A re-introductory view of current, end of 2020, pressures on western political and social systems
After the catharsis brewing in the United States post presidential election 2020 and the pending collapse of the steady-state of the “old” Australia, it was about time that the blog was renewed and utilised while it still can be.
Corona Virus
We witnessed a roller coaster ride in 2020, where by accident or design a thriving US economy and decent economies in Australia and elsewhere in the west, were brought low by the Corona virus. It also induced an almost- unheard of panic in both politicians and their captive media friends.
Australia has had a bad year, virus-panic hitting early and a formerly stable nation of a federation of fused, previously-colonial states reverted to 6 separate mini-nations out for only the people within their borders. Thus a federation which had increased “national” institutions through joint cooperation agreements and legislation for forty years, soon after this virus hit the Covid 19 panic made it seem as if reform had never happened. It was every person for himself and not a jot of leeway was given to anyone else in any other state. It was not as if Australia was hard-hit by the virus either. Borders were closed early (same time as the US closed border with China) and, apart from later incompetence in the State of Victoria which caused nearly 750 deaths, the rest of the country was virtually unscathed, apart from the most vulnerable in nursing homes or with comorbidities. While cases rose steadily in proportion as travellers returned home, less than 100 deaths occurred in the first outbreak.
That didn’t stop the institution of draconian measures of social control over most citizens. It was a shock to see these so-called steady governments of left and right go instantly (and repeatedly) to destroy personal liberties on dubious grounds, whether on masking or curfews or lockdowns and often institute virtual house arrest. The worry, now that months have passed, is that these authoritarian-like actions instituted by executive fiat are to become a regular tool of government.
These new coercive governments also have converted their police forces (and part of the military) into enforcers of civil obedience to control orders, such orders which had been foreign to Australia for over a century. After over 40 years of trying to have police forces meld with the community and gain their trust and cooperation in Community Based Policing, they have, instead, utilised them as a force for control – quite foreign to their previous role. These interactions have become increasingly heavy handed, especially as the community has resented their presence and their encroachment into private homes without warrants.
Climate alarmists not to be left out
As if the split of the states wasn’t enough, Australia has not been immune to the political push to do a Rahm Emmanuel and “Not let the Corona Virus crisis go to waste”. As we have seen at the UN and elsewhere, the climate alarmists disappeared during the panic stirred up over Corona Virus. Nobody wanted to know about it and they determined to co-opt the virus to their cause. Not for nothing was their long time plan to rearrange the world economy for more centred “control” eventually seen as being assisted by Covid 19 panic. The UN and all the multi-national, green vested interests – political and (inevitably) financial – jumped in with both feet.
The chaos in Australian politics was greatly aided by turmoil within the ruling Liberal Party-National party coalition. In NSW their largest state and one in which they run the state government, it is controlled by a green faction, one tied to a green lobbyist group working for a series of green energy clients. They have a green-focused support group headed by their national president. The fact that money goes to various people who conceivably play a role in selecting their political candidates, shows just how “trust” should be in short supply until more evidence shows that it is warranted.
USA and Britain
We are all dealing with the corrupt mess that is the US political system and its massive list of fatally-compromised institutions, including the important ones of the Intelligence services, Dept of Justice and the FBI. The hugely-suspicious or corrupted election process which allowed the most contested election since the corruption-riddled one of 1960 to overthrow a president will forever taint the legitimacy of any “Biden” government. The blog had post after post about this when the attempted coup against Trump was in full swing and it will take up a lot of time in the future too. It must do so; what has happened and what potentially will now happen in future has potential for terrible, worldwide consequences. The mere fact that China was in danger of being fully checked by Trump and that, so far, any Biden cabinet seems, on the face of it, to be one friendly to both China and the world-influencing that it favours, shows plenty of incentive for China to sabotage Trump and/or boost Biden (and his team).
Britain is at a critical stage. Brexit, the people’s decision for independence from the EU, is being sabotaged from within and without. At the centre in the key role is a weak Prime Minster, Boris Johnson. Talking tough, talking No Deal options right now, there is every doubt in the world that he has the moral fortitude to hold out against EU demands for Britain to surrender its ancient sovereignty. That is, to bend the knee and agree to Britain accepting an ”independence” which must still rely on laws passed by a foreign parliament and to allow its waters to pass into the control of a foreign collection of nations and without any British control over what they do within them.
Onward, ever onward With so many institutions under attack, with more and more draconian proposals to suppress those freedoms which were created for us thanks to our freedom-loving forebears, minor things like this blog must continue and while ever we are not physically prevented from doing so, the free-flow of ideas and expression of them must be fought to the finish. This blog will continue to have that as the major ideal.
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