john in cheshire wrote:
The question is, now that the facts can't be ignored will anything change? I don't think they will because the rot in our public bodies is too deep and too widespread. I think you are correct, Richard, we are doomed.
Domed ... which is even worse. But we can attempt to recover the ground: hope springs eternal, and all that. The problem is not the government, but the people ... the
Volks. These things are done in our name because we let them happen. We have now the means to argue our case, and distance ourselves from those who would purport to speak or act in our name. We can use those means, or go under.
And in this context, the use of
Volks is quite deliberate. This reflects Hitler's understanding of the roots of power, which he successfully exploited in his attempt to take over Germany, and which eventually destroyed him. Power stemmed from the
Volks, he argued, and by asserting that he spoke for, and represented the
Volks, he claimed a legitimacy over and above the established institutions.
Politicians will always try the same trick ... Cameron will seek to claim that he speaks for the nation, even though he failed to win the popular vote, and has no mandate. This is what the cries for "unity" are all about. And alongside that, are the attempts to fragment the opposition, so that their voices come over louder and clearer.
The very act of denial, however, destroys their legitimacy ... if enough of us say so, loud enough and often enough, that what they are doing does not have our approval, it does in fact rob them of their ability to act. We have more power than we think we have ... but it is only effective if we understand that, and use it wisely.