Wednesday 1 July 2020

Fascism in 2020




Fascism as a political movement exhibits four basic criteria.

First, fascism it is not an ideology, but an activity.

Secondly, it has its own national characteristics.

Thirdly, it promotes its leadership to personality cult status in a very easily recognisable and consistent manner.

And finally, it identifies a group or race which is isolated and vilified as a threat to national security and progress.

Fascism is clearly not an ideology because there is no universal and thoughtfully developed set of principles embedded in its structure. In this, it differs strongly from contemporary political ideologies such as capitalism and socialism. One notable feature of fascism is its capacity to absorb elements of these ideologies into its practice, embracing them when it is convenient, and rejecting them when its power is compromised.

One definition is worth consideration - 

"a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry and commerce, and emphasising an aggressive nationalism and racism"..

This definition is comprehensive enough to be useful and emphasises the fact that its practice is all about power.

An examination of Spanish fascism under Franco, Italian fascism under Mussolini and German fascism under Hitler reinforces that notion. All three regimes were aggressively power based, ruthlessly suppressed criticism, and emphasized nationalism.  

The third characteristic of adulation of leadership is easily recognised in the history of the three examples listed above. This adulation is associated with slogans, images and mass gatherings. There is always a unifying concept, usually expressed as a slogan, or a simple idea. Hitler had his Third Reich, Mussolini had “Ill Duce ha sempre ragione” and Franco used "Una, Grande y Libre".

The groups identified as threats in Hitler's Germany, were the Jews and the Communists. In Franco's Spain and Mussolini's Italy, they were intellectuals, separatists, communists and socialists.

Applying these four tests to the current American political situation is useful. 

Donald Trump has no coherent ideology, unless it be the acquisition and maintenance of power. In that, his activity meets the first criterion.

The American political scene has its distinctive characteristics, and they provide a flavour to Trump's activity which, whilst distinctly nativist, echoes elements of the imagery, propaganda and stage management that was a feature of both the Mussolini and Hitler eras. 

Trump, of course, is bound by the limits of the US constitution, and is not as free as Mussolini and Hitler were to exploit the respective weaknesses of the Italian kingdom and Weimar republic at the time.  Nor does he have the power to regiment all industry and commerce.

There is a great deal of reference made in commentary to Trump's "base", the core of the slightly more than 25% of Americans who voted for him in 2016. It is obvious to anyone observing his rallies that a very strong personality cult exists within this minority, redolent of the almost hysterical responses that were a feature of rallies featuring Hitler on the one hand and Mussolini on the other in the thirties.

What is especially ominous is the likelihood that Trump's narcissism is fed by this reaction.

The final, and most frightening criterion met by Trump's activity is his demonising of sections of the population. He identifies immigrants and Muslims as his targets. The "build the wall" meme is the clearest expression of this characterisation of Mexicans, and his vilification of Muslims is also a prominent part of his activity.

Whether Trump can be described as a fascist or not is largely irrelevant. What is critical is an examination of fascism in all its forms during the last century, an analysis of the current division evident in US politics, and an understanding of how that kind of division helped create the disaster that was World War Two.

“Make America Great Again” has an uncanny similarity to “Ill Duce ha sempre ragione” and "Una, Grande y Libre".

Comments Closed.

96 comments:

Anonymous said...

Explain how China doesn't fit your definition...

1735099 said...

Explain how China doesn't fit your definition...

China is totalitarian, rather than fascist.
But you brought it into the discussion, so you can explain how it does.

Anonymous said...

Well done Bob. In your usual passive-aggressive manner you have hinted darkly that the nearly-facist Trump is conducting a totalitarian-like campaign to possibly cause war.
Come on, man up and state your thesis with the conviction of a Vietnam blanket-stacker.

1735099 said...

Well done Bob. In your usual passive-aggressive manner you have hinted darkly that the nearly-facist Trump is conducting a totalitarian-like campaign to possibly cause war.

I've hinted nothing. I've simply noted the similarities between the atmospherics now and then.

Come on, man up and state your thesis with the conviction of a Vietnam blanket-stacker.

There were no blankets to stack. The weather wasn't cold enough for blankets.

Anonymous said...

Evasion and prevarication but still no thesis.
I also can't find your "noting of similarities" to Obama's Hope and Change atmospherics.
Are you sure you fought AGAINST the Communists in Vietnam? Your myopic viewpoint is very pro-totalitarianism.

Anonymous said...

"a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry and commerce, and emphasising an aggressive nationalism and racism"..
One of your noted definitions, that you identify as fascist but which fits China's situation pretty well.

1735099 said...

I also can't find your "noting of similarities" to Obama's Hope and Change atmospherics.

Because there aren't any.
Obama appealed to the best in Americans, Trump with his dog-whistling, appeals to their basest instincts, viz fear and hate.

Anonymous said...

So who are the "Septics" you refer to (as in Septic Tanks)?
Obama's Americans or President Trump's supporters?

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful speech by President Trump at Mt Rushmore on Independence day.
He certainly honoured all the men and women who have achieved great things for America and the world.
Australia needs a similar individual who can unite Australians around the pursuit of kindly capitalism and the conservation of western civilisation.

Anonymous said...

"It is obvious to anyone observing his rallies that a very strong personality cult exists within this minority, redolent of the almost hysterical responses that were a feature of rallies featuring Hitler on the one hand and Mussolini on the other in the thirties."

An excellent description of both the Obama campaign and the hysteria after Hillary's defeat.

1735099 said...

Australia needs a similar individual who can unite Australians around the pursuit of kindly capitalism and the conservation of western civilisation.
Trump is the most divisive POTUS in history.
He is tearing his country apart.
We need hyperpartisanship like we need a hole in the head,

1735099 said...

An excellent description of both the Obama campaign and the hysteria after Hillary's defeat.
The Democrats have never used ultranationalistic rhetoric as Trump has, which sounds very much like the dialogue used by Mussolini, Franco and Hitler in the thirties.

Anonymous said...

"Trump is the most divisive POTUS in history."
Your inner totalitarian shines through.
Anyone with a scintilla of commonsense can read the President's Mt Rushmore speech and see his call for safety, religious justice, faith and family, stronger and safer communities.
That is proof he is trying to unite Americans behind the pursuit of "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"

Your heroes on the other hand are looting, vandalising, destroying private property, and tearing down all symbols of the past.
Now that's what i call divisiveness.

1735099 said...

Anyone with a scintilla of commonsense can read the President's Mt Rushmore speech and see his call for safety, religious justice, faith and family, stronger and safer communities.
Every President gives fine speeches, written by professional speech writers. Trump doesn't deliver them with anywhere near the style and credibility of his predecessor.
That is proof he is trying to unite Americans behind the pursuit of "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"
It you want to understand what makes Trump tick, just read his tweets.
They are universally racist, ignorant and divisive.
"When the looting starts, the shooting starts" is a prime example.
Your heroes on the other hand are looting, vandalising, destroying private property, and tearing down all symbols of the past.
My heroes are the hundreds of thousands of people who are protesting peacefully, not the minority who are looting and vandalising.

Anonymous said...

Another lie. You just can't stop posting bullshit can you?
The claim "minority who are looting" is absolutely rubbish.
You are like the US newsman who stood in front of a burning building and said with a straight face "the peaceful protests".
Stores ransacked, private property invaded, people killed, monuments desecrated, cities terrorised - yeah sure it's the fault of the minority.
Prove that I'm wrong.

Anonymous said...

"Every President gives fine speeches"
Well, an acknowledgement from you that President Trump gives fine speeches.
Now the next step is to admit Obama was only good when reading from a teleprompter and even made mistakes then.
His gaffes of "Navy Corpse-Man", "we built the intercontinental railroad", "the Special Olympics", and my particular favourite for stupidity, "On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes -- and I see many of them in the audience here today".

1735099 said...

Any vision of the demonstrations (which involved hundreds of thousands across the USA), shows they are largely non-violent.

The majority of Americans support the protests, and a very small minority of those taking part are violent. From Time Magazine -
Seventy-four percent of Americans support the demonstrations, and that support is relatively bipartisan, coming from majorities of both Democrats (87%) and Republicans (53%), according to a Washington Post/Schar School poll released Tuesday. But Americans were split on whether they believed the protests were mostly violent or mostly peaceful, with 43% falling in each camp; among those who said the protests were mostly violent, 53% still supported the protests.

Though the George Floyd protests represent in many ways a departure from the past, that split should perhaps be unsurprising. (In fact, while early days of protests were marked by reports of burning buildings and vandalism, most protests in recent days have been peaceful, despite protesters taking down statues perceived as symbols of inequality in Richmond, Va., and elsewhere.) Questions about the meaning of “violent” protest, and what society thinks about it, are hundreds of years old — but, historians tell TIME, the perennial focus on that question can often obscure the real story of social change.

Anonymous said...

Even your own link says the protests were violent.
Come on, prove conclusively that it is only a minority who are violent.

Anonymous said...

"The Democrats have never used ultranationalistic rhetoric as Trump has"
Wrong again Bob.
One of your own main sources of information, Wikipedia, analysed Obama's 3 main speeches 2004 to 2008 and found that he promoted a number of ultranationalistic issues.
These included American exceptionalism, patriotism, "another American century", restoring America back to its former glory days, American superiority, and the national autonomy of the USA.
The Wiki piece also list other Democrat and Republican Presidents doing similar - Woodrow Wilson, Bill Clinton, and Ronald Reagan.

Whether nationalistic fervour is right or wrong is another argument. Your opinion that the Democrats have never used it like President Trump is shown to be wrong.

1735099 said...



Find me one president in US history that spent years seeding his campaign with a lie - viz Obama was not a US citizen. It took him until September 2016 to admit he was wrong, and blamed Hillary Clinton - https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-37389180/donald-trump-admits-president-obama-was-born-in-us

If "like President Trump" you mean that previous presidents used rhetoric infused with lies, profanity and doublespeak, you are wrong.
And we won't go near his twitter feed...

1735099 said...

Even your own link says the protests were violent.

I have never denied there was violence.
Come on, prove conclusively that it is only a minority who are violent.

You're the one making the assertion that the majority are violent, so you're the one who needs to come up with "conclusive" proof.

In the meantime, read this report - https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/03/us/george-floyd-protests-crowd-size.html
The recent Black Lives Matter protests peaked on June 6, when half a million people turned out in nearly 550 places across the United States. That was a single day in more than a month of protests that still continue to today.

Four recent polls — including one released this week by Civis Analytics, a data science firm that works with businesses and Democratic campaigns — suggest that about 15 million to 26 million people in the United States have participated in demonstrations over the death of George Floyd and others in recent weeks.

These figures would make the recent protests the largest movement in the country’s history, according to interviews with scholars and crowd-counting experts.


If the majority of protesters were violent, with those numbers turning out, the USA would be a wasteland. Keep drinking the koolaid.

Anonymous said...

You cannot deny that the Clinton machine was the first to bring the birther issue to the attention of the voters.
Trump was right.

1735099 said...

You cannot deny that the Clinton machine was the first to bring the birther issue to the attention of the voters.

Yes I can, because it is complete rubbish -

Fact, birtherism, as it’s been called, reportedly began with innuendo by serial Illinois political candidate Andy Martin, who painted Obama as a closet Muslim in 2004. That spiraled into a concerted effort by conspiracy theorists to raise doubts about Obama’s birthplace and religion — and essentially paint him as un-American.

Martin, who briefly launched a little-noticed presidential campaign last year, has disavowed the movement he’s often credited with starting, though he still foments similarly discredited doubts about Obama’s religion.

Clinton’s 2008 hands are recoiling at Trump’s revisionism about their role in propagating the lie about Obama’s citizenship. “The suggestion that the Hillary campaign was pushing birtherism in 2008 is bunk. It's fiction,” said Phil Singer, who was Clinton’s 2008 press secretary.


See -https://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/birther-movement-founder-trump-clinton-228304

Anonymous said...

Ha ha ha.
Quoting Clinton's press secretary to defend Clinton is a very poor tactic.
It is quite clear that Hillary's chief campaign strategist Mark Penn advised her to attack Obama as an African- born Muslim. She and her supporters propagated this tactic.

If you believe her press secretary then you would also believe that Obama wrote "Dreams from my father"

Anonymous said...

Why, Bob, do you write so obsessively about the USA when you also say you couldn't care less about what happens in the land of the shooting spreee?

Anonymous said...

Bob, you claim that "Obama appealed to the best in Americans" yet you ignore evidence to the contrary.
He threatened the Supreme Court over ObamaCare, and used his State of the Union to use a bully pulpit to criticise the Court over an election spending decision.
Obama was responsible for widespread anti-white racism with his insistence about the false narrative that white America was literally guilty of hunting down blacks with glee.
He whipped up resentment in minority communities against the police.
Obama used the IRS against conservatives.
He disparaged the working class with his comment "it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion"
Obama ridiculed small business owners with "You didn't build that".

In short, Obama was a divisive, underachieving President whose appeal to the good in people was matched by his deliberate and aggressive targeting of those who would normally vote against him.

1735099 said...

She and her supporters propagated this tactic.
Big call - post your evidence.

If you believe her press secretary then you would also believe that Obama wrote "Dreams from my father"

Another big call.
Post evidence he didn't.

1735099 said...

He disparaged the working class with his comment "it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion"
So there's a "working class" in the USA.
Who knew?
In short, Obama was a divisive, underachieving President whose appeal to the good in people was matched by his deliberate and aggressive targeting of those who would normally vote against him.
Compare the state of the nation now, after four years of Obama, to the failing, flailing, degenerating country it is now after four years of Trump.
Check every statistic you want - Economic (unemployment, foreclosures, ) or Social (people living in poverty, rise of extremist activity).

1735099 said...

Why, Bob, do you write so obsessively about the USA when you also say you couldn't care less about what happens in the land of the shooting spreee? (sic)

The obsession you have with Trump is uncanny.
Why don't you emigrate to his fiefdom, given the hatred you display for our country?

Anonymous said...

Your logic is unfailingly askew every time you write, Bob.
In particular, your inability to answer my questions and to use offence instead shows that you feel challenged beyond your ability.

For example, instead of using employment statistics to support your opinion, you try and get me to do your work for you.

Some of your English expression is so poor that readers have difficulty understanding what you mean. For example, you claim that "now" is both after 4 years of Obama and also after 4 years of President Trump. Wrong.

I'll compromise. When you prove
(a) that Obama was not responsible for all the actions listed in my post of 11 July 2020 at 23:46, and
(b) I hate our country
then I'll show you the evidence that President Trump's economic record is far better than Obama's. (PS it's not hard to find if you are even bothered.)

Anonymous said...

Bob, you said "This adulation [of leaders] is associated with slogans, images and mass gatherings."
From this it can easily be seen that you are referring to the 1972 election campaign of Gough Whitlam
I disagree. He was not a fascist.
Even though Gough used slogans ("It's time"), images (of the many celebrities who supported Labor) and mass gatherings (like the St Kilda Town Hall campaign launch) he was more of a big-government socialist than the fascist you imply.

Anonymous said...

"fiefdom"
You are wrong again Bob.
This word generally means control over an area.
Yet the American Constitution expressly stops the President from having too much power.
When you look at the system of checks and balances in the USA, it is quite clear that a "fiefdom" cannot exist in the USA - except in your febrile imagination.

Anonymous said...

Good grief Bob you mount the most spurious arguments.
To call the Third Reich "a simple idea" is to ignore the extensive planning Hitler engaged in, the economy-wide control and corporate organisation, his foreign policy, his plans for the Jews, the level of German re-armament, and instituting the totalitarian police state.
That's not a simple idea. That's a complex plan for control of a country.
How do you keep getting history so wrong?

Anonymous said...

"The obsession you have with Trump is uncanny. (sic)"
Funniest thing you have ever written Bob.
For a bloke who blogs about Vietnam, uses his Vietnam service number, and frames all his current views through an ant-Vietnam lens you do yourself a severe disservice in reminding readers about obsessions.

Anonymous said...

" What is critical is an examination of fascism in all its forms during the last century, an analysis of the current division evident in US politics, and an understanding of how that kind of division helped create the disaster that was World War Two."

By putting "current division" next to "division helped create..WWII" you are saying that a new World War is around the corner and America is responsible.
Even by your own standards of exaggeration that's a long bow to draw.

Anonymous said...

Still no response from Bob to prove that I hate my country.
More hyperbolic over-reach when challenged.
Any one would think he is hoisted on his own petard.

1735099 said...

Still no response from Bob to prove that I hate my country.
Given that you lack the courage to identify (even with an avatar or tag) I have no idea which comments are yours.
Any one would think he is hoisted (sic) on his own petard.

It's actually "hoist with his own petard" - but never mind.

1735099 said...

By putting "current division" next to "division helped create..WWII" you are saying that a new World War is around the corner and America is responsible.

That's what you said - not what I said.
It's called "verballing".

1735099 said...

frames all his current views through an ant-Vietnam (sic) lens you do yourself a severe disservice in reminding readers about obsessions

"All my current views" - now that is exaggeration - or is it hyperbole?
Check my labels.
Vietnam - 120 posts
Media - 297
Whimsy - 207
Travel - 144
Politics - 390
Motoring - 164
Family - 195
History - 250
So posts on Vietnam rank eighth in frequency.
Either you're obsessed, or you can't count.

1735099 said...

Good grief Bob you mount the most spurious arguments.
I wrote - There is always a unifying concept, usually expressed as a slogan, or a simple idea. Hitler had his Third Reich, Mussolini had “Ill Duce ha sempre ragione” and Franco used "Una, Grande y Libre".
What you claim I wrote - To call the Third Reich "a simple idea"
Notice the difference?

1735099 said...

then I'll show you the evidence that President Trump's economic record is far better than Obama's. (PS it's not hard to find if you are even bothered.)
You're correct - it's easy.
US unemployment after three years of Obama - 7.7%.
US unemployment after three years of Trump - 11.1%
That's just one measure.
Care to find some more?

Anonymous said...

Bob, you write "Donald Trump has no coherent ideology".
Haven't you read the logo on those red caps his supporters wear?
There's a very coherent policy right there, and becoming energy independent is just one positive outcome of that policy.

Anonymous said...

You use some very poor logic in this opinion piece Bob.
For example, you say "fascism is not a philosophy" yet your very own link defines fascism as:
" the philosophy, principles, or methods of fascism."

Perhaps you should read all of the links you provide before you try and use them to support your opinion.

Anonymous said...

Bob, you mention "hysterical reactions" at Hitler rallies.
Why haven't you commented on the same levels of hysteria in the press and amongst Hillary supporters when Donald Trump won the election?
It seems to me that you selectively mention issues that support your opinion and ignore facts that tear down your assumptions.
However, it is your blog and you can manipulate information to suit your own ends. Just expect your bullshit to be called out.

1735099 said...

For example, you say "fascism is not a philosophy" yet your very own link defines fascism as:
" the philosophy, principles, or methods of fascism."


If you read the complete text of the definition on my link you will see that a range of definitions are offered. There is no one precise definition. We are confronted again with the Right's incapacity to deal with any form of complexity, and their obsession with the notion that there can only ever be one correct understanding of any concept -
(sometimes initial capital letter) a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.
(sometimes initial capital letter) the philosophy, principles, or methods of fascism.
(initial capital letter) a political movement that employs the principles and methods of fascism, especially the one established by Mussolini in Italy 1922–43.

I simply teased out the similarities between the behaviour of the Trump administration and that of regimes from the past described as "fascist".

1735099 said...

However, it is your blog and you can manipulate information to suit your own ends. Just expect your bullshit to be called out.

Failing to mention something is not "bullshit".

1735099 said...

Bob, you write "Donald Trump has no coherent ideology".
Haven't you read the logo on those red caps his supporters wear?


A four word slogan is not a "coherent ideology".
Generally, Trump is incoherent when he doesn't read from a script.
An example -
uh
the wall is thirty feet high
we also have eighteen foot wall
we have a combination of thirty feet and eighteen depending on the area depending on the um
uh on the importance
uh Tijuana is right over here
there're thousands of people over there
that had been trying to get in
uh tremendous cooperation from Mexico and
uh the president of Mexico is
been fantastic, all of Mexico's been fantastic
uh as you know they have twenty seven thousand soldiers
so in addition to the wall we have uh
soldiers now the wall's still obviously uh
a ways to go but we're building it at a
breakneck-
-neck speed I wanted them to show you the interior of
parts of the wall and what's inside of
each individual slat
and uh you'll see it's a combination of steel concrete
and as one of the folks here said it really is virtually impenetrable
uh any walls that were put up we can knock down very quickly very easily
this wall is not something that can be
really knocked down, I guess anything can, but this is very tough, and
uh it goes down six feet
it's three and four feet wide the concrete you can see it right here it's exposed
and I might ask general Semonite to say a few words about it
and I'd like to bring them right up look at the inner tube
to see what happens cause after the wall is up
we pour concrete
and concrete goes into the tube
and in addition to that we have rebar
so if you think you're gonna cut it with a blowtorch
that's doesn't work because you hit concrete
and if you think you're gonna
go through the concrete that doesn't work because we have very powerful rebar inside
so it's a very powerful
very powerful wall the likes of which probably
to this extent has not been uh
built before
this is an area because it's so highly trafficked this was one of the
most dangerous areas we have a double wall
we have a wall on both sides one is eighteen feet
that's your border and the other one is thirty feet
and
everybody
if they should be able to make that this is where people are waiting for them
uh it's very a very powerful
situation
so general maybe you could take over for a couple of minutes and then I'll
take it back

(This is a transcript of Trump speaking during a visit to the border wall in Otay Mesa, California on Sep 18, 2019).


Anonymous said...

There is quite a logical explanation for president Trump's speech pattern above - it's a speech, not an essay.
That's why so many hear and understand clearly.

Anonymous said...

I see the American fascists (BLM) recently killed a young white American mum for daring to be off script. She simply said "All lives matter" and they shot her.
Any logical human being would see that if ALL lives matter then by definition BLACK lives matter.
But the fascists want destruction of society and logic doesn't work with them.

Anonymous said...

Bob, you liken President Trump to fascism yet indirectly show proof the opposite is true.
When you write "ruthlessly suppressed criticism" about fascism, you ignore the cancel culture of MSM in America which is doing so much to cancel Trump.
Leaving out facts doesn't advance your argument. Trump doesn't suppress criticism.

Anonymous said...

I see the BLM fascists shot and killed a one year old baby in Brooklyn yesterday.
Disgusting.

1735099 said...

I see the BLM fascists shot and killed a one year old baby in Brooklyn yesterday.
Disgusting.

Absolutely.
And your point is?

1735099 said...

Leaving out facts doesn't advance your argument. Trump doesn't suppress criticism.

"Cancel culture" is a rubbish meme.
It is irrelevant to this discussion, and two wrongs don't make a right.
People advocating the removal of references to the wrongs of the past would be far better occupied exposing them for analysis, as is the practice in Holocaust museums all over the world.

1735099 said...

But the fascists want destruction of society and logic doesn't work with them.
There are "goodies" and "baddies" all over the place.
Sticking labels on them achieves nothing.

Anonymous said...

Bob, you just wrote "Sticking labels on them achieves nothing" yet your entire post is labelled "fascism in 2020" and you label many people as fascists, even trying to label President Trump a fascist.
Get some consistency into your writing. Or are you saying you achieved nothing?

1735099 said...

Get some consistency into your writing.
Read the last paragraph of my post again - Whether Trump can be described as a fascist or not is largely irrelevant.
As I said above, I'm not interested in labels, but in drawing historical comparisons. If I had wanted to call Trump a fascist I would have entitled the post "Trump is a Fascist".
I've been entirely consistent.

Anonymous said...

The photo you use to head this article has as its centrepiece a Nazi flag.
Now given that the National Socialist German Workers' Party was anti-capitalist and pro-socialism, how does your choice of photo advance your discussion of fascism?

Anonymous said...

It appears that the BLM organisation is heavily fascist.
It is an activity. The activity of looting and destroying.
It has its own national characteristics. American BLM activists celebrate the death of George Perry Floyd and Australian activists promote Aboriginal deaths in custody.
The leaders use social media, rallies and marches to promote their personality and develop the cult-like status of their leadership.
And finally, BLM identifies non-Blacks, isolated them, and vilify them as a threat to national security and progress.

Anonymous said...

Julia Gillard was Australia's most prominent fascist.
As a member of the Fabian society she worked hard to achieve strong regimentation of the Australian society and an ever expanding welfare state.
Just as well Rudd toppled her.

Anonymous said...

I see Stan Grant is moving towards fascism with his appearance on 4 Corners this week.
His anti-white rhetoric meets all four of your basic criteria for being labeled a political movement.

Anonymous said...

The fascist cult of personality continues apace with the erection of a statue of Jen Reid in the UK.
Reid is a BLM leader whose accomplishments topped out at tearing down a statue of Edward Colston.

Anonymous said...

Doug Petrikat has a very good explanation of the fascist roots behind BLM violence at "American Thinker".
He traces the history of Mussolini's fascism quite comprehensively.
A couple of quotes to give you a flavour of the whole article:

1. "For the communists, the word “fascist” came to mean renegade socialist and eventually became a derogatory term to be used in attempts to vilify anyone they disapproved of, socialist or not."

2. "The reality is that the communist, National Socialist, and fascist governments were ideological siblings -- totalitarian, one-party states, which focused on collectivism, and centrally planned economies, where individual rights had to be given up for the collective good."

None of those facts support your attempt to associate President Trump with fascism.

1735099 said...

Now given that the National Socialist German Workers' Party was anti-capitalist and pro-socialism, how does your choice of photo advance your discussion of fascism?

Read some factual history, rather than making it up as you go along -https://fullfact.org/online/nazis-socialists/

1735099 said...

I see Stan Grant is moving towards fascism with his appearance on 4 Corners this week.
His anti-white rhetoric meets all four of your basic criteria for being labeled a political movement.


Stan Grant is doing what he gets paid for.
He's a commentator, not a politician.

1735099 said...

And finally, BLM identifies non-Blacks, isolated them, and vilify them as a threat to national security and progress.
I'm "non-Black", but the only vilification I get is when I disagree with racists and bigots.
I have never been "isolated".
Google "paranoia".

Anonymous said...

Paranoia - noun - the belief that an anecdote about Bob can be applied to the whole population.

Anonymous said...

Ominously, the success of fascist organisations like antifa and BLM give grave signals that the collapse of civilisation is imminent.
Standing up to the fascists of 2020 will be a tough ask.

Anonymous said...

Bob, you are either being obtuse or terribly naive.
Saying you haven't been vilified totally ignores the whole movement "Black Lives Matter".
Since you are not black, you life doesn't matter as much as a black life.
That's their message, their reason for being, and their mantra.
As a member of the non-black community, you have been automatically vilified.
Accept the facts.

Anonymous said...

More evidence that the fascists in BLM are actively destroying aspects of western civilisation and are moving quickly to establish power.

"“The Chattanooga Police Department is investigating after someone vandalized a 5-foot tall statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the St. Stephen Catholic Church,” reports local media.

The Blessed Mother was beheaded."

(from Breitbart.)

1735099 said...

Standing up to the fascists of 2020 will be a tough ask.
It is comparatively simple.
Consumer boycotts is just one useful strategy, as the parrot discovered -https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/alan-jones-radio-show-revenue-down-by-50pc-as-boycott-bites-20191124-p53dif.html

1735099 said...

More evidence that the fascists in BLM are actively destroying aspects of western civilisation and are moving quickly to establish power.

Yep, they're hiding under the beds of the nation, and will emerge on a secret signal.....

1735099 said...

Saying you haven't been vilified totally ignores the whole movement "Black Lives Matter".
Since you are not black, you life doesn't matter as much as a black life.
That's their message, their reason for being, and their mantra.


Now if the movement was called "White Lives Don't Matter", you'd have a point.
It doesn't, and you don't.

Anonymous said...

Bob, your continual resort to ad hom attacks really isn't advancing your cause.

Anonymous said...

The use of dots at the end of your sentences Bob indicate missing information. Like facts and logic.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure where you are getting your information from Bob but I'd check it for accuracy before you use it again.
Clearly, the BLM movement considers that any equivalence of black and white lives is totally wrong, based on years of racial prejudice and slavery.
BLM is trying to overthrow the alleged white supremacy in every aspect of western civilisation. Their derogatory use of "white privilege" is a prime example of how BLM considers you and all whites as the enemy.
You are white. You are their enemy. Only black lives matter.

Anonymous said...

Bob, your gloating over Alan Jones leaving his radio show puts you right into the totalitarian cancel culture club.
For an avowed true blue Australian, that is quite the contradiction for you.

However, you may note that he is now on Sky 4 nights a week and also writes for The Australian.
The gloating and derision is premature.

Anonymous said...

Bob, you have linked Alan Jones to fascists.
What evidence do you have that he is a fascist or was that just a throw away line?

Anonymous said...

Fascism is a totalitarian movement.
Totalitarian powers now exist in Australia and have been implemented during the Chinese Flu panic.
Border closures, businesses being compulsorily shut down, residents imprisoned in their homes, churches banned from meeting, Anzac Day ceremonies banned, children banned from attending school, community sport shut down - there are many examples of totalitarian rulings since January 2020.

Ergo Australia is fascist.

Anonymous said...

Another expose of totalitarian rulers comes from Dellingpole who eviscerates Sadiq Khan:
"Cynical, race-baiting, politically-correct, anti-prosperity, anti-freedom Khan is emblematic of a phenomenon which is devastating the Western world’s cities from Britain to the U.S., from Australia to Canada and beyond. Neo-Marxist hucksters like Khan really aren’t interested in making these cities desirable places to live. They’re about draining every last drop of blood from the city they can before the place finally expires."
Fascism, socialism, communism - they are all about destruction of democracy and the imposition of draconian powers.

Anonymous said...

"the core of the slightly more than 25% of Americans who voted for him in 2016."
On reading your quote, I suppose you've done the analysis of what percentage of Americans voted for Hillary. Slightly more than 25% I would guess.
I also assume you dismiss the role of the Electoral College in selecting the US President.

1735099 said...

"the core of the slightly more than 25% of Americans who voted for him in 2016."
More Americans voted for Hillary Clinton than Donald Trump.
That's history, even though Trump described his election as a "landslide".
The Electoral College is subject to Gerrymander by both sides of politics in the USA.
It is a flawed system no matter whom it elects as president.
It is certainly not democratic.

1735099 said...

Fascism, socialism, communism - they are all about destruction of democracy and the imposition of draconian powers.
Democracy is alive and well in many socialist countries, including the Republic of Ireland, Iceland, and countries using the Nordic model of Socialism - (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden).

1735099 said...

Ergo Australia is fascist.
Emigrate.
You won't be missed😀

1735099 said...

What evidence do you have that he is a fascist or was that just a throw away line?

His broadcasts leading up to the Cronulla riots is just one example -https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/alan-jones-and-keysar-trad-lose-their-appeals-over-cronulla-riots-case/news-story/0ecd72f8ed0441e8f9c7d5be827b4504?sv=37aebbb78dfb35da5f1cedd7deb406b9

1735099 said...

The use of dots at the end of your sentences Bob indicate missing information. Like facts and logic.

So you've never heard of ellipsis?
Google it - learn something.

1735099 said...

I will be ever grateful to Mater for confirming the contrast between my father's service and mine.
He volunteered because he knew his country was under threat from Fascist Imperialism.
I was conscripted in peacetime when there was no threat, and the government at the time was anxious to whip up fear of an a concocted threat, which history has shown was unfounded.
What was it called? - "Domino Theory", as I recall.
Doxing the dead is another thing entirely of course.
It takes a very special kind of bitterness to stoop to that.

Anonymous said...

Your father's service was never criticised so stop hiding behind that lie.
Your explanation of when your father volunteered was exposed to be wrong and that's when you hid behind another shifted goalpost to say "well it's the family narrative".Any decent son would have said "I got the facts wrong but I still love and respect dad."
You can't even do that for him.
By the way "doxxing" means giving out private information about someone - which is what you did. Therefore you are the bitter one.

Anonymous said...

An excellent piece in today's Telegraph with an analysis of China's evil totalitarian regime.
China is far more like a fascist state that the similarities you assign to President Trump.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/its-time-for-the-world-to-stand-up-to-china-on-human-rights-abuses/news-story/790f13c224d8f6ab1fbadab4f3849f55

Anonymous said...

Your understanding of ellipsis is woeful.
I used its definition in my comment yet you didn't notice.
As always, facts don't matter when your story needs to be told.

1735099 said...

The use of dots at the end of your sentences indicate missing information
is not a definition.
"The omission from speech or writing of a word or words that are superfluous or able to be understood from contextual clues" is.

1735099 said...

China is far more like a fascist state that the similarities you assign to President Trump.

And?
I'm not comparing the USA with China.
I have no idea why you brought China into the discussion, unless you're into the "goodies" and baddies" narrative. Every good Fascist state has to have an enemy - someone or something to be afraid of.

1735099 said...

By the way "doxxing" means giving out private information about someone - which is what you did.
Wrong.
The only information I gave out about my father was very general - that he served, and his motives for doing so.
Mater provided dates and specifics, allowing him (and my mother) to be identified.
Doxing provides information allowing someone to be named without consent - cowardly stuff.
And by the time he was in the RAAF,my father knew all about the threat from the Japanese, and I'm pretty sure that continued to be his motivation whilst he was in PNG.
Thee were Japanese there at the time, by the way.

1735099 said...

For you to be consistent Bob you will have to compare Gladys to fascism, just as you compared President Trump to fascism.
What is relevant, if you want to make a comparison, is motive.
The Premier of NSW is trying to save lives.
Trump is trying to cling to power.

1735099 said...

It is you who brought your dad into the debate.,

And the fact that he volunteered for service has been confirmed.
Mater has reinforced my comparison between the conditions of his service and mine, which was my intention for bringing it into the discussion.

It is your mis-use of your family narrative that has been called into question.
Reporting honestly the family narrative is not "misusing" it.
It is simply an interesting footnote.
I am very grateful to Mater for (apparently) setting the record straight, but that is neither here nor there, as far as my family are concerned.
My father volunteered in wartime - I was conscripted in peacetime.
That's the issue, and a neat summation of the malfeasance that was Vietnam.
You can't rewrite history, and that's the bit that gets up noses at Catallaxy.

Anonymous said...

You may not alter history, Bob, but it can most certainly be rewritten once it has been erased from memory by educators no longer teaching it. But you know that. That fact has not been given light of day in the history of Aboriginal learning without written records.

Anonymous said...

You may not alter history, Bob, but it can most certainly be rewritten once it has been erased from memory by educators no longer teaching it. But you know that. That fact has not been given light of day in the history of Aboriginal learning without written records.

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