Watch this and see if you can spot anything that resembles what's going on in our own country?
Think of it as terminal stage neoliberalism, the gutting of the state itself and the hiving off of its national wealth to the richest of the rich. James Galbraith explores how it all ends in his book about America, "The Predator State." It's worth a read.
8 comments:
Anyong......Nothing new here that I don't already know...that is the way I feel. Burn baby burn!
The national interest, it would appear, is in the eye of the beholder, Mound.
Once again Monbiot is ahead of the game.
As a Brit by birth and a Canadian by choice I still have friends and relatives in the UK.
Over the years whilst communicating with the Brit's I have had many a reason to shout out; they are trying to privatise your healthcare!
All to no avail, they swallowed the koolaid or jumped into the warming pot and unknowingly started to boil away.
And so it is here in Canada.
The private health clinic in Vancouver( Dr Day) has been a thorn in the side of universal health care for years.
The pharmaceutical industry works vigorously to fix the price of medication; often above the reaches of most of those that suffer.
The UK has always been a bellwether of things to come to Canada especially in the erosion of the socially conscience state.
With NAFTA on the US agenda it is a time to be particularly cautious of our American neighbours and their rapacious medical industry.
TB
I think Monbiot is a weasel. Everything he is attributing to nationalism in Britain could easily be said about Trudeau and Obama, who are multicultural progressives.
The reason nothing is changing in Britain is because Britain, like Canada, is not a democracy. The only say the British people ever got was in the Brexit vote. Cons were always opposed to it. Still are.
But Monbiot is certainly representative of the Left. They both embrace and oppose neocon/neolib globalization. They do a lot of squawking, but have no vision, leadership or platform. Seem to be fine enough with the status quo. They don't inspire confidence, that's for sure.
My grandfather used to say that nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come. He forgot to tell me that it doesn't have to be a good idea.
Anon 10:22 you're getting repetitive and boring. Do you have anything else to add to the conversation?
.. my 2 cents ..I keep trying to focus on the macro.. the upclose & real.. to do that I watch neighbors & strangers, kids, adults, birds, the sky overhead. I worry about work & transportation, dress for the weather, look for grocery value & surf the web. To say I am a prodigious reader would be very accurate.. I only became engaged in observing 'politics' when I woke up one morning and realized a troubling threat to the larger Canadian world had some gained a majority government. I feared the worst.. primarily for environment & species. Canada had just awarded a fleet of bulldozers to political operators in a magic forest and fleets of destroyers to depth charge im,and and coastal preserves.
My fears were correct. Now my attention must also examine the disgusting creature in the current White House.. why? tRump will surpass any treachery exhibited by Stephen Harper. Whether we like it or not.. these types of sociopaths are ruinous.. they shit in the nest & attract followings too stupid or greedy to believe. I keep having these grave feelings that as 'the last redoubt' Canada will become the destination for those who want to live.. or survive, or heal.. or somehow 'thrive' .. reality and natural consequence are implacable.. can be mischievous then turn downright mean spirited. I may have more to say.. in this direction, in the near future. I think about it more and more as I ride the TTC subways to giant suburbs.. or bike to houses I paint, or shop in the neighborhood.
Going to watch the video again, thanks.. I get a lot from 2nd reads & 2nd viewings ..
BTW have you seen the recent NASA satellite time lapse? Showing the entire globe with aerosol movements - dust - salt - smoke ? That's the kind of information I find most revealing when I escape my macro world & see the entire world.. what a combination that view mingled with population density could provide.. horrifying as it might be.. tRump of couse just installed his pick as head of NASA.. I often wonder if these pus sacks in The USA or Canada really believe they 'will take it with them' during the Rapture of course.. They'll only get into heaven of course, with fake ID - I wish them well & if I ever take up praying it will be to pray they get there as soon as possible & without delay
With all the coverage earlier in the month of Defence Minister Michael Fallon being forced to resign after sexual harassment accusations, I completely missed the Priti Patel scandal that Monbiot talks about.
Patel was a prominent Con pro-Brexit voice who made the dubious claim that if Britain didn't pull out of the EU it would face a shortage of curry chefs. For her efforts, Patel was put in charge of international development aid in the May government.
The head of the Conservative Friends of Israel lobby hooked her into a scheme to divert development aid to the Israeli military. Patel went on holiday to Israel where she met with senior Israeli officials including Netanyahu. Apparently, she failed to notify Con Brexit-supporter Boris Johnson in foreign affairs about her meetings. This was a breach of protocol, and she was forced to resign.
I wonder how much of Canada's support for Syrian refugees is being siphoned off by the IDF.
Cap
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