It has little value other than to create a reaction in the left
I just don't think "the left" is the factor here. In the UK, this is all about their anger over losing Hong Kong years back and very likely losing the Solomon Islands and a host of South Asian and East African territories now. The China Bad narrative is intended to justify military pushback on the retreating colonial frontier.
The China Bad narrative is intended to justify military pushback on the retreating colonial frontier.
I don't think I agree with this. Up until the Brexit half of the UK crowd got hold of the reigns there was actually little interest in being confrontational with China, in fact they promoted ties and investment there and pushed back against US attempts to get the country to ban Huawei. It was only when the UK pegged its future to the relationship it has with the US by splitting from the EU that it became adversarial.
I do agree that it's intended to justify pushback but I just contest the reasoning - it's not about being upset over colonial retreat, it's about the changing ties from EU to US.
The (sincere) Brexit Crowd wants to get back to old school UK imperialism. Nevermind that its impossible, the modern day Tory/Labour iteration of the neocon genuinely thinks they can do a second run at Queen E1 shit. Aligning with the US is part and parcel with that.
it’s not about being upset over colonial retreat, it’s about the changing ties from EU to US.
I can definitely see that. Although it feels more like the changing ties are what shape the media cycle, not the other way around. The media is just reflecting the vibes of leadership. Agitation against China is very similar to what we saw out of Cheney pre-9/11 and what we're seeing out of guys like Tucker Carlson today.
I'm not convinced that any of them give a shit what happens to the UK. I think they're all acting out of their own self-interests and they all saw money to be made in Brexit so they pursued it.
I don't think many of them have any long-term vision. I don't think the current tories (any wing of them) have any real economic ideas, this is reflected in their recent actions of just taking labour policy and going further left than them. They are ideologically rudderless and there is no real group actually attempting to steer the ship known as "the UK" towards greater wealth.
If anything, the money they can all make is in the steady collapse of the UK, which is why they seem to be guiding it in that direction. They all see money to be made out of the fall of the empire. They aren't really trying to avert it, they seem to have accepted it's happening and has been on that trajectory for decades and they're trying to capitalise upon it.
The only truly firm thing I see in the UK is an ideological commitment to fighting against the left and maintaining the status quo of deterioration and the movement towards the end of the UK and empire.
The only truly firm thing I see in the UK is an ideological commitment to fighting against the left and maintaining the status quo of deterioration and the movement towards the end of the UK and empire.
There's definitely a rear-guard action that the entire political establishment performs to keep any kind of Corbynite (or Farage-esque) popular movement from gaining ground. But the deterioration isn't intentional. Its just a consequence of their retreat from the frontier. They're left with less and less of the globe to exploit. That's something they'd happily change if they could.
Who is "they" though? The British born bourgeoisie? They don't seem like any kind of strategic or united group, they bought into Thatcher's individualism so hard that they crippled their own class consciousness and ability to strategise as a united class.
They have no means to exploit anywhere else, no army to do it with anymore, and no ability to justify it to the population without an enormous reaction.
With no material conditions that allow them to seek exploitation elsewhere they are cannibalising the UK, bit by bit. I see no end to this, I see the end of the UK as an inevitability. Historically empires have contracted until they cease to exist and become something new, I do not see the UK as being immune to this pattern. I don't think any of them will set their sights outwards (successfully) until this historic process is completed.
I just don't think "the left" is the factor here. In the UK, this is all about their anger over losing Hong Kong years back and very likely losing the Solomon Islands and a host of South Asian and East African territories now. The China Bad narrative is intended to justify military pushback on the retreating colonial frontier.
I don't think I agree with this. Up until the Brexit half of the UK crowd got hold of the reigns there was actually little interest in being confrontational with China, in fact they promoted ties and investment there and pushed back against US attempts to get the country to ban Huawei. It was only when the UK pegged its future to the relationship it has with the US by splitting from the EU that it became adversarial.
I do agree that it's intended to justify pushback but I just contest the reasoning - it's not about being upset over colonial retreat, it's about the changing ties from EU to US.
The (sincere) Brexit Crowd wants to get back to old school UK imperialism. Nevermind that its impossible, the modern day Tory/Labour iteration of the neocon genuinely thinks they can do a second run at Queen E1 shit. Aligning with the US is part and parcel with that.
I can definitely see that. Although it feels more like the changing ties are what shape the media cycle, not the other way around. The media is just reflecting the vibes of leadership. Agitation against China is very similar to what we saw out of Cheney pre-9/11 and what we're seeing out of guys like Tucker Carlson today.
I'm not convinced that any of them give a shit what happens to the UK. I think they're all acting out of their own self-interests and they all saw money to be made in Brexit so they pursued it.
I don't think many of them have any long-term vision. I don't think the current tories (any wing of them) have any real economic ideas, this is reflected in their recent actions of just taking labour policy and going further left than them. They are ideologically rudderless and there is no real group actually attempting to steer the ship known as "the UK" towards greater wealth.
If anything, the money they can all make is in the steady collapse of the UK, which is why they seem to be guiding it in that direction. They all see money to be made out of the fall of the empire. They aren't really trying to avert it, they seem to have accepted it's happening and has been on that trajectory for decades and they're trying to capitalise upon it.
The only truly firm thing I see in the UK is an ideological commitment to fighting against the left and maintaining the status quo of deterioration and the movement towards the end of the UK and empire.
There's definitely a rear-guard action that the entire political establishment performs to keep any kind of Corbynite (or Farage-esque) popular movement from gaining ground. But the deterioration isn't intentional. Its just a consequence of their retreat from the frontier. They're left with less and less of the globe to exploit. That's something they'd happily change if they could.
Who is "they" though? The British born bourgeoisie? They don't seem like any kind of strategic or united group, they bought into Thatcher's individualism so hard that they crippled their own class consciousness and ability to strategise as a united class.
They have no means to exploit anywhere else, no army to do it with anymore, and no ability to justify it to the population without an enormous reaction.
With no material conditions that allow them to seek exploitation elsewhere they are cannibalising the UK, bit by bit. I see no end to this, I see the end of the UK as an inevitability. Historically empires have contracted until they cease to exist and become something new, I do not see the UK as being immune to this pattern. I don't think any of them will set their sights outwards (successfully) until this historic process is completed.