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Posts tagged ‘Fascism’

Brexit mexit win for dumb fucks


Brexit1

So, the United Kingdom (UK) has voted by a narrow majority to leave the European Union (EU): a triumph for ignorance, nationalism, divisiveness, fragmentation and the scapegoating of ethnic and foreign minorities.

One look at the leading politicians in favour of a British exit (dubbed ‘Brexit’) from the EU would have been enough for any moderately clued-in person to vote against leaving: Nigel Farage (leader of the UK Independence Party, where right-wing conservatism shades off into nastier reaches), Boris Johnson (ex-Mayor of London, a populist and opportunist carefully disguised with genial buffoonery), Donald Trump (Mr. Dodgy, right down to his orange, spray-on perma-tan) and Vladimir Putin (Mr. Macho Man, Gangster-in-Chief of Russia).

But hey, folks, we’re not talking about moderately clued-in people when it comes to a significant proportion of the pro-Brexit voters. Hell no, we’re talking about a large number of dumb fucks: the ill-educated, more ignorant, racist, xenophobic and self-pitying.

This is the section of society from whose woodwork has always emerged, throughout history and when opportunity presents, the supporters of authoritarian and fascist rulers – the stern father figures who will look after ‘us’, banish and punish all the ‘outsiders’ (i.e. anyone that the clueless deem responsible for the ills in their lives) and give licence, subtly or otherwise, to the resentful, scapegoat-seeking feelings – violence, hate, intimidation – carried in their supporters’ hearts.

These are the dumb fucks who have now voted – tho’ they knew it not – for:

  • The breakup of the UK (Scotland will now surely vote to leave and so re-join the EU).
  • The renewal of terrorism and violence in Northern Ireland. The Irish Republic is strongly pro-EU, and Sinn Fein, which has MPs on both sides of the border, has already called for a vote on whether Northern Ireland should remain part of the UK or instead become part of a united Ireland.
  • The ceding of Gibraltar to Spain (the Gibraltarians voted massively to stay in the EU).

These are the clueless citizens who have voted for the very possible fragmentation and eventual collapse of the institution – the EU – that was brought into being to make impossible ever again the outbreak of war within Europe. After the UK, Greece could well be the first to go … their economy has long been in tatters, defaulting on their massive debts via an EU-exit looks increasingly attractive to many Greeks, and leading Greek politicians have been cosying up to Russia for some time now.

And these – the Brexiteers – are the clueless idiots who have effectively voted for the encouragement of far-right groupings right across Europe:

  • In France, far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen was among the first to hail the Brexit vote with a cry of “victory for freedom!” Now, she tweeted, it was time for a referendum in France and elsewhere in the EU.
  • In Holland, Geert Wilders – the leader of the anti-Islam, anti-immigration Freedom Party – was also among the first to congratulate Britain on its “Independence Day”. He promised that if he were elected the Dutch would be granted their own EU-exit referendum.
  • In Germany, Beatrix von Storch, an MEP for the rightwing populist party Alternative für Deutschland, welcomed the result. “The 23 June is a historic day. It is Great Britain’s independence day”, said Storch, who was recently expelled from the Tories’ party group in the European parliament after suggesting German police might be within their rights to shoot refugees trying to cross the border.
  • The far right Sweden Democrats, who hold the balance of power in Stockholm, tweeted: “Congratulations to Britain’s people on choosing independence! Now we are waiting for a #swexit!”
  • The powerful far-right Danish People’s party congratulated the British people on their “bold” choice, which, it said, was a “stinging slap to the whole system”.
  • In Athens, Golden Dawn, Europe’s most violent rightwing party, rejoiced at the referendum result. Predicting it would further empower “nationalist forces” across Europe, the neo-fascist group welcomed what it described as “the brave decision of the British people” and said it hoped a similar referendum could take place in Greece.
  • Belgium’s Flemish nationalist party Vlaams Belang was overjoyed by the result of the Brexit referendum.

The authoritarian forces outside the EU are also delighted with the Brexit vote. In Russia, Moscow’s Mayor, Sergei Sobyanin noted that “Without the UK in the EU, there’s no one there who’ll so stridently back sanctions against us [imposed for Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea].” Meanwhile ultra-nationalist Russian MP Vladimir Zhirinovsky said the British public “had performed a heroic deed”.

So well done, all you dumb fucks. Your ignorance and stupidity has opened Pandora’s box.

Pakistan – a failing state


Pakistant Flag

My opinion, bluntly expressed: if the people of Pakistan do not soon face down and utterly reject the Islamists in their midst, then Pakistan will likely cease to exist as a viable, recognisable nation … collapsing into chaos and Islamo-fascism, a place of darkness, oppression and fear.

What is an Islamist? The answer is simple: anyone who seeks, through the use or endorsement of violence and intimidation, to end all individual freedoms by imposing on everyone else their own particular version of Islam … in total replacement of not only all other varieties of Islam, but also all aspects of secular society. In other words, an Islamist is a variety of fascist.

In an Islamist’s world-view, all other varieties of Islamic practice and belief – Sufism for example – are to be swept away and their adherents branded as ‘heretics’ who can be murdered with impunity. In an Islamist world-view, all secular law is to be swept away and replaced by an extremist interpretation of Sharia law and the like. And in an Islamist world-view all democracy is to be swept away as ‘un-Islamic’ and effectively replaced by decrees from unelected clerics.

Thus the playing of chess may be banned. Music and dancing may be forbidden. Listening to the radio or watching TV may be banished. Access to the internet may be denied and all video games banned. Beards for men may become mandatory (of a prescribed length no less), playing cricket may be banned, as may watching football.

How so? Because all of these things (and many more) have already variously happened in areas where Islamists hold sway.

There is in truth no end to the mad list of activities that may become forbidden – no end to the list of prescribed behaviours that may become enforced – once a society lets hold sway extremist and peculiar interpretations of what is and is not ‘Islamic’ … and allows Islamism to sweep all else away.

And with this sweeping away, all the pillars of freedom and democracy disappear: a free press and independent media, law-making bodies that are democratically accountable, an independent judiciary, freedom of speech and expression. In their stead come gangs of Islamist, gun-toting men, roaming the streets, drunk on the power they wield, each striving to prove through fanatical behaviour that they are more ‘pure’ and Islamist than the rest.

And in an Islamist world-view, in this 21st century, the rights of half the population, the female half, are to be swept away and replaced by extremist interpretations of attitudes rooted in the medieval era of history … interpretations that amount to little more than slavery enforced through violence.

In Pakistan today, the mere accusation of ‘blasphemy’ is often enough to cause the murder of the accused individual. Many varieties of shrine and religious house – Sufi, Hindu, Christian and more – have been attacked and their worshippers killed. And recently, 132 school-children were deliberately murdered because they had parents in the military who may have fought against Islamists. Indeed, over the last eight years nearly 24,000 civilians and security personnel have been killed in Pakistan by terrorists.

Yet despite all this, or perhaps even because of all this, some ‘religious clerics’ in Pakistan can call – with apparent impunity from any laws against the incitement of violence and terrorism – for the remaining staff of Charlie Hebdo (Paris) to be hanged.

I think that time grows short for the people and politicians of Pakistan. The choice is clear: stand together against the gun-men, zealots and extremists, stand up and be counted for freedom, tolerance (live and let live), plurality and human dignity … or else be plunged into a fascist nightmare.

Sitting on the sidelines won’t cut it. The silent Muslim majority in Pakistan must find its voice.

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