I wish to state categorically that this government, its statements, policies, philosophies – I am being generous – and activities do not represent my hopes, aspirations, or my idea of what a modern, progressive and affluent country should be.
I thought I would just state that up front, in case there is any confusion. Although I don’t think what follows will present a different picture.
The leading protagonists in our lives at present, the ones that are laying the tarmac for the road ahead of us, do not care about us. At all. Not even a sliver.
The leaders of the US and the UK are either narcissistic puppets, or narcissistic fools, or both. At best. At worst …………
Neither has any shame, certainly. And are happy to swap directions, on anything and everything, without acknowledging the change, or admitting potential error. Unless they can use it as deflection by blaming someone else.
The hypocrisy surrounding Huawei, and Chinese relations, is a perfect example. Whilst both the US and the UK were happy utilise Chinese money to support national debts, or to sell industrial and technical assets to, when an election looms China is the enemy.
The US will foster animosity because China is the clearest financial opponent they have on the world stage. And trade wars are a common enough activity in the dehumanised world of global capitalism, that its use as an electoral tool is to be expected.
The UK however, apart from having to adhere to US aggression as a means of achieving an, as yet undetermined, post Brexit deal, also managers to exhibit the crassest of hypocritical behaviour.
Whether Huawei is state-controlled, and could somehow gain power and leverage over 5G, is potentially a cause for concern. And China’s record on human rights is significantly short of what we should expect from a country.
But neither of these points are new, or news. This involvement has been a long standing one, and extends to the building of nuclear power stations. And, whilst suddenly we are incensed by their human rights record sufficiently to threaten future commercial activity, we are more than content to continue providing Saudi Arabia with weaponry, used in a proxy war that has slipped from the headlines.
The same hypocrisy circles around Russian interference in UK and US elections. Whilst the specifics open up so many potential questions regarding the validity of recent votes, the broader issue should be why is it a problem?
Or are we expected to be naive enough to think that both the UK and the US are not busy doing exactly the same to Russia, and China, and anyone else they feel remotely threatened by?
The response on either side of the Atlantic to COVID-19 has been equally farcical. Blaming, shaming, reversing, reverting, and blatant lying, has marked both administrations. With the additional commonality of self-interest. Contracts worth millions, handed out for favours, with no oversight. The apparent generosity to support business revealing swaths of workers with no help, and no prospects of any. The classic smokes and mirrors of repeating large scale expansion programmes as new ideas.
And the callous short-changing of those who have, and still are, risking most to help during the pandemic.
Huge rifts within society have been laid bare over the last 6 months, and this should lead to fundamental change to the fabric of the society we are part of.
But, the hypocrisy, the expediency and the callous stupidity of those in power will ensure, unfortunately, that the hoped for change will not happen.
Because they have the perfect excuse to do whatever they want. They were given the power because the lies were believed. They will exploit that power to fulfil their personal agendas.
As for the rest of us – hold tight to that community spirit that emerged during the pandemic, you are going to need it more than ever.
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