.. to call the current situation STATE CAPTURE

[SafferUpNorth]

A term usually used in the context of utterly corrupt Asian/ African/Eastern nations. Google it.

Wikipedia definition: "State capture is a type of systemic political corruption in which private interests significantly influence a state's decision-making processes to their own advantage."

It's so blatant that no-one wants to believe it. But recent events have underlined, yet again, that we have a Tory government that does not act for the good of its citizens, but only to enrich the small wealthy class which its members belong to.

Let's call it what it is. State capture.

Looking forward to hearing people's views....

State capture requires a dictatorship really... we don't have that here.

No this isn't a dictatorship but this current situation with a deeply unpopular government making outrageous decisions on the basis that 0.3% of the electorate endorsed them is highlighting some pretty big issues with our political system.

It's absolutely a smash and grab by the elite. Technically not a state capture but I'm with you op. If the winter is the shitshow we're all expecting there will be riots by spring.

Another useful, possibly more accurate concept, is ‘inverted totalitarianism’. Similar idea of capture by private commercial interests.

Do you think so? I've been expecting riots over how the Tories treat working people for DECADES. We seem as a nation to be numb and passive and malleable in a way that makes no sense to me.

I love how people here are always predicting riots and unrest, whilst utterly unwilling or disinclined to direct action themselves. If you want change, the comfy middle classes will also have to get off their arses. They obviously did for the peaceful but huge protests against the Iraq war, which did precisely fuck all.

@Msgrieves you're absolutely right unfortunately. Nobody wants to see riots but I feel like people are way too passive in this country until it's too late.

I've been expecting riots over how the Tories treat working people for DECADES
I think people will be pent up and sadly it will come out in an unexpected way over something probably not to do with politics. Like the London riots. Then the torys can right it off as not their fault.

It’s practically a dictatorship. A few people voted for a person to run a country of 60 m

Smaller ratio than the Ukraine referendum out in place by Russia.

And also have no way of stopping them🤷🏼‍♀️

Well there were such riots at one time. Were there no miner’s strikes where you were? And did you not see the result? We lower class people learned then that government could and would do what it wanted by force, and then some of us lived through the 90s as council workers sent on ‘change management’ bullshite with managers staring at us daring us to not be positive enough.

I’ve seen a phrase on the internet recently, ‘quiet quitting’ which pretty much describes the only real type of possible rebellion in these circumstances.

Lived through 90s being told by the victors that ‘we’re all working class now’ and 00s being sent on change management shite actually. One must be accurate.

Depressing, but that would make a cracking academic thesis.

@RosaGallica I was responding to the previous poster about riots in the last ten years. I'm not saying it would do any good. The current government won't listen or care.

Of course! I grew up in the North. Very affected by the miners' strikes but shocked how little impact they had, how powerless people became under Thatcher. And very glad that the Poll Tax riots worked but those aside, what else has had a positive result?

Isn't the definition of dictatorship

dictatorship, form of government in which one person or a small group possesses absolute power without effective constitutional limitations

Did we choose this government?

Can we get rid of it?

Can we stop them crashing our currency and destroying our public services?

Who funds Liz Truss and the IEA and Taxpayers Alliance that "advise her"? Because I'd argue that whoever is pulling Truss and Kwarteng's strings are in charge of our country.

Could we have stopped their actions leading to pension funds going bust yesterday if the Bank of England wasn't independent?

Can we stop them taking our rights away?

Quiet quitting is interesting. My DF took early retirement from a health service role due to stress which was linked to lack of resources/ budget cuts/austerity. He has a part time job in a completely unrelated field to make money. I hadn't thought about it as a sort of protest until now. Maybe it is. I'm not sure what good it would do. The government don't give a fuck.

Very close to it OP. Elected (sort of) corrupt government doing what it can for its mates. this current situation with a deeply unpopular government making outrageous decisions on the basis that 0.3% of the electorate endorsed them is highlighting some pretty big issues with our political system agreed

Voting intention is apparently 54% in favour of Labour. Pity people didn't vote a little more wisely in 2016 and 2019 (not a Labour supporter by the way, but why did it have to get this bad to make people realise how bad the Tories are)

This is all Cameron's fault - he set of a chain of events he didn't understand (even Ukraine - Putin was emboldened by Brexit and a feeling there was no unity in the West).

@SafferUpNorth
my husband was born and grew up in communist European country

I agree with you OP

people there were imprisoned for commenting how how bad the bread was the stories my mother in law has told my sends shivers down my spine

regarding our own little island, Great Britain not so great anymore and it really saddens me

@RosaGallica - quiet quitting is an interesting idea. I wonder if it could work.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-63039558

The IEA have been actively taking credit for the shitshow we are all living through.

No.

I think Hanlon’s razor applies to this situation.

YANBU OP. Hardly democratic is it? Less than one percent of the population voted to get Truss in. She's putting policies into place in a way which prevents parliament having any say (not calling it a budget ffs) . These policies have not only not been put to any sort of vote but run contrary to those being campaigned on at the last GE. Levelling up? Burning down more like.