Monday, May 7, 2012

The lamp flickers

Two years ago I wrote of the coming rise of European Fascism:
It was an easy half a step sideways from Fascism to Transnational Progressivism, and it will be an easy half step back sideways.
I guess I'm a little surprised that it's happened this fast:
The vote was a stunning repudiation of the two political parties that have ruled Greece since the end of dictatorship here nearly 40 years ago. The pro-business New Democracy Party and the Socialists have traded power for decades. Now, a cacophony of new, skeptical voices will crowd the halls of parliament — including a far-right party called Golden Dawn, whose supporters celebrated Sunday night with flaming torches and the Nazi salute.
I never got to Greece.  Now I'm not sure I want to go.  Greece was the first land where the lamp of democracy shone - indeed, the very word comes from the Greek.  That lamp - and others across Europe - are starting to go out. 

12 comments:

Alan said...

You say democracy like it's a good thing. I'm not so sure it's better than any other method of choosing the destructor.

c w swanson said...

Democracy should work if you don't extend the franchise to everyone who is a parasite on society. I firmly believe that only those over 30 years old and who have a job ought to be able to vote. That would immediately eliminate the power of those who only want to take from the system, rather than contribute. Am I nuts for thinking this way?

Borepatch said...

@c w swanson, that's an interesting idea, but if you look at the entitlements, you will essentially disenfranchise everyone older than 65 (or 67).

Whether that's a good thing or not, that would be the logical conclusion. Solves the Entitlement problem, anyway.

Goober said...

Stop using democracy as an example of a good idea. People talk about bringing democracy to the world, and my first response is NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!eleventy1!!!

FREEDOM is what is important. The type and form of a government presiding over a person means very little - a democracy can be just as facist and evil and overbearing as a dictatorship. I would much rather live in a dictatorship that had maximum personal freedom than I would a democracy where the current Greek populations got to vote.

ASM826 said...

Voting is overrated. Informed voting might be a good thing. I'd like to see it tried.

Anonymous said...

Odd because it's going out here in the USA one executive order at a time.

Anonymous said...

c w swanson as for voting you would end up with just 1-2% of the population getting the vote, the rest of us plebs would under some definition or other be counted as parasites. You are advocating a pre Revolution franchise which exclusively belonged to only men of property or wealth.

Aaron said...

That dark night of Fascism keeps descending on America but ends up landing in Europe time and time again.

Hopefully this will reduce the continued emissions of Eurosmug somewhat.

Brock Townsend said...

Nazi salute.

They point out that it originated in ancient Greece and Rome much as the swastika is a 2,000 year old Buddhist symbol and still used.

SiGraybeard said...

Re: ASM826's comment, it's considered extremely politically incorrect, but I don't see a problem with a basic competency test for voting. Not asking the voter to cite the influence of the Magna Carta on common law, but knowing who their incumbents are, and knowing their local officials. Knowing what they're voting on.

And I don't see the problem with asking the people who are paying for everything their opinion of what they want to pay for. We're almost at the point where the majority of the people don't pay income tax. When that tips, I don't think you get it back.

Borepatch said...

Graybeard, the median family pays almost no income tax, but they pay 25% of their income to the Sate - Social Security, property, gas, and sales taxes, etc.

Bobby said...

I hate how they keep calling "Nazism" the far right.

Wrong side of the spectrum, boys...