Is fascism back with us?

[hilts]

Don’t agree mate. In my view it’s worse now that at any time I can remember. Some of the stuff we laugh at now on a regular basis would have brought down governments in the past. We are all little frogs sitting in a pan of water with the temperature literally being notched up a degree every week.

It’s hard to argue this lot have got away with far more than what is acceptable, pillocks did vote them in mind and will have the opportunity to vote them out.

 

[hilts]

Do you sell them door to door?

Only on a Thursday

 

[Postman Pep]

Rallying call from the Telegraph. Can't believe they spelt fatherland wrong ..

 

[Mike D]

Plus violins aren’t cheap:-)

And that's going to play out really well with the electorate.

 

[inbetween]

The last four years in the US and UK have seen events that fall under this definition. So, yes, broadly I would agree with you. There is an argument that it has always been there, but the institutions that have underpinned the UK (and US) have protected us from going fully down the ultranationalist and authoritarian route. You can watch it play it in a more extreme form in Turkey, where economic logic is replaced by nationalist/religious insanity.

Electing people like Trump and Johnson, who are happy to ignore codes of behaviour and norms, undermine these institutions as they seek to subvert them for their own ends. With Trump it culminated in an attempted coup by the sitting executive. With Johnson it cheapens and reduces them to hapless impotence.

Bottom line, we elected them so we are obliged to live with the consequences.

We have to be thankful that past traditions and laws exist to protect us. Look at the success of the attack on the Capitol building in the US. It sounds terrible but ultimately it was pointless because the rightful president is now president and the persecutors of that day are in jail cells. The Capitol building at the end of the day was a building and US democracy was greater than that.

The danger for me doesn't lie in the actions of these idiotic minority extremists. The danger really lies in those who wish to subserve democracy, for example as I've just read on another thread where people with a certain political view are calling on the Queen or others to remove an elected government.

The only way we can move forwards is to accept that indeed we get what we vote for but also take hope in that we can always change what we vote for within the boundaries of the democratic system. The day we change this system is the day we do become closer to something that can enable and eventually resemble true fascism.

Yes we are obliged to live with the consequences of what we vote for but that's the cost of living in a democracy.

 

[metalblue]

No its not but charging for a kit that is necessary to track a virus spread by a global is an attempt to supress data.

What do you think the consequences will be for those in poverty?

Do you really think that someone in working poverty can afford to buy a kit to tell them they can't work and are going to be impoverished further by having to rely on sick pay? Whilst as the same time that they can't afford to heat their homes and feed themselves properly?

I very much doubt it’s an attempt to suppress data but an attempt to save costs undoubtedly. Our testing regime is one of the largest in the world. By comparison we do 20x the testing of Germany, 4x the testing of the USA and Canada, 2x the testing of Australia. China don’t release data on their testing - now that’s a country suppressing data - remind me how right wing they are again? In fact only Portugal and Greece do more testing than the UK. As a consequence it’s one of the most costly.

That said, the rest of your post around the impacts on sections of society I can’t disagree with - nor do I think the government should be reducing our testing.

 

[metalblue]

As I said its a broad definition which covers many areas
but here's a definition Fascism (/ˈfæʃɪzəm/) is a form of far-right, authoritarian ultranationalism characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, and strong regimentation of society and the economy

Please show me where I have not applied this correctly what many commentators have espoused to being acts of authoritarianism ?

and here is a definition of communism

is a form of far-left, authoritarian characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, and strong regimentation of society and the economy

 

[inbetween]

I very much doubt it’s an attempt to suppress data but an attempt to save costs undoubtedly. Our testing regime is one of the largest in the world. By comparison we do 20x the testing of Germany, 4x the testing of the USA and Canada, 2x the testing of Australia. China don’t release data on their testing - now that’s a country suppressing data - remind me how right wing they are again? In fact only Portugal and Greece do more testing than the UK. As a consequence it’s one of the most costly.

That said, the rest of your post around the impacts on sections of society I can’t disagree with - nor do I think the government should be reducing our testing.

It's amazing and depressing how literally everything becomes political nowadays, even how many tests we do.

There will hopefully soon be a justification to ramp down testing purely because the overwhelming majority of tests will only occur in asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic people.

There's no need to have a mass testing programme costing tens of billions to test people who aren't ill.

 

[metalblue]

It's amazing and depressing how literally everything becomes political nowadays, even how many tests we do.

There will hopefully soon be a justification to ramp down testing purely because the overwhelming majority of tests will only occur in asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic people.

There's no need to have a mass testing programme costing tens of billions to test people who aren't ill.

I agree. It is depressing.

As soon as the government remove the need to isolate then they can stop testing - until then I’d say it’s fair that if the government put restrictions on your ability to earn they should cover all costs and provide sick pay.

 

[Mike D]

and here is a definition of communism

is a form of far-left, authoritarian characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, and strong regimentation of society and the economy

Yep that's China in nutshell