During an after-work drink on Friday my boss, and benefactor, was talking a lot about the ever-increasing state power in the UK. He remarked that after the fall of the iron curtain, the familiar surveillance cameras, that were widespread throughout eastern Europe, were systematically turned off and removed; a “free” country obviously doesn’t need them. But meanwhile in western Europe, especially in the UK, they were being thrown-up with gusto. In fact the UK now has one of the highest levels of state controlled cameras in the world, with up to one CCTV camera for every 14 people. Yet we still think we’re “free”. In fact, the government would have us believe that they’re being put there to “protect our freedom”. And this is just a small example of “New Freedom”.
The same government is successfully implementing laws that would surely cause a revolution in countries where the population aren’t such fat, ignorant, arseholes, who are too worried about their personal finances to care about politics. Yes, I am including myself in that description.
Meanwhile, over the Atlantic, things are just as bad. People often ask me, in baffled tones, why I would even consider going to live in America when it’s clearly a proto-fascist country. They clearly haven’t looked in the papers recently…well to be honest they probably have, but got bored by all of the stuff about celebrity cokeheads and Prince William’s nob. Britain is almost as bad, if not worse!
On saturday we started watching a film about WalMart, and how it’s ruining the world. After 20 minutes of rifle-waving rednecks whinging about their towns getting destroyed by out of town Wal Marts we gave up and watched Harold and Kumar go to White Castle (which made more laugh more in 90 minutes than I have laughed in several years BTW).
One thing the republican rednecks were consistently banging on about can be paraphrased thus:
“Now, I hate communism and socialism. I love America and the American way and most of all FREEDOM. But I wish the government would step in and try to control Wal Mart.”
That’s socialism you stupid arseholes!* And what do you mean by “Freedom” ?
Meanwhile they continue supporting Bush, neo-conservatism and may as well turn their heavy weaponry on themselves.
*I know that technically it isn’t Socialism, but it’s exactly the sort of “Socialism” that the capitalist countries bang on about.