Thanks to Counterpunch for a reminder of how different the US system of legislation is from ours. The article was about the roll-out of 5G, the new wonder internet service which will enslave us all even further. I was expecting an article about theories relating to 5G’s alleged cancerous properties, or how 5G masts were the source of Covid. But it was more sober than that. It related the story of how the so-called ‘American Legislative Exchange Council’ (ALEC) was beavering away on behalf of its corporate sponsors (in this case to ensure local objections to 5G installations could be over-ruled):
ALEC is, formally, a non-profit group that drafts model legislation. It has an estimated membership exceeding 2,000 state legislators from both political parties, but most are conservative Republicans. It regularly invites members to all-expense paid private gatherings with corporate executives and lobbyists where they devise model legislation to fulfill their political agenda. These legislators, in turn, return to their home states and promote the legislation at state houses throughout the country. Many of their initiatives have been enacted. I made several trips to state legislatures as an MP (promoting climate change initiatives) and discovered how state capitols were often run by part-time legislators who relied heavily on outside bodies to formulate legislation. Many of them didn’t have the capacity to do so themselves. Given the powers of states, this is an obvious way in for all sorts of bad law, designed to enhance richly endowed agendas (we’re seeing it now playing out with attempts to overrule Wade v. Roe on abortion rights). I have to say I thought that running a state was or should be a more serious business. This is the big difference between us and our friends over the pond. There, legislation comes not from the government but from legislators. On the face of it that may seem entirely reasonable. But it means that proposed laws are more prey to the lobbying efforts of vested interests, who will fund particular legislators to do their will. The lobbying industry in the US surpasses anything we have here. This is not to deny that lobbying doesn’t take place here, of course it does, but dealing with the government (even our current corrupt regime) means passing through more hoops than simply approaching a couple of MPs with backhanders and saying ‘get this done.’ Generally (with the exception of private members bills which rarely succeed) our laws are drafted by supposedly impartial civil servants whose job security does not depend on which party is in office. Let’s keep an eye open on how the American-born Johnson seeks to yet again emulate the US way of democracy!
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Pensioners this month will be falling about in gratitude for their £10 Christmas bonuses. For some reason I thought this was introduced by Harold Wilson but a quick Google search revealed it was actually Ted Heath’s generous bribe, dating back to 1972. Had it been uprated in line with inflation it would now apparently be worth £134. That would be handy. What prompted Heath to introduce it? It’s not hard to guess, given his difficulties managing the economy and the need to inject some optimism in a key Tory voting demographic. Also in 1972 the first really big significant wave of Scottish nationalism was breaching what was then Tory dominance of Scottish politics. It was a very lively period. I was in the RAF at the time, based at Lossiemouth, and took the opportunity to go to some SNP meetings to see what all the fuss was about. Winnie Ewing was a big draw, and I recall a rally in Elgin town hall which felt very much like the scene in the 39 Steps (Hitchcock’s version) where our hero (Robert Donat) made a rousing speech (devoid of specifics) but was filled with some form of patriotic fervour. It was in Elgin that I first attended a party conference, just out of interest. You could just enter off the street. I picked up a few stickers proclaiming ‘It’s Scotland’s oil.’ Anyway, in the first 1974 general election campaign, Ted Heath did a tour of Scotland, and spent a night at the Stotfield Hotel in Lossiemouth. The very night he stopped there, we RAF types were having a leaving do for a member of our squadron and around 11pm in walked Ted, assuming (wrongly) that service personnel would all be Tory supporters. It was a memorable occasion as the Prime Minister was firmly gripped by my utterly rat-arsed colleagues for an inordinate length of time as they took what we now know are called selfies. I regret that I didn’t get such a picture myself, due to having being waylaid by many Newcastle Browns. I merely enjoyed the spectacle through a surrealist lense. I did however have the distinction of having a slash in the loo at the same time as Ted.*
Now, OAPs might be wondering what the £10 bonus is all about. I think it should be given a name. Two possibilities emerge. The first might be ‘The Battle of Saltley Coke Works Memorial Payment,’ commemorating the famous victory of the miners versus the Tories in early 1972 which led Heath to introduce one of his many states of emergency. I think this would have nice ring to it, and hopefully would lead many blue rinse Tory types to return their £10s to the Treasury. My second suggestion would be ‘The Accession to the EEC Celebratory Payment.’ This would celebrate Ted Heath’s signing, in January 1972 of our accession into the EEC. Such a name too would lead many a Tory to reject their £10 bonus. However, such a rejection could be blunted somewhat if the payment was increased, to say 15 Euros, payable only in Euros. I think I might plump for the latter name, speaking as a remoaner. * This last bit may be a false memory, thanks to the efforts of Scottish and Newcastle Breweries Ltd. The other day I moaned about under-30s not wearing masks when it is now mandatory in shops. I don’t want to be accused of ageism, so now I’m going to moan about aged drivers who have long ago forgotten how to change into third gear. This follows a news item about a suggestion from some group or other that older drivers shouldn’t be fined for e.g. running red lights but should merely be offered training and testing. No. If you’ve got to that stage stop driving. An 88 year old woman driver was interviewed saying she was up to speed (forgive the pun) with all the legal requirements and felt no need to hang up her keys. She revealed she was stopped by the police once for driving at 30mph on a 60mph speed limit road. She said she told the police officer that there was no minimum speed limit, and indeed that is true, no legal offence was committed. She said that tractors often don’t go any faster than 30mph. Have you ever been stuck behind some old codger doing 30mph? Been in that tailback, as the lead car blithely motors along in second gear? At least tractor drivers generally know that when they can they pull over to let the tailback get past them. But old codgers don’t realise how slow they’re going, and the mayhem, pile-ups, deaths and injuries behind them will not be seen in their rearview mirror, which is probably rarely looked at. So older people can be just as selfish and inconsiderate as the under-30s non-mask wearers. I’m pleased to set the record straight. I’m not ageist after all.
+One of my current reads is Active Measures: The secret history of disinformation and political warfare by Thomas Rid (Profile books, 2020). It traces the Twentieth century history of what shall we call it? Fake News? I’ve got as far as disinformation projects during the Cold War, and the massive efforts funded by the CIA to destabilise the Communist regime of East Germany. Much of this funding paid for the printing and distribution of copy newspapers and magazines made to look like official Communist publications, but containing misinformation about the rulers and what people were expected to do. I guess sometimes the information may have been based on what the rulers actually did but didn’t want publicised.
Disinformation works best with an admixture of fact, or at least what people may think is believable. This publishing effort, which produced fake copies of many East German publications ran for a decade up to the early 1960s, eventually being defunded by the CIA who were not sure how much impact it was having. One of the operation’s publications was a jazz magazine, which I guess was meant to tap into a subjugated population’s desire for a bit of spice, a bit of anarchy perhaps, thus undermining the cultural monolith of the East German state. But it apparently became just a relatively good jazz magazine with no measurable political impact. Disinformation has been around since biblical times as a method in warfare. But it’s the first time I’ve read that jazz music was recruited to the cause. Jazz may be at the forefront of revolutions in music, but I don’t think there are sufficient jazz buffs to start a revolution. Who would lead this revolution? Ken Clarke? +I went to the supermarket today, where there was an offer on for my favourite (but expensive) pickled onions. We are now told it is compulsory to wear masks again in shops. Most people were masked but I noticed that those who weren’t were all under the age of 30. To be honest, I suspect that most were probably sixpence short of a half-crown and it would be pointless to challenge them (unless you enjoy abuse). |
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