February 12, 2011

The Slaves Are Deshackling

Whether we know it or not, we are witnessing historical events unfold.

The slaves are waking up, and they are realising that they do not like the boss. Instead of taking the tried, tested (and failed) uniquely British route of writing a stern letter to ones MP, they are taking to the streets. In massive numbers. It is working.

And that is, was and always will be the secret: we outnumber the boss, and his sycophantic followers, by millions upon millions. We, the people of this sovereign nation, terrify them. They know that we will rise up when we (finally) learn that writing stern letters just doesn't work any more. (If it ever did).

Did you spot the pattern during the Tunisian, then the Egyptian protests? World 'leaders' queued up on the tellybox, first to support people like Ben Ali, then Mubarak, and when they saw which way the wind was blowing, they switched allegiance to the people of both nations. They (we) support these despots for as long as it suits them (us). I say us because it is our money that our leaders bung these guys. They keep them sweet for all sorts of reasons: they claim that they stabilise a region, or that they must be supported to keep the desperately needed hydrocarbons flowing.

As soon as they noticed that the people weren't going home, even when the "parent rule" was invoked. (I honestly almost wet myself laughing when I heard the newly crowned vice president (Omar Suleiman) say, live on air, "We ask that all parents tell their children to leave Tahrir Square, and come home"). You naughty young people, you! Fancy thinking for yourselves! That will never do. Uncle Omar's days are numbered though, I do hope someone has told him. I also hope that someone has explained to the Egyptians that democracy isn't all it's cracked up to be. They had the perfect system for about 18 days. It's called anarchy.

I think that these protests, and the subsequent overthrowing of dictators can be summed up in one word: communication.

Clever tyrants would never allow their slaves to communicate. Clever tyrants control the airwaves (radio, television, the internet, and even cellular phone networks) because if the slaves can't communicate, they will never be able to coordinate, to gather, and to voice their displeasure at the shenanigans of the elite. The rich fat cats at the top of the totem pole, the longer they stay in office, the more their arrogance grows. They rely on their familiars to tell them what is happening outside the palace, and the lickspittles do what lickspittles have always done: they tell the MFIC whatever he wants to hear.

Anger is now growing in sub-Saharan nations. Bob Mugabe, the syphilis-ridden mong in charge of Zimbabwe has had his goons block stories on Tunisia and Egypt, (and Yemen and Jordan and Morocco) lest his slaves hear that there is an option. Beyond the ballot box, which in Africa is fiddled more than old Yehudi's favourite instrument, there is another way. Peaceful protest, staggering courage and superhuman patience. That's all the Tunisians and the Egyptians used. No bombs, no bullets, no violence. Because they knew the police and the army had bigger bombs, more bullets and extensive training in being violent.

This blogpost/report suggests that there are several countries seeking their own freedom. Countries like Libya, Sudan, Gabon, Uganda, Cameroon, Congo, Nigeria, Angola and Senegal.

All will blow eventually, but now that some of their citizens have been shown the way, I think that "eventually" will be an awful lot closer than it was yesterday.

A salutary lesson is here for us all: if we desire change, democracy and its (largely) failed usage of the ballot box is not the only way.

And no, our situations are not comparable. We do not have a super-alert government team keeping an ever closer eye on us, we do not suffer regular beatings & killings by the police, we do not have corrupt politicians feathering their own nests, we do not have the money supply artificially inflated as a control mechanism, we do not have an unaccountable but wealthy elite governing us....oh, wait.

Yes. Yes we do.

Is it because our chains aren't all that visible yet?

One of these days......

CR.

20 comments:

Richard said...

Excellent post, Sir.

Captain Ranty said...

Thanks Richard.

Mike said...

Ummmm?

A move from being ruled by a dictator to one ruled by a military junta?

Not sure if that qualifies as progress.

MU said...

I'm pretty sure that the egyptian protests are managed by the CIA as despotic tyrants are less easy to manipulate than ballot box results.

All winds flow to washington

Captain Ranty said...

That's true Mike.

But hopefully the military will slide out of the way after a free and fair election.

Fingers crossed!

CR.

Captain Ranty said...

NWS,

As always, I hope for the best and prepare for another clown in charge.

Now that the Egyptians know how to get them out, the Americans will be careful who they support for the top slot.

CR.

Angry Exile said...

"Is it because our chains aren't all that visible yet?"

Similar to what I was wondering the other day. I think the answer is yes. If only Gordon Brown had done the decent thing and refused to go, suspended elections and then called the army in to prevent any protest within a couple of miles of Whitehall, Downing St and Westminster... Yeah, hardly a "decent thing", I know. But in the long term it would probably have done Britain a favour. By my reckoning about 15 million people will carry on voting tribally just as they've always done, either because their parents voted for this or that party or because their fear and hatred of the other is greater, and with those numbers change is unlikely to happen at the ballot box. They need a bloody good shock to change from being reliable little sheep who willingly trot through the pens and vote for the usual shepherds, and to be mulesed, castrated and dipped of course, into sheep that will rise up, learn karate and make the buggers' eyes water. Showing them the pots of mint sauce isn't working so it probably won't happen until the shepherd goes completely mad and starts holding their heads under in the dip. It's a terrifying thought but we might actually need Ed Balls, and just typing that out makes me want to go and shower for about a week.

Oldrightie said...

Our chains are depicted on my blog, Cap'n.

Ian R Thorpe said...

I'm not sure the protests in Egypt will encourage anyone to overthrow corrupt regimes if an Islamic Theocracy emerges.

We need to look closer to home and start protesting against the EU's version of one man one vote which gives the one vote that counts to a bureaucrat in Brussles

WitteringsfromWitney said...

Hell, CR, you're right in respect of the fifth country you mention. We do indeed, if press reports can be relied upon, have some Cameroons - ie the truly Eurosceptic MPs revolting and demanding freedom!

Slowly, but slowly, I am formulating a plan for a mass demonstration by the people - if I can stir them off the butts. I just need to get xFactor, Corrie and E/Enders banned from transmission!

richard said...

What my namesake said; excellent post. WfromW is right though. I'm reading a book about the 1920s in Ireland, and the number of groups with (ahem) non-governmental views was legion, even in Belfast which was largely pro-treaty. Nowadays people take out their aggression on little pixellated x-box enemies or are otherwise zonked out by TV crap. As an agent of control the tv/media/gaming industry must benefit to a hellish extent those miserable few who pick our pockets with such epic distain.
I watch no television.

Mark Wadsworth said...

Well yeah, but the chances are, whoever gets in next will be the same US-funded or Saudi-funded despots, or some home-grown Islamist nutters.

Let's give it a few years before we start celebrating.

Barking Spider said...

"I think that "eventually" will be an awful lot closer than it was yesterday"

I do hope so, CR, it can't come soon enough for me!

James Higham said...

Cap'n - excellent post. In my own small way, I've put a proposal for direct democracy, using a black box and we too can "deshackle".

Anonymous said...

Ah Egypt, the new Iran.

Freedom for all.

The military in control will surely make sure elections go as planned and the illusion of freedom will be ever preserved for the good use of the worldwide media.

Public stonings, full head coverings for women and beheading of non-Islamists.

Ah, the sweet smell of freedom, a real people's victory - brings tears to my eyes.

Angry Exile said...

Anon, I suggested caution and not getting too excited at the prospect of a free Egypt about a week ago because we didn't yet know what's going happen. I even mentioned Iran in 1979 and the MB mob that Fox News is suddenly getting excited about. But for the same reason I suggest caution and not getting too paranoid now - we still do not know what is going to happen. The army is currently in charge, but so what? If a military exists then it always ends up involved in these things. It might mean bad news and it might mean nothing much at all. The big difference between Egypt now and Iran 30 years ago is that, as I think Captain Ranty pointed out at some point, there's no religious leader in exile waiting to make a dramatic return. On top of that everyone can look at Iran today and see what living in a C21st theocracy is like. Doesn't mean it won't happen any more than the existence of the MB means it will, or that the current army involvement will mean a military dictatorship either. I think the military dictatorship and the theocracy probably exclude each other as well as a nice, happy free and liberal state, but beyond that I'm just going to wait and see.

Anonymous said...

The Brushfires of Freedom Are Burning!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM8d_Arjz6g

Mike K said...

Cynicism rules, here - unfortunately. I suspect it's just another case of "Meet the New Boss...same as the Old Boss", though possibly the new boss is worse. In any event,I would be most happily surprised if the lot of Joe Egyptian is about to change for the better, with elimination of corruption (when baksheesh is older than Christianity), or a genuine elected government focussed on the only thing that can make any real economic change, the insitutionalisation of property rights. Oh, well, it's all very entertaining, as long as one doesn't actually give a shit about the poor blighters under the thumbs of Amer-Anglo-supported villains.

nominedeus said...

good post there Captain, freedom is such a precious commodity it behooves us to look about us and understand the con that has kept these lower echelon puppets where they have been for so long. It is our all powerful western governments and us the people that support them through the voting system they cheerfully bend to their own advantage no matter who gets in we always get the same result...government!
But the worms are turning from the bottom of the heap they are rising up and knocking some sense into the next level of worms, it cannot be too long now until the worms we live amongst come to the realisation that they are worse off than the Tunisians, the Egyptians etc and when that day comes maybe the sun will shine again on the righteous and maybe we shall a
have a land we will be proud to call home again, roll on the turning of the compost heap I say, it may be smelly for a while but the end result will be worth it!

nominedeus said...

PS there may be a little news from closer to home shortly, will keep you posted!