Choose-your-ocracy

"Dead president's corpse in the driver's car, the engine runs on glue and tar."

"The minister's daughter's in love with a snake, who lives in a well by the side of the road."

"Blood is the rose of mysterious union."

"Drugs are a bet with your mind."

Jim Morrison  imparted a great deal of wisdom during his oh-so-short twenty-seven years. Amongst a vast array of 'insight,' he's often attributed with the quotation, "Whoever controls the media controls the mind." And, whilst it would probably be fair to point out that the media would have been but one of many things that might have, at some time or other, controlled Jim's mind, he finally might have hit the nail squarely upon the head with this one!

Just to pluck an example from the aether, let's go with TTIP and it's incestuous cousin ISDS, and the manner in which much of the general media have dealt with these innocuous-sounding initialisms. On Wednesday 19th November a Private Members' Bill was voted upon in the Houses of Commons. To flesh out the relevance of this bill/issue, I'll just point out that the vast majority of Private Members' Bills never make it onto the statute book. That is to say that they are seldom promoted to the level where they might eventually be permitted to affect 'our' political system. If an MP objects to any Private Members' Bill it is not uncommon for the MP to 'talk out' the bill, and for the bill to consequently vanish into obscurity. It's one of the very many ways in which democracy might be denied full and fair process in the UK. I think I'm being fair in suggesting that the vast majority of the general public would have been unaware of this vote, or of its immense significance for the future UK.



So, how have the misnomer Free Press been selling the 'virtues' of 'the twins?'
'Online Protest Delays EU Plan To Resolve US Trade Row,' was the Daily Mail take.
Nothing from The Daily Express, The Sun, or The Star.
'David Cameron Hails G20 Plan To Boost World Economy By £2 Trillion,' was The Telegraph's spin on things.
A more well-considered, 'Drop Trade Talks,' was The Times perspective.
Greater credit, as always, must go to The Guardian and The Independent, for their more extensive coverage.
Also opting for the higher moral ground, The Mirror went with, 'David Cameron Denies Claims America Trade Deal Will Allow US Firms To Privatise Our NHS.'
The Evening Standard 'boldly' braved a single reader's response upon its letters page.
'Irrational Fear Risks Depriving Europe Of Benefits Of Trade,' was the FT stance.
Thus, it would appear that some 76% of the UK newspaper readership- this based upon circulation figures- has been presented with arguments which either condone or evade the demise of 'our NHS.

For an age, prior to this buried Member's Bill (The National Health Service [Amended Duties and Powers] Bill) being discussed in the Commons, EU Ministers had been furiously and covertly preparing the ground for these two items to be brought into 'fruitful' practice. Had someone not thought to question the validity of either or both, then TTIP and ISDS might well have quietly become law within the EU, without ever bothering to trouble the democratic processes of any EU state. Perhaps a touch more Oligarchy than Democracy has been afoot.

The aforementioned Private Members' Bill was 'won' by a margin of 241 to 18 votes. Quite a majority, until one considers that 401 MPs didn't bother to turn up to listen or to vote. My informed contention is that the initial vote came down very much in the public interest, but that the absence of so many pretendedly-disinterested MPs should be regarded entirely as an alarming portent of what may yet come to be.



TTIP is a deceptive 'little' incendiary, aimed at ripping the still-beating heart from 'our' NHS; the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. Ultimately, what TTIP aims to do is to ensure that all areas of the EU market, including health, are open to private 'investment.' Obviously, I have used the term 'investment' in it's blackest sense, that as rabidly sought by profit-first-and-only multinational companies who may soon be able to wreak far more damage upon the remnant NHS than did all of those disastrous PFIs.

ISDS is the means by which 'investors' will be able to sue companies, notably the NHS, should private corporations not be given full business access to the target 'company' or establishment. Both TTIP and ISDS have considerable support from various corporate interests. It's interesting to note that whilst multinational and smaller corporate interests appear to have been kept fully abreast of proceedings, the general public, via it's 'elected' MPs, appears to have been kept largely in the dark! Perhaps then, far more Corporatocracy than Democracy has been employed.

If we should elect to factor in the number of MPs who have vested financial interests with private health care providers- 73 as of February 2013- and those in the 'Upper' Chamber- 147 as of the same date- then we might start to hyperventilate. I think it would not be unreasonable to assume that the number of Parliamentarians seeking to benefit from the impending implementation of TTIP and ISDS is currently significantly in excess of 220... and rising! *

Three days ago David Babbs, of 38 Degrees, sat before the Business Select Committee, in order to relay a growing public concern. In the very short BBC radio report that I've listened to the anger of MPs, that anyone should be impudent enough to challenge their autonomy, is almost palpable. One wonders how many of those on the Business Select Committee might already have their fingers in the 'cookie jar.' I find myself edging now towards Kleptocracy!



Yet again, Mr Cameron has the greatly-resented NHS firmly in his sights, for yet further 'efficiency savings;' £1.5 billion he claims TTIP will 'save' the NHS. And, what better way to 'reinvest' those 'savings' than in tax cuts- the eternal Tory bribe! The UK's lowest paid, we are encouraged to believe, may 'benefit' by up to £9 a week- although Lord alone knows how this will adequately compensate for a complete cessation of affordable healthcare- whereas those on a far more handsome £50,000 per annum will be benefitting by almost three times as much. The costs of these election bribes? Something in the region of £7.2 billion! Perhaps we are sliding from Kleptocracy and into the realms of Plutocracy!

And, at absolutely no point did any of these processes appear to so much as tip a hat in the direction of Democracy! Ultimately, I think I might describe this as living in a Coprophagiocracy!

 * In fairness and in the interests of furthering the democratic cause all links on this post are to the same Social Investigations site, and very informative it is too! Prepare a mug of coffee, pull up a comfy chair and prepare to be informed!