Instruments of extremism

Gaynor Jones, director YesCymru

Startling news emerging from Fleet Street this week suggests that the UK Government wants to implement plans to widen the definitions of “extremism”.

This has naturally caused huge concern amongst civil rights organisations and has far reaching implications for freedom of expression.

According to documents leaked to the Guardian, Michael Gove’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities wants to re-define extremism as an “… advancement of any ideology which aims to overturn or undermine the UK’s system of parliamentary democracy, its institutions and values.”

I wonder whether Michael Gove has had a lightbulb moment yet.

You know – that second, after giving his Committee members a smug smile and signing off the semantics, when he starts to twitch as he realises that the guilty party fitting this description is …

Yes!

Look no further, it’s the UK Government.

GUILTY on all counts of advancing an ideology which aims to undermine the UK’s parliamentary democracy, its institutions, and values.

Neo-liberalism

We could argue that this has been going on since the capture of Mrs Thatcher and her acolytes by the American political philosophy of neo-liberalism. An ideology intent on eroding the power of the state and happy to sell off most of its assets. The implementation of which in the UK has proven to be reductive and destructive.

Conservative governments have prioritised the demands of the wealthy at the expense of the rest of us.  The UK has transitioned from being a tax state to being a debt state. The overriding objective seems to be to service debt rather than pursue credible economic development and initiatives.

Since 2010 the Conservatives have inflicted undue misery on everybody as a result of austerity, giving rise to ever increasing rates of poverty and destroying communities.

But as of 2019 we have witnessed something far worse, a government putting their own interests above and beyond those of the state; openly undermining the state in ways,which if it happened in any other country, would be called a “coup”.

Members of the jury (quick, while we still have one) look at the evidence:

They have threatened the independence of the judiciary and judicial reviews; the independence of the state broadcaster, the BBC; and have undermined public confidence in all institutions of governance, things which individually and collectively have a significant negative impact on democracy.

They have redrawn constituency boundaries to try and maintain a parliamentary majority; prorogued parliament threatening parliamentary sovereignty; introduced compulsory photo ID for Westminster elections, marginalising ethnic minorities, the poor, unemployed and the elderly; and, for good measure, they also want to abolish the Electoral Commission.

Inadequacy

This week’s Covid 19 Inquiry has only confirmed what we already knew about the inadequacy, utter selfishness and entitlement of the public-school cabal who now rule the UK. Do I have to remind you that Boris Johnson thought that the old (only about 9 million of the population) were expendable?

There is no going back, the damage is done, extreme ideology has damaged the state’s institutions and values. Just like the Palace of Westminster, the Union is beyond repair. They destabilised the state by their own vices and vanities. The Conservative UK Government are the perps.

It was that brilliant Irishman and wit Oscar Wilde, who said:

“And what sort of lives do these people, who pose as being moral, lead themselves? My dear fellow, you forget that we are in the native land of the hypocrite.”

The UK is indeed the native land of the hypocrite.

If you live in Scotland, stop wasting time and leave.

If you live in England, realise that the end of the Union is your chance to renew, reform and revitalise your nation too.

Together on these British Isles, the independent nations of England, Scotland and Wales can be so much more than this tired, old and failing Union – it has served its purpose, done its time, history will be its judge. We need to move on to the next chapter.

If you live in Wales, care for Wales and your community, it really is time to start informing yourself about our potential as a nation, unhindered by unaccountable London governments.

Join the campaign for an independent Wales. Join YesCymru and be part of that change. www.yes.cymru/join