A Lesson from East Germany

The British state is not nearly as nasty as the East German state was – but it is still a STATE (posing as a NATION).

When Soviet forces took Berlin at the end of WW2, German opponents of Nazism spontaneously started to organise themselves and their communities, democratically and pretty much along genuine socialist/egalitarian lines. They had a few weeks grace (I’ve forgotten the details), before the German communist party, whose members arrived with the Soviet army, got themselves organised, along their own authoritarian lines, and crushed these germs of genuine, democratic, socialism. For the communist state, socialist ideals were just an attractive front, behind which to hide their primary interest in POWER.

I’m mentioning this, because it contains a lesson for us today. The British state is not nearly as nasty as the Communist state imposed on East Germany, but it is still aSTATE, and doesn’t really want the people organising themselves and taking power into their own hands (notwithstanding deceptive, Big Society, assertions to the contrary) – because the principal purpose of the state, in collaboration with capital and, to a much lesser extent nowadays, organised religion, is to do this for us (see earlierpost)

The political left and right differ only in their views as to how big and decisive the respective roles of state and capital (and perhaps religion) should be.

These different views are generally believed to be fundamental, but they are not – as the current coalition between the Conservative party and the LibDems demonstrates, with especially the top politicians of both parties primarily interested in POWER. Although they will never admit this, of course, even to themselves, having to maintain the illusion and (self)-deception of their primary concern being to SERVE “society”, their country, the NATION.

There’s no point blaming them for this: if they want to play the game (which is also their livelihood and fat pension) they have to play by the rules. Believing that they are serving society, and persuading others (especially fellow party members, and at election time also the electorate) of the same, is the first and most basic rule, on which the whole game (along with their livelihoods and fat pensions) depends – not to mention the intoxicating effect of POWER, along with the social (for men also also sexual) status and material benefits that come with it.

There is no point in just lamenting or ranting about it, or cynically shrugging one’s shoulders and making the most of things – just getting on with one’s own life. We urgently need radical – really radical! – change; otherwise, our civilisation isn’t going to survive this new century. That’s how serious it is!  Like being on the Titanic just after it hit the iceberg, with the passengers yet to become aware of the gravity of their situation.