Every generation probably feels that things can’t get any worse. War, recession, starvation and climate change. Now, Donald Trump is the 45th president of the United States. There is one thing for certain; it’s not getting any better. It is no coincidence that the pursuit of individual gain and pleasure have contributed greatly to a global society that is out of control. An ever widening gap between rich and poor in an increasingly neoliberalist society has forced many people to break from their normal, safe and dispassionate political views. Those in fear of the new world order cry out for change and there will always be someone who will tell them what they want to hear.
Ego, want and entitlement are fuelling our almost insatiable stupidity. Society is being sold on instant gratification. Pleasure of a species at the price of its death. We have driven ourselves to the brink and are staring into the abyss for answers. Destruction is imminent but is it imminent enough to elicit any type of intelligent response? The dissatisfaction with a once dreamed of global capitalist society is now being replaced with fanatical nationalism once again. Fear is manifesting itself in sexist and racial hatred. Yet, there is still hope, our response to the fear of the iron grip of global capitalism has to be met with some measure of educated caution. Surely now in the West at least there are some measures in place to stop the rise of a megalomaniac? The recent block by a US Federal Judge of Donald Trump’s emigration ban would seem to suggest so.
Larger governments try to control cross border unions which ultimately leads to nationalism again. Britain’s decision to leave the European Union is in no small measure the smouldering of a new revolution. Many see it as a bad thing because it’s rocking the status quo. It will lead to everyone being “less better off.” It’s interesting that it’s often those that are already quite comfortable that are of this opinion. Brexit is the seed that might eventually smash this monetary institutional-ism that has almost become so inherently acceptable. The fear of further war in ways breathed life into the European Union. Fear of strangulation through control may in time cause it to draw its last breath. Most people are not inherently stupid or racist, they just want some type of comfortable equality. This is not achievable in a society where capitalism reigns supreme, sovereign governments need to have the power to implement social polices that let them take care of all of their citizens.
Banks and big business, the new monarchy of Europe have been shaken because they know their iron grip may be loosening. Slowly, cautiously the word sovereignty is once again being used in a positive way. Large multi-nationals are trying to hold countries and unions of countries to ransom by wielding the power of wealth they possess but this is becoming increasingly transparent. The last economic crash exposed in no uncertain terms what banks are capable of. More importantly, it exposed the collusion of many politicians in bringing about the crash and the utter weakness of others in being able to prevent it. People felt trapped and cheated by their elected representatives.
Healthy trade and competition between sovereign nations should not be portrayed as disaster. But how can we push back the ultimate control of multi national banking and big business over government? Do we really want to, or has everyone succumbed to the stability of comfort earned from the “structures” we have in place. There are many in our society who are marginalised and this “progress” has not helped them. There are over 7,000 homeless people in Ireland at present. If society is broken with no will to fix it, then every member of that society is in some way broken also. Ultimately, good social policy is anti-capitalist and it seems now that we have come to a point in our history where people must decide which is more important.
The European Union has created many good things but will probably fail due to greed cloaked in one of its many forms. If history has thought us anything, it is that all empires or unions come to an end, usually because of their internal inequality. The Roman Empire, Soviet Union and possibly now Britain and the European Union will all eventually be consigned to history.
The way the European Union has been set up is too fragmented and convoluted. It’s citizens have grown up and now it has to if it has any chance of survival. Ironically it is the over unionisation of the Union that is spelling it’s downfall. Europe is an immensely diverse mixture of peoples, cultures, language and religion. We can not all be governed in the same manner and there in lies the problem.
Survival of our sovereignty and diverse culture may ultimately lead to survival of society as a whole. Those born in the last 30 years have grown up in a world where they do not know what it means not to be ruled by banks and big corporations. A world where there is only chains of everything. Few independent shops or stores and masses of people consuming the same thing. Our mainstream media is a prime example of huge media corporations churning out the same sort of stories and information that all lean in the same political direction.
In the places where there is the most need for funding in our society, such as health and science: funding is often only given if there is a foreseeable profit. Medical research and scientific endeavour must be an integral part of any modern democracy and encouraged at national level regardless of monetary viability. What the recent shift in international thinking has shown us; is that individual want pandered to by neoliberalistic structures is detrimental to society. Individualism has it’s place but society and community has to take precedent if there is to be any type of moralistic evolution.
