Friday 10 August 2018

Silly season in full swing

So this week, in review....


Labour - WE ARE NOT ANTI-SEMITES, we just like to reserve the right to call Israeli's Nazi's and make comparisons to the Holocaust every now and again. Really, what's the harm in that?


Boris - Hold my Beer


Boris - I defend the right of muslim women to dress like letterboxes, even though this is a bit of a dog-whistle because its boring on the back benches. Bit of japes, sure nothing will come of it.


Labour - Quick, call all Tories Islamaphobes, maybe people will finally forget about our anti-Semitism! (Handily, this doubles down on our identity politics voter segregation - hooray!)


Theresa May - Fuck I hate Boris, quick, pile in an call him an Islamaphobe, link it to Hard Brexit, conduct an investigation, remind everyone how all leavers are racist.




So the theme for this year's silly season is the competitive identity politics Olympics. Pick on some groups, laud others, accuse everyone else of being discriminatory whilst sitting on your own moral mound surrounded by fawning acolytes. When in fact as shown this week, there is zero morality involved and the entire confecture is created for personal mud-slinging. The lowest of low politics


Don't know about the readership, but this is a truly terrible look. I can't see how a move to pure focus on identity politics can be good for the Western Democracies in the long-term....


After all this is what Hitler did....oh, bugger.....

26 comments:

Swiss Bob said...

So much for Napoleon's quip about "never interfere when your enemy is making a mistake", the Tories looked at Labour coming close to splitting over the AS rows and thought they'd like to grab the headlines instead.

To borrow from another Frenchman, if "the people get the government they deserve" what have the British done to deserve these bungling politicians?

John in Cheshire said...

Swiss Bob,
what have the British done to deserve these bungling politicians?

Another old saying:
Those whom the gods would destroy try first make mad - Henry Longfellow.

But the main reason is the continuing falling away from Jesus Christ.

david morris said...

Not so sure about your JC ref, but CU negates the tone & tenor of his post by invoking the Law of Godwin...

dustybloke said...

It beggars belief. The Tory party failed miserably at the last election. Since then, the PM has been exposed as a terribly weak lying socialist simulacrum. That’ll improve their chances, won’t it?

OK, Corbyn is a nightmare, but can anyone with any sort of moral compass vote Tory? Why would you?

Blair lied, but never admitted it and is roundly despised by the public. May lied, showed that she’d set up a whole government department as a political feint, then announced that she’d lied and then tries to defenestrate her Brexit opponent with the public connivance of her treacherous party lapdogs.

Who n earth would vote for that?

CityUnslicker said...

David Morris - that was a joke...ah, not good once you have to explain it...I see.

CityUnslicker said...

John MIller

Coming round to the 2nd referendum idea. Oh the joy, AGAIN, at the remainers losing for a second time. Kids wont bother voting again time, they did not for Corbyn whatever the made-up shit about a youth quake.

This time taking May and all the remainers with her.

Plus the disastrous timing would mean a hard brexit the next day - giving people directly what they had voted for.

Charlie said...

John Miller: "Who n earth would vote for that?"

Not enough to avoid a Corbyn/SNP coalition at the next GE.

Long popcorn, short sterling.

Bill Quango MP said...

Can't see merit in any of the parties. Not even in those waiting to be next.
There is no Obama. or Blair like God waiting to soothe the broken hearts.
No strident Thatcher with determination. No Wilson with common touch and charm.
Not even another Brown. Manic and clunking and unsuitable, but sure of himself and his ability.
Another grey John Major sits in the office that is too much for her abilities.

Who comes next? Who is the Brown. Campbell. Mandelson. Straw. Cook in waiting?
The Howe. Lawson. Hesseltine. Portillo. Clarke. Tebbit ?

Clive Lewis?
Chuka Umunna?
Philip Hammond?
Gavin Williamson?
Michael Gove?
Tom Watson ?

No wonder it is Corbyn or Johnson.

And neither would be likely to get on a leadership ballot tomorrow, within their own parliamentary parties.

Bill Quango MP said...

I'm with Charlie.
Unless the Tories can repeat the trick of reducing Scottish seats going to the SNP. Something that has happened only in the last parliament.Then it is a Corbyn-SNP coalition.

Its no way nailed on for Jez. The arithmetic is very hard for him. His gains that prevented the coup against him, one half Parliament shallow rooted. But if he can hang on. Picking up deluded remainers that haven't noticed he is a leaver, he can win. And offering another referendum to Scotland, paid by England and with a deliberate decision for labour to not campaign on the issue at all, wouldn't phase him a bit. He'd only insist there be one in 'all Ireland' as well.

Charlie said...

Bill, don't also forget that there will be a sizeable swing to UKIP in seats where they field a candidate. A lot of those that went back to the Tories because Cameron promised an EU referendum, then held their nose and voted for May because she looked like actually implementing the result, won't get fooled a third time.

Steven_L said...

Kids wont bother voting again time

Calling 20-somethings kids is a definite sign middle age has struck you CU!

Anonymous said...

Re the reference to Longfellow. Seem his "Wreck of the Hesperus" could be applied to May and Brexit.

Read it

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44654/the-wreck-of-the-hesperus

Anonymous said...

BQ,
I suspect the Scottish Tory seats have a lot to do with fishing and hopes for a new situation post Brexit.
Now lost I fear.

andrew said...

bq

I think you are rather maligning Major when you compare him to May
He did properly win something under v. difficult circumstances.


On the persistance of the anti-semitism and anti-islam memes
imo it is a complete case of nuclear bikesheds
they cannot talk about brexit without sounding like moaners/liars/white flag wavers/nutcases
- so talk about something else.

One of the great things about America is that somewhere near trump there are a load of businessmen building America's future - because or despite him

Here in the UK somewhere near May there are a load of businessmen planning on building their future, possibly somewhere else - like unilever / rees-moggs hedge fund etc.
and if they stay it is quite definitely despite her.



Electro-Kevin said...

I'm afraid that being disallowed the choice of a Thatcher or a Reagan the people of the West are going to go extremist. This range of politics has been outlawed by the Blairist/Clintonists in permanent position in the corridors of power and broadcast media. "The nasty parties" have been reconstituted under the same names.

Shock jock politics is the only thing that can cut through since they have made common sense illegal and so rage is the only outlet left. Insult the only response in return.

The 5 day (so far) burqa furore could be a turning point that splits the Tory party. (Alas much needed)

My guess is that Boris will retire or back down.

For my penneth. The burqa is un British and always will be until we become fundamentalist Muslim. It says one of two things:

- I do not want to integrate

or

- I am oppressed

Both are ominous. Someone tell me anything else because I can't see why anyone on the Left is defending it other than cognitive dissonance.

If Boris is declaring war on the swamp then he's picked the perfect subject. The People are behind him.

They are utterly sick of being insulted too but the smug left think that's alright.

Electro-Kevin said...

"But the main reason is the continuing falling away from Jesus Christ."

I am an athiest but there is truth in that. I was in the CofE as an athiest too until I realised that it was aiding the Common Purpose agenda.

The problem is that Jesus can be whatever suits the zeitgeist - the present one is that he's John Lennon without the glasses or the guitar.

I think we're doomed to huminity being ruled by cultural superstitions. One vacates another moves in to fill the vacuum. We are at that confused and unsettled stage.

The next truly conservative government will be under Islam. I personally have nothing to fear from it.

I am male, heterosexual. I can grow a beard. I am of waning labido. Something in me wants the order and unified identity.

Steven_L said...

Maybe you're all reading too much into the Boris article. After a while of slumming it on ministerial salary Boris can go back to raking it in as a celeb. Are the Telegraph going to pay a lot for his columns if they are boring an unremarkable?

This might actually be case of he has concluded not enough tory MP's will back him, he has therefore given up on being PM and will court controversy milk his position and make hay while the sun shines.

Nick Drew said...

Kev -

The next truly conservative government will be under Islam. I personally have nothing to fear from it ... Something in me wants the order and unified identity

I know exactly, personally, what you mean. It's an entirely plausible scenario. And of course most people - 99.9% - want the order and unified identity, as well as being very keen to (a) live a quiet life, (b) be on the winning side; see 'Common Man' in A Man For All Seasons, the Vicar of Bray, Vichy France etc etc

True renegades are very few and far between - and not courted by majoritarian political parties (far from it, they are ostracised / marginalised / declared loonies by almost all)

Someone tell me anything else because I can't see why anyone on the Left is defending it other than cognitive dissonance

Oh, that's easy. (i) short term - anything to distract from the antisemitism thing; (ii) strategic - a bunch of them are seriously angling to annex 100% of the Muslim vote (though others must surely see potential disadvantages in this - but that's the gamble); (iii) psychological - what I describe as the transgressive left are prone to wetting themselves with admiration of anyone actually willing to do violence [I've written abt this before]; (iv) cognitive dissonance, as you say, and total lack of your clear-sighted imagination; (v) moral weakness - most feminists, I note, are prone to this, see the *vigour* with which they promote their FGM campaigns in the face of *communities* who don't give a toss what whitey feminists think

But here's another thought for you. I reckon quite a few federasts see (and are horrified by) your scenario - but consider the EU to be the last bastion of defence against it. For example: supposing an openly-Islamist-appeasing government took over in (e.g.) Denmark. It would quickly move to ban all irreverant mention of the prophet etc etc, and maybe introduce a special tax on non-Moslems (not difficult to see how that would be framed). But there would be recourse to the ECJ etc to thwart both measures under EU law. And one EU nation alone is ill-placed to change anything like that, or go it alone ...

Electro-Kevin said...

Stephen L - I did say it was most likely that he'd retire.

Nick - Thanks for the fulsome response. I just think the EU wants a fungible and compliant population. They want it now. Drones. Contrary to what Remainers say it is the EU that is full of short terminist old white men - probably athiest and probably thinking only one generation ahead. Mandelson-ist in the thrill seeking which comes with immediate political power play without any care at all for how to nurture a society with longevity. Institution Institution Institution. It's all they care about - and the power and wealth it confers on them personally.

Thud said...

I'm by nature an optimist but I just don't see any of this not ending in tears!

Dick the Prick said...

@Anon - 1.04: yeah, because laying a wreath at the Munich terrorists graves is a perfectly rational thing to do and Hodge and Berger are really Tory plants! Strewth, some people.

Electro-Kevin said...

Anon @ 5.10 Never experienced it myself but can't wait.

I do know some things from friends in low places (now retired.)

The jihadists are not beyond a bit of effing and jeffing, sussies, dildos, Max Factor and boy band idolisation of head hackers.

Electro-Kevin said...

And isn't it sad that that coarseness is seen as successful western integration.

My Nan was literally shakne and shocked when we went to see the Kristopherson/Streisand remake of A Star is Born together.

I don't just rail at the burqa. I'd like to see an end to facial tattoos too.

Or maybe two tattoos too.

Anonymous said...

As the man said.

When I was a boy you had to pay to see the tattooed fatlady.
Now its free & compulsory.

Electro-Kevin said...

Good chance you'll end up in a fight with a geezer-bird too, if you spill her pint.

Electro-Kevin said...

... with a tattoo or two , in a tu-tu with a pint or two.

(I'm a lesbian in a man's body so I'm allowed to say that.)