WIDENING GYRE

The world appears too crazy at the moment to step back far enough (or for long enough) and say anything joined-up -- so I'll fudge it by stringing together a bunch of thoughts I've posted recently on social media as they occurred to me. Re-arrange them to make a well-known phrase or political outlook....

ON READING RICHARD COCKETT'S 'VIENNA'

History shows repeatedly that as capitalism reaches a terminal crisis the choice  is between Fascism and Social Democracy, but that the far Left and far Right always collaborate to prevent Social Democracy. Weimar, Red Vienna, today's China, the USA?

GIT ALONG LITTLE DOGE

For 80+ years the right-wing of the US Republican Party has wanted to roll-back Roosevelt's New Deal. For the whole of the 21st century they've been promoting 'culture wars' to roll back the social changes wrought by the '60s counterculture. Since Trump's first presidency they've promised to weed out the 'deep state' of federal security agencies. Now they look to be within sight of winning the big coconut, by reversing the result of the Civil War and restoring rule by the states...

DOUBLE ACT

When some future historian, (animal or digital, of whatever species, from whatever nation or planet impossible to guess), sets out to write 'The Fall Of The US Empire', 2025 will be labelled the era of the 'Dual Monarchy'

HISTORY UPDATE

OK, please have your history book ready for the following update. Many thought that the Cold War ended in a Western victory in 1989 when the Berlin Wall came down. This must now be revised to read, the Cold War ended in Russian victory in February 2025 with the activation of the assets they've installed in the US White House.