Date: 13 June ‘07
Political Snippets
RE: Socialism Defined
Socialist philosophy – if it can be considered a philosophy, bankrupt as it is – as evidenced by liberal democrats today, was succinctly defined by Winston Churchill some 60 years ago, and I should think is appropriate reading for any American citizen over the age puberty, thus:
“Confiscatory taxation has been applied to wealth to an extent only practised* in Communist countries. All our daily life is increasingly subjected to ten thousand Regulations and Controls, in the enforcement of which a multitude of officials, larger than any army we have ever maintained in time of peace, is continually employed. Hundreds of new crimes have been invented for which imprisonment or penal servitude may be inflicted. In fact, on every side and by every means the machinery for the totalitarian grip upon British society is being built up and perfected. One could almost wonder whether the Government do not reconcile themselves to the economic misfortunes of our country, to which their mismanagement has so notably contributed , because these misfortunes give the pretext of establishing even more controls and an even larger bureaucracy. They make mistakes which make things worse. As things get worse they claim more power to set them right. Thus they move ever nearer to the scheme of the All-powerful State, in which the individual is a helpless serf or pawn. (It’s no different today. When Liberal policies fail, they tell us it’s only because we haven’t had enough of it, and we should be patient and swallow another dose).
And here I come to the remark of the Prime Minister
last Saturday when he said, ‘Some do not understand the amount of Freedom which we rightly give to an Opposition to criticise*.’ The word that struck me in this sentence is the word ‘give’. So it is Mr Attlee who gives us rights to freedom of speech and political action, and we are invited to be grateful for his magnanimity. But I thought these same rights had been won for the British people beyond dispute or challenge by our forebears in bygone generations. These were the rights for which, to quote a famous Whig phrase, ‘Hampden died in the field and Sidney on the scaffold’ And now it is Mr Attlee who thinks he has given them to us. Let him cherish these illusions, but let him not be so foolish as to try to take them away. Well it was said, ‘the price of freedom is eternal vigilance’. Small steps and graduated stages are the means by which, in the history of many countries, the freedom of great and noble races has been slowly frittered and whittled away.” (Emphasis added) (Parenthesis added) (Conservative Party Conference, Brighton, 4 October 1947).
Today we are continually harangued by the liberal thought police, and told what language it is we are allowed to use. It may be true, but you can’t say it if liberals don’t want to hear it; and not only that, you can’t even think it, as it’s a thought crime if they think their proscription was what was in your mind.
“We are oppressed by a deadly fallacy. Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy. Unless we free our country while time remains from the perverse doctrines of Socialism, there can be no hope for recovery. ... The Socialist Government in London has become dependent upon the generosity of the capitalist system of the United States. We are not earning our own living or paying our way, nor do the Government hold out any prospect of our doing so in the immediate future.” (Emphasis added) (Scottish Unionist Conference, Perth, Scotland, 28 May 1948).
Three years after the war, the U.S. capitalist system was helping the recovery of Brittain and Europe with aid under the Marshall plan, but the Socialist party held the British Government since the end of the war and had set Socialist policy with devastating affects.
“In our view the strong should help the weak. In the Socialist view the strong should be kept down to the level of the weak in order to have equal shares for all. How small the share is does not matter so much, in their opinion, so long as it is equal. They would much rather that everyone should have half rations than anybody should get a second helping. What are called ‘the lowest income groups’ before the war when there were no rations[,] in fact consumed under the ‘wicked Tories’ one and [a] half times as much meat and more than twice as much sugar as Dr Summerskill doles to all of us today.” .... To apply the Socialist principle of equality at all costs is, in fact, to lay down the law that the pace of our advancing social army must be the pace of the slowest and the weakest man. Such a principle is, of course, destructive of all hopes of victory in social and philanthropic advance.”
(Emphasis added) (Parenthesis added) (Forum Cinema, Devonport, 9 February 1950)
Subsequent to the war, and England’s attempted recovery, the Socialist policies five years later, still imposed food and gas rations.
“I must, however, draw your attention to the characteristic remark by Dr Dalton, the new Minister of Town and Country Planning. In announcing one of his minor concessions he said, ‘This is an experiment in freedom. I hope it will not be abused.’ Could you have anything more characteristic of the Socialist rulers’ outlook towards the public? Freedom is a favour*; it is an experiment which the governing class of Socialist politicians will immediately curtail if they are displeased with our behaviour*. This is language which the head of a Borstal Institution might suitably use to the inmates when announcing some modification of the disciplinary system. What an example of smug and insolent conceit! What a way to talk to the British people! As a race we have been experimenting in freedom, not entirely without success, for several centuries, and have spread the ideas of freedom throughout the world. And yet, here is this Minister, who speaks to us as if it lay with him to dole out our liberties like giving biscuits to a dog who will sit up and beg prettily. This characteristic of the official Socialist temperament and attitude in office should not pass uncensured* by the British people who expect Ministers of the Crown to behave as the servants and not as the masters of the nation.” (Emphasis added)(Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 18 May 1950).
Today it’s no different with our Congresses’ wheedled Amnesty Bill in face of a massive illegal invasion. Why is it do you suspect, that when: elected officials who are elected in a representative capacity, and who put their left hand on the Bible and hold up their right hand swearing to uphold the laws of the land (including limited quota immigration laws) and to protect and defend the United States of America; thereafter determine to dislike the existing laws they have sworn to uphold; simply ignore their constituents and the vast majority of American opinion against this illegal Mexican and Latino invasion (and I might add it turns out not a few fanatic Moslem terrorist) and attempt to bridle the American people and pass a new law to make legal citizens out of Mexican, Latino, Moslem invaders, and obligate American Citizens taxpayers to pay for it and live with them? Upon what American principle is this allowed or even considered? The answer can only be that once elected they believe they were elected to “rule” by fiat, and so simply ignore their constituents’ desires.
“Egypt, Persia, Albania, the Argentine and Chile compete with each other in the insults and the humiliations they inflict upon us – and what is the cause? It is the attempt to impose a doctrinaire Socialism upon an island which has grown great and famous by free enterprise and valour and which six years ago stood in honour* though not in size at the summit of the world....Taxation is higher than in any other country outside the Communist world. There they take all. There no one has anything except the salaries paid them by the privileged Communist aristocracy. British taxation is higher now than it was in the height of the late war – even when we stood alone and defied all comers.
“Is not that an astonishing fact? Six years of Socialist Government have hit us harder in our finance and economics than Hitler was able to do. Look at the effects you face of devaluation abroad. We are an island with a population of fifty millions living on imports of food and raw materials, which we have to buy by our exertion, ingenuity and craftsmanship. We have to pay across the dollar exchange twelve hours of work, with hand or brain, to buy what we could before have got with eight hours.” (Emphasis added)
(Royal Wanstead School, Woodford, 21 July 1951)
The result was the British people returned the Conservative party with Winston Churchill for his second term at the age of 77 as Prime Minister of the Government, to save Brittain from unreasoned crushing Socialist policies, just as he had saved Brittain from Germany. And even today, history teaches the Liberal Democrats nothing – they never learn. Nothing can penetrate their ideology or petrified minds.
Fred Marrs
* English spelling at the time.
Subscribe