At the risk of sounding self-indulgent, blogging seems a bit redundant at the moment. The situation changes so rapidly, while Stephen Fry, John Q Publican and the Flying Rodent say everything I want to, but better. It seems ridiculous to add another opinion to the fog of disinformation as the news media continues its descent from the sublime to the ridiculous.
But it is not ten minutes hate‘s style to drown in such self-indulgent waters for long. Instead, let’s take a couple of lungfuls of air and attempt to doggy-paddle towards a distant yet sunny stretch of beach. For the first time that I can remember, people are interested in politics again, and not the stupid, ‘leader’s wives’ version of it eternally peddled by the tabloids, but the ancient mechanics behind how the system should work and if in fact it does.
The brightest dot on the horizon must be that we have had no government for five days now and the sky still hasn’t fallen in. If you turned off Sky News and ignored the papers, you would barely even notice. This either points to an unelected cabal of civil servants being the real power in the country or a dizzying scent of anarchism in the air:
…when the most thoroughly organized, centralised institution, maintained at an excessive national expense, has proven a complete social failure, the dullest [mind]Â must begin to question its right to exist. The time is past when we can be content with our social fabric merely because it is “ordained by divine right,” or by the majesty of the law.
– Emma Goldman
So I say, let them squabble. While they distract themselves with the scintillating prospect of live, 24-hour coverage of some suits chatting in a room, we can get on with some direct action. Take Back Parliament, 38degrees, Unlock Democracy, there are plenty of campaigns to get involved with, many of which don’t even require you to get up from your desk.
Of course, you could argue that engaging with the election process in any way other than setting fire to your ballot is a betrayal of true anarchist principles. Though ‘whoever you vote for, the government always wins’ seems to have been knocked on the head a bit this last week. I also think that so many of us turning our backs on the process – 35% of eligible voters didn’t engage on Thursday and not all of those were locked out of polling stations – is what has allowed the expenses-fiddling and lobbying to become so endemic.
If they think we are watching, maybe they will take the piss a little less. Let’s make the bastards work for those free, taxpayer-funded bath plugs!
