had above-average incomes.
  • They shared concerns about the continuity of their identity and way of life.
  • They feared outsiders and newcomers.
  • Brexit was cheered as much in struggling ex-industrial towns as in affluent Conservative counties.

 

Outside of the major cities, peoples’ concerns appear to be based on the group identity of their neighbourhood and town, fearing that it will be ‘taken-over’ by outsiders, and that they will be replaced with migrants.

As the political scientist Eric Kaufmann points out, income and social background now have a decreasing influence on voting behaviour:

 

  • ‘Small-c conservative working-class voters have migrated to the Conservative party because of immigration and Brexit’, whereas
  • ‘Successful educated cosmopolitans opt for Labour or the Lib Dems.

 

As Kaufmann said, ‘This is most vividly seen in the correlation between remain voting and higher education. This is not a matter of economics, he says, but ‘a measure of psychological openness and a liberal worldview’.

This narrow-minded, revisionist attitude is perfectly encapsulated by the Brexit Party.

Last week’s televised all-party debate showed Farage at his peak, delivering populist lines, or perhaps, more accurately slogans, about banging up terrorists for life, blaming the ‘liberal elite’ and ‘political correctness’ for terrorists being released halfway through their sentences.

This was home from home for him, he’s been delivering this bilge for as long anyone can remember. The worst thing is that it is lapped-up by those voters who are terrified that their neighbourhood and town will be ‘taken over’ by outsiders and migrants.

In summary, people are voting for a return to the past, all the wrongs I listed appear not to concern them, instead they want a return to their romantic memories of yesteryear. The true and frightening reality of this was inadvertently summed-up by Farage when defending Trump, saying some of his sexist comments are the kind of thing men say, ‘after a night out with a drink’.

 

Editorial comment; Come back Bernard Manning, your time has come again!

 

And what other misdemeanours have we had in the last week?

Without doubt the one that showed Johnsons’ lack of understanding and care for the future was him not attending the Channel 4 climate change debate.

Much to my amusement, in his place was an ice sculpture, representing the emergency on planet Earth, there was a second ice sculpture in-place of Farage, who doesn’t even know climate change is happening.

The Conservatives accused the broadcaster of bias for not allowing Michael Gove to take Johnson’s place, accusing them of ‘conspiring’ with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to block the party from making their case.

Johnson’s official line for not taking part was that he did not want climate change to be ‘siloed’.

 

Editorial comment; Bollocks, he simply doesn’t care and didn’t want to be shown-up!

 

On leaving, Gove was confronted by a 15-year-old climate activist, Izzy Warren, about Johnson’s failure to attend and the Tories’ green policies.

Speaking to the Guardian, Izzy said: ‘I asked Gove why, if the Conservatives think this is a priority, the prime minister wasn’t here today.’

He told her that it shouldn’t matter who was there to speak and that they had the most ambitious manifesto ever on climate change. ‘This is a party that has been in power for 10 years and we haven’t seen climate action,’ she said.

This is, of course, the same Michael Gove who, in some papers, has taken on the mantle of an environmentalist hero for using a reusable cup. This is, of course, the government that has already missed a six-month deadline set by parliament to address the climate emergency. Even more remarkably, we are already on course to miss the unambitious government target to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

 

Editorial comment; Presumably large parts of South Yorkshire being under floodwater comes a very poor second to getting Brexit done?

 

‘They leave mothin’ but the bones
Well, the earth died screaming
While I lay dreaming’ 2

 

Of course, we cannot forget the dreadful attack and loss of two-young lives in London, last week, and neither could Johnson. Never one to miss an opportunity he stooped just about as low as you can by making political capital out of the situation, against the expressed wishes of the victim’s family.

He, incorrectly, blamed the opposition parties for the release of a terrorist, when the fact was that he was let out because of the sentence imposed by the court of appeal. He then attempted to smear Jeremy Corbyn with a conspiracy theory about him wanting to disband MI5.

‘a rather pathetic attempt at distancing himself from his party’s destruction of the justice system after nine years of austerity and outsourcing’

All of this was, of course, a rather pathetic attempt at distancing himself from his party’s destruction of the justice system after nine years of austerity and outsourcing. Only last year the chief inspector of prisons said that present conditions in jails have ‘no place in an advanced nation’.

All this illustrates is that Tory policies have effectively turned prisons into ‘universities of terror’. This is not a new phenomenon, prisons have played an instrumental role in many radical political groups including Irish republicans, German Marxists and jihadists.

During Khan’s (the terrorist in question) time behind bars:

 

  • the prison and probation services saw budget cuts of about 40%
  • there are 2,300 fewer prison officers than in 2010, and
  • 378 fewer in high-security jails.

 

Warnings that extremists were able to have an ‘adverse influence’ on fellow prisoners were dismissed by the then justice secretary, Michael Gove (yes, him again), as we have a system of ‘jails within jails’ to prevent extremists from radicalising vulnerable prisoners.

In addition to the inadequately funded prison service there have also been the decade long cuts to the police force.

Robert Quick, who led Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism command from 2008-9, said on Tuesday that the fight against terrorism had been damaged by large reductions made to police funding by the Conservative government since 2010.

‘the fight against terrorism had been damaged by large reductions made to police funding by the Conservative government’

‘In the 2000s the police worked hard to rebuild neighbourhood policing, with a clear local presence, with staff who were visible and accessible,’ he said. ‘A lot of that has been cut back heavily.

‘These are the eyes and ears of the counter-terrorism efforts. It is the foundation stone of security and counter-terrorism and has been broken up in the last 10 years.’

 

‘A lot of people runnin’ and a hiding tonight
A lot of people won’t get no justice tonight’ 3

 

This is the last bulletin before the election, and I see no reason to be upbeat.

The Lib Dems, presumably as they saw the opportunity to be the ‘power-broker’ in a hung parliament, supported Johnsons’ call for an election, and we are all likely to pay the price.

Their nascent challenge spluttered and died almost before it began, with their poll ratings slipping back during the campaign.

‘This is the last bulletin before the election, and I see no reason to be upbeat’

Labour are well-meaning but hopelessly out-of-date. Their policy proposals have, in the main, been given an unfair hearing by a predominantly Tory-orientated media, and presented to the electorate as policies that will bankrupt the country and make us all poorer.

This media bias was summed-up this week when they focussed on Corbyn being caught-out pretending he listened to the Queen Christmas speech and then getting the broadcast time wrong. So what? He’s a socialist, they don’t believe in the monarchy, why would he watch?

This, of course, is the same electorate that bleats about the poor state of the NHS etc.; it’s the old maxim, you get what you pay for.

If, as an example, you want a health service fit for purpose in the 21st century then it requires a considerable uplift in funding which has to come from somewhere.

And, lastly, we come to the Tories, this current mob headed by Johnson are, quite simply, unfit to hold office. As this column has tried to highlight previously, their campaign has, at best, only a passing relationship with the truth.

In addition, there campaign has hidden away the nasty jewels in their crown; what has happened Iain Duncan-Smith, and Jacob Rees-Mogg?

‘what has happened Iain Duncan-Smith, and Jacob Rees-Mogg?’

Both hidden away to ensure the true message doesn’t get out and influence the electorate.

We have already seen Johnson duck the climate change debate, now he’s ducking the same interview that all the other leaders have undertaken with Andrew Neill.

The reason, according to a senior Tory party source, is that live televised interviews are anachronistic and pointless: ‘The public are fed up with interviews that are all about the interviewer and endless interruptions. The format is tired and broken and needs to change if it is to start engaging and informing the public again.’

More bollocks; they know they cannot risk Johnson with a nimble and intelligent interviewer, he will simply crumble, his half-truths will be uncovered, and he will be shown-up as the bumbling idiot he really is. How many times in 30-minutes can you reiterate ‘let’s get Brexit done’?

The Tories, with a majority, will be able deliver a disastrously hard Brexit, tax cuts for the rich, and, despite the denials of both Johnson and Trump this week, flog-off the country in an inevitably one-sided trade deal with our special ally.

As for the press and both parties ‘bidding to see who can spend the most’, they have conveniently ignored the Institute for Fiscal Studies analysis of the Tory manifesto. This calculates that a Johnson government will spend less, day to day, on everything other than the NHS than we did in 2010. Yes, everything; education, social security, care for the elderly, etc., etc.

Austerity isnt going anywhere it’s just been tarted up, pigs in make-up, if you wish!

By now you may have realised that this column isn’t about making friends, and if the contents offend you, don’t read it. If you want to return to the good old blighty you remember with a tear in your eye remember this; be careful what you wish for it might just come true.

 

‘The times they are a-telling, and the changing isn’t free
You’ve read it in the tea leaves, and the tracks are on tv’ 4

 

OK lyric spotters, you may have noticed the fact that The Tsar is seemingly bomb proof whilst he sees so much social inequality has rather got Philip’s dander up this week, but in typically munificent fashion he has responded with a Yuletide bonanza with fully thirteen – count them – points up for grabs.

There’s some real passion in these well-chosen tracks as well, with some debutantes to boot.

First off the rank 1 ‘the band that finally broke indie into the mainstream in the US, and one that spoke for their generation’ – Philip’s offering 3 points for the track and a bonus for identifying the venue of their legendary London debut show – so if you got to Nirvana and ‘In Bloom’ and  The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), take a bow – or maybe let off a fire extinguisher, as Kurt did way back when.

Next 2 another Deb although he turned 70 this week, an artist that Philip describes as ‘cool to like’ but also says he’s the real deal – 3 well deserved points for Tom Waits with ‘Earth Died Screaming’; unfortunately I couldn’t get past UB40 or the fact that I knew The Boss had just celebrated passing that particular milestone, but its a Christmas cracker.

Next, a totally apposite track that allowed me to spare my blushes this week – 3 points for the great Clash and ‘Armagideon Time’ and a reminder of their legendary live sound.

Last, but by no means last, a weekly fix of the Thin White Duke – here Philip says ‘the album this came from was often reviewed as being a dystopian vision of the future, it fits this piece perfectly’ – and doesn’t it just – ‘1984’ for another 3 points and total bragging rights. Enjoy, but be careful what you wish for!
 

Philip Gilbert 2Philip Gilbert is a city-based corporate financier, and former investment banker.

Philip is a great believer in meritocracy, and in the belief that if you want something enough you can make it happen. These beliefs were formed in his formative years, of the late 1970s and 80s

 

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