Gordon Brown says world leaders should create temporary global government
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Oh-ohNatalie Solent (Essex) · Civil liberty, Law & Regulation · Health & medical · International affairs · UK affairs March 26th, 2020 |
 40 comments to Oh-oh |
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“temporary”
Never let a good crisis go to waste, always use it to lunge for more power and money.
We already have a global government, and it’s not temporary.
Patrick says Gordon Brown should fuck off.
I wonder whom Gurning Gordon thinks should be the World President?
One way to spot a really bad idea is to look at who thinks that it is a good idea.
Fred Z beat me to the punch.
The international establishment elite want to crush freedom – and the best way to do that is world government (or “world governance” – the “functionalist” version).
The United States should make sure that it not dependent on external powers for vital goods or services – for it it is dependent, the “International Community” will, over time, crush what is left of liberty in the United States – without or without a virus.
“But what about the United Kingdom?”
No comment.
They should all fly in to a small, isolated island, and stay there until they get all the details worked out. I would suggest one in Malaysia populated with cannibals.
It would be fun, watching the bien-pensants and the Great-And-The-Good trying to herd that particular bunch of cats. All you have to do is look at the UN to see how quickly such an effort would tangle itself into irrelevance. Unfortunately, the price for this ephemeral amusement would likely be a large number of human lives, mostly black- and brown-skinned, as is usually the case when sleek, well-fed international diplomats get together to solve all the world’s problems.
llater,
llamas
Amen to that.
At the same time, the US should continue to rely primarily on State and local governments to deal with crises: it makes no sense for the President to impose the same lockdown on NY City and on North Dakota, Alaska, or Hawaii.
I’ll comment if you won’t.
The UK (or rather, the British Isles) has a well-defined physical boundary, and therefore should similarly strive to be independent wrt vital goods+services.
The same goes for Italy, and maybe Sardinia+Corsica; and for the Iberian peninsula.
The nations that face a challenge are the smaller nations in the European Plain. How can they remain independent of Russia, Germany, and France?
What garbage from Brown.
The EU, for example, has been a passive bystander in the crisis; nation states have done the heavy lifting. True, smart co-operation between friendly nations is a good idea, but that’s not new and does not need some grand vision of world government.
And the Chinese Communist Party must look at such requests, given its responsibility for this disaster, with wry amusement.
Yet another well-fed wonk using any pretext to choke his “one world government” chicken.
How embarrassing it must be for his friends and relatives, to see him doing that in public.
Russia and China are helping Italy and Serbia, but no EU/NATO country is. Maybe we all should submit to Putin and Xi.
Hang on, there’s only one obvious candidate for this gig, I have my own less-obvious ones, such as the Prince of Liechtenstein, who can finally expand his remnant of the Holy Roman Empire to world domination, and low taxes and secession.
My next less-obvious candidate is the Sage of Kettering, whom I did declare Doge of Venice when we were there, seeing as he has municipal government experience and there was (and is) a vacancy that urgently needed filling. There were no objections.
But first and foremost, cometh the hour, cometh the Man, The Donald.
OK, I’ll settle for Nigel Farage.
Oh, he should definitely travel over here to the US and make that recommendation.
Then, he should take cover. Maybe behind Bernie Sanders.
(In light of Imperial College’s Neil Ferguson backing down so completely on his estimates – oh, did we say 500,000 deaths? We meant 20,000 deaths – I think the New Global Government can rest easy for a few days.)
In reply to Mr Ed:
The Donald and the Sage of Kettering have one thing in common: they both realize that the Anglo-American “”left”” has become delusionally insane, indeed suicidally insane.
Trump has a huge advantage over the Sage, however, because Trump has realized that you cannot be President of ALL Americans if you tell the truth, that a large minority of them are insane. Trump points out the insanity of individuals, not groups; and then only when said individuals antagonize him.
There is a need for people to tell the truth about collective insanity, but perhaps such people should not pursue a political career.
–I hope that you visited Santa Maria dei Frari in Venice.
For an obvious reason.
I am not much into visual arts, but that blew my mind away.
Snorri,
I have indeed been to the Frari, many times, although I have a slight bias towards San Zanipolo over it (the other brown brick basilica). I carry in my wallet an old Frari ticket with that painting on it.
Completely OT, but a few years ago there was an exhibition of Canaletto and his imitators (harsh?) in Venice and someone had smartly put up a picture of San Giorgio Maggiore by Guardi iirc on a wall in the Procuratie so that you could stand to the right of the picture and see the original together. I was utterly blown away by the sight and full of admiration for the gesture.
But of course if we had one World government such sights would be mere trifles compared to the delights that would follow.
‘Never a frown, with Gordon Brown‘ (doesn’t) go(es) the song.
“(In light of Imperial College’s Neil Ferguson backing down so completely on his estimates – oh, did we say 500,000 deaths? We meant 20,000 deaths – I think the New Global Government can rest easy for a few days.)”
??!
He said it would be 500,000 if we did nothing, about 250,000 with the limited measures then being proposed, and hopefully/maybe under 20,000 with the total lock-down. He hasn’t backed down on anything.
It’s a bit like the media talking about what Trump said…
Perhaps I misread . . .
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/imperial-college-scientist-who-predicted-500k-coronavirus-deaths-in-uk-revises-to-20k-or-less
ETA:
and:
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2238578-uk-has-enough-intensive-care-units-for-coronavirus-expert-predicts/
This is the man who sold off most of the UK’s gold reserves when the price was under USD 300 per ounce. It’s currently around USD 1600 per ounce. What more proof does anyone need that ‘Gordon Is A Moron’?
“Perhaps I misread . . “
No, you didn’t misread. There’s a story going about that he revised his estimates. I’ve seen it several places now, not just here. But I read his original paper, and I watched him on TV giving evidence to the House of Commons committee where he explained the context. The revised estimate is on the basis of the lock-down (and also the claim that they can now cope on the NHS doubling the number of respirators and beds available, since he wrote the first paper).
Frankly, I’m dubious about the 20,000 claim. I think it’s entirely possible his modelling is wrong. But it’s important to be clear about what he’s saying.
NiV:
It’s a bit scary how effective fake news can be.
I went back and read a few things, and I think you’re correct – he originally said, do A and we’ll get X, do B and we’ll get Y, do C and we’ll get Z, and he’s now saying we did C and so we’ll get Z. But this is now a fairly big story of “he changed his mind!” (in the US, at least), and is getting much traction.
I consider myself to be fairly informed, and a close reader, and this fake news gathered me right in. What hope do we have when a significant portion of the citizenry reads less carefully than I?
Mr Ed (March 26, 2020 at 7:41 pm) anticipated me. IIUC the US is the currently the wealthiest and most powerful country on earth – so its president would of course head this world government.
That should cool the enthusiasm of the usual suspects. 🙂
(As regards “500,000 – no, 20,000”, IIUC the change includes some expectations of the impact of countermeasures but also weeks of more information, more analysis, a better understanding of the disease all factor in. I very much approve people reviewing their predictions in the light of better information. We began by knowing very little, so must think it likely estimates will change for greater knowledge, not just to include assumed counter-measures. And we must expect further, perhaps rapid, changes as our experience and research grows.)
“IIUC the change includes some expectations of the impact of countermeasures but also weeks of more information, more analysis, a better understanding of the disease all factor in. I very much approve people reviewing their predictions in the light of better information.”
Agreed! Very much so!
Ferguson’s claims are shite–as were Imperial Dickhead College’s prev “crisis” claims of mass death– and the lockdown is being hyped as the solution that will/has save us –when there was fuckall to save us from except hype and bullshit.
And Italian loons recording every death in a hosp with coro as coro and boosting their claims.
And no fucker is going to save us from the economic disaster and tinpot tyranny this pile of medico-crap is bringing us.
https://thefederalist.com/2020/03/25/inaccurate-virus-models-are-panicking-officials-into-ill-advised-lockdowns/
Mr Ecks, I’m not sure models being out by a factor of 4-5 after a few days, when your rate of increase is 20% per day, is significant.
I’m sure that 1 million Canadians , 3 million Americans and 105 thou Brits signing on the dole in 3 days IS significant. Prob many more Brits as UK fig now 2 days old.
And 20% is another guess as there are NO reliable tests without a big both way false factor. Not counting Chinese fake test kits such as Spain bought.
Could anyone here draw a reasonably informed comparison between what is happening now regarding the economy and what was happening in the mid to late 1970s? There were power cuts, half the workforce spent more time on strike than they did doing their jobs, the three day week was happening, all that stuff?
Interest rates back then still made it worth investing and saving.
Our present effective zero % rate so the politicals can borrow big(that being before the new borrowfest) means that it likely isn’t.
Recovery-wise that can’t help.
Also freedom is essential. If that has largely gone you can forget much of a recovery.
“Practice social distancing and you will be fine – stay at least two metres away from other people”.
Leaving aside that many British people (who think in feet and inches) are unsure how far a “metre” is supposed to be, this rather leaves out the fact that someone can get the virus simply by touching something that an infected person touched – even if they touched it hours ago.
I have seen nothing being disinfected in this country – not the streets, not the pavements, not the inside of shops, not doors, nothing.
It has all been “social distancing” – as people touch what infected people touched, and thus get the virus.
And now, sadly, the Prime Minister himself has caught the virus – yet nothing has changed.
“Wash your hands” – I do, but that did not save a lot of other people now did it.
The borders of the nation should have been closed months ago – and no one (no one at all) has resigned for not closing them.
These “Philosopher King” Civil Servants remind me of General Haig (walk nice and slowly and in straight lines, into the enemy machine gun fire) and Sir Charles Trevelyan (the people of Ireland are in terrible distress, I know let us massively INCREASE taxation in Ireland – that will help!).
No one resigns, no one takes responsibility.
And a World Government would be even worse.
Paul:
Well, I have seen staff cleaning up in supermarket during opening hours here, which i never saw before. In fact, i believe they are hiring more staff to clean up more often.
Also, all shops have disinfectant available, and some supermarkets have disposable gloves available at the entrance. If they don’t, i keep my leather gloves on.
People here, like in Japan, take off their shoes as soon as they enter home, either theirs or anybody else’s.
And speaking for myself, i wash all items that i bring inside, or else i leave them alone for a few days.
Last but not least: there is now round-the-clock ‘daycare’ available for health workers here. Presumably for free.
—-
In connection with the OT comments on Venice (which offered a welcome if brief distraction):
The Venetian Republic, in other respects a paragon of capitalism, had ‘socialized medicine’. That might have something to do with being an overcrowded city surrounded by a swamp.
The EU has a procurement scheme for PPEs, ventilators, and various other equipment.
The UK government refused to participate in this scheme even though it has run out of PPE’s, and has also refused offers from UK companies that manufacture ventilators.
So, British people will die because of deranged Brexiter ideology.
It should also be noted that South Korea’s methods are far more successful than any Western government.
Everyone should be following South Korea’s lead.
Again?
I thought you were all killed by Brexit already.
Damn. Night of the Living Dead.
This proposal is wrong on every level for all the reasons others have given but for me GB has one lasting feather in his cap; that he kept the UK out of the Euro when Blair was itching to get us in. The Euro is a classic example of bad international government resulting from hubris and lack of accountability. Unfortunately Gordon doesn’t appear to have learned any general lessons from his scepticism about the Euro.
Don’t know if it’s officially approved in the UK or not, but I bet the PM will get the “Trump Pills” and be back on full duty in under a week.
Andy Burnham (LAB), major of Manchester is apparently complaining about he number of businesses still trading in the City.
We are truly through the looking-glass.
Tony Blair probably agrees with his, ah, chancellor of the successor, Gordon Brown, that the world needs a world government (that they should pretend will be temporary), but meanwhile Tony is eager to offer the UK government the benefit of his ‘constructive advice’.
I have never known the Guido commenters be so united in anything as in their desire to tell Blair just what he can do with his ‘constructive advice’. The only discordant note comes from those who complain that the site’s spam filters and the hate speech laws inhibit their going into detail. 🙂
Much can be said about how such lockdowns can weaken our reaction to other restrictions on liberty, but it doesn’t seem to have made either world government or its advocates too popular outside the bubble.
Spraying streets and pavements is so much theatre. Unless you go round licking them, I suppose. The virus doesn’t survive outside very long at the best of times, so merely blocking the street for the time it takes to spray it would be just as effective.
Now there are things that could be cleaned. PIN pads, for example, which are touched frequently. Park benches. Railings. Things that we touch with our hands.
But wholesale spraying of outside areas is just mental.