What makes a dictator?
Could anyone have seriously thought that in the 1930’s a tiny ex military man, not a very successful one at that, would take the world to war?
Would anyone have thought Ferdinand Marcos would have denied his citizens in the Philippines the right to an election?
No, no one thinks these things generally because they are not the sort of thing that happen in our country, whichever country we live in
Few have started out planning to cancel our democracy. They get to the point where their actions are such that giving up power and the protection which comes with it becomes too terrible to contemplate.
What is it which changes a democracy into a dictatorship?
It is the absolute belief that the need of the party is greater than the need of the nation. Though, the leader will always say they are taking measures to secure the needs of the nation and protecting them from the dreadful possibility of someone else coming to power and messing everything up.
How difficult is it to convince the nation that the others are so terrible that the incumbent has to stay in place?
Very easy indeed!
There is an expectation already in place that the leadership of the country are inherently going to work for the best interest of the country and, though we know they ‘all’ lie that these untruths are needed in the interest of national security.
Our current leader, Boris Johnson ( #boris ) is a typical Brit. Somewhat eccentric, a little barmy but, a loveable rogue and, says the many, that’s OK. He himself stated in an interview a few years back that the way he operates is to create so many stories, so many scandals that it becomes difficult to keep up with it. During the confusion he can do just about anything he wants as the people can no longer tell the truth from the lies.
Almost since Parliament began has been a thing called the parliamentary code. It is a rule developed to ensure that when a minister lies, they must resign. It forces a certain standard. The minister has always had the option to decline an answer and, indeed, to step around the question on the basis of National Security as Margaret Thatcher often did during the Falklands war. But, that code of honour was there to protect us from a minister, even a Prime Minister who would seek to subvert truth for their own personal gain. Boris Johnson, this Prime Minister has done this, he has lied to parliament.
Any other minister would have been honourable, held their hands up and resigned but this is not how the current resident of Number 10 Downing Street thinks.
What he has done is to change those rules. He can now not be investigated unless he approves it and when he is found guilty of lying to parliament, it is him who decides the punishment which is no longer resignation, it can be as basic as an apology much like all those he has issued with regard to the parties he attended.
When a person in power starts stripping away the safeguards which could stop them being in power it is a fast downward slope. His party have already been changing electoral boundaries to make it more likely their own candidates will win in a General Election. But, there remains still the chance that the people might still find a way to rise against that.
With the war in the Ukraine raging said to last another maybe even two years, I can hear it now. Boris announces that in the interest of effective government at a time of international instability, he has suspended the general election until further notice and yes, he has that power.
Let me have this little bet with you …
In two years time the Government of this United Kingdom will announce exactly that. In the interests of National Security at a time of International instability, elections are hereby terminated.
That is then ‘it’, we are no longer a democracy. The Conservative Party have an 80 seat majority and will be able to pass any law they like unchallenged in any meaningful way.
That is my little bet with you, there will not be a General Election in two years time. If I am wrong I will resign apologise