A WORD of warning to all fellow citizens who
share my sense of exasperation at the state of the nation under the
misrule of President Jacob Zuma. Don’t imagine you would be better off
leaving the country, for the wider world seems also to be undergoing a
spasm of political lunacy.
I am writing this from that green and
sceptred isle called Great Britain, whose voters will go to the polls in
a month’s time to decide whether or not to perform a kind of
liposuction surgery on their homeland to reduce its status to that of an
isolated Little England. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, what proudly
calls itself the Grand Old Party of America is in the process of naming a
narcissistic blowhard with an orange toupee and a libidinous reputation
as its candidate for the most powerful job in the world.
And across the Channel, a far-rightist candidate, Norbert Hofer, came within a hair’s breadth of winning the presidency of Hitler’s old homeland, Austria, this week, while his equivalent next door, Marine le Pen, is threatening to present a serious challenge at next year’s French presidential election. A new German far-rightist party called Alternative fur Deutschland has shown rapid growth, as have similar movements in Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands and even docile Switzerland.
A surge of right-wing supernationalism appears to be
sweeping across the world. So, if you find the prospect of another three
years of JZ troubling, consider the scary possibility that a year from
now, the four major nuclear powers could be ruled over by the likes of
Donald Trump, Le Pen, Britain’s Boris Johnson and Russia’s Vladimir
Putin. This disturbing state of affairs stems, I suspect, from the
struggle of all countries to recover from the global economic downturn
that began in 2008. That and xenophobia triggered by the rapid influx of
refugees from North Africa and the Middle East.
The Great Depression of the 1930s ushered in an era of right-wing dictatorships, with catastrophic consequences. I don’t mean to suggest that we are headed for another world war, but it is important to recognise that when life for ordinary people becomes stressful and frustrating, and people get the sense that their politicians are letting them down, sentiments tend to lean towards authoritarian solutions. A recent survey in the US found that 34% of Americans approved of "having a strong leader who doesn’t have to bother with Congress or elections". Such a response, cutting across the whole idea of US democracy, is presumably the explanation for the support so many Americans are giving to Trump’s brash boastfulness that he’s the guy who can knock all of Washington into shape and fix everything to make America great again.
But if that helps explain the Trump phenomenon in the US, I find it harder to fathom why Britain is putting itself through the hoop with its June 23 referendum on whether or not to remain a member of the European Union (EU). Only last year Britain put itself through a similar hoop with a referendum on whether Scotland should remain part of Great Britain, or go its own way as a separate state. As it turned out, the Scots did the sensible thing and opted to remain part of the greater entity.
But why did Britain’s Tory prime minister, David Cameron, then decide to run the even greater risk of possibly cutting Britain off from Europe?
The Scottish referendum was intended to put an end to growing secessionist tendencies there. Having succeeded with that gamble, Cameron decided to use the same risky tactic to prevent a split in his Tory Party by xenophobic nationalists who want Britain to exit the EU.
Cameron himself wants Britain to remain in the EU, but instead of ordering his followers to toe the party line, which he feared might trigger a split, he is holding the referendum. A clever ploy, one might say, even a bravely democratic one. But it is a huge risk.
Leaving the EU would be a disaster for Britain, and the polls are showing the outcome is going to be a cliff-hanger.
The most prominent figure calling for Britain to exit Europe is Boris Johnson, whose second and last term as mayor of London ended last month. He promptly announced that he would campaign for Brexit, not because anyone imagines he believes that would be the best for the country, but rather that it would be best for his own political career. If the "out" voters win, Cameron would almost certainly have to resign, and Johnson would be his most likely successor. Johnson is regarded as ruthlessly ambitious. As a Guardian columnist put it the other day, "Boris is so calculating, he has an abacus for a heart".
To that end, Johnson is evidently trying to be Britain’s Donald Trump. Like Cameron, he is an expensively educated old Etonian, but he is trying to present himself to the voting public as an anti-establishment cult figure saying outrageous things — such as a united Europe being Hitler’s dream — and trying to grab attention by behaving as a bit of a clown. Like Trump, he has a mop of blond hair that television journalists tell me he deliberately rumples before going on camera to add to his cult imagery. It strikes me that both men are working on the assumption that voters have become disenchanted with the slick presentations of career politicians who have been cosmetically prepared by professional spin doctors and whose words mean nothing.
So, the Trump-Johnson tactic is to say it like it is, however outrageous, to appear refreshingly normal and outspoken.
Whether this is an effective tactic remains to be seen. But the problem is that rational, thoughtful debate becomes the victim, possibly with serious consequences for us all in this increasingly integrated world.
The
consequences of Brexit seem obvious to me. It would weaken Europe, for
Britain is an important member, having the union’s second-largest
economy after Germany. It would also weaken Britain, for it would surely
reduce its trade with the other 27 members. Johnson argues that Britain
is so important to the European Union that other members would beg it
to return, giving London an opportunity to negotiate more favourable
terms for re-entry.
What delusionary nonsense. I reckon it’s more likely the other members will show Britain the middle finger and treat it as a snooty outsider.
But the greatest repercussions would be political. I imagine the Scots would want to stay in the EU, leading to another referendum, and separation this time around.
And then there is Ireland. The Irish Republic is an EU member and would want to remain that way. But Northern Ireland, which is politically part of the UK, would have to detach itself nationally from the rest of Ireland, with border posts for thousands of everyday commuters.
Altogether, an unholy mess that would dismantle the UK and take the Great out of Britain, leaving only a fragmented island called Little England. All in a world that is becoming more integrated by the day.
• Sparks is a former editor of the Rand Daily Mail
 |
| Boris Johnson. Picture: REUTERS/PHIL NOBLE |
And across the Channel, a far-rightist candidate, Norbert Hofer, came within a hair’s breadth of winning the presidency of Hitler’s old homeland, Austria, this week, while his equivalent next door, Marine le Pen, is threatening to present a serious challenge at next year’s French presidential election. A new German far-rightist party called Alternative fur Deutschland has shown rapid growth, as have similar movements in Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands and even docile Switzerland.
 |
| Vladimir Putin. Picture: AFP PHOTO/ALEXEI NIKOLSKY |
The Great Depression of the 1930s ushered in an era of right-wing dictatorships, with catastrophic consequences. I don’t mean to suggest that we are headed for another world war, but it is important to recognise that when life for ordinary people becomes stressful and frustrating, and people get the sense that their politicians are letting them down, sentiments tend to lean towards authoritarian solutions. A recent survey in the US found that 34% of Americans approved of "having a strong leader who doesn’t have to bother with Congress or elections". Such a response, cutting across the whole idea of US democracy, is presumably the explanation for the support so many Americans are giving to Trump’s brash boastfulness that he’s the guy who can knock all of Washington into shape and fix everything to make America great again.
But if that helps explain the Trump phenomenon in the US, I find it harder to fathom why Britain is putting itself through the hoop with its June 23 referendum on whether or not to remain a member of the European Union (EU). Only last year Britain put itself through a similar hoop with a referendum on whether Scotland should remain part of Great Britain, or go its own way as a separate state. As it turned out, the Scots did the sensible thing and opted to remain part of the greater entity.
But why did Britain’s Tory prime minister, David Cameron, then decide to run the even greater risk of possibly cutting Britain off from Europe?
The Scottish referendum was intended to put an end to growing secessionist tendencies there. Having succeeded with that gamble, Cameron decided to use the same risky tactic to prevent a split in his Tory Party by xenophobic nationalists who want Britain to exit the EU.
Cameron himself wants Britain to remain in the EU, but instead of ordering his followers to toe the party line, which he feared might trigger a split, he is holding the referendum. A clever ploy, one might say, even a bravely democratic one. But it is a huge risk.
Leaving the EU would be a disaster for Britain, and the polls are showing the outcome is going to be a cliff-hanger.
The most prominent figure calling for Britain to exit Europe is Boris Johnson, whose second and last term as mayor of London ended last month. He promptly announced that he would campaign for Brexit, not because anyone imagines he believes that would be the best for the country, but rather that it would be best for his own political career. If the "out" voters win, Cameron would almost certainly have to resign, and Johnson would be his most likely successor. Johnson is regarded as ruthlessly ambitious. As a Guardian columnist put it the other day, "Boris is so calculating, he has an abacus for a heart".
To that end, Johnson is evidently trying to be Britain’s Donald Trump. Like Cameron, he is an expensively educated old Etonian, but he is trying to present himself to the voting public as an anti-establishment cult figure saying outrageous things — such as a united Europe being Hitler’s dream — and trying to grab attention by behaving as a bit of a clown. Like Trump, he has a mop of blond hair that television journalists tell me he deliberately rumples before going on camera to add to his cult imagery. It strikes me that both men are working on the assumption that voters have become disenchanted with the slick presentations of career politicians who have been cosmetically prepared by professional spin doctors and whose words mean nothing.
So, the Trump-Johnson tactic is to say it like it is, however outrageous, to appear refreshingly normal and outspoken.
Whether this is an effective tactic remains to be seen. But the problem is that rational, thoughtful debate becomes the victim, possibly with serious consequences for us all in this increasingly integrated world.
 |
| Donald Trump. Picture: REUTERS |
What delusionary nonsense. I reckon it’s more likely the other members will show Britain the middle finger and treat it as a snooty outsider.
But the greatest repercussions would be political. I imagine the Scots would want to stay in the EU, leading to another referendum, and separation this time around.
And then there is Ireland. The Irish Republic is an EU member and would want to remain that way. But Northern Ireland, which is politically part of the UK, would have to detach itself nationally from the rest of Ireland, with border posts for thousands of everyday commuters.
Altogether, an unholy mess that would dismantle the UK and take the Great out of Britain, leaving only a fragmented island called Little England. All in a world that is becoming more integrated by the day.
• Sparks is a former editor of the Rand Daily Mail
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