We (classical) liberals have spent a lot of our lives worrying about how to keep the state small and stabilise free institutions against collectivist urges. It seems we missed the point. The gradual socialist slide we were resisting popped. Meanwhile the revolution happened and we missed it. In fact most people seem to have missed it, including the old leftists that we feared and who are now equally perplexed. We were all looking the wrong way: Blair’s Britain is no more like Scandinavia than it is like Soviet Russia.
Matthew Parris might be right to detect something of the Third World in the way that government pronouncements no longer have a relation to reality, but I submit the polity itself is something new. It is nothing so human as kleptocracy. At some point Britain became a totalitarian bureaucratic state in spirit, while retaining plentiful food and clean water, and the forms of the rule of law – where that doesn’t get in the way of official power. Week on week measures are brought forward that present ministers would have organised protests against (and in some cases actually did) had they happened in 20th century South Africa, Eastern Europe or Latin America… Had anyone been doing them but the benign guardians of civic republicanism (themselves), in fact.
Last week: Local authories get powers to seize empty housing.
Next week: Some more exciting ways for the Home Office to build a safe just and tolerant society.
1. Seize the profits of companies that employ people who are not permitted to work by the state, or subcontract to companies that do. And remove their directors and ban them from acting as directors.
2. The Serious Organised Crime Agency to have powers to seek ‘control orders’ on those it suspects of involvement in serious crime but does not have evidence sufficient to prosecute. These control orders would be like those on suspected terrorists and control potentially any aspect of a person’s life and their contact with others.
We will have to wait for the announcement to discover whether, “for operational reasons” they will, like the terrorist versions, have to be imposed in secret at secret hearings with the suspect unable to hear or challenge the evidence against them. What’s the betting?
[Note: The current default definition of ‘serious crime’, by the way, is that in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, s81. It is extraterritorial. Activity is serious crime if it would be a crime anywhere in the UK, involves the use of violence, or “substantial financial gain” or is conduct by a “large number” of persons in pursuit of a common purpose… The former NCIS (now part of SOCA) defined “organised” crime as that committed by three persons or more, so a “large number” may not be all that large. Mind how you go.]
That logo looks remarkably like that of London Country Buses before it was destroyed, like most things, in the late 60’s and 70’s under a tide of slovenliness, spinelessness, talentless management, talentless engineering and bolshie workers.
1.) Sieze profits of companies that employ people not permitted to work ….. sieze company assets, etc..
I dunno Guy,
I sort of wish this would be implimented in the USA. I have seen on multiple occasions the destruction done by illegals to our communities and businesses. Outside of Boston is Cape Cod, an attractive area of seashore, quaint villages and expensive summer homes. The locals work in the trades and now are seeing corrupt companies (well connected politically) move in with illegal labor to undercut the local tradesmen. Similar effects in the Southern USA to the point that young men (especially black men) can rarely get employment in the trades.
In my observations, illegal aliens coming to work has little if any upside for society.
1.) You get people who disdain the rule of law (very dangerous for a civil open society)
2.) You get yet another corrupting influence on politicians. (as if they need another).
3.) Yet another corrupting influence on law enforcement.
4.) More mindless automatons to swell the ranks of minority “victim” socio-political” organizations.
5.) More crime.
6.) Drain on local services.
…….
Not to mention that the weakest and most inefficient “businesses” get to delay their demise by using illegals, warping the efficiencies of the market.
In my view Europe is going the way of Latin America.
The empty dwelling management order is totally outrageous and flies totally in the face of property rights no matter how caringly it is wrapped and presented.
I can see local Councillors already getting excited by these powers in an effort to clean up areas for pet projects. I am bitterly opposed to them despite not being directly affected.
Or this bit about the housing non-sense is too rich:
As if the entire Empty Dwelling Management Order process itself is not harassment! From the other side of the pond the UK feels more and more like you are living in the movie Brazil over there. Much more like Brazil than 1984. Good luck with all that, thank god we haven’t slid that far (yet) here in the States.
A good posting.
I can see no flaw in your reasoning.