Fascism doesn't arrive in fancy dress...

[Batmanisaplaceinturkey]

"I sometimes fear that
people think that fascism arrives in fancy dress
worn by grotesques and monsters
as played out in endless re-runs of the Nazis.

Fascism arrives as your friend.
It will restore your honour,
make you feel proud,
protect your house,
give you a job,
clean up the neighbourhood,
remind you of how great you once were,
clear out the venal and the corrupt,
remove anything you feel is unlike you...

It doesn't walk in saying,
"Our programme means militias, mass imprisonments, transportations, war and persecution."

By Michael Rosen

michaelrosenblog.blogspot.com/2014/05/fascism-i-sometimes-fear.html?m=1

@MissyB1 didn't the word friends appear in the statement?

I doubt you can say the same online due to current laws on supporting those groups

And no, it is not fascist to suggest that some democratically elected governments can be dangerous. There is ample evidence to back this up.

Democracy sadly doesn't provide total protection from malign leadership, and our democratically infrastructure can be dismantled pretty quickly once someone has access to a certain degree of power.

The one he spoke at straight after visiting Dachau.

@GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing I find your post amusing in that you're trying to drag other threads in but I still disagree with your take

And I find it concerning Starmer loyalists are so keen, to be blunt.

Edited because hiding thread.

You didn’t understand what the poster wrote I take it.

I understood that the poster didn't understand the poem. If you agree with the poster, then you don't either. He writes mostly for children.

Logic fail?

We do live in a democracy for the time being. It is entirely possible for fascist politicians and fascist sympathisers to exist within a democracy. If they get into power, it is likely that democracy will be threatened, as historical precedents have demonstrated.

We'll have to watch carefully to see what happens to US democracy under Trump. Remember, this is the president who incited his supporters to storm the Capitol when he lost the previous election.

Don't think that democracy, once established, cannot be dismantled. It has happened before and it will happen again. Complacency is dangerous.

On the troops issue the pp alluded to here some well known commentators who I'm sure Rosen was thinking of in that poem. At some point words get used so much about anything, even the risk to young people, they are just bumpf.

Diane Abbot - "If it's a durable, lasting peace then there will be no need for British troops on the ground. If not, and it could put this country at risk and troops in harm's way, then parliament should vote on it first".

Clive Lewis (served in Afghanistan) - "This course of action could put UK troops in harm's way against a nuclear power, without US support. That demands deeper and broader debate".

The Trump-Musk administration is about as far from embracing free speech as you can get. Simply put, they're crying little baby snowflakes, who want to be able to throw around offensive terms and slurs to their hearts content, while pursuing those who speak against them.

Tips of the iceberg, but

You know Trump is suing a pollster (who just happens to be a woman) for a poll he didn't like, right?

Vance seems very sensitive about this guy
https://www.threads.net/@danwilburcomedy/post/DGLXDxxg_Rt

Chamberlain’s white paper leaps to mind.

The latest fascists ARE in fancy dress, covered in rainbows and sparkles, dressed as furries or in drag.

No one would agree that Hitler was right.
But we are talking about the here and now.
Significant harm, to who their own citizens.One would have to live in Germany to know how the politicians are letting the German people down.

Reform's currently polling as the main party so it's coming here, too. It's not just America's problem.

I agree with them. No boots on the ground anywhere without the agreement of Parliament. I think there is a broad consensus on that.

Conscription won't happen for anything Ukraine related, however. That is simply scaremongering.

You stated it was dangerous to allow people to vote how they want.
That again I say is fascism.

@PandoraSox how can you be certain about anything?

You are more so than European leaders and that takes some self assurance

One thing I saw from pro Labour was very little questioning and support for Starmer's proposal. Concerning.

Key word is currently. There is a long way to go before the next election. Plenty of time for Reform supporters to realise what Farage and co. are really about. Or to die off, to be blunt.

I say again you didn’t understand the the point the poster was trying to make did you.

Yes, we are talking about the here and now, but we should do well not to ignore the lessons of history.

History teaches us that democracy does not give us any guarantee of benign leadership. You objected to my suggestion that some danger is inherent in democracy because we cannot prevent people from electing malign leaders. If you agree that Hitler "wasn't right", then it's hard to see how you could disagree with this.

Perhaps.
But fascists are out in force on UK streets every weekend chanting "river to the sea" wanting the complete genocide of the Israeli people whilst giving zero rights to women, gays, those who disagree with their religion etc. Oddly these far right fascists are supported by the far left fascists.

Air BNB now on board with Musk et al.

No, I stated that that there are dangers inherent in democracy. I'm not arguing against democracy at all, merely pointing out its limitations. Sometimes, voters make bad decisions.

Would it be fascist to suggest that the German electorate made a mistake when they elected Hitler? I don't think so.

Not a logic fail.
Yes we do live in a democracy which allows people to vote how they wish, which is what I was commenting on.
The poster claimed it was dangerously to allow people to vote how they wish which is facism.

Well yes, the rainbow mob are usually hand in glove with the pro pal mob, they can’t or wont see that they’d be first up against the wall, or off the roof.