Funny really that Peter Hain, Leader of the Commons can use the above term to describe the government when it has been readily acknowledged for the last 7 years that Labour have stolen most of the domestic policy from the Conservatives. It is also ironic that Hain’s description comes on the day of the Security-themed Queen’s speech. This, overseas friends, is the time when the fatted cow (sorry, the Monarch to those lovers of quaint English pagentry) comes to the legislature amid much pomp and lunatic circumstance, and rather like the American president she then proceeds to read a speech written for her by those actually in power.

This Queen’s speech, which outlines the planned legislation for the next session of Parliament, is symptomatic of a repressive domestic policy agenda based around the over-accentuation of the culture of fear. This fear is centered around large almost pastiche figures of hatred -asylum seekers, economic migrants, benefit cheats, foreigners, muslims etc. etc. However increasingly the young and what is known as those guilty of ‘anti-social behaviour’ (This can be used to encompass anything, there is in fact an 80 -year old man who has been presented with an Anti Social Behaviour Order forbidding him from sarcasm!) What ASBOs do NOT do is address any of the actual underlying causes of the problems – the collapse of a socially cohesive society, the lack of educational, vocational, social and economic opportunities. The money raised from ASBOs does not go on building community centres, youth clubs, community cinemas, children’s parks and therefore how can it be viewed as being a balanced situation. It is the same as the transport problem where the road tax and speeding fines and toll road revenues is not being spent on an integrated public transport alternative. Hence the mess that public transport is in here and the lack of social cohesion in towns cities and increasingly in villages. I mean what is the ASBO expected to achieve, are we striving for the Victorian values of children being seen but not heard, and presumably that should apply to certain adults that the community doesn’t like as well, acerbic people, lefties, the ‘great unwashed’, anyone with a bit of dissent about them really, for what we are seemingly aiming for is a homogenous society in which everybody is to assimilate to someone’s idea of a norm and where nobody speaks when out of their house and critcism is strictly forbidden.

So the new vogue is for ID cards, I say ‘new’ vogue, they’ve been trying it for years, but now they are tacking it to the hysteria about terrorism. They would have us believe that if we had these biometric cards Britain would be safe as houses and yet it would not be a dint to civil liberties. How the fuck does that stack up? I mean France and Spain have ID cards and yet ETA have been operating for years, furthermore the Madrid bombing wasn’t stopped either. Germany also has ID cards and yet the Lockerbie bombing was planned and instigated from Germany. Frankly this isn’t even a half-concealed attempt at immigration repression. They want the ID cards to control access to the NHS, state benefits, public services etc. The fact is that at the heart of this is the arrogant assumption that no-one British could really be responsible for these sorts of things, also that anyone genuinely ‘allowed’ to be here must have been vetted enough, so it must be Johnny Foreigner. I am always very wary of there being a storage facility for information that transcends simple name and address stuff. The biometric data on the ID card will potentially have all manner of things such as physical appearance details as well as fingerprints and retinal scans – this is supposed to be a security feature. In a country that can’t even do a secret ballot using pieces of paper with a cross on them I fail to be convinced that this biometric data will always be a benign little piece of plastic in my pocket. That is of course provided I get offered one. Being currently stateless I may be regarded as Johnny Foreigner too, and a commie to boot – Ivan Foreigner! So maybe finally I’ll get the validation of my non-Britishness after all and perhaps I’ll have a warm feeling as I board the ferry bound for Rosslare where on arrival everyone is going to take the piss out of my accent!

“Britain is Working” claim Labour in their post Queen’s speech broadcast, but working for whom eh? After all manufacturing is dead, call centres are on the way out, there’s no mining anymore so what are we all doing? You’ll forgive me if images of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis spring to mind, I’ve commuted into London -I’ve seen the late 20th century version as well as the original!

Song Of The Day – Blondie ~ Union City Blue

Original Comments:


Danny the Infidel made this comment,
Hope the Queenie have better speech writers than King Bush II of the Americas. God forbid that she would open her mount without notes, who know what would come out.
Our king (Carl XVI Gustav) have on occasions opened his mouth, stating his own novel beliefs in a difrent subject, witch often manage to agitate a lot of his subjects.
Visit me @ http://upnorth.blog-city.com

[Redbaron responds – We have Not-So-Bonnie Prince Charlie to let loose with his beliefs and for antagonism there is the Archidiot of them all Prince Philip, a man with awards in lack of tact and diplomacy.]

comment added :: 24th November 2004, 19:19 GMT+01
Rachel made this comment,
Blondie ~ EXCELLENT choice, mon amie. Very nice. I’m beginning to think you listen to relatively good music. 🙂
I have to wear ID cards. Every day. They’re slightly less than flattering.

Visit me @ http://palmysinfullbloom.blog-city.com

comment added :: 24th November 2004, 20:18 GMT+01