I’m So Bored With the USA: “Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?” (1)

 

“No fun to hang around

Freaked out for another day”

 

 

 

This weekends far-right march in London felt like the culmination of everything I had been writing over the 7-yr life of this column. Looking back, the most obvious article was written in November 2023; “The Right Marches to the Tune of Anti-Immigration”.

 

Then, I wrote: “Income inequality .….has created an underbelly of voters dissatisfied with their lot, providing a fertile breeding ground for right-wing politicians. Along with their economic woes, this group of the electorate have lost faith in mainstream politics and the “establishment” that supports them. Added to this we have the culture wars centred on race, genre, sexuality, and immigration.”

The march, organised by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, AKA Tommy Robinson, was billed as a “festival of free speech”. The first lie, populists love free speech as long as it agreed with them. The march descended into a cesspit of conspiracy theories, Islamophobia and anti-migrant bigotry, complete with Maga hats, US flags and “Send them home” signs.

The far-right billionaire Elon Musk, dialling in via video link, calling for the dissolution of parliament and saying: “violence is coming” and that “you either fight back or you die”. The French fascist, Éric Zemmour pushed the “great replacement” lie – a white nationalist myth of engineered demographic change.

What this did show was how far-right have moved on from being opportunistic to organised Their grievances are louder, American-branded and better funded.

One thing the far-right loves is a martyr. The assignation of the influencer, Charlie Kirk, further fuelled an already raging fire.

 

“you either fight back or you die”

 

In the US, rather than calling for calm, the president blamed the radical left, striking a vengeful tone. A good president would have sought to de-escalate the situation. Instead, Trump did what he does best, seeking to inflame hatred and inciting violence for political gain. The timing of visit to our shores couldn’t be worse.

Kirk had been a recent visitor to the UK, in May he addressed the Cambridge Union debating society. Lowlights of this included:

“The US Civil Rights Act was a “mistake”.

Immigrants were “importing insidious values into the west” and that police violence against Black people was a result of a “disproportionate crime problem” in the Black community.

The UK is a “totalitarian third world hellhole”.

FOAD, Charlie!

In response to the march a number of commentators and politicians have commented that this isn’t what we are, the marchers aren’t representative of what we are.

Unfortunately they are. The message Reform delivers is in tune with the electorate.

The result is that liberal democracies are not so much being overturned as eroded from within by voter disillusionment. Labour, the party supposedly committed to democratic renewal, is floundering. Starmer’s response to the Mandelson debacle was too slow. His leadership is under pressure from MPs, ministers and unions – and he shows little sense of the growing threat from the far right.

 

‘The message Reform delivers is in tune with the electorate’

 

For those that don’t want a Reform government, the answer is not for the other parties to ape their policies, it is for the others to stand-up and say what’s wrong.

Populism is a sea of grievances and negativity, It proliferates by offering what people want to hear, and because of their opponents failure. Populism succeeds only in opposition, in-power their policies are exposed as undeliverable, based on fantasies. If anyone doubts that, they only need look at the wreckage of Brexit.

The media has a big role in this. The US has a media and political ecosystem that profits from division and hate, and we are going the same way.

Today, the term media, embraces social media, platforms for any halfwit to have a moan

Tommy Robinson tells his followers that “a massive civil war is going to happen in Britain”. The shadow justice secretary, Robert Jenrick, says the UK is “like a tinderbox”. Reform UK’s Nigel Farage constantly talks about social collapse, saying: “I don’t think anybody in London even understands how close we are to civil disobedience on a vast scale in this country.”

Labour, with Starmer at the helm, are doomed to fail, voters don’t want a technocrat manager with poor judgment, they expect clear direction and meaningful change.

Yet, when you look to America and their populist strong man, it begs the question, are these supposedly strong leaders of substance or straw?

This week, Trump will strut around like some overcooked turkey. Pumped-up by his fantasies of US hegemony, omnipotence and divine right he pledged to swiftly end the Ukraine and Gaza conflicts.

 

‘Labour, with Starmer at the helm, are doomed to fail’

 

Unfortunately, he met his match, and, when faced by tough, unyielding opponents he is a man of straw. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, and Israel’s PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, know this. They play him for the fool he is, flattering him, spinning lies about wanting peace, offering easy wins.

Then, as Putin Illustrated after last month’s farcical Alaska summit, they carry-on doing whatever they want. If, or when Trump complain, they ignore him.

Trump aside, what does the UK do to stem this seemingly unstoppable Reform tide?

I think it’s inevitable that there is a need to stop the boats, illegal immigration has gone too far for the consensus to be ignored.

Immigration per se has been made the problem by right-winger politicians with no real ideas, or desire to solve the real issue; too many people in this country feel poor.

This is what must be addressed, especially after 14-yrs of Tory austerity and 45-yrs of the failed neoliberal experiment. It is what Starmer was elected for. Indeed, Labour’s election manifesto was “change”. Only, it wasn’t.

As readers will know I have long regarded the Starmer government as “Torylite”. Even before his election victory I had christened him “Light-Blue Kier”.

 

‘the Stamer administration believes growth will be delivered by deregulation, a central tenet of the economic theory’

 

As far as I can see, the only change has been to make things worse, with austerity type policies, and promises to weaken regulators who they regard as a “foot on the neck of business”, inhibiting business growth and innovation.

I was interested to read that there is a Department for Business and Trade’s “growth school”, with session for civil servants from external speakers.

As this is, or at least was supposed to be a Labour government, you would expect the speakers to come from the trade unions, social justice, human rights or environmental groups, or from left or liberal thinktanks such as the New Economics Foundation or the Institute for Public Policy Research.

Instead, there are four speaker who work, or have worked, for thinktanks linked to 55 Tufton Street, that surrounded Truss. They are Samuel Hughes from the Centre for Policy Studies, Ben Southwood, formerly of Policy Exchange and currently a senior fellow at the Adam Smith Institute, Sam Bowman, also a senior

fellow at the Adam Smith Institute, and Sam Dumitriu, formerly head of research at the Adam Smith Institute and now head of policy at Britain Remade

Clearly, in true neoliberal Tory traditions, the Stamer administration believes growth will be delivered by deregulation, a central tenet of the economic theory.

As I have written before there is little evidence to show that neoliberalism works. As I highlighted in “Poverty and Inequality”, even a right-wing military junta in Chile couldn’t make it work.

Part of the problem is that, like all recent governments, Labour is in the grips of lobbyists, influencing policies including the ban on Palestine Action, the planned deregulation of the financial sector and new private partnerships in the NHS; from the environmentally disastrous planning and infrastructure bill to this week’s decision to allow bottom trawlers to keep ripping up England’s “marine protected areas”.”

Their influence is even within the government. The new environment secretary, Emma Reynolds, had previously been a managing director at TheCityUK, a lobby group for banks and other financial services.

There is a similar scenario with the governments advisers. One of whom is the City lobbyist Iain Anderson, whom Truss appointed as one of her “business champions”.

Iain is, or at least was, a big supporter of loopy Liz. When she stood for Conservative leader, he tweeted a selfie of the two of them, with the caption “I’ve been a Conservative for almost 4 decades … I’ve worked with Liz on economic reform and boosting opportunity. She has fresh ideas and real energy. She does what she says and is strong and loyal. That’s why I’m backing #LizForLeader.”

Confusingly, although Anderson continues to work as a lobbyist, the government has appointed him as a non-executive director of the Department for Business and Trade, which hosts those “growth school” talks.

In “Personality Crisis”, I wrote that “PM Starmer’s appears so confused by what he is and what he believes that becoming trans can’t be ruled out”. If he is in a closet, it is a Tory one.

To all intents and purposes this government is so far away from what was promised that they could be in breach of the Trade Descriptions Act. The very same accusation could be levelled at the PM and his promises when he stood for leader.

 

‘Nigel Farage appears to be non-stick’

 

Despite all of this, the PM won a very healthy majority, and, despite awful opinion poll ratings, still has over 3-yrs to turn the ship around. Which also meant that Reform have to maintain their current popularity for 3-yrs. This might usually be difficult, but Reform have several key advantages.

Firstly, they are the media’s darlings and are adept at exploiting this and the social media. Their leader, Nigel Farage appears to be non-stick. For example, there is the potential scandal over the payment of stamp duty on a house he may, or may not own. This is the same issue that sent the media want into a meltdown over Andrea Rayner; what they do about Farage’s indiscretion will be revealing.

Reform are not the official opposition, therefore they avoid the scrutiny the official opposition are subjected to.

Lastly, Reform is a young party, with only 4-MPs, and no experience in government. The time this parliament has left will help them build the requisite infrastructure to form a government should they win a majority.

Majorities, especially under our cockeyed first-past-the-post electoral system can be misleading

In “There’s a new kid in town. Or, is there?”, I used a quote from a commentator who wrote, “Keir Starmer has scooped a Tony Blair-style majority on Jeremy Corbyn-style polling”.

Many voted Labour just to get rid of the Tories, but that election coalition is fast disintegrating, with, as I wrote in “Nice ‘n’ Sleazy”, 26% defecting to the left.

 

‘Any worker that believes Reform is on their side, deserves all they get’

 

As a result, Labour the support of the C. 6.4m trade unionists more than ever. Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, summed-up the situation perfectly: “Let us remember, we are the real power of the Labour movement.”

Any worker that believes Reform is on their side, deserves all they get. The party is home to right-wing business interests, former Tory voters and dogmatic free-marketeers who fund and support the party. The party voted against the employment rights bill, saying: “We must make it easier to hire and fire.”

Last week TUC conference was full of critique for the state of the country: “excess profits”, “rotting regulators”, “asset bubbles created by corrupt policies”, “a 10-fold increase in the number of billionaires since 1990”.

Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, summed-up Starmer’s Labour: “They’re not offering systemic solutions.”

This is hardly surprising. He has surrounded himself with failed Tory advisers, offering more of the same failed ideas.

All of this on top on the debacles of Rayner and Mandelson, and it is hard to see the PM making Christmas.

 

‘it is hard to see the PM making Christmas’

 

In which case, who? Messrs Reeves, Streeting et al, offer more of the same. The only labour politician with a net positive rating from the public, one-third view him favourably, is Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester.

He has the cross-party appeal, and both the centrist Labour Growth Group of MPs and in the Socialist Campaign Group have concluded he is their only option.

To stand he would need to be an MP and therefore is not eligible to run, and there is an existing Manchester MP who is in ill health, ready to stand down, causing a byelection. The party leadership will do everything they can to block this.

If the UK is in a doom loop, it is partly caused by too much influence being in the hands of too few people. Every industry has lobbyists, all focussed in their own problems, without a care for anyone else.

Last week , the betting industry were crying over potentially higher gaming taxes, and lots of vertically-challenged individual were wheeled-out to complain.

There is also the titled entitled such as the Westminster’s shielding all their assets in trust and passing on £9bn tax free. Or, seen from the other side robbing the country of £3.6bn in IHT.

As I wrote in “ No One Wants to Pay”, “pleasing the rich doesn’t win elections”. Only, in this country it does. The majority of readers of the Telegraph and Mail oppose a wealth tax, even though of them would be impacted by it. They are against because the media brainwashes them, saying it kills aspirations, and the rich will leave. If they don’t contribute who needs them? Only the shopkeepers in Mount St and Bond St.

It falls to the incumbent government to save us from Reform, racism, and a democratic collapse. Unfortunately, we couldn’t be in less capable hands.

The PM tells us that Britain will “never surrender” to far-right protesters who use the English flag as cover for violence and to instil fear. The St George’s flag “represents our diverse country” and he would not tolerate people being “intimidated on our streets because of their background or the colour of their skin”.

Too little, too late, prime minister!

 

 

“In a real fourth Reich you’ll be the first to go”

 

 

Notes:

 

1. The question posed by John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten, singer of the Sex Pistols, at the end of the band’s final concert at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco on January 14, 1978

 

As you will know, I have long talked about a return to the politics of the 1930’s and the weekend was my final proof. Up to 150,000 flag wavers marched to the tune of “Kier Starmer is a wanker” ( they probably have a point, but then Tommy et al are *****). It would have bought a tear to the eye of Oswald Mosley..

As with Mosely, Robinson et al are just agitators, wiping-up trouble to suit their own warped ends.

Once Farage is in power they will be his Praetorian Guard, his ICE. It will be interesting to see how some of the more “foreign sounding” right-wingers fare on the day of reckoning. They are hardly Anglo-Saxon, after all.  

What they would have been better served marching over is the fact that, this summer, up to 3 million children will have been skipping meals, while more than 2 million households will rarely have known the benefit of fresh food or hot food at home.”

The government, for their part, clearly does not have a clue, and sounds like they are just joining in. The business secretary, Peter Kyle, stopped short of condemning the protests and said they were a “klaxon call” for the government.”

There is the beginning of a split in Labour ; the government side think they have to be Tories, or, better still, Reform, and the left, who can still remember what Labour is, or at least, was.  

Parliament’s black caucus, led by the Labour MP Dawn Butler, issued a statement condemning “racism, abuse and anti-migrant hatred” and called for greater leadership on the issue.

“The government must show leadership. It must take urgent steps to reduce tensions, call out and challenge racist rhetoric and behaviour wherever it occurs, and take far more seriously the threat posed by the far right – which police have identified as the UK’s fastest-growing threat,” the group said in a statement.

Looney tunes are coming to town, as the Orange Menace meets the King. Perhaps they will be comparing tax evasion, or notes on how to avoid getting embroiled further with Epstein. Andrew might need some advice, here!

The highlight of Trump’s visit will be Channel 4’s Trump v The Truth, starting at 10pm Wednesday, to unpick what it describes as the falsehoods expressed by Trump since taking office. The broadcast has been described as: “the longest uninterrupted reel of untruths, falsehoods and distortions ever broadcast on television.”

One to tickle your taste buds is Trump’s boast that his administration had “stopped $50m being sent to Gaza to buy condoms for Hamas.”

Lyrically, we start with the Stooges classic paean to teen nihilism, “No Fun”, which was the song the Pistols signed off to after Lydon’s rant. To finish, “Nazi Punks, Fuck Off”, by the Dead Kennedys.

Move on, nothing to enjoy here!

Philip

 

@coldwarsteve

 

 

Philip Gilbert is a city-based corporate financier, and former investment banker.

Philip is a great believer in meritocracy, and in the belief that if you want something enough you can make it happen. These beliefs were formed in his formative years, of the late 1970s and 80s

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