Any sane person should be able to see where any of these ideas would lead. The problem is, we’re heading into our third decade of Western leaders embracing not thinking ahead as a core national security concept. It’s like these people went to anti-governing school.
"Not thinking things through" = lack of systems awareness, lack of situational awareness, lack of foresight, and lack of empathy. Instead, fixated (obsessed?).
There is something seriously wrong with the selection process in contemporary democracies, and that is something is largely money in politics that leads to serving special interests. The result is loss of public trust in government and the political process.
Taibbi SubstackThe Great International Convoy Fiasco
Matt Taibbi
https://taibbi.substack.com/p/the-great-international-convoy-fiasco
10 comments:
If this doesn't develop into a general strike, the protest will fail.
I would say rather it is the beginning of a trend that is picking up steam. It began with Occupy in the US, spread to France with the Yellow Vest movement, and now is manifesting in the many anti-vax, anti-lockdown protests in the West.
This progression reminds me of the progression of the anti-war, countercultural protests in the US that began with the Free Speech movement in Berkeley in 1964 and culminated in the huge anti-war protests in Washington, DC, during the Nixon Administration.
I think there is still a way to go in the progression of this trend.
A minority will have to overthrow a majority, backed by the combined force of the state, the media, and the tech sector.
Protests will not cut it.
Protests themselves are unlikely to be effective in a large Western state, unlike velvet revolutions in countries where the capital city is pivotal.
But protests are indications of rising civil unrest, which has political implications. So I would not say they are without effect. Protests also from activist bases and activists are an important cohort in effecting change.
In addition, if the authorities overreact to protests, which they often do, it can backfire on them by deepening and broadening radicalization. This is how such trends build.
I'm not saying they are without effect. The thousands of Canadians who turned out in the cold to support the convoy is the most inspiring thing I've seen in my life. This is the Canadian spirit I remember in my youth.
Protests are a crucible for more decisive action. This woman serves as an example:
FreedomConvoy USA "We have a right to resist and we have an obligation & duty to do so!" #IrnieNews
Protests that don't evolve, that fail to activate more people, can be bought off and contained. Defeating vaccine mandates, in a way that ensures this will not happen again, is a high-stakes game. To that end, the federal and provincial governments in Canada are not negotiating. They are not admitting to wrongdoing or willing to be held accountable for their policies. The lifting of restrictions by some provinces is intended to weaken the resolve of protesters.
The situation at the Ambassador Bridge is different. The authorities don't have the luxury of waiting out the blockade. Again, they are not negotiating.
Violence plays into the hand of the ruling class. There could be an overreaction, but look at protests in France, which routinely result in brutality on the part of police. Yet Macron is still in power.
“ The lifting of restrictions by some provinces is intended to weaken the resolve of protesters.”
No it’s in response to polling,,, the lockdowns are highly unpopular and the incumbents fear a backlash at the polls,,,
It is that too, and would have happened without any protests.
So they present this as a concession. The organizers know that this is a ruse which doesn't meet their demands, and have the task of persuading supporters to keep up the struggle.
Btw, this convoy has demonstrated a use for cryptocurrency: fund-raising that can't be interfered with by the authorities.
They risk a backlash of their own if they end up screwing up the economy even more…
Lumber is limit up everyday for like the last week…
We all need to just go back to work… that would be the best protest….
That is why Brandon told Trudeau to get that bridge open.
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