A different tone

On Saturday I attended chunks of the 2007 Bruges Group conference. Bernard Connelly left me more than a little confused, Marc Glendenning of the Democracy movement seemed to be gearing up to fight the Crimean war, however there were two speeches of note that I did hear, those of Ruth Lea and Christopher Booker.

Ruth was selling her think tank, Global Vision and was at her pugnacious best but the real suprise was Christopher Booker. His speech can be found here.

I will only quote one short passage, but do go and read the whole thing,

Never in history can the politicians and officials who make up the political class have commanded more universal distrust and scorn than today, as we see reflected in the ever dwindling turnout at elections and in the comments one hears on every side from people for whom politics and politicians have become words as dirty as any in the language. Even our ruling class in Brussels have long noticed what they call in their lofty way "the democratic deficit", even if they have not the slightest idea how to do anything to remedy it.

But if the rulers and the ruled in any society get that far apart, as history shows, if
both sides to a broken contract hold each other in equal contempt, if one side possesses the power and is only too ready to use it, while the other feels increasingly powerless to effect any change, then we have something building up which is potentially very dangerous.

The pressure in the vessel is steadily increasing, while its lid is being screwed down tighter and tighter. The only way such a story can eventually end is in a very nasty and messy explosion.Take away from people any right to control their own destiny, and eventually they will take their destiny back into their own hands. That is the stark reality of what we are confronted by today. Unless something gives, there will eventually be no alternative but a very nasty disintegration. And so long as Britain remains part of this crazed, self-deceiving enterprise, we shall be caught up in that mess just as surely as everyone else.