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fedsron2us

(2,863 posts)
Tue Jul 17, 2012, 03:10 PM Jul 2012

Whenever the British authorities feel they are under threat

they always resort to repressive legislation. You only need to have a cursory glance at the Combination and Sedition Acts from the early nineteenth century to realise that reality. Britain ruling classes also nurture a secret fear that the Jacobin revolution that they prevented at the dawn of the industrial age might yet be visited upon them. The sort of gagging orders you are seeing being imposed on the BBC are a reflection of that paranoia. The reality is that civil disorder could easily reoccur in the UK because of the current economic crisis no matter what laws are passed or what judges rule. You only have to look at the failure of such measures as internment in Northern Ireland to realise that this sort of legislation has a tendency to blowback in the face of those who impose it. In this instance I expect clips fom the BBC drama will soon start mysteriously popping up on servers all over the globe available for viewing by all and sundry. In addition the British government is not short of enemies in the world who would be only to happy to embarrass it. The fact is the writ of Britains rulers does not run very far these days and even their erstwhile allies such as the US government are starting to tire of them as is increasingly becoming apparent as the LIBOR banking scandal unravels.

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