Personally, I think Webb misses the point entirely. Much as I find some of Brands Dickensian posturing hugely irritating, on the whole, he makes better points; the bulk of which Im inclined to agree with...Webbs main point appears to be- well, at least we dont live in DR Congo, Somalia, etc, and we should be thankful what we have. Few would dispute the former point- but the latter sounds very much like an establishment argument for status quo. Dont try and improve things further, dont challenge people to reassess long-held assumptions- just accept and make the best of what weve got. Also, Webb asserts, rightly, that millions have been injured, or killed for the right to vote. However, time has moved on and I imagine that many of those brave people would not recognise the democracy now they were fighting for then (my line of work brings me into contact with service people- and the majority question what theyre fighting for and whos interests theyre really protecting). Also, Webb implies that Brand is making a crypto-fascist suggestion that violence can be beautiful in the manner of Mussolini/the latter, corrupted Futurist vision. Nowhere does Brand say this. What hes arguing is that to condemn rioters as mindless hooligans is the powers that bes lazy way of ignoring problems partially of their own making. What is, perhaps, beautiful are those rare moments when small groups (Occupy, etc) briefly unsettle the collective apathy of consumerism, individualism and celebrity and invite us to question the democratic laurels Webb is advising we rest on and be thankful. At root, Brand is rightly pointing out that we have lost our sense of the immutable connectedness and mutuality between peoples the world over and the planet that supports us and that the ongoing cult of individualism and narcissistic entitlement that grips our society, coupled with the divisive forces of established religions and political divide and conquer, only serves the rich few who govern our present government to a large extent...I still find him annoying, mind...Oh and another thing. I remember waking up in 1997 and experiencing a wave of optimism at the prospect of a Labour government. Sure, Mr.Webb, the minimum wage is a great thing and the other achievements in that short list- but they had 10 years and could have done much, much more. Though, obviously, far preferable to the Tories, its naive to place blind faith in Labour. They would buckle under the same pressures of lobbying and party funding from private interests, fear of the press and corporate threats of withdrawal in an effort to retain their modest power. Just look at the Liberal Democrats. When real politik and the military-industrial complex come calling, those noble grassroots ideals soon wither on the vine.
Posted on: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 11:50:45 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015