Does anyone honestly think using techniques from Orwell's 1984 is somehow going to make the world a better place? Yesterday's Independent made pretty depressing reading on the train into London. It seems the human race is never happier than when it's in conflict.
Worse still, we seem to delight in appointing incompetent leaders. The Yanks elected Bush Jr in twice - this is the man who couldn't wait to get out of Afghanistan and into Iraq. Result? The Taliban were not wiped out and are now regrouping - peace in Afghanistan is even further away than it is in Iraq. We Brits aren't much better - we prefer the hype and spin of Blair to electing someone who at least doesn't make fancy promises (I'm referring to the Liberals here, not the Tories). Labour become more authoritarian and incompetent by the day, a far cry from how we all felt when the Tories were voted out in 1997.
And in the meantime, in the background the climate continues to shift sharply while those in power pretend there's nothing wrong and hope they're out of power before the problem becomes so acute they can't ignore it for any longer. Blair recently wondered what people will think of him in the year 2106. Believe me, Blair - if they remember you at all, it won't be fondly.
[Listening to: Can't Get over It - The Everly Brothers]
No comments:
Post a Comment