In the interests of research, I took out an offer subscription to The Telegraph*. I recently received this nasty little email from editor, Chris Evans, entitled ‘The woke blob is taking over Britain’ and, quite frankly, it boiled my blood:
‘Dear Reader,
The Civil Service has grown increasingly powerful in recent decades, using weaponised wokery to stymie democracy and enforce its own Left-wing agenda, argues Allister Heath. The current Tory government may have been ineffective against the power of the “blob” – but in America presidential candidate Ron DeSantis’s success could offer inspiration for our next intake.
Chris’
Email from The Telegraph
Let’s unpack this bit of far-right propaganda:
Wokery: a term hi-jacked by the far right to demonise the following values and characteristics, amongst others:
- Compassion for and empathy with others.
- Love of truth/facts and hatred of lies/gaslighting and manipulation.
- Support for social, economic and climate justice.
- Support for human rights.
- Anti-corruption/nepotism/cronyism.
- Respect for and compliance with the rule of law.
- Upholding democracy and the democratic process.
In other words, people who give a sh*t for more than themselves and who want society to work for the good of all and to leave the world a better place.
‘Weaponised wokery‘: using every means at our disposal to hold true to our values. Reckon that’s preferable to weaponised hatred, weaponised corruption, weaponised rule-breaking or weaponised climate/human rights denial!
Civil servants must have a daily battle to keep this cabal of kleptocrats, racists and incompetents within the law. No wonder so many have left. It must be deeply dispiriting to work for people who have chosen to tear up the ministerial code and by-pass parliament to pursue their dubiously funded political agenda. That’s called ‘upholding democracy’, not ‘stymieing’ it! Remember that tweet, allegedly from a civil service insider working for the Johnson government?
And don’t forget that the Brexiters consistently demand that the civil service somehow turn the Brexit unicorns from Leave lies into ‘we-got-Brexit-done’ reality, when it is quite patently impossible!
The blob: this is how the far right dehumanise decent people – call us a ‘blob’; make us the ‘enemy’ to be crushed and destroyed. This is the ultimate ‘othering’. Apparently, though, the ‘blob’ is all-powerful, since it is managing, amongst other things, to stop the Brexit dream from coming true! Go, us!
The Telegraph has decided that Ron DeSantis is the champion of the anti-woke brigade. So, let’s just take a look at his values as evidenced by his actions and statements as governor of Florida:
- Guns: Floridians can carry a concealed weapon without the need for a permit! YAY! And DeSantis reckons everyone should be allowed to carry a gun openly!
- Signed a bill banning abortions after 6 weeks.
- Dismissed climate change as the ‘politicisation of weather’.
- Introduced a law that punishes teachers with felony charges if non-sanctioned books are present in the classroom.
- Banned classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity.
- Signed a bill banning schools using pronouns that don’t correspond to a person’s sex.
- Signed two major death penalty bills: No longer is the unanimous decision of a jury required for recommendation for the death penalty – 8:4 will do; and the death penalty is now an option for child rape convictions.
- Banned colleges from using state or federal funding for diversity, equity and inclusion programmes.
- Waged a “targeted campaign of government retaliation” against Disney, because they opposed the sexual orientation and gender identity law.
- Plans to “aggressively” pardon those convicted of insurrection: ie, let traitors off! Does ‘aggressively’ imply that they might be compensated for their punishment?
- Is already lying about Florida’s ranking and record in various areas.
Basically, Trump but younger and with more brain cells. Another wannabe authoritarian whose notion of freedom extends only to those who agree with him.
So, when The Telegraph revels in the prospect of DeSantis in the White House, and when Braverman and her ilk are happy to boast of the fascistic policies at conferences funded by far-right donors and their ‘charitable’ think tanks, I, for one, find it very worrying indeed; but it also makes me more determined than ever to champion, and live by, woke values.
The Conservatives have tried to demonise all those who challenge their policies on immigration, right to protest, climate change, etc, and they have the support of 80 per cent of the media to convince the population that we woke folk are the enemy. But, guess what? There are more of us ‘wokerati’ than there are of them and, together, we are stronger. We showed them that in the local elections. Let’s make it even plainer in the general election, which many Conservative politicians openly say will be fought on ‘culture wars’.
And in a way they are right. It is developing into a struggle between good and evil and it’s a struggle we must win.
So please join me in affirming that we’re woke and proud! It’s what being human is all about!
*Beware, by the way. Once these offers expire, a large lump sum (c. £300!) will be taken from your account for the next year, unless you remember to cancel!
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