Militarism = Authoritarianism

A few days ago I published this piece on the way it feels we're being nudged into accepting what to all intents and purposes will be the militarisation of society: Are we being nudged towards a war with Russia? 24.1.24. This was an initial response to the 'warning' made by General Sir Patrick Sanders that the British public need to 'psychologically prepare' themselves for the prospect of war with Russia within the next two decades.

This could have been a one off statement by a general who is standing down in six months and consequently, has nothing to lose by speaking his mind. Well, judging by the way the media has run with this story, it's anything but a one off that can be dismissed as a maverick engaging in a kite flying exercise to see what reaction his words would generate. This has run to the extent of imagining what life would be like in the UK in the event of a war with Russia: What war could mean for life in modern Britain - Colin Freeman | The Telegraph | 27.1.24. It should be noted that The Telegraph appears to be at the forefront of bemoaning the current state of the UK's armed forces while at the same time, arguing that a war with Russia is pretty much inevitable.

On a somewhat more measured level by comparison, there's this: Are we heading for World War Three? Experts give their verdicts - Sky News | 26.1.24. The list goes on and on... Just type 'war with Russia' into any search engine and you'll pull up a plethora of articles discussing the prospect of such a war.

In answer to my question - Are we being nudged towards a war with Russia? - it really does look as though we are being pushed in that direction. There's a complex array of geo-political reasons why this is the case which I intend to leave for future pieces. What I want to focus on is how the increasing militarisation of UK society will impact our lives. This will happen regardless of whichever party comes into power after the next general election. Labour under Starmer, as under Blair, will happily take us into a war if they so wish.

As the title of this piece suggests, militarism and authoritarianism pretty much go hand in hand with each other. You can't have a society that's being pushed towards accepting a major conflict without the authoritarian measures that would be needed to stifle any dissenting voices and to make sure everyone is pulling together. Ask any citizen of Russia or Ukraine and they'll candidly tell you that militarism and authoritarianism go hand hand in hand. Given the trajectory we appear to be on, us dissenters and stirrers can expect to start feeling the hot breath of the state and the military on our necks in the not too distant future as they seek ways to stifle and marginalise our voices.

Bear in mind that with the joint US and UK operation in the Red Sea that's attempting to stop the Houthi rebels based in Yemen from disrupting shipping heading to and from the Suez Canal, we're already in a conflict situation. This is alongside the amount of arms and military assistance that's being pushed towards Ukraine. There's also the US stationing nuclear missiles at Lakenheath in Suffolk. On top of this, the UK will be participating in operation Steadfast Defender this coming May: NATO to hold biggest drills since Cold War with 90,000 troops - Reuters | 19.1.24. It can be argued that militarism is already being ramped up here in the UK as well as in other NATO countries.

I'm pretty sure that the powers that be who are pushing us towards a more militaristic and authoritarian society have studied in some detail how the populace responded to the rules, restrictions and requirements that were imposed upon, and expected of us during the Covid 'crisis'. That will have provided a wealth of information about how compliant or not people were in an 'emergency'. It will not have escaped their attention that there was a fair bit of resistance to these rules, restrictions and requirements. Resistance that in part, came from the white working class, the demographic the powers that be use as cannon fodder every time the UK goes to war. Which does make you wonder what tricks they will try and pull to get the white working class fully on board in order to secure a future supply of cannon fodder.

A fair number of people who were on the anti-lockdown protests in 2020 and 2021 are saying that after what was done to them during those years, why should they or their sons and daughters put their lives on the line to defend this country? On top of this, living in a country where everything feels like it's failing or falling apart and where nothing really works properly, they're asking just what is it we're supposed to be defending? Bear in mind that a fair few of the people asking these questions would be branded as being on the Right by at least some of those on the Left as I mentioned in my previous post - Are we being nudged towards a war with Russia? 24.1.24:

What's really interesting is that it's not just the usual suspects on the Left, who wouldn't be following the likes of Weedon anyway, raising objections. It would appear that a lot of the ire being directed at Sanders and his ilk comes from the kind of people that the Left would class as being on the Right. For someone like me who saw the psyop of the Covid 'crisis' for what it really was, the fact that a fair bit of the opposition to the prospect of war with Russia comes from people some would see as being on the Right comes as no surprise. For me, it's further proof that the Left vs Right divide is becoming increasingly irrelevant and redundant.

The powers that be will have to pull every trick in the book to get the majority of the population supporting the increasing militarisation of society and the push towards war with Russia. Not least because when you start to think of the reality of life in wartime, trying to reincarnate the 'Blitz spirit' is going to be a tough one for them.

With two grandchildren, I've got skin in the game. I don't want them growing up in an increasingly militarised and authoritarian country only to end up as cannon fodder. Also, as I'm the wrong side of 65, with the best will in the world, it's inevitable that I'll have to rely more on the NHS. Imagine a wartime scenario when the NHS is overwhelmed with casualties back from the front line. If when I reach 75 plus and I have a chronic condition that needs a fair bit of intervention, do you seriously think I'll be able to get it? The short answer will be no, alongside a fair bit of nudging to try and make me accept the kind of intervention that will shuffle me off of this mortal coil and stop me being a burden on an overwhelmed NHS. It's either that or I'm refused treatment and have to fend for myself. That's not the kind of retirement scenario I was planning.

The generation who experienced World War Two as combatants or civilians has almost gone. There are very few people alive with any direct memory of what a world war entails. The impact on surviving combatants and civilians lasts for decades afterwards. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder wasn't an official diagnosis after WW2 but with parents with short fuses and alcoholism, it sure as heck did manifest itself. It wasn't a great starting point for sound parenting, trust me on that one! Yet here we are with the powers that be aided and abetted by their lackeys in the media pushing us towards accepting the inevitability of war with Russia, regardless of the dire consequences that will be felt by the populace for decades afterwards. This has to be stopped.

For the moment, I can get away with writing posts like this, criticising the seemingly inexorable drift towards war. Should the level of dissent become too great, the authorities will be obliged to switch from nudge techniques and social pressure to blunter interventions in order to keep people in line. We've got a window of opportunity to stop the push towards a major war. Let's do what we can to make the most of it...