The New Conservatism: The New Malignancy Of Our Time

I admire that, despite the fact that I am not like that. In fact I tend to jump in feet first and see what happens.

Politics has, especially lately, turned into a real blood sport played by people who has whose lust for power appears to be driven by nothing but their greed and desire for personal gain.

Politics is no longer a game that people get into to try and do some good in the world. Those people have now become totally
pre-occupied with trying to stanch the flow of evil that comes out of the new Conservatism, which is, perhaps more than at any time in my lifetime, is a product of huge corporations, the rich and the greed of the politicians they control.

What Is Lost Here

What is lost here is perspective. What is lost here is nuance. What is lost here is the ability to debate issues honestly and forthrightly. What is lost here is the ability to create consensus though compromise. What is lost here is a focus on actually serving the public as their duly elected representatives.

What Is Missing Here

What is missing here is conscience. We have issues before us that are bigger than politics. They are issues of global importance. They are issues that, if not dealt with, won’t just set us back in the short term, but could very easily fuck us up forever.

I ride my bike a lot. And the only real fear I have when I am out there on the road, is the fear of getting plowed into by some asshole who has had too much to drink, or is stoned out of his gourd.

This is the way we should all feel about politics. Because, like it or not, it is currently the only system we have that makes many of the important decisions that need to be made so we can keep on going.

And right now, in my province, possibly in my country, in the country that borders by country and in at least a dozen countries around the world, these decisions are not being made with the well being of the people in mind.

They are being made by greedy bastards who shouted their way into power, who brought out the worst in a great many of us and who are simply enslaved by the corporate interests that control them with money.

How Do You Beat This?

You beat this with your vote. You do this by getting your heads out of the sand and paying attention. You do this by understanding that the the new Conservative ethos is not the old one.

The new Conservative ethos is about putting a price tag on everything your tax dollars have traditionally supported, so governments can give tax breaks to the rich.

It’s about allowing businesses free reign to pollute the environment and not have to damage their precious profit margins by making their operations energy and waste efficient.

The new Conservative ethos is about creating fear over immigration in lands that were built by immigrants.

The new Conservative ethos is all about supporting industries that are in the very process of outliving their usefulness, and denying support to the new industries that are slowly but surely replacing them.

The New Conservative Ethos is about expanding the inequality between men and women. It’s about exerting absolute control over decisions that men have no business making about women.

And it’s about a whole host of other issues, none of which are designed to benefit the people of the country, but only the vested interests that keep feeding the politicians their pieces of silver.

In Canada, this malignant conservatism is nowhere near as pronounced as it is in the US. But it is definitely showing signs of moving in that direction.

But in a free society, for any movement to succeed, it needs a combination of support and apathy.

If you support the new Conservatism, that’s your right in a free society. But just understand what that is going to do, ultimately, to the quality of life you have, to the standard of living you currently enjoy, and to the opportunities that will exists for you and your children going forward.

Look South

If you want a perfect example of this New Conservatism in the process of failing its country, look no further than the US.

Their government, under their new Conservative leadership, is probably the most corrupt regime on the planet. And that’s saying something.

Their cabinet is filled with inexperienced corporate raiders who are taking their orders from the private sector. Their employment figures are a complete fabrication. Their trade wars are doing incredible damage to their manufacturing and agricultural sectors. Their president in currently being investigated for corruption by 16 different groups. And their national debt has grown by more than 10% in the last two years alone. And it’s in the tens of trillions of dollars.

This is the work product of the New Conservatism in a culture similar to ours. The reek of corruption is as strong as it has ever been in that country, and if you look at the petty tyrants we have in Ontario and Alberta right now, you will see that this movement is starting to spread.

We Should Really Nip This In The Bud

If we can get our country (Canada) back into a position of sane, people-oriented politics, we can easily become another example to the rest of the world of how this works.

Other countries are doing this: Denmark, Norway, The Netherlands, Australia. New Zealand. And the people in those countries are reaping the benefits. They are happy. They are healthy. They are grateful. And most importantly, they are all dedicated to supporting that status quo with their vote.

We can have that here in Canada. The Americans can have it too. But we have to make the effort, and understand that this new Conservatism is a corporate construct designed to be the controller whatever freedom we have.

Needless to say, it will be much less than we have now. And it will not be fun on any level.

Because fascism, which is what the new Conservatism really is, is never fun for anyone, except the leaders and the few who put them there, and if history is any indicator, it's a system that never really works.