Signal
It is something of a relief to see more voices speaking out about the growing authoritarianism of the UK government lead by Boris Johnson. Late and still not enough. Lets hope for more.
Opinion piece by Rachel Shabi in the Independent
Is it too difficult to spot authoritarianism when it comes from the ideological camp that you sit with?
In her book How to Lose a Country, on how democracy is eroded by the populist right, the Turkish writer Ece Temelkuran warns that too often opponents of this creeping authoritarianism, which is challenging countries around the world, don’t fully register what is happening until it is too late.
There’s an assumption that some force or institution will kick in to halt the march – but such faith is misguided. “All these trusted, cast-iron fulcrums are eventually melted down,” she writes, “and the country is left to face the brutal power of the regime without the curbing, imaginary protection of any state institution or democratic practice.”
Read Rachel Shabi’s piece in the Independent
…the reality of an increasingly draconian government keeps bouncing off the surface of media analysis. This inability to appraise our politics is partly due to the deflecting force of British exceptionalism…
Rachel Shabi, writing in the Independent
See also
‘The Spy Cops Bill Is One of the Most Dangerous Pieces of Legislation I’ve Seen
New anti-protest bill raises profound concern and alarm, human rights groups say
