A Current Malaise

Terry Field of England, France and now also Florida is no stranger to these pages.  He writes with energy and vehemence on occasion.  His views are wide-ranging, penetrating and sometimes upsetting. On this page, he responds to several recent articles, spars briefly with Mr. Lott, a man he greatly respects, and then takes on American journalism. Mr. Field offers a thoughtful summary of what news American journalists should be covering.  He also believes that Brexit is leading the U.K. to an export and domestic debacle. - Glenn N. Holliman

Reflections on a Current Malaise
by Terrance Field

The two articles – one by the United Kingdom Independent Party ex-leader and the other by a distinguished American journalist all refer to a current malaise, namely the relationship between truth, politics and journalism. The American article bemoans the loss of international prestige the Trump ascendancy  brings in its wake, whilst claiming the United States is changed utterly, and its journalism a ruined edifice, never to recover.

Mr Lott, basking in the cold moonlight of the undead – the fate he ascribes to himself as an old white-haired male -  bemoans the distorting mirror of Mr Snow- anchor of Channel 4 BBC News – (for you fortunate enough to have not come across the dreadful creature). The Lott article could have been written by a participant in the French Revolution – the ‘revolution betrayed’ by lilly-livered cowards, scoundrels and nee’r-do-wells. The American complains of the international shame of being an American with King Trump on the gravy trail.

This all seems a touch silly, and more than a little self-indulgent. I voted in the Brexit referendum, as did Mr Lott; as did vast numbers of others. I have no clear idea what I voted for or against, in terms of policy and detailed objectives, as I suspect the rest of the population do not – save of course the UKIPers who were clear what they wanted – but hold on, when I listen to the UKIPers they fight like ferrets in a sack about what needs to be done – so clearly they are in the dark about what it all means, as well.

The excessive gloom and self-indulgent melancholy that pours forth from the American article speaks of a cadre used to the luxurious indulgence of magisterial accurate informative and high-flown journalism that informs, educates, enlightens and entertains. All now lost as the hacks swim in a cess-pit of informational sewage courtesy of ‘The Donald’. 

Far right, Terry shares thoughts with a Pennsylvania USA investment club.

I have spent some time now in my version of Mar-a-largo, enjoying the sybaritic pleasures of the subtropical wonderland that is Sarasota, and in that time I have had cause to watch some of this high-flown journalism now lost forever. Well, I must have been somewhere else – maybe I bought the condo in Bogota, Lima, or Valpawhatsit. The journalism I have observed in the last couple of months – at least on the Telly -has been – how can I put it – BLOODY DREADFUL!

I have heard these heroic penmen write about Trump's hair, his swearing, his crotch-grabbing, his ‘conflict of interest’, his ‘tweets’ his ‘appointments’, his wife’s sales of jewelry as part of her First Lady in Waiting interview.

I go to bed with this drivel ringing in my ears, I wake, have my ‘French Toast’ in care of the local Amish store , (excellent cinnamon bread – yours for 10 dollars a loaf – Sorry – dropping into Trumplife there) put the TV on and – NO CHANGE – the same mindless, unfocused, uncritical, utterly irrelevant trivial drivel, designed to numb the mind.

I watch Fox (News), and a glassy faced super-blond with a crotch the Donald would quiver before he approaches grinds on with MORE irrelevant guff. I turn to CNN and – yes you guessed it – a slightly less perfect but still magnificent GMO-free blond grinds on about the SAME RUBBISH for the next FOUR HOURS. There are clever witty journalists – a super-sharp dark-haired wonder-woman who speaks at the speed of a gattling gun and is ‘information-dense’ – but even she uses satire and cynical asides to avoid the provision of informative, and dearly longed-for information, let alone quiet reflection.

The written journals – you know- the ones who appeal to the ‘elites’ (education plus brains plus wisdom, terrible folk, a danger to the people) like the New Yorker, the Washington Post, the NY Times, of course give good journalism a run for its money, but even they fail in the analysis department, in grappling with what is really happening in the world, and WHY it is all happening. To a man, serious journalists deal with the world through collegiate, generally socially left, ‘inclusive’ ‘liberal’ eyes. Thus for them the total unacceptability of Trump winning precluded any of them actually saying he could or would win.

I hold no candle for Trump, but the core point here is that the electorate – via the electoral colleges – voted for him. He appeared with the laurel wreath because THE PEOPLE AND THE COLLEGES WANTED IT!!!!!

Where is this fine journalism that so fails to understand this????

I have a personal take on all this – more of that later, but – being objective – the left after so abusing the people, the economy, moral values and rational social order for decades are in headlong retreat – on both sides of the ‘pond’.

Post war left liberal hegemony died a while ago – but NO serious journalists have dealt with this head-on. They regret, they deny, they dissemble, they agonize – BUT THEY DO NOT CONFRONT – and that is their over-riding failure.

The real tragedy of this fine American journalism, on the major TV networks, is that intellectual and rigorous analysis is obvious by its absence, and where a little is allowed, its manipulation, its – let’s call it what it really is – its corruption and hollowing out, means the average American citizen has a major problem in comprehending what is actually going on.

A few subjects I hear nothing about in this most powerful of nations – there are many more, but these are here for starters:

- Climate change

- Global resource depletion

- The need to make a world without a repeat of the eternal great power rivalry and consequential violence and slaughter

- The moral dimension to over-consumption

- The awareness of the universality of human life, usually distorted by cheap tribal nationalism

- The spiritual value of humility and deference to others – rather than religion that reinforced selfishness, as it used to be applied to reinforce slavery and gross abuse.

- The destruction of vast numbers of species and the ruination of the existences of animals for human benefit.

The only President I ever heard talk even slightly of these things at all was President Carter – much dismissed by most Americans, and remembered for the hostage crisis and little else. But these sort of things are neither left nor right,  but concerning core human and global matters, the consequences of ignoring them likely to visit hell on earth to our children.

In truth, the modern electoral process is specifically designed to exclude the relevance and significance of the ballot- of what should be the power of universal suffrage.

Power sits in Corporations, national Treasuries, and the quiet clubs where the political power reclines, ever undisturbed.

In reality, the election of anyone now is not a reflection of people’s desires, but a mechanism to manage capital and resource independent of the pesky population.

Why?

We are tribal carnivores. Hairless apes, right at the end of our evolved potential to deal with reality.

Now, on to the lost British State, and Brexit angst,

Pretty obviously, the lunacy of Brexit has reached its dénouement now.

When did the collapse of the dreamland balloon happen?

Yesterday.

How did it happen?

Davies. The arch Euro-loather and Tory anti-EU Hard-Man. In two sentences he collapsed the dreamscape and replaced it with harsh reality. Until now, the May government made tough noises about border control, strongly implying the interpretation of the wishes of the nation as expressed in the vote was for a tough closed door on inward migration, and a massive reduction in net migration. Down to less than 100, 000 per annum.

The stance was to imply a total exit – political and economic – since to do other would imperil the sacred control over migration flows. How has this changed? Mr Davies has stated in the last twenty four hours that:

1 He would expect to pay an access fee to maintain the country in the single market. Why has he done this?  – simple – he is advised by increasingly desperate corporate folk, civil servants, economists and other highly undesirable ‘elite’ types that to do other would cause a crisis of exports not seen since Herr Doenitz blockaded the country on behalf of the Man with the Moustache. (For Americans this means Nazi bombers sent by Hitler in 1940.)

2 He has said that very significant inward migration of low skilled folk would be needed in order to continue to lubricate the wheels of the British economy. Strangely, he anticipates that this supply will come from Europe – Poland, etc, rather than from the far-flung regions of the Globe – Ulan Bator, Hyderabad, Ayers Rock, etc. This may seem a strange expectation to the UKIPers and Mr. Lott, but to the rest of us, used to the Europeans appearing to pick our pumpkins, serve our coffee, educate our children in private crammers, it seems normal, to be expected. Indeed, what we have become accustomed to.

In summary- we plan to leave, pay to stay in the single market, have no say in how the EU changes and develops, and take loads more ‘guest workers’ from precisely the same places in order to enjoy pumpkins and coffee, plus minimally remediated, otherwise completely uneducated offspring.

THEREFORE

Nothing much changes except the Frogs get to pick off the juicy bits of un-passported City of London activity that they always wanted, the Germs get to stuff Frankfurt with the same, and UK property prices decline – as does the economy in general, as the world realizes the whole aborted exercise makes the country look absurd, and a political risk to investment that it was not considered to be prior to the dreamfest.

And the reason for all this?

A section of the population intellectually, educationally, and temperamentally unsuited to decide even if their drains should be unblocked were asked to vote on a matter that they simply could not comprehend. - Terry Field

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