Oderint Dum Metuant
UKIP is based on the idea that the educated and intelligent, who have a certain set of views, should kowtow to the brute and unexamined opinions of the uneducated by sheer dint of the latter’s numbers. “The liberal metropolitan elite” don’t know how to respond because they’ve delivered a society since the war that has prioritised butter over guns to a greater degree than any in history. And yet now the uneducated are having the political equivalent of a hissy-fit by voting UKIP at the first sign of a couple of years’ falling living standards.
Having delivered the ill-educated all the material possessions they could want in the decades since the war, these people actually want listening to as well! Actually listening to the stupid is the real decadence of the west. Actually believing the poor are better than the rich, or somehow more “authentic”, taking our stylistic, and cultural norms from those who’ve utterly failed is the suicide note of our society.
The right to be listened to has to be earned, and UKIPpers in any decent society would be told to go do their homework again. Ultimately, the beliefs that underpin UKIPpery are all entirely wrong or based on flawed premises, and they need to be told, loudly, repeatedly and often.
1) Immigration is not a bad thing.
The economic benefits of immigration are obvious, and overwhelming for those prepared to look. However uneducated people tend to draw their venn diagram of “them” and “us” a little tighter than the educated. The belief that the uneducated alone suffer from immigration is also demonstrably false. Immigration brings as much work as it takes. They aren’t taking “your” jobs, you just don’t like “them” but know just enough to express your prejudice in economic terms. UKIPpers are mainly uneducated, old, and though most UKIPpers try to hide it, xenophobic.
Because the UK’s immigration policy isn’t “go away you dirty foreigner”, UKIPpers aren’t listening.
2) The EU…
Almost everything UKIPpers fervently believe about the EU is wrong. The EU doesn’t write “most of our law”. Depending on how broad to view it, between 7% and 50% originates in Brussels, most of it high volume, low impact trade regulation. Most important stuff comes from Westminster. The EU is not taking our sovereignty. The EU isn’t getting in the way of international trade (quite the opposite, thanks largely to the UK’s influence, the EU is the most ardent supporter of free trade in world bodies) and the UK isn’t utterly powerless. Enlargement for example is a huge British triumph. The EU has cemented democracy in South Eastern Europe pretty effectively. Of course there are problems, bureaucracy, the CAP, the Fisheries policy and so forth. But the UK has been pretty effective in achieving its goals.
UKIPpers only goal is to leave the EU, and any goal that isn’t that, will be ignored. They’ve entirely stopped listening.
3) Russia isn’t a very nice place.
UKIPpers firmly believe the UK is utterly impotent in world affairs, and admire the freedom of action of a Dictator, mistaking Putin’s megalomania for strength. This is because stupid, ignorant people read the Sun, not ‘Foreign Affairs’ and ‘the economist’, so they’re entirely unaware of what’s going on, why and what we’re doing about it. The UK has the 4-6th (depending on who’s counting) largest defence budget on earth, is one of the 3 countries (the other two are both Allies and one of them is France) who can deploy and sustain forces on expeditionary operations. The UK’s membership of the EU, NATO, G7, UNSC and so forth means the UK can protect its interests better than almost any member of the EU.
UKIPpers have actually persuaded themselves that Ukrainians are mostly thanking Putin for saving them from the EU. This is insane.
But as UK foreign policy cannot be tweeted as “fuck the EU”, and Ukraine actually has little to do with the EU, UKIPpers aren’t listening.
4) LibLabCon
The Liberal Democrats, Labour and the Conservative party are all led by white men in suits, whereas UKIP is led by a white man in yellow chords and a loud tweed sports coat. That doesn’t make UKIP different, or the others all the same. The reason UKIPpers think they’re all the same is because study of politics is hard, and the ship of state takes a long time to turn round. The levers our leaders pull are inexact and our constitution is deliberately designed to prevent rash action and impose checks and balances. Of course you don’t notice a change immediately a new Government takes power. “LibLabCon” is simply an expression of wilful ignorance of this simple fact. Stupid people can’t be bothered to find out about other parties policies. They just notice UKIP is stroking their stupid prejudices and that the others aren’t. The difference is UKIPs policies will never be implemented and so can be as un-realistic as the pie-in-the-sky crap that Nigel Farage pulls out of his arse on BBCQT every week.
I could go on. UKIPpers views on crime and punishment, law and order, education, the welfare state and so forth are distinctly red-top, and entirely uninformed by any study, research or theory. Mostly they’re just hankering after an imagined better yesterday. It’s just a grouping of the prejudices of people born around WW2, unleavened by any coherent philosophy or evidence.
And these stupid, unformed, ignorant opinions are being given the respect they do not deserve by those who should know better.
The reason is simple. Our political leaders have stopped demanding deference and respect, and instead genuflect before Daytime TV presenters, grovel to members of the public, and so are not being given any platform to explain themselves. A desire to be liked has replaced Maggie’s oderint dum metuant attitude. I long for a politician to tell John Humphries to shut up and listen. I long for someone to ram Paxman’s smug aggression down his disrespectful throat. I long for Politicians to say “not my fucking problem” to whining constituents bitching about something trivial. Westminster isn’t about blocked drains or benefits complaints, it’s about scrutinising legislation and protecting freedoms.
When politicians stop trying to meddle in the minutiae of people’s lives and do their job protecting our freedom, they may get the respect they (should actually, really) deserve.
The mainstream parties need to sing the praises of immigration, and try to inform the electorate, rather than run scared by pretending one thing and doing another. They need to explain how cutting job protection increases jobs available. They need to explain the supply-side advantages of benefit cuts. And they need to tell journalists asking stupid questions, that quite often, (how much people smoke for eg) it’s none of politics’ business rather than rolling over for every pressure group that gets its propaganda dressed as research under their nose. Politicians need to stop campaigning on “issues” and start saying “no”.
A bit of self-confidence from the political class: leadership, rather than pandering to UKIP’s ignorant bastards. Be PROUD you know more than Steve, 54, an unemployed bricklayer from Basildon who will “definitely be voting UKIP” mainly because he doesn’t like the Latvians.
1. The economic benefits of immigration are marginal, says the House of Lords. Short term immigration, like temporary workers in a company can fill a gap but long term they need accommodating. Any fool can work out that a child born in the UK needs a school at 4, a university at 18, a job at 21 and a pension at 65. No-one can do the calculation or provide the resources if the immigrant arrives with children and aged parents. You also ignore the cultural impact. I'm sure the north American and Australasian aboriginals think immigration is wonderful.
2. The EU is doing a very good job at taking us into World War 3 and hurting people throughout Europe with its one-size-fits-all policies. It is too slow to react and indeed probably incapable of change, like herding cats. We have been complaining about fishery and agricultural policies since we joined – what changes? At least Norway gets to chair the UN fishery committee – the 'top table' – we get to pick up the EU scraps. Canada has had a US trade deal for 20 years, Australia for 10, we are still waiting on the EU.
3. Putin is looking after Russian interests. "I'm In" Clegg is looking after his own.
4. The LibLabCon are the product of half a dozen Marxist Oxbridge lecturers and have no principles, no guts and no competence in reality. You can be abusive about Farage as you like, it doesn't matter, the point is he isn't one of your favoured Marxist clones. You don't win arguments by bad language and doubting the intelligence of a third of the electorate but then you are a cyclist so arrogance and the absolute right to be wrong is in your DNA!
Anon:
If you think the EU is "doing a good job of taking us into world war 3" then you are a contemptible prat. I've never been more irritated than with people who blame the EU for Ukraine's invasion of Russia. It shows a total moral capriciousness, and a disturbing admiration for the excesses and violence of a dictator.
You are exactly the kind of person who needs to understand: You're stupid, ignorant, and know nothing, yet you have the lack of wit to want to find out more
Google Dunning Kruger effect. And reflect on your miserable stupidity.
You know Jackart, sometimes you have a point and you make it well, then you throw away any goodwill by abusing people who disagree with you.
You are exactly the kind of person who needs to understand that you cannot club people into submission. You can not swear and call people disgusting names, if you wish to be taken seriously. Your opinion is not always right and your insulting of others who don't toe the line is contemptible. Grow up mate, then someone might listen.
UKIPpers cannot be reasoned with. They need to be insulted, belittled and abused until they stop believing everything can be blamed on the EU/Wogs/Poofs. Especially this Russia shit, which is disturbingly close to the attitudes of the Mosleyites.
UKIP is a party of, by and for angry, stupid people who know nothing and like it that way.
Jackart, I am a different anon from the two above. I only came into the comments section to say what I found Anon 2 had already said far more eloquently than I could, i.e.
"You know Jackart, sometimes you have a point and you make it well, then you throw away any goodwill by abusing people who disagree with you."
You have been abusive to me in the past when I disagree with your agressive cycling views, but I have a great deal of respect for other articles, such as this one, that you have written.
I find the contradiction (your violent attitude v your highly intelligent & perceptive analysis) quite depressing really.
That's the problem with anons! They all look alike here. Frankly half the most spectacularly idiotic Anons are probably my brother winding me up (apparently I spot them about half the time).
I've got so much ignorant abuse from UKIPpers over the last 5 years or so, that, frankly I've had enough and it's time to start dishing it out a bit more.
I'm sorry if innocents get caught in the crossfire. But I've decided UKIPpers are just BNPers without the latter's honesty.
There are one or two legacy libertarians left in the party, but they're just guilty of the sunk cost delusion.
How many times have you used the word 'stupid' about UKIPers in this article? What about other insults.
It looks like you needed to vent something, but now I'll tell you what is really stupid. If you think you'll win anyone over to your viewpoint, or away from UKIP by putting up posts with lots of insults then that is REALLY stupid.
I'm Anon no 3 (or is that No 4)
Jackart, I think you are a cunt.
I don't give a fuck what stupid, worthless UKIP wankers have been told to think by the Daily Express.
they've delivered a society since the war that has prioritised butter over guns to a greater degree than any in history.
Yes and its been so successful in achieving that that this country has been under threat of terrorism since pretty much 1970 onwards and that's not even considering the formal military involvements in South Eastern Europe and the Middle East in the last 20 years.
I wonder where the butter mountains are? Clear we are dealing with a very dim-witted dude….
Any comment on your idol's proposal to let HMRC have unfettered access to people's bank accounts… ?
Some fucking conservative…
He may even be a bigger cunt than you mate…
*i am a new anon on this comment section*
Immigration isn't about economics. Immigration may be alright for the middle-class but it is not good for the working class. It seems impossible for the middle-class to have empathy for the working c lass and instead shout them down as 'thickos, failures, racists, bigots' as you prove jackart.
That "HMRC to raid bank accounts" is on a consultation document. The main difference between the coalition and the last Labour government is that extreme illiberal shit doesn't now get made law. I bet, despite Cameron and Osborne's disappointing enthusiasm for the measure, it won't become law.
I reserve my ire for things on white papers, and ignore consultation documents.
But that's because I'm capable and knowledgeable enough to make the distinction, whereas you go bananas every time the daily mailograph tells you to. Thick, you see.
Anon 4. The evidence is clear: Immigrants don't "take our jobs". They provide at least as many jobs as they take. It's extremely difficult to tease out the wage effects of immigration from wage compression caused by the minimum wage, but there's little doubt, the minimum wage has by far the bigger effect on low-skilled work than immigration.
Looking for a foreigner scapegoat to cover one's own inadequacy? Yes. I think racist thicko is pretty accurate.
Your attitude reminds me of the absolutist rutters of the medieval period.
'The masses are all thickos, they shouldn't be heard' you should apply for a role as an absolutist medieval ruler at your local theatre.
The working class do a lot of important roles your contempt for them just because they couldn't crack exams and get good grades is just foolish.
If the highly-educated are so good then why did Gordon Brown who is a uni educated man make such a cock-up of everything?
A racist is a white person who disagrees with a social liberal.
No, Anon, a racist is someone who judges people by their race or ethnicity.
hello, I am the anon who wrote at 12:57 pm.
To be honest Jackart as I said I think you are a bit dickish sometimes but I have much respect for the majority of your (non bicycle) related blogging.
After reading the completely self righteous fuck wittery of some of the other anons commeting here, I can see why you might just say "fuck it, fuck them, fuck it all", so, frankly, you go right ahead and be abusive mate.
Can't believe some of these fuckers are allowed to vote, but then again I think that when I walk around the supermarket.