By Geraint Jones
Daily Express
Sunday March 1,2009
TOP secret contingency plans have been drawn up to counter the threat posed by a “summer of discontent” in Britain.
The “double-whammy” of the worst economic crisis in living memory and a motley crew of political extremists determined to stir up civil disorder has led to the extraordinary step of the Army being put on standby.
MI5 and Special Branch are targeting activists they fear could inflame anger over job losses and payouts to failed bankers.
[…]
The “protest season” is due to begin on April 1 with the G20 Summit in London next month, followed by the 60th anniversary of Nato in Strasbourg a few days later. May Day is also potentially a flashpoint.
Ministers cannot afford to allow latent public anger at Government policy to get out of hand if they are to maintain credibility through what promises to be Gordon Brown’s most testing period as Prime Minister.
The Stop the War coalition, orchestrating the G20 protest, said: “The first week of April could be a week of world leaders will never forget.”
[…]
h/t: CLG
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I have yet to hear prominent Progressives connect the looming (occurring?) financial crisis with the Free Market/ Fascist patterns revealed in “The Shock Doctrine”. Nor have I heard even Naomi Klein (author of The Shock Doctrine) herself cite this melt down as a trigger event to militarize and reorganize the American economy, political system and Social structure as she had carefully delineated in so many other examples such as post-Soviet Russia, Chile and post Tsunami southwestern Asia.
The elements are there. (Joe Biden, in his Veep campaign even had the balls to announced an upcoming “major test” of the Presidency due in the first 6 months of Obama’s reign)
So with the US activating a military brigade at home for the first time and the UK activating it’s home based military forces amid riots in Ireland, France, Thailand and about twenty countries around the globe, do those in power plan to merely deploy Global Hawk and Predator gunships to all corners to blast “suspected Terrorists” and watch in comfort via the massive network of city-cams, traffic cameras, cellphone cams, laptop cameras and satellite imaging resources in place?
I suspect that if this scenario arises, it will be accompanied with ritual masturbation while jumping around a fire ring in celebration of conquering “Care” by the enlightened few that are still relatively untouchable due to their enormous amassed wealth and power.
I think I’ll apply for a position as a private military contractor as they’re the only ones that are still officially operating outside any local or international laws, travel to exotic places heavily armed and generally shoot their way through traffic jams. Just add RedBull and let the mayhem begin.
Regretably, history has shown us that when the middle class have their backs to the wall, they invariably jump to the right. I’ve spent the last few months looking at readers comments on articles about the slump in rags like the Mail and Telegraph and believe me, it makes for some scary reading.
Those who are uncritically looking forward to a ‘summer of rage’ in the UK need to be careful about what they wish for. I fear they will get something they hadn’t bargained for – a tidal wave of reaction as the middle class sees its world crumble away and they look for scapegoats. The only political movement that looks to benefit from this rage are slime such as the British National Party.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m as angry as hell at the terrible damage this government with its slavish devotion to the defence of corporate interests and neo-liberalism and its intrusive authoritarianism has done to ordinary people in this country. I for one would love to make the bastards pay for it, dearly. But above all, I want to do this so that the current political and economic order is replaced with one that is considerably more just and progressive. The problem is that progressive alternatives in UK politics are few and far between – at the moment, its the forces of reaction that are winning the day. That frightens the life out of me.
Just as frightening is the prospect of the disorder that could well result from the ‘summer of rage’ giving the government the excuse they have been waiting for to enact the Civil Contingcies Act, declare a state of emergency and effectively install a totalitarian regime.
See; French Revolution, or American Revolution, or The Peoples Revoultion, Change can come from Revoultion, the resulting form of governement might be different.
I haven’t seen where street protests have had much of an effect on anything. The ballot box on the other hand is entirely different.
Actually throughout history the exact opposite has occurred, social movements are the cause for real changes, not the politicians/governments.
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