We were promised a scorching summer, but that only lasted for a week.
Which is a pity, because having mortgaged the country for generations to raise the trillions necessary to save the banks for the 1% of the population who truly benefit from them, and possibly the other 9% who make a decent living by juggling the books to their benefit; along with the casualties and fatalities suffered by our troops hired out as mercenaries to the global conglomerates aspirations for Afghanistan. Allied to the revelation that our 'democratic' representatives were an even bigger bunch of incompetent carpet bagging free loaders than we suspected. Taken in conjunction with the Damoclean threat of swine plague. We could have done with the ten week summer break of hedonist living - deemed so necessary for our leaders - for us to recharge our batteries before the next onslaught of misconceived governance.
Considering the above pathetic concerns are only the deficits facing our current life accounts, our portfolios of investments for survival being beleaguered by concerns over nuclear Armageddon, global warming and population explosion, it maybe understandable that the pandemic of swine flue is preferable to the pandemics of cancerous lies we're living under. But the fact remains that every one of the above factors will by some magical osmosis and alchemy filter up to the benefit of the 1% Masters of the World. This is the essence - the big lie, of free market, unrestrained capitalism.
Capitalism of this sort cannot by definition serve humanity it can only enslave it. Reducing the common human herd to the level of consumer corpuscles nurturing and feeding its bloodline. This strain of capitalism, free of the tethers and concerns of morality, its limited conscience measured only by the bottom line fictions of their profit accounts and the balances of their power base, cannot fail to profit the few who benefit from it. It has no obligations, no costs to meet, other than the disbursements of corruption. Capitalism of this sort is as stupid, more destructive and a damn sight less sociable or eco friendly than the age of the dinosaurs. It is an insult to every concept of a humane society on this planet and is practiced and perpetrated by psychopathic tyrants and administered by sociopath governments, generally under the guise of democracy. Both of which may be wily and shrewd, but they're not the sharpest tools in the box when it comes to wisdom.
For any 'ism' that applies to the governance of man, to have such a narrow purpose and selfish short term profit for an elitist few as its goals, not only threatens society but places the civilization society depends on for its values and foundation on the edge of the abyss.
My understanding of the meaning of democracy is quite simple. Generally that a democratic society is one in which the public has the means - the right- perhaps the duty, to participate in a meaningful way in the management of their nations affairs, and the means of information is open and free.
Around 400 years ago when the 'Divine Right of Kings' were being questioned and the concept of a parliament was emerging into the light of enlightenment; the divine right of kings was considered diluted enough when it became the divine right of aristocrats, churchmen and merchants to govern. Little has changed. Today they still don't want their version of democracy to be polluted by the inclusion of an aspirational riff-raff. In short their version of democracy, the democracy we all struggle to understand let alone comprehend or willingly comply and identify with, is based on us being barred from exercising any meaningful contribution and the feed of information must be narrowly controlled by a tame media, malleable to obfuscation and disinformation.
We in fact pay for the doubtful privilege of being conned, confused and compliant by a sophisticated lie called democracy. Which only goes to show that, while we may be more sophisticated and worldly wise than our feudal ancestors we still haven't destroyed the myth propagated by our 'masters' to be regarded with the contempt due to riff-raff.
It's questionable whether the recent transfusion of cash and liabilities injected into the banks from our public purse was because they were too big to fail. (Or because their failure would have effected to many Mr Bigs? ) Perhaps the real reason behind the pawning of the nations future had more to do with papering over the cracks and crevices being exposed of a fatally flawed and crumbling Establishment.
As one wise commentator has commented, 'the next general election is a good one for Labour to lose.' But sadly the choice we are left with is only a mildly tweaked version of the Tweedle Dee's. Accept that limited choice and we confirm our role as contemptible Tweedle Dummers.
