FASCISM?

  

 The weekend’s Guardian (Saturday 19^th September) contains a review by Daniel Trilling of a book by Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor called “End Times Fascism.”   According to Trilling the purpose of the book is to warn us of a convergence of three  interests which are in effect encouraging the climate crisis rather than working to prevent it.  

The book focusses chiefly on the United States and identifies the  three interest as the “Religious Fanatics” ( the Christian Right who look forward to the Rapture and the end of the World, when the righteous will be "caught up to meet the Lord in the air,") the “Tech  Barons,” expecting to exploit AI and the “Political Entrepreneurs” who are anxious to “turn their nations into bunkered garrison states . . . in an increasingly aggressive scramble for natural resources.”

These three groups together are working towards what the book defines as  “End Times Fascism.”

If climate change is the biggest danger to our way of life (or even human life itself) then the second most serious danger we face is surely to Liberal Democracy, which I believe to be threatened by the same or similar forces.

Google defines fascism as  “a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology that places the perceived interest of the nation or race above individual rights.”

It  describes Fascism’s features as:

1 Dictatorial Leadership

2 Extreme Nationalism

3 Suppression of Opposition

4 Militarism and Regimentalism;

. . . and finally

5 Rejection of Liberal Democracy: Opposes pluralism, individual liberties, equality, communism, and socialism.

The first four features are very much in evidence in British Politics today, fuelled and encouraged by wealthy sources, some of them foreign.

If our political class is alert to the danger there is as yet not much sign of it. 

The Conservatives, probably in cohorts with Reform and Respect, seem likely to go along with it. Labour alone lacks the backbone to fight it (no cap on donations to parties, restriction on the right to protest, further drilling in the North Sea still on the cards, BBC fighting desperately for funding.)

 The principal raison d’être of the Greens is to halt and even reverse climate change, the principle raison d’être of the Liberal Democrats is to preserve, improve and extend Liberal Democracy. 

Both are desperately needed, in alliance with “one nation Tories, (of which there are, apparently , a number recently converted and attending the Liberal Democrat conference,) in government with Labour to preserve and improve and spread our way of life.

Assorted Maxims

 

Today is my birthday, a traditional time for reflection.  Here are a number of maxims on how we conduct our lives (and politics) which I find of interest.

1.     1. This is from a talk by a humanist which I I heard on the radio some years ago.  I can’t remember the speaker’s name or the title of the broadcast.  It can’t have been “Thought for the Day” as humanists weren’t allowed on that and maybe still aren’t.

 

Beyond our physical needs for safety, warmth, shelter, drink and food everyone has three psychological needs:

-        that someone cares what happens to them (usually a partner, parent, offspring, relation or friend);

-        that someone or something benefits from their having lived;

-        that they pay their way.

I believe all three, and especially the third, to be true.  I think no-one actually enjoys being a “sponger” or passenger.” Some, forced into that position (benefits scroungers?) may  try to save face by pretending to boast about it, but would really like a job with a decent income and the ability to “pay their whack.”

 

2.     2. The Religion of Usefulness.

-        Happiness is the only good;

-        The time to be happy is now;

-        The place to be happy is here;

-        The way to be happy is to make others happy.

                                                 Robert G Ingersoll, 1833-1899.

I believe this was once displayed on London busses under the heading “There is no God”  (Ingersoll was a well-known American agnostic)  but I feel that agnosticism or atheism are not a necessary conditions for the statements to have value. Though essentially selfish they are rather more positive than the worst interpretation of religions: put up meekly with the inconveniences of this life in the hope of a better one in the next (or oblivion.)

 

3.     3. The Church (-es, and Synagogues, Temples, Mosques, Chapels and whatever. . .)

-        My attachment to Catholicism  ows much more to a sense that it is a good  guide to this life  rather than to any conviction that it is a passport to the next.  Edward Stourton, BBC presenter, 1957- 2026, quoted in a recent obituary in the Guardian.

 

I feel very much the same about my attachment to the C of E, and especially to its ceremonies, liturgy and music.  I suspect it applies to most if not all the major religions.  At best, religions exist to promote “the good life.” At worst they are used as tool by governments and bigots to control the lives of others. We must strive for the former and fight against the latter.  Maybe that’s the search of the “via media.”

4.    4. Taxation

The poor and middle pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the very rich pay lawyers and the billionaires pay politicians/political parties.

George Monbiot, The Guardian, St George’s Day, 2026.

I’ve long believed we should adopt a different terminology about taxation, drop the description “burden of taxation ” and adopt “the privilege of paying  taxes.”  That’s not as daft as it sounds.  Many working men, my father included, where very proud when their pay packet (as they were then) reached the level when they "qualified” (another term deliberate chosen) for income tax.  If that’s a step too far, let’s talk about taxation as our  “subscription “ for membership of an ordered educated and secure and cultured society.  Accountants who advertise their services for “tax efficiency” (ie maximum avoidance) should be scorned, tax evaders boycotted and their directors  sentenced to lengthy community service   

5.     5. Political Canvassing

-        Understand that “feelings” don’t care about your facts.                   Matthew D’Ancona, Prospect Magazine, September, 2023.

A tough one, this.  We need to reverse the concept that “Media Studies” are some sort of Micky Mouse degree, and teach them from the infant class upwards.  From the very earliest ages children should be taught to distinguish between fact, opinion, blatant distortions and propaganda, as I believe is already done in Finland.