‘Scandals that would have staggered our grandparents elicited nothing other than passive acknowledgement because the people are led not sovereign.’ Isn’t that the truth. I’ve felt doleful and a bit weary watching the growing petition, demanding another General Election. The UK Parliament will debate the proposal on 25th January 2025. What a farce, or rather a pantomime given the season. Of course the government are dreadful. Of course they told lots of lies to get elected - as per the lie told to the ‘WASPI’ women (revealed yesterday by government minister Liz Kendall). Of course there’s nothing you can do about it - you are not sovereign.
What kind of a world do we live in when anyone thinks this sort of stuff is ok? Many, many people don’t think it’s ok going by the reaction Josh Peiters’ documentary on Phillips has received. But she’s making a lot of money from the monetisation of what was once held by society as intimate. And money doesn’t just talk it screams, as Bob Dylan said. This is where we are. It has been deliberate sabotage by liberalism. My grandparents must be spinning in their graves and so is Chesterton.
Excellent article as ever Alexander - thank you. A very blessed Christmas to you and yours and to all your readers.
I will take a look at your piece. You are a skilled writer as well as being an incisive commenter. I worry about the generations that will follow us and what we've become. Not a very festive reflection! Best to you and yours, LoS, for Xmas and New Year.
Thank you so much for your kind words. I’ve love writing. The hard drive of my brain still seems pretty good, all things considered - the processor less so, alas.
The state of the world does make despair at times. I always try and remind myself that our forebears lived through difficult times too. That said, the set of challenges we face can feel overwhelming. But we must prevail. Many thanks again for the wonderful essays this year. God bless.
We have “Parliamentary Sovereignty*”, and the strangest thing is, a large portion of the public are very happy with Parliament constitutionally being above the law.
*At least when it comes to left wing politics, right wing ones get challenged by all the organs of Tony’s Odious Apparatus
So true. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that Blair resigned in 2007, with Gordon Brown pressing him for the keys to No.10 like some desperate council tenant. Of course, there was no languishing on the back benches for Blair. He moved swiftly on to the next project. And, as you rightly say, everyone is Britain is living with his apparatus of state.
Blair was also the major influence on Australian PM’s from the mid 90s onwards. John Howard, the most prominent, was a technocrat despite supposedly being to the right. He was strong on illegal immigration but totally fine with legal migration. Australia has been transformed into a technocracy. It came as no surprise that it was the first country to introduce a ban on u-16s on social media (a Trojan horse policy if ever there were one). How they manage to actually enforce it (beyond imposing Digital ID and facial recognition technology on all internet users here) remains to be seen…
It’s nuts. They tried to bring in a Misinformation Bill too, that would have seen individuals and tech companies deemed by the Australian government to be spreading misinformation, to face ginormous fines and/or jail. Fortunately the Senate threw it out. The issue of kids on the internet is a far trickier one as many parents are simply incapable of policing their children. They’re either too lazy, overwhelmed by it all or don’t really understand how existing safeguards like blocking work.
I was totally opposed to the u-16s ban as it is all about over-16s. The government admitted that it can only work if everyone using the internet uploads a Digital ID and uses facial recognition to support it. The law was pushed through with only 24 hours for submissions opposing it. The Australian government have basically no idea how they’re going to work it. The tech companies have been markedly lukewarm in their response (of course) and have stated they’ve no idea how it will work.
My teenage children’s friends are already working out ways to get around it of course.
Well, for a start what a gripping title, and an equally accurate read. Do you happen to follow Christian Heines on X? He calls liberalism ‘the universal solvent’, and I think you’d have a lot in common.
‘Scandals that would have staggered our grandparents elicited nothing other than passive acknowledgement because the people are led not sovereign.’ Isn’t that the truth. I’ve felt doleful and a bit weary watching the growing petition, demanding another General Election. The UK Parliament will debate the proposal on 25th January 2025. What a farce, or rather a pantomime given the season. Of course the government are dreadful. Of course they told lots of lies to get elected - as per the lie told to the ‘WASPI’ women (revealed yesterday by government minister Liz Kendall). Of course there’s nothing you can do about it - you are not sovereign.
Maxwell rightly calls liberalism a ‘one weird trick worldview’ which sets out to invert all mankind’s central tenets. He’s not wrong. It’s brought us to a dreadful place. Earlier this week, I published a Substack on the Only Fans creator Lily Phillips and her recent sexual stunt. https://open.substack.com/pub/ladyofshalott2/p/its-not-for-the-weak-girls-from-annabel?r=18oo7k&utm_medium=ios
What kind of a world do we live in when anyone thinks this sort of stuff is ok? Many, many people don’t think it’s ok going by the reaction Josh Peiters’ documentary on Phillips has received. But she’s making a lot of money from the monetisation of what was once held by society as intimate. And money doesn’t just talk it screams, as Bob Dylan said. This is where we are. It has been deliberate sabotage by liberalism. My grandparents must be spinning in their graves and so is Chesterton.
Excellent article as ever Alexander - thank you. A very blessed Christmas to you and yours and to all your readers.
I will take a look at your piece. You are a skilled writer as well as being an incisive commenter. I worry about the generations that will follow us and what we've become. Not a very festive reflection! Best to you and yours, LoS, for Xmas and New Year.
Thank you so much for your kind words. I’ve love writing. The hard drive of my brain still seems pretty good, all things considered - the processor less so, alas.
The state of the world does make despair at times. I always try and remind myself that our forebears lived through difficult times too. That said, the set of challenges we face can feel overwhelming. But we must prevail. Many thanks again for the wonderful essays this year. God bless.
We have “Parliamentary Sovereignty*”, and the strangest thing is, a large portion of the public are very happy with Parliament constitutionally being above the law.
*At least when it comes to left wing politics, right wing ones get challenged by all the organs of Tony’s Odious Apparatus
So true. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that Blair resigned in 2007, with Gordon Brown pressing him for the keys to No.10 like some desperate council tenant. Of course, there was no languishing on the back benches for Blair. He moved swiftly on to the next project. And, as you rightly say, everyone is Britain is living with his apparatus of state.
Blair was also the major influence on Australian PM’s from the mid 90s onwards. John Howard, the most prominent, was a technocrat despite supposedly being to the right. He was strong on illegal immigration but totally fine with legal migration. Australia has been transformed into a technocracy. It came as no surprise that it was the first country to introduce a ban on u-16s on social media (a Trojan horse policy if ever there were one). How they manage to actually enforce it (beyond imposing Digital ID and facial recognition technology on all internet users here) remains to be seen…
I heard that about “social media”. Talk about a nanny state. The whole of CANZUK seems to be deep in the mire, alas.
It’s nuts. They tried to bring in a Misinformation Bill too, that would have seen individuals and tech companies deemed by the Australian government to be spreading misinformation, to face ginormous fines and/or jail. Fortunately the Senate threw it out. The issue of kids on the internet is a far trickier one as many parents are simply incapable of policing their children. They’re either too lazy, overwhelmed by it all or don’t really understand how existing safeguards like blocking work.
I was totally opposed to the u-16s ban as it is all about over-16s. The government admitted that it can only work if everyone using the internet uploads a Digital ID and uses facial recognition to support it. The law was pushed through with only 24 hours for submissions opposing it. The Australian government have basically no idea how they’re going to work it. The tech companies have been markedly lukewarm in their response (of course) and have stated they’ve no idea how it will work.
My teenage children’s friends are already working out ways to get around it of course.
Well, for a start what a gripping title, and an equally accurate read. Do you happen to follow Christian Heines on X? He calls liberalism ‘the universal solvent’, and I think you’d have a lot in common.
It reminds me of the Postmodernist Drinking Song by Jordan Peterson: https://youtu.be/iQTDEnfW4ng
Great review, I ordered the book