JOHN CHUCKMAN COMMENT: NATIVISM AND TRIBALISM IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND AFFAIRS - BRITAIN'S NIGEL FARAGE AND BREXIT - THE INDISPUTABLE LONG-TERM FUTURE FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND RELATIONS IS IN PRECISELY THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION - FARAGE AND TRUMP ONLY REPRESENT PAUSING A WHILE ALONG THE WAY TO SUBDUE A VICIOUS SPASM OF HICCUPS

John Chuckman


COMMENT TO AN ARTICLE BY TOM PECK IN THE INDEPENDENT


‘Nigel Farage raved about populism to EU parliament – right after an Auschwitz survivor spoke

‘It was fitting, in a strange way, that he should save his most crass moment till last”


Farage can be pretty crass, but much of the time he is something of a showman, a political version of the old music hall comics, and he does amuse a large number of people. After all, he has had a serious effect on the future of about 65 million British people.

The world makes no real progress under leaders like Farage.

Absolutely none.

He represents Nativism or Tribalism.

And there's lots of that around, but the fact doesn't make it worthy or admirable any more than other primitive superstitions and beliefs, of which we have many.

Just as we advanced from local village with no real connecting roads in the 16th century to superhighways and fleets of jets connecting everything, so our future in global trade and economics and society is in institutions like the EU, not in a music hall comic waving a plastic British flag.

And by the way, just getting to that Union Jack flag was a long and difficult history, from some tribal Celts conquered by Romans with later incursions of Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, and Norman French. England is a hybrid society, not some purest vision.

Historical change and development don't just stop at some moment that appeals to some people and stay stuck there.

That's the view of some religious cultish folks like Mennonites or Amish or Hasidic Jews. It's wrong for most people and packed with superstition, and it goes absolutely nowhere in terms of progress.

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Response to a comment saying “Always the idiot ...”. Supported by many idiots.

Just as Jesus said, "The poor you have with you always", so with idiots.

It's just the human condition and why it takes so long to get anything worthwhile done.

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Response to a comment saying, “In the 21st century democracy = populism”

That's simply not true.

We have very little democracy anywhere, but a great deal of “populism.”

The establishment uses populist movements as tools of control.

Just as Hitler was made possible by bankers and industrialists, both from Germany and America. The Third Reich just would not have existed without them.