The author Robert Harris tweeted last week 'How foul this referendum is. The most depressing, divisive, duplicitous political event in my lifetime. may there never be another'. Which just about covers it. Nigel Farage has forced a 'discussion' into public, a discussion which has unleashed all kinds of racist and xenophobic forces which have at least partly contributed to the murder of MP Jo Cox last week. Farage is a political charlatan, a fraud, a man who basks in a man-in-the-street image despite a wealthy, privileged background. A demagogue who hates the EU yet is paid by it, who represents constituents at the European parliament but rarely goes. A man who poses in front of Nazi inspired posters and complains that the murder of Jo Cox has 'taken the momentum out of the Leave campaign'. On every and any level, he is a disgrace.
David Cameron has to take the blame here too- despite being the leader of the Remain campaign, he is the one who called this referendum, a cynical response to the rise of Ukip and the defection of Tory votes, a piece of political opportunism that has blown up in his face, shown the cracks in his party and that he'll pay for politically at some point, win or lose.
Let's Kiss And Make Up
This is original The Field Mice version covered by St Etienne with their Eurocentric cover art.
A vote to Leave is a backwards step, a vote for a past that doesn't exist. I can't see any positives in leaving. Taking back control, taking back sovereignty is a smokescreen- how is leaving the 'undemocratic' E.U. increasing democracy in a country which has an unelected second chamber and is a constitutional monarchy? My vote today is to Remain. Let's stay together.
Enough preaching.
Stay
Stay is off Bowie's Station To Station, sometimes my favourite Bowie album. The choppy guitar part, Carlos Alomar I assume, is wonderful.
And finally Portishead have released this cover of ABA's SOS, a tribute to Jo Cox.
Division, fear and hate are all that Farage and his cohorts peddle and their vile, endlessly repeated, message is somehow hitting home with certain sections of our society, much like Trump's is in the States. The fact that Farage hasn't been chased off the political map by now says it all. He should be a laughable irrelevance, but unfortunately there's a real chance that he'll be directly responsible for a permanent change in the European landscape. God knows what will come after that.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather have the BNP than UKIP. At least everyone knew that the BNP (and their various offshoots) were idiots worthy of nothing but contempt. Scarily, UKIP have become a credible force in British politics, catering for the lowest common denominator in our society and spurred on by the vile lowlifes that controls our media. Farage is an incredibly intelligent man with a very sinister agenda. He knows how our society has been continually (and deliberately) dumbed down over the decades and has seen this as an opportunity to peddle his divisive far-right propaganda and influence an electorate who have disengaged with politics due to the repeated failure of Cameron, Blair and the others to give a $hit.
ReplyDeleteToday could be the saddest day in our history for many, many years. Fingers crossed it goes the other way.
I just read Charity Chic's post and now yours SA - thank you both (and The Swede and Robster) for articulating so well and reassuring me that lots of us think the same way. Fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteFingers and toes crossed
ReplyDeletegood luck from the US... its all too reminiscent of Trump here.. thanks for the music
ReplyDeleteVery wise and angry words, Adam. As C. said your words and the comments are well articulated and it makes me happy that there are still People thinking like me. Fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteBetter in than out that's what I always say
ReplyDeleteI voted for fromage not Farage. Fingers crossed here as well.
ReplyDeleteBadger
Conservative in the UK and US have allowed things to blow up in their face this year. In the US, Trump's nomination to lead Republicans will end with the decimation of the Party as it has been known for the better part of the last century. The party of Lincoln and Emancipation is now the party of bigotry and isolationism masquerading as "taking back America."
ReplyDeleteFrom an outsider's perspective on the Remain/Leave referendum, it definitely looks like some of the same bigotry and isolationism has risen above ground.
It remains to be seen if the US and UK will survive as world leaders in the next decade or so, but what happens starting tonight and into the end of this year will certainly begin to steer the course.
Jaysus! What the fuck?
ReplyDeleteA truly sad day for the UK.
ReplyDeleteInteresting times...
ReplyDelete