FORGET MAY’S ‘NASTY’ PARTY – NOW WE’VE GOT JOHNSON’S NAZI PARTY!

23/10/2020

Where do I start with this blog-post, given everything that’s going on in the UK right now with Covid-19 and the appalling way Johnson is imposing his ‘Tiered’ restrictions, especially on my home town of Manchester.  I think it’s probably best if I start at the beginning and let my thought processes just develop – stick with me and everything will become clear – there’s method in my rambling madness – honest!

Last time I told you about the ‘Brookesey’ Literary award (and thanks to my Brother-in-Law Peter Lomas for his recommendation – A man called Ove – and a previously owned copy is on its way courtesy of an on-line shopping forum known to many) and I’ve just started to read ‘The Good Germans’ by Catrine Clay – a fascinating story of the home grown German resistance to the rise of power of Hitler and the Nazis from 1933 to their final defeat in 1945.  It’s a harrowing tale and one which draws an enormous parallel to the politics and tactics of the Johnson era Conservative Party.  Hitler and his cronies used the economic crises of the immediate post-World War One era and then the Wall Street crash to whip up rabid nationalistic feelings amongst those most impacted by the collapse of the economy.  The Nazis manipulated the laws and constitution of Germany to impose themselves in power and then bent those laws to their own aims – by outlawing all other political parties, emasculating the judiciary, squashing the freedom of the press and destroying the civil service, replacing all of the above with their own people.  Hitler had his own uniformed thugs to control any resistance to his plans and it would seem (?) that the Tories have a number of compliant Police Forces in their pocket – the Metropolitan Police and Durham Constabulary were quick to let Cummings off with his eye-test drive to Barnard Castle weren’t they?  – they even have their own Josef Goebbels look alike in Dominic Cummings who is quite happy to bend anything and everything that is printed, broadcast or posted on the internet to suit his devious plans.  Also – compare Hitler’s actions with the actions of Cameron, Osborne and their Lib-Dem cronies and their austerity plans which screwed the working man and woman to bail out the Banks after their collapse, so setting up the equivalent 1920’s German social-economic scenario.  Now Johnson and his mob are attacking supposedly ‘lefty’ lawyers, proroguing Parliament, manipulating the media to suit themselves (have you seen Channel 4 News at any of his evening briefings lately?) and promulgating ‘fake news’ by repeating lie after lie believing (rightly so I’m afraid to say) that his chosen audience will believe him.  I’m not making this up

The Germans had a word for it – ‘Gleichschaltung’ – the process by which the Nazis – a minority government at the time by the way – took absolute control over Germany.  Follow the link and then compare that with the way Johnson is governing – ruling by diktat where he can – Brexit was an example, his behaviour over Tier 3 restrictions and the economic impact on the people of Greater Manchester another.  Witness the amount of Secondary Legislation being used by Government Ministers at the moment, all of which is not subject to the scrutiny of the House of Commons and all of which is as a result of the Coronavirus Act 2020.  Hitler would have loved it!  

I have blogged on the theme of fascist Tories before and would point you to my November 2018 blog when Theresa May ruled the roost. Nothing has changed, except for the worst and you have been warned.

Last time I also mentioned a book by Peter Geoghegan called Democracy for Sale: Dark Money and Dirty Politics  (well worth the expense) and George Monbiot in the Guardian picked upon some of this in his cracking article from Wednesday 21^st October 2020 – again issues I’ve blogged on in the past ad nauseum.  As George asks – when are we all going to start getting angry about how Johnson and his mob are spending our money?  Covid-19 has seen Rishi Sun(shines from his arse)ak spend something like £210,000,000,000. 00p – £210 BILLION! – all of it borrowed and all of which will need paying back sooner or later.  Guess who by?  Yep – you, me (I live in France but still pay UK taxes on my BT Pension) and all the others who have taken the brunt of the impact of Covid-19.  The Tories are spending our money with absolutely no scrutiny, no adherence to the rules about tendering for Government contracts and no regard for the law.  Not only that but the Serco Test, Track and Trace or Isolate or whatever it’s called is a dismal, useless failure but there are no financial penalties for them failing to deliver.  Penalty clauses are basic contractual inclusions – unless you are a Tory donor and then it doesn’t even matter whether you deliver, it’ll only hurt the plebs who haven’t been doing as they are told (have they Mr Cummings?) so of no interest to Johnson and his bunch. And then they quibble over the £5 million extra Andy Burnham wanted to try to minimise the financial impact of Tier 3 restrictions on the most poorly paid people in Greater Manchester – whilst at the same time Rishi was busy planning to scrap his latest wheeze and up the ante by offering more.  The antics of this mob beggar belief.  They’ve got billions to share out amongst their mates but nothing for those they promised they would level up and then they have the gall to try to publicly shame Andy Burnham for endangering the lives of the people of Manchester and supposedly asking for an amount that wasn’t ‘fair’ when compared with Liverpool or Lancashire.  I was never a great fan of Andy when he was in Government but I’d count myself as a great fan now after the way he has behaved during the pandemic.  He’s an elected Mayor with little power other than his ability to convince others of his case, which he has done across the whole of Greater Manchester, including the Tory nutter MP for Altrincham Graham Brady.  He was that effective that the Tories are now trying to tempt individual Councils with their (our) largesse.  Tory run Bolton soon caved in so let’s see how ‘fair’ Johnson is with them.

26/10/2020

Well things have moved on since Friday haven’t they?  He dies in a ditch over £5 million for Greater Manchester only for his Chancellor to make loads more available within 24 hours and then makes himself even more unpopular by telling the Tories not to support free meals for children and now looks as if he’s heading towards another U-turn – let’s wait and see what happens next.

While he keeps digging deeper and deeper holes for himself and his followers (not to mention all those who have died and will die because of his negligence) with his abject failure to plan, let alone manage a response to the Covid-19 pandemic (he’s put VAT back on PPE so facemasks will now cost an extra 20%!) we continue to teeter on the brink of his brinksmanship over negotiating a workable withdrawal agreement with the EU.  It looks like he’s delaying any ‘meaningful’ negotiations with the Eu until the US Presidential election result comes in.  Given that it might take days, even weeks to get that result confirmed because of the impact of Covid-19 on the electoral process and Trumps efforts to prevent the postal system from meeting the demand Johnson is likely to run down the clock almost deliberately accidentally and so making an agreement impossible.  Prepare yourself for a disorderly exit with no trade agreement with the EU.  Can I ask any Brexiteer/Lexiteers reading this a simple question?  What do you think of Brexit now?

I’m not a great fish eater, much to Karen’s dismay – she insists it’s good for me but I think messing about with all the bones, compounded by the risk of choking on the one you missed, never mind that only a decent sauce gives it anything close to a flavour means it’s not worth the effort.  So forgive me for not getting over excited about the supposed problems faced by UK fishermen.  Have a look at this link to see the issue in a little more detail – the fishing industry is worth peanuts to the UK economy and two thirds of the fishing quota rights belong to 25 different companies with 5 families owning 29% of UK quotas.  It would seem that the UK government has sold off our quotas and left the industry in the hands of a small number of owners who are busily taking as much as they can for it.  The small fishing boat owners have been hung out to dry by the self-same Government who have been promising to ‘take back control’.  What a joke.  UK fishermen have been mugged in the name of Brexit, just like UK farmers, especially beef and lamb producers.  I’m sorry (I’m not really) but I can’t find any sympathy within me for Brexiteers – as you sow so shall you reap. 

Another little snipper caught my eye today – from 1^st January EU companies trading with the UK will have to pay 20% VAT to the UK Government.  Given that most small EU businesses don’t do much trade with the UK the best bet would be to see them give up trying to sell to us as it wouldn’t be worth their effort, the upshot being less and less choice for UK consumers.  Today Zoe Williams wrote in the Guardian comparing what’s in store for us in the New Year as being akin to the state of Russia in the 1980’s –have a look and then think about how far will we have fallen under Johnson’s Premiership?

Today’s Tuesday 27/10/2020 and even more Tory lies have been revealed, this time about the supposedly ‘new’ £63 million local authority funding for free meals for kids over the holiday when, in fact that money was allocated on 10^th July 2020, was only expected to last 12 weeks and has now all gone.  Then we’ve got Sunak and Williamson falling out over a supposed request for £150 million to fund the half-term extension.  Williamson says he did, the Treasury say he didn’t – so who’s telling the truth?  What a shower of mean, devious, dishonest lying b######s!

Thank heavens for Marcus Rashford is all I’ve got to add to that debacle!

Moving on – I can understand Labour not badgering Johnson about Brexit, the argument was lost and we have left the EU, but Labour now needs to form policies that will see the Tories removed from power come the next General Election.  Not just removed from the power they currently wield but have their inbuilt electoral system advantages removed as well.  The country urgently needs a complete Constitutional overhaul, from the role of the Monarchy, electoral funding, the voting system – you name it – everything needs putting on the table and us ending up with a written Constitution fit for purpose for the 21^st Century and beyond.

Keir Starmer now needs to start preparing a manifesto that will introduce a seismic shift in our democracy, a shift that will begin to engage all those who feel disenfranchised by the First Past The Post electoral system we suffer under with a proper discussion about adopting a Proportional Representation system.  There are lots of arguments for and against both systems, as indeed there are for the various PR systems but my overarching desire is for an electoral system that is fair, equal, open and honest.  That means that every vote counts, that all political party election campaign funding is transparent and that there is the authority vested in an independent body to enforce electoral legislation – punitively if necessary.  Funding or advertising from secret individuals or bodies, foreign or otherwise, must be banned and enforced. 

So here are a few initial thoughts from yours truly for Constitutional Reform in the UK:

1. Should we codify a new Constitution in a single document and adopt it as Law?
2. Do we continue as a Constitutional Monarchy?
3. Do we continue with an unelected House of Lords?
4. Do we move to being a Republic and abolish the Monarchy?
5. Do we continue with FPTP or adopt PR?
6. Do we introduce more Regional independence?
7. Do we include tax raising powers if we do?
8. Do we move to a Regionally based Federal Republic?

I’d love to see the UK become a regionally based Federal Republic with PR used to elect a House of Commons equivalent lower house, PR used to elect a House of Lords equivalent upper house (what these are called is irrelevant to me) and an elected President.  I’d be happy with Prince Charles presiding as Constitutional Monarch while all these changes were developing and then once instituted the Windsor’s being relegated to a similar role as the other European Monarchs – figureheads only. 

A Federal Republic in my mind wold constitute the English regions as we understand them now and include Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – subject to them having agreed to join the new ‘Republic of Britain’ in their own referenda.  England and the Westminster government can no longer be the only voice that carries any weight in discussions around the Union and where the UK goes from here – if Covid-19 has shown us anything it is that overly centralised control does not work.

A written Constitution is, as far as I’m concerned, an absolute must.  The Judiciary must be independent and enshrined in law.  Political Party funding must be open and transparent – I’d like to see the money coming from the public purse and donations from other sources banned (and I include Trade Union contributions to Labour in this, not just billionaire hedge fund Tory backing b######s!). 

I know this is probably pie in the sky – there are too many vested interests in the way of true democracy but I am convinced that the state of things as they stand right now with the rapidly accelerating effects of climate change and the ultra-right wing nationalism growing here in the UK, parts of the EU, USA and the world as a whole if we don’t make a start now it will soon be too late.

That’s all for now.  Stay safe, stay home where you can and keep others safe – Covid-19 isn’t going anywhere.

Jem