James Leroy Wilson's one-man magazine.

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Similarities Between England and the USA

English libertarian Sean Gabb's description of Tony Blair sounds familiar:
Tony Blair [George WMD Boy] is not merely a bad Prime Minister [President] - he is also a profoundly bad man. He is driven by a hatred of England [the Constitution] and its people [Bill of Rights]. He is a liar, a traitor, a war monger. He has the blood of thousands on his hands. Not since the time of James II have we had a government directed so plainly to the abolition of our liberties. At no time in our history has an attack on these liberties been so sustained or so successful.

Yes, there are differences. I don't think Bush "hates" our country and its people in the same politically correct degree that Gabb ascribes to Blair. On the other hand, I doubt that Blair is quite as reckless with his country's finances and economic future.

Nevertheless, the relentless drive of both to create totalitarian states is breathtaking, even though Blair's New Labour party is supposedly "on the left" and Bush's Republican Party is "on the right."

What, then, of Britain's "party of small government?"
The Conservative [Republican] Party has never in my lifetime been a party of conservatives. It has at best been a party of corporatist privilege that spoke a vaguely conservative language. It has been the party of the Quisling Right - of men who implied promises of action without making them, or who made promises without any intention of keeping them. Time and again, they have been believed, only to disappoint. When was the last Conservative [Republican] Government to leave office with a significantly lower burden of tax and regulation than it inherited? When was there one that expanded the sphere of personal freedom? Not in my lifetime. Not in yours. Not, I can think, in the past hundred years.

2 comments:

  1. I don't see how anyone can really point fingers at Tony Blair. Sure, I think he's the scum of the earth but, seems to me, the Brits have elected him twice. I don't have the totals from their last election on hand but I believe it wasn't even close.

    I guess you can go ahead and run down Blair, but run down the British people, as well. They got what they wanted and deserved, at least the majority that voted for him did.

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  2. According to Wikipedia, Labor lost 47 seats and earned 35.3% of the vote. The Conservatives won 32.3% and the Liberal Democrats 22.1. 61% of the electorate voted, so 22% of the British people actually voted for Labor. Labor holds 55% of the seats in Parliament.

    Like Bush's re-election, the fault for Blair's re-election lies in the weakness and platform of the opposition, and not in any enthusiasm for the incumbent.

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