Ẃt prîs Britiś dmocṛsi ẃn a rić ilīt hz ɖ guvnmnt’s ir?
(Transcription of an article published in the Guardian on 23 February 2022)
Ɖ inflụns v ultrrić Tori donrz z mor xtrim ɖn at eni tîm in livñ meṃri
Jorj Monbio, Wnzde 23 Febrri 2022
Imajin ɖt a hostîl pǎr manijd t infltret ɖ YC’z guvnmnt. Imajin ɖt it set ǎt t dmoṛlîz n dbiḷtet ɖs cuntri, dstroyñ ǎr sns v comn prṗs, unḍmainñ ǎr stbiḷti n traśñ ɖ lîvz v mni v ǎr sitiznz.
Imajin ɖt it hd t oṗret b’lo ɖ redar, wɖn ɖ strucćrz v a nomiṇli deṃcratic sistm. Let’s folo ɖs ʈt xperimnt fr a momnt. Ẃt wd sć a hostîl fors set ǎt t d?
It wd sīc, frst v ol, t dstrô trust. Ɖ ppl it plantd in ɖ guvnmnt wd lî pṛlificli, ɖen lî abt ɖ lîz, untl w wr so disorịntd w no longr ń ẃt t b’liv. Ɖe wd damij ǎr sns v naśnl chīźn wɖ a bletnt disrigard fr ɖ rūlz ɖ rest v s mst folo. Ɖe wd sīc t enśur ɖt w lost feʈ in ɖ p’liticl sistm n sīst t b’liv ɖt ɖoz hu guvn s hv ǎr bst inṭrests at hart.
Ɖ hostîl pǎr wd olso set ǎt t dstrô, ʈru sutl n insidịs cuts, ǎr sośl infṛstrucćr: ɖ ifctiv dlivri v hlʈ, edyceśn, sośl, invîrnmntl n locl srṿsz. It wd alǎ ǎr fizicl infṛstrucćr – public trnsport, suwrij, public bildñz n uɖr isnśl srṿsz – t dtirịret untl, in sm cesz, it cem clos t c’laps.
It wd atac n unḍmain crūśl simblz v naśnl prîd, sć az ɖ NHS, ɖ BBC, ɖ Naśnl Trust n ɖ yṇvrṣtiz. It wd frɖr harm ǎr sns v neśnhd bî traśñ mć v ẃt w treźr n luv, sć az clīn rivrz, ɖ grīn blt n wel-pland sitiz.
It wd sǒ dviźn bî pṛmotñ iniqoḷti, ineḅlñ a prospṛs ilīt t akḿlet evr mor v ɖ cuntri’z wlʈ. Aftr ol, az Jorj Orwél rmarct jrñ ɖ secnd wrldwor, “ɖ ledi in ɖ Rolz-Rôs car z mor daṃjñ t mral ɖn a flīt v Goering’z bomñpleinz”.
It wd impid tredñ rleśnz wɖ ǎr nebrz n mejr ic̣nomic partnrz, in ɖ hop v cutñ s of fṛm ɖ wrld. It wd unḍmain pīs’grīmnts n impoz intrnl bordrz. It wd alǎ crîm t run rampnt, pmitñ an xploźn v devstetñ frōd n fnanśl crîmz sć az munilōnḍrñ ɖt frɖr harm ǎr inṭnaśnl standñ n ɖ consept v iqoḷti bfr ɖ lw.
Far fṛm stampñ ǎt proḟtirñ jrñ a naśnl crîsis, ɖ hostîl pǎr wd criet a speśl ćanl, ineḅlñ fevrd inṭrests t guzl public muni. It’s hard t ʈnc v a betr poḷsi fr dstroyñ trust in public lîf n ɖ sns ɖt w r ol in ɖs tgɖr.
Y cn si ẃr ɖs z gwñ. It smtmz sīmz t m ɖt f ɖs guvnmnt hd set ǎt t harm ǎr cuntri, it cd scersli hv dn a betr job. It sīmz pvrsli cmitd t ɖ dstrux́n v sivic lîf, naśnl prîd n a sns v b’loññ. Y cn mor or les pridict Tori poḷsi on eni iśu bî ascñ yrslf: “Ẃt’s ɖ most toxic n harmfl straṭji ɖe cd hop t gt awe wɖ?”
So ẃt z gwñ on? Hz a hostîl pǎr manijd t inḟltret ɖ YC guvnmnt? In a we, yes. Ɖt pǎr z oligarcic capitl.
At ɖ wīcend, ɖ Súnde Tîmz rportd ɖt ppl hu hv dnetd at līst £250,000 t ɖ Cnsrṿtiv parti hv bn invîtd t jôn an “advîzri bōrd”, wɖ speśl axes t ɖ prîm̦inistr, cabiṇtministrz n sīńr guvnmnt’dvîzrz. Ɖe hv yzd ɖs axes t lobi fr ćenjz in guvnmntpoḷsi. Ɖ 14 îdnṭfaid membrz v ɖ grūp hv a cmbînd wlʈ v at līst £30bn, n hv dnetd £22m t ɖ Cnsrṿtivz. Amñ ɖm r proṗtitîcūnz, fnansịrz, tū ppl wɖ cnx́nz t ɖ Cremlin, a tbacomagnet n an inṭnet ontṛpṛnŕ cuṛntli fesñ trîl fr rep n sx́l asōlt (bʈ v ẃć h dnîz).
Ɖ grūp n its ajnda hd hiɖrtu bn cept sīcrit. Ɖ Súnde Tîmz rportñ wz best on a trov v līct dokmnts. Ɖ advîzrigrūp apirz t cros ɖ lîn ɖt seṗrets partibiznis fṛm guvnmntbiznis, ispeṣ́li az ɖ ofiśl fasiḷtetñ it z on ɖ public pêrol.
W hv olso bn tld ɖt ɖ Cnsrṿtiv parti z hlpñ its donrz t aplî fr ci guvnmntpziśnz, ẃć lcs lîc anɖr obvịs trnzgreśn v ɖ lîn. Anɖr trānś v līct dokmnts sjst ɖt oḟrñ a goldn ladr t prestijs public apôntmnts z yzd az līṿrij ẃn pswedñ ɖm t part wɖ ɖer muni.
P’liticl fundñ hz loñ bn a mīnz bî ẃć ɖ vri rić cn x’sîz inordṇt inflụns ovr public poḷsi. Bt ɖs inflụns nǎ sīmz t hv bcm crūdr n mor xtrim ɖn at eni tîm in livñ meṃri. Far fṛm sīcñ t cnten plūṭcratic pǎr, Boris Jonsn hops t strip ɖ Ilectṛl Cmiśn v its pǎrz t stop abysz v ɖ fundñsistm.
Big donrz r nt ɖ onli oligācs wɖ inordṇt inflụns ovr ɖs guvnmnt. Doṃnic Cumñz clemd ɖt Boris Jonsn rfŕd t ɖ Teḷgraf, ǒnd bî ɖ biłner Freḍric Barcli, az “mî riyl bos”. Rūṗt Mrdoc n hiz sīńr xektivz hv hld sevṛl prîṿt mītñz wɖ Jonsn n membrz v hiz cabiṇt.
R ɖ vri rić dlibṛtli trayñ t harm ǎr cuntri? In sm cesz, phps. Ɖr z a strand v capiṭlizm ɖt wonts t jeṇret crîsīz, ɖen sīz naśnl asets at fîrseil prîsz. Bt no sć intnśn z rqîrd t xplen ɖ jenṛl damij inflictd bî oligarcic capitl. It z simpli ɖt ɖ inṭrests v ɖ vri rić r nt ɖ sem az ɖ inṭrests v ɖ neśn. W śd nvr fget ẃt ɖ biłnerstocbrocr Pītr Hargrīvz, hu dnetd £3.2m t wn v ɖ līvcampenz, sd abt Brexit: “W wl gt ǎt ɖr n w wl bcm increḍbli s’xesfl bcz w wl b inṣkr agn. N inṣkṛti z fntastic.”
No rsponsbl guvnmnt wd alǎ ɖ dmandz v ɖ ultrrić t oṿrîd ɖ nīdz v ɖ neśn. Bt w hv no rsponsbl guvnmnt.
• Jorj Monbio z a Gardịn coḷmnist
