The Warning Bells Of Absurdity
HOW CAN YOU TELL when a system is falling apart? That the load-bearing walls of everyday reality are beginning to weaken? The simple answer is absurdity. Words spoken and positions taken that simply make no sense. Behaviour that raises suspicion of complete madness. Sums that stubbornly refuse to add up.
Think about the extraordinary display put on by Australia’s governing party, the Liberal Party. What was that all about? For some time the party has been declining in the polls. So, what does it do? It convulses itself in a bloody and ultimately pointless bout of political fratricide. Hurling aside an urbane, accomplished and highly intelligent politician, Malcolm Turnbull, and replacing him with an intellectually stunted and morally vacuous religious zealot whose primary political accomplishments have been the persecution of refugees and the punishment of the poor. Entirely unsurprisingly, the Liberal’s primary vote has sunk to record lows.
Then there is the ongoing campaign by the United Kingdom’s liberal establishment to destroy Jeremy Corbyn. Unable to counter the Labour leader’s policies: for fear of exposing their unshakeable allegiance to the “loose affiliation of millionaires and billionaires” (thank you Paul Simon) that constitutes the actual government of the world; these ostensibly “progressive” politicians and journalists have embarked upon a barking-mad effort to paint Corbyn and his allies in the Labour Party as “antisemites”. By which they mean opponents of the State of Israel.
Now anyone who knows anything about Jeremy Corbyn (which includes the people who are levelling the charge of antisemitism against him) cannot possibly believe that he is prejudiced against Jews simply because they are Jews. Corbyn’s quarrel is with the ideology of Zionism, and with the unjust and often downright murderous actions of the Israeli state: a stance he has maintained with admirable consistency for more than thirty years.
Clearly, the prospect of such a man being just one general election away from No. 10 Downing Street is of profound concern to right-wing Israeli politicians and supporters of Zionism all around the world. That such people are attempting to undermine Corbyn is perfectly understandable. But, the campaign being waged against him on the pages of The Guardian isn’t about Israel – or Jewish people. It’s about something else; something all the more unnerving for being unspoken. It’s about who is entitled to govern the UK and who is not.
Corbyn constitutes an existential threat to the UK’s governing elites, whose formerly vice-like grip on the nation’s political and cultural institutions has been seriously weakened by a bottom-up political insurgency from the left of UK politics for which the veteran left-wing MP has acted as a lightning-rod. They are calling Corbyn an antisemite because they can’t plausibly call him a paedophile and because they are not yet desperate enough to call for his assassination.
That’s why it all sounds so mad. Like the accusations which Stalin levelled against the old Bolsheviks in the Moscow show-trials of the 1930s. They are lies – obvious and terrible lies – but with the power of the apparatus behind them they risk acquiring the character of Truth. So we go on reading the articles in The Guardian: noting the rising pitch of hysteria between every line; and the world lurches sideways under our feet.
And then we look at Donald Trump’s America, and Corbyn’s woes fade – overwhelmed by the dazzling image of the planet’s most powerful nation spontaneously combusting.
It’s all about race, of course. The whole history of the United States has been about race. About being white, or, more accurately about not being red, black, yellow or brown. The history of the United States of America is a series of evermore urgent reiterations of a consistent ruling-class strategy of making sure that the consciousness of class oppression is forever being displaced by the awareness of racial privilege.
The election of Barack Obama was the trigger. A black man in the White House was the ultimate symbol of white decline. From that moment on, a majority of white Americans were seized by a racial distemper that rotted their brains and inflamed their spleens. Though Trump has yet to speak or tweet the words explicitly, “Making America Great Again” has the ring of a genocidal call-to-arms. What else could it be? When demographic trends threaten to submerge white Americans in a diverse, multicultural morass?
When Trump talks about “draining the swamp” the assumption has always been that he is talking about cleaning up Washington DC. But what if he means draining away or diverting the waters that are lapping at the feet of white Americans? What if he intends to leave white America high and dry by simply getting rid of all those forces that are threatening to swamp it?
This is the nightmare quality of current events. That, beyond the wafer-thin screens of normality, vast beasts go prowling in the dark. We can hear them barking and roaring: sometimes far away; sometimes frighteningly close. There’s a skittering of claws on marble floors. Eyes glowing green in the shadows. And, try as we may, we cannot wake up.
You’ve just got to keep your head on a swivel constantly with these budding fascists. They’re planning violent and non-violent attacks, going after woman and children. Predators always go after the weak. There are going to be more and more confrontations at the hands of these pseudo intellectuals because they know there time is up and all they know to do is have a temper tantrum and be violent. And people can say what ever they want to say when they say Trump emboldens them. Nah, Trump didn’t do anything that wasn’t already in their heart to do. Trump does do his bull horn to white supremacists but they’re still making there choices to do what they do. So blaming Trump for what these white supremacists are doing only goes so far. I mean this ain’t nothing new. White supremacists have been hating on people outside of themselves ever since they got out of the cave, attacking woman, attacking children. So keep your head on a swivel at all times. This is not the time to be lax, it’s not the time to be acting like everything is all good. Nah, always keep your eyes open. Even if cops are eyeing you, they shouldn’t really because fining people for behaviour isn’t a crime, its revenue gathering because tax cuts and budget cuts so just try and avoid them, don’t make eye contact because they’re liable to pop off over nothing, and these are the guys how’re meant to keep the peace let alone gangs. So maybe central government does have to massage law enforcement with resources. I go to secluded towns all the time where no one listens to radio or watches TV or has wifi and I don’t feel no tension, I don’t see no one running around like chicken little. But when it comes to the west just watch yourself because your being judged every minute.
It’s manifestly unfair I know because only prices and markets shift these big things. The most important price is the exchange rate and when the exchange rate changes all sorts of things happen. When New Zealand floated the exchange rate back in the 80’s, new industries popped up. First one was restauranteurs we never had one before the 90’s, then the international wine and tourism industry, then international finance, then international education services from abroad, then white-ware and exporting tech companies. So a floating exchange price allocates capital in the market. Only a price on carbon will start allocating capital to the right places where we should be investing in a 21st century New Zealand economy so I think the question is do we want a first rate industrial economy or do we want an economy overwight at the top and sick at the bottom. So do we want to drive full steam ahead or do we want to jam it all in reverse talking as Simon Bridges talks that we need to go soft on National Party donors and thrash Nationals favourite pet cemetery namely beneficiaries and talking about industries that were important 100 years ago.
An article in the guardian this morning ( there are always one or two keeping the issue going) seems to me to be in recognition of the anti semite campaign against Jeremy backfiring.
“Merron said the community had “no interest in an ongoing dispute with any major political party about the nature of racism against us”, but said the group had to defend the interests of Jewish people. “We hope that over the coming weeks and months, Labour will do the necessary to turn the tide and end this impasse,” she said.”
Of course it is for the zionist attack on him to back off and end the impasse , and the preceding…
“The board’s chief executive, Gillian Merron, wrote: “While Labour could have used the summer to focus on any number of other serious challenges facing this country, the leadership has chosen to make its priority a fight
with British Jews about antisemitism.”
Is derisive given the issue is entirely of their determined creation enthusiastically carried by the Guardian .( which constantly ,forlornly begs me to help finance their constant propaganda).
I think they are digging themselves a hole . It’s having the same effect as the Blairites’ campaign to get rid of him as party leader when he first got the nomination. Trying to demonise a folk hero is a risky undertaking. All it does is to draw attention to the extraordinary fact that there is nothing negative that he can be accused of.
I still don’t know if Trump is in charge over there or not. He might be on domestic and economic affairs , but re Syria and Yemen , and Russia , what is being done is at odds with what he said would be his plan. I think he is being railroaded into a confrontational stance that is more aimed at getting rid of him than it is to serve a strategic international purpose.
The developments around Idlib , and Bolton’s threats, And Mattis still talking about governance of Syria being decided in Geneva , with Assad out of the equation , obviously leaving the people of Syria out of the equation as well, make it clear they have not given up on Regime change. The war hawks of US deep state are on a collision course with Mr Putin. It doe not look good.
D J S
Indeed: a wilful – and shameful – conflation of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, on the part of Corbyn’s enemies. It’s looking increasingly desperate, though, as if it’s a last throw of the dice.
That’s certainly the case. Although one family member thinks that regarding Syria and Russia – and possibly also Yemen – he’s playing a long game. He’s acquiescing to Establishment wishes now, so as to give himself more leverage to implement his own policies in future, perhaps in his second term. In my view, that’s an optimistic interpretation: he’s not a pollie, so lacks the skills and experience to pull it off. I’d love to be wrong, though.
It certainly looks that way; my view, though, is that the railroaders are aiming to bring about both outcomes.
This is the signal misunderstanding of the West: it’s not Putin they – and we – have to worry about. Our best hope for peace is if Putin continues to prevail, with regard to Russian foreign policy and defence strategies. He’s articulated the risk himself, more than once. The tragedy is that the West is too blind to see what’s right under its nose.
You should have heard Matthew Paris on the Kathryn Ryan show this morning: full-blooded condemnation of Corbyn with no indication that the Jewish population in the UK is actually divided on this. Shameful. Also, don’t bother reading the Guardian on the antisemitism/Israel/Zionism issues either – it is a goalkeeper (Jonathan Freedland editor) for Israel. Look at “The Canary” or Medialens for a more valid position.
Liminal: “Look at “The Canary” or Medialens for a more valid position.”
Yup. This,for instance: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2018/08/29/heres-what-the-ex-chief-rabbi-gets-up-to-when-hes-not-comparing-corbyn-to-enoch-powell/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4vk0TLrpcY
Australia’s revolving leadership door makes perfect sense if you notice that any prime minister there who looks to bring in meaningful climate change legislation, gets the arse. Gillard and Abbot were the space occupying lesions in place until the polls caught up.
I wonder what big business money trails could be followed behind the scenes.
They didn’t need to end up with The Trump…Bernie could potentially pull together the great divide between struggling Democratic and Republican voters.
But ‘they’ wouldn’t do that under pain of death.
The political assassination of Corbyn is a template for what will happen if Bernie, or any of Bernies fellow Democratic Socialists get anywhere near the White House.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/bernie-sanders-focusing-on-foreign-policy-blasts-israel-on-gaza/
https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-slams-israel-s-occupation-of-palestine-1.6280039
Siobhan: “The political assassination of Corbyn is a template for what will happen if Bernie, or any of Bernies fellow Democratic Socialists get anywhere near the White House.”
That’s exactly what’s happening to Donald Trump as well; make no mistake about it. The Republican elites hate him; in the Republican primaries, they did their level best to put up another candidate who would’ve been both more acceptable to them and to the liking of Republican voters. But it was not to be; Trump won the most primary votes. If they’d refused to accept him, they were staring at a split in the party, which would have been fatal, not just to their chances at the 2016 election, but to their being a serious political force for the foreseeable future.
So: since he was elected, they’ve teamed up with the Democrats (and the msm, which, being generally liberal, hates Republican presidents on principle) in an attempt to rustle up enough evidence – of anything – to impeach him, thereby forcing him to step down.
Certainly if Bernie Sanders had got the Democratic nomination and won the election, he’d have been chewed up and spat out by the Washington Establishment political machinery, just as was Obama. Remember all that hopey, changey stuff? After the election, Sarah Palin twitted him about it; she was right. He abandoned all that quick smart; he turned out to be no better than his predecessor. Though, being a Democrat and black, he got a much easier ride from the msm.
Well written Chris.
“The election of Barack Obama was the trigger. A black man in the White House was the ultimate symbol of white decline. From that moment on, a majority of white Americans were seized by a racial distemper that rotted their brains and inflamed their spleens.”
I don’t believe this was the case. The rust belt must have voted Obama in for a second term. Their traditional vote was always Democrat. By 1916 all and everyone was disenchanted with Obama and Clinton was disliked. Bleating about Trump or the present day primitive descent of the Australian Liberal Party is shadow boxing. Jeremy Corbyn has the frothing many headed viper of Zionism out to crucify him. Socialists, take note. You have been set up in order to be crucified. The lunacy is everywhere with some so called ‘leftists’ wanting an end to free speech.
The comment below was in response to an article by Andre Vitchek which also delves into global derangement.
“I think in many ways the Obama years ushered in the final death of any “hope” for “change” in the U.S. as Occupy Wall Street was crushed during those years, and Black Lives Matter was vilified as somehow “terrorist” by opposing the cold blooded murder of unarmed black men by police all over the nation.”
Villifying whites and white ‘racial distemper’ as the cause of universal derangement as signified by Pa Ubu, Trump, Scott Morrison or Rumpelstiltskin is merely to fall into the trap that has been designed for you.
to quote Andre Vitchek:
“Similar, confusing messages are coming from everywhere, whenever I go to Europe or North America, or whenever I tune in to their television or radio channels. Something twisted is being broadcast, day and night. Political reality gets extremely fuzzy. Great left-wing political leaders are called names: demagogues, populists, even worse. And those constant, insane Cold War propagandist comparisons of Stalin and Hitler (any logical comparisons never appear, like Hitler = Churchill, German Nazism = European colonialism, etc.).”
https://off-guardian.org/2018/08/06/the-west-has-performed-a-philosophical-coup-against-the-left/
Chris. Obama is not ‘black’. Or ‘only in America’.
In some eyes he’s worse. He’s both and neither – white mother and black foreign father – clever, successful, and widely respected.
An abomination in South Africa of old and in large parts of America, theocracy that it is. Proof that the world doesn’t end when different varieties of humans get together in friendship and love
A legitimiser for many others who like/love people of other colours. Not everyone does – and that’s okay, too.
As long as they neither hate nor fear and leave each to their own: yes, together; or no, thanks.
Yes, it would be nice to conserve/preserve the range of ‘white’ – so long as the genetic mix has benefits for the gene pool. Adaptions we’ll need on a warmer planet. Probably Nature will take care of the problem in her own irrevocable way, in due course…
Trouble is – many Americans have this underlying belief that they are Special (because they’re American – of any colour.) It seems to be a result of excess religiosity and poor mis-interpretation of that bible they use for justification.
Corbyn and anti-semitism. It’s a beat up and those strident demanders in his own party need to examine their warty little souls.
Is destruction of a leader – with no one worth the name available to replace him – for a fake ‘principle’ really worth leaving the Tories in power for ANOTHER five years or more?
Just what policies has Corbyn proposed that are targetted at Jews, and only at Jews, to bring them into danger or loss? When and where has he spoken of this religion, people and culture with disdain, disgust and hatred? Not? Then the lie cannot stand. Speaking for Palestine and its people (also Semites) doesn’t count as ‘anti-Jew’.
And, Thickwits of Labour – while you’re raging about in the railway mug, spilling the English Breakfast in the saucer – is there any thought at all for the working poor, those on zero hours, the desperate and disabled, the erosion of the Northern Ireland peace and border? Or is this So Important?
Let’s hope the Greens are gearing up for a fight otherwise the poor and working classes will be burnt toast come Brexit.