The age of pussyfoot
This is the title of a science fiction novel by Fredrick Pohl that foresees a lot about our current culture and even technologies, written in 1969.
I read it as a teenager and I can see certain aspects that are key to our current predicament.
Fear and cowardice are becoming our greatest enemies and are becoming toxic when combined with the loss of a moral basis for society provided by the UK's Christian heritage.
Today many on the left don't believe the catastrophic financial position Brown and Labour have placed us in, and are happy to continue the political tactic of the narrative, spin lies and deceit ( witness Ed Balls). A few more on the left know full well, but are plotting the downfall of our society and this is all very good for them.
Labour are lying directly and mercilessly to peoples faces about our current state, and many of the people believe them because they are scared or ignorant ( ignorance is always Labour's best seam to mine for support ).
The question is what will the response be ? There are broadly two options (as shown on last night's Newsnight), the Danny Finkelstein (aka Ted Heath) approach which appeals to our inner coward or the John Redwood (think Thatcherite) approach which we know may lose us the election and requires bravery. If we go with Danny and the SDP then we are doomed, because our fears will overcome us. Winning the election will be a Pyrrhic victory.
In "The age of pussyfoot" due to the threat of war many people chose to put themselves into suspended animation to hide from the threat, they have too much to lose and a sort of combination of a tragedy of the commons and cowardice nearly leads to defeat.
Today people grasp at Red Toryism and the fact that every key budget that people might be frightened of a change in can be ring fenced whilst magic pixie dust of future growth will save the day. I don't believe it will.
If we are over whelmed by this crisis is will be because people are not yet brave enough to listen to what they don't want to hear. The grimmer worm-tongues of the left whisper in people ears messages about "vital services", neglecting to tell the nation how truly weak we have become, so when the real crisis arrives they can deliver us to their masters.
It might even be better to lose the next election than to win it without a clear plan and mandate to save our country.
I read it as a teenager and I can see certain aspects that are key to our current predicament.
Fear and cowardice are becoming our greatest enemies and are becoming toxic when combined with the loss of a moral basis for society provided by the UK's Christian heritage.
Today many on the left don't believe the catastrophic financial position Brown and Labour have placed us in, and are happy to continue the political tactic of the narrative, spin lies and deceit ( witness Ed Balls). A few more on the left know full well, but are plotting the downfall of our society and this is all very good for them.
Labour are lying directly and mercilessly to peoples faces about our current state, and many of the people believe them because they are scared or ignorant ( ignorance is always Labour's best seam to mine for support ).
The question is what will the response be ? There are broadly two options (as shown on last night's Newsnight), the Danny Finkelstein (aka Ted Heath) approach which appeals to our inner coward or the John Redwood (think Thatcherite) approach which we know may lose us the election and requires bravery. If we go with Danny and the SDP then we are doomed, because our fears will overcome us. Winning the election will be a Pyrrhic victory.
In "The age of pussyfoot" due to the threat of war many people chose to put themselves into suspended animation to hide from the threat, they have too much to lose and a sort of combination of a tragedy of the commons and cowardice nearly leads to defeat.
Today people grasp at Red Toryism and the fact that every key budget that people might be frightened of a change in can be ring fenced whilst magic pixie dust of future growth will save the day. I don't believe it will.
If we are over whelmed by this crisis is will be because people are not yet brave enough to listen to what they don't want to hear. The grimmer worm-tongues of the left whisper in people ears messages about "vital services", neglecting to tell the nation how truly weak we have become, so when the real crisis arrives they can deliver us to their masters.
It might even be better to lose the next election than to win it without a clear plan and mandate to save our country.
5 comments:
MiaS, chill out...
There have certainly been galaxy sized lies about the state of the country being told. Darling's[erm .. isn't that Brown's?} budget won't be able to hide the scale of the debt and the poverty that awaits.
It would almost be worth letting the PM win just to see it all unravel.
But better is to boot him out and then open the books up to the public and make honest declarations about what can be done, needs to be done and will no longer be done.
Why don't they produce a mixture of the two? Sprinkle a pinch of fairy dust on the faint-hearted, while putting the thumb-screws on the debt, etc?
Peter Schiff and Gerald Celente are scathing about the UK's and US's prospects, predicting that QE is simply putting off the inevitable [corrective] bust which governments have been too cowardly (and power-hungry) to allow to happen in recent years.
Celente gives it 2 years, max - probably by mid 2011 - before we sink into depression, our economy correcting itself with medicinal deflation.
Democracy is killing us. How can it be equitable that a majority can vote away your property and liberty? How can it be fair that politicians can bribe people with your money and hard work?
Republicanism American-style is an exceedingly good model which I hope we adopt someday.
@ContraTory - I drink far to much coffee to ever chill out !
@Bill Quango - yes ultimately I agree the damage being done by Labour in so many areas has to be stopped. I just occasionally find myself looking at Danny Finkelstein and wondering if he really does represent the next Conservative Govt - if so we are doomed.
@Fausty - I think you hit on a really important point about democracy. Of course the whole EU project is about bypassing it, due to the problems of nationalism and fascism from the past.
But equally I I was trying to point out it can give us great moments of weakness. The truth is we act as herds to some extent. Those of us who are interested in politics and such things are really the outliers of the population. A democracy with herds is a really big problem. Its surprising no one is willing to ask more questions about it.
By the way today there's a great article by Fraser Nelson in the Spectator's Coffee house showing how the UK is going the way of Japan. I recommend a read. And may even do a cross post on it in a minute.
Fear and cowardice are becoming our greatest enemies and are becoming toxic when combined with the loss of a moral basis for society provided by the UK's Christian heritage.
Written in letters a foot tall and vigorously underscored.
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