Inept Authoritarianism is STILL Authoritarianism

Over the past decade or so we’ve seen a resurgence of far-right mobs on the streets in the UK, US and other countries. In the UK most have been pathetic sights — often out of shape ageing football (‘soccer’) hooligans following some manipulative mouthy thug, who could impress them with their relative lucidity.

Smashed windows, objects thrown at police, intimidated shoppers and unpleasant scenes of inarticulate, racist impotence-made-flesh, in stretched union jack t-shirts and straining football tops was the sort of spectacle witnessed.

In the USA things are a bit different, because any idiot can own a gun. So things there often seem more charged during marches, which can create that unnerving impending civil war vibe. Far-right terrorists in the US have also managed to kill many more in their sprees than here in the UK, where fascist murderers and wannabes have been stopped more quickly.

Though these fascists have taken lives, they occupy the clown car of the wider far-right circus. It is the ring masters and those unseen figures backing the fascist circus we must worry about more. And try our hardest to tackle.

In the US Donald Trump is facing multiple criminal cases, including charges of attempting to subvert democracy and nullify the votes of the population. It should by now be clear to any reasonable person that Trump is an egocentric authoritarian and not a protector of democracy.

Trump made a horrible mess of being a president and it is likely that his desire to get back into power is fuelled largely by his fear of going to jail. He might believe he can pardon himself or even stop legal proceedings if he gets back into the White House. But that doesn’t make him any less of an authoritarian — it merely underlines that he’s standing for himself and not the people of the USA.

His continuation of dishonest claims about the 2020 election (which he lost by a large margin) and his attacks on democratic processes and the judicial system also underline his authoritarian mindset. The outbursts also endanger lawyers and judges involved in legal proceedings against him, as well as any politicians who dare to criticise him. With a volatile, cultish, conspiracy-theory-swallower base, violent attacks are an ever-present…