I think you’ve missed the point a bit. Trudeau, outraged at the plebs disobedience, has tried to be authoritarian, tried to be a dictator, but has discovered that he doesn’t quite have the power he thought he had. As is typical of his type of arrogant, sanctimonious, neoliberal ‘progressivism’, he’d assumed that the ‘deplorables’ would just do as they’re told by their ‘betters’.
It’s why he, and the metropolitan elitists that love him, seem so frightened, almost panicked.
Remember these people retain their power through people believing they have more power than they do. Look at Justin Trudeau’s stammering and threats. Is that the sign of someone in control? No, it is the look of someone desperate and panicking. What you mean big trucks are hard to move and the tow truck companies will not help out because they have a good relation with the truckers? Who saw that coming? They blocked all of the shipping routes, even the lesser known ones? How did they even know about those? They are only truckers! The Biden Administration is starting to panic too. It looks like the protests are going to spread here and Americans have far less respect for overbearing authority than Canadians. Multiple Canadian states have already backed down on their Covid-19 restrictions. Here in the United States, the Democrats are already running away from masks and lockdowns while saying the “science has changed”. (hint, it has not) At this point, most of America hates our ruling class and I suspect a lot more Canadians hate theirs than is being reported.
I agree Sharon…. It is a well written essay, but things would have been a lot different if Trudeau had even a whiff of more power. If he sensed more grassroots support he would have clamped down hard. He has already indicated that he did not want to defuse this situation by refusing to meet and negotiate with the truckers.
He is showing the world what a craven, injudicious, uncaring elite he really is – an extremely poor leader.
I’m Canadian living abroad and witnessing this kind of behavior is disgraceful. It often shames me to think how Canada has become so divided and COVID only made things worse. I’m at a loss for words.
There is a sinister aspect to this that is even more depressing. People want to be part of a herd, regardless of what the herd is doing. No one wants to be left out, and it’s safer to go along, even if the herd goes over the cliff. It is disheartening to watch the parliamentary discussions and the smug and arrogant attitude of liberals toward anyone who is not on their side. But it seems to me that so many Canadians live in the confines of urban areas that they have simply lost touch with the rest of Canada. Ontario alone, with almost 40% of Canada’s population, can influence pretty much any ideology across the country. This is happening all over the world where cities have grown so large that they outnumber the rest of the population outside those boundaries. This is a very harsh reality that will not go away when you have such a large following to fall back on.
I agree with you that it will fail in the end. However, it will take generations to repair the damage. I have worked with people from the former Soviet Union, and they have no faith in anyone or anything. They are such wonderful people with wonderful minds that have been destroyed by a system that has left a path of mistrust and destruction that will not heal anytime soon. This is not what should be happening in Canada, but it is becoming a borderline between ideology for ideology’s sake. No room for discourse or discussion, but simply trampling down on anyone who doesn’t go along.
You have hit the nail on the head quite brilliantly. I am a fluent Russian speaker, spent six months in the Soviet Union, work with Russians daily and have married two Russian ladies. They are just as you write – wonderful people utterly damaged by an appalling, authoritarian system which the West has all but forgotten and now, astonishingly, is trying to ape.
Yes, it’s very frustrating for us, Soviet-born now-Westerners, to see the return of the situation, where our old reflexes once again starting being useful – all this “они нас ебут, а мы их наебываем” (loosely, “they’re stepping on us, we’re tricking them” in very rude form) mentality is back and once again seems like the best tactics. Very sad, indeed … But still, yes, we’re very much individualists after our “communal oppressive society” trauma, and I can’t see, why this should be lamented, especially here, on un-herd 😉
Canada has its roots in a form of Purism/Puritanism that stems from the very strong heritage of Protestantism dating back to the early settlers after the British victory over France in 1759. This also influences politics in Canada in ways that often go under the radar. Even when the Liberal Party is committed to a cause, such as eliminating a viral threat, this too is influenced by a blind fundamentalism that prevents that commitment from being questioned. Advocacy for this noble cause of eliminating the virus as a threat has been corrupted internally by a dogma that destructively plows aside anything and any opposition that gets in the way. Common sense and a more balanced view are lost and everything becomes black and white. Even if it turns out to be the right way, this leads to further division and thus less cooperation.
It has been one of the most surprising outcomes of the ridiculous Covid issue is the way that the roughy, toughy colonials in the Antipodes and Canada have rolled over and only now are stutteringly coming out on the streets. I never would have expected these countries to knuckle down to the ridiculous idea of Zero Covid but they did which shows how effective ‘nudge’ behavioural systems can work.
As a New Zealander who has been fighting against this “zero covid” insanity from the day we silently morphed from “two weeks to flatten the curve” to “elimination” it has been incredibly disheartening to see how so many of my countrywomen and men have succumbed to the “nudge” tactics, and still do. We have a battle ahead of us.
Alexis de Tocqueville: “There was a time in Europe in which the law, as well as the consent of the people, clothed kings with a power almost without limits. But almost never did it happen that they made use of it.”
Justin Trudeau is discovering that paper power and real power are different things. He will win (he commands the banks, the police, and the army after all), but he has already demonstrated his impotence.
Stephen Walshe
2 years ago
I don’t think the situation in Canada is as “odd”, new, or benign as the author makes out. Most authoritarian regimes attempt to heighten repression whenever their power is seriously challenged, using whenever instruments of intimidation they feel they can still trust. Sometimes this fails and the regime is overthrown (Romania 1989). Sometimes the regime succeeds in shoring up its position, and can continue for many years (China 1989). For truckers, and for most of the rest of us, the threat of losing their livelihoods (through vaccine mandates) and access to their bank accounts, being excluded from the whole payments system and potentially from social security entitlements, and being recorded as a far right hate crime culprit in state and corporate databases, is all likely to be a lot more intimidating than the always remote prospect of being shot at a protest. Not all fascists wear black uniforms. Nobody looking at the pampered prince in the photo could doubt that western democracy is done – Trudeau is Louis XVI with much better technology and a larger cadre of supportive minor aristocracy. As a result his class will be far more difficult to remove.
You are absolutely spot on, sir. Remember what Mathias Desmet said about an atomised society, wherein the individual is cut off from society and become vulnerable to mass formation psychosis. But also vulnerable to an overbearing state that can take away basic necessities for living i.e electricity, financial services, food etc. I disagree with the author that we are far away from a dystopia. Just look at China and its social credit system. Trains run, airplanes fly and carbage gets collected in China. As matter of fact the same was true for Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union under Stalin. The word fascism is inappropriate. Fascism operates under a set of rules, has a founding myth etc. Totalitarianism has no rules and each day defines who belongs to the inner party, who belongs to the outer party, and who belongs to the proles. Mostly peaceful protests is a perfect example of totalitarianism. Look what happens in cancel culture, the 21st century version of ‘Saalschlacht’.
I am afraid Justin Trudeau is a First Mover, to be followed by the mousey woman down under. And they will not go away voluntarily. Sulla was the only dictator in history who gave up power. And after stepping down he was jeered walking home as an ordinary citizen,. Parafrasing the words he then spoke: After me, no one will ever do the same. This was a one time off. Only something Louis style will end the dystopian future lying aheard of us. And wasn’t it Jefferson who thought there were still too many aristocrats in France?
Our tears shall be our food, day and night. Psalm 42- 3
“Sulla was the only dictator in history who gave up power.” Jerry Rawlings of Ghana operated as a dictator for some decades before holding free & fair elections which he lost and conceded to the victor.
M. Gatt
2 years ago
The worst of all this is watching Trudeau sneering at and smearing the working class. Even more shocking are the flat out lies being told by some of his ministers. The state run media is in lockstep with The Party line. And the rest of the institutional media is all on the govt dole through a $600 million state media fund. Its a very disturbing situation.
This is completely normal in Canada. In the Canadian city where I lived, you could rarely buy a coffee without getting an obligatory lecture from the barista about how they are too good for their job because they have a university degree (inevitably in sociology/anthropology/psychology or something similar) and their very strong ideas about how the world should be (and their opinions are inevitably always the same).
The chap who most recently attended to me at my barbers turned out to be an Iranian Kurd, whose family fled across the border during the Iran-Iraq war during the 80’s and settled in Sulaymaniya in Iraqi Kurdistan.
I discovered this because I’m not woke and bloody well do ask people where they’re from.
Anarchists, fascists, communists and other anti-democratic factions always join protests against the elected government. I don’t think vaccines should be made mandatory and it was a mistake to force that on the population but governments must take action when protests start interfering with citizens right of passages and ability to earn their living..
A decision to reverse the forced vaccination programme should have been taken.. It could have been done without loss of face by following the reversal of imposed vaccination that had taken place in other countries.
Here in the U.S the reverse happened. Many state and local governments not only joined the anarchistic, fascists, and communists burning down cities, they bailed them out of jail (when the police could be bothered to arrest the miscreants).
The federal government provoked this event with its effective ban on the 10% of Canadian truckers who remain unvaccinated, by imposing a requirement that unvaccinated cross-border truckers quarantine themselves for 14 days after returning from the US (rather than undergoing 15 minutes of testing). This would limit such truckers to approximately two trips a month, which would be insufficient for most of them to earn a living. Yet these truckers essentially live in isolation in their trucks on most of their trips. There does not appear to be a lot of evidence, if any, supporting the necessity for this quarantine mandate at this late stage, and no such justification has been given. And the Prime Minister threw gasoline on the flames he had ignited by smearing all these drivers as racists.
I keep hearing this repeated, that the truckers have blockaded the city, even ambulances can’t get through etc.
The problem is that I’ve also watched the live streams and it’s clear that isn’t true. An lane has been left open by the protestors to allow people to drive through as needed.
The internet has created information chaos, but in this case of the truckers what I see with my own eyes from video reporting and live streams is at odds with the claims being made about them. And I’m more inclined to believe my eyes and ears, than second hand statements about what is actually happening.
You are right. I live in Ottawa and have been downtown multiple times. They are blocking about 4 streets and have made sure that emergency vehicles can get through. Businesses that are shut are shut by their own choice because there has been zero cases of vandalism or violence. Those that have stayed open have made great business.
I agree that a government must take action when a group of people stop others going about their lawful business, and, in this case, costing the economy large sums of money by blocking trade, but (and it’s a big but) this is done by talking and negotiating, not by demonising and certainly not by imposing draconian, dictatorial laws.
No. When a government exceeds its authority and acts against the people it is responsible to, it is the DUTY of the people to disobey and resist.
That does not make them any of the bad words you used to describe them. It makes them brave, patriotic and responsible.
In those instances, government’s responsibility is to correct its overreach and remove their own violators quickly and firmly.
But, you are correct, they could have easily lifted any mandates well before the truckers convoy protest ever got as far as it did.
The Met police formed a protective cocoon around Insulate Britain idiots who were blocking the M25 and other major roads around London. I suppose nobody told them that governments must take action when protests start interfering with citizens ‘right of passages’ and ability to earn a living.
And for “Trudeau” also read “Ardern”, but replace $600million with $55million.
AC Harper
2 years ago
I’ll agree that the situation in Canada is not totalitarianism or fascism, or even authoritarian, although the actions of the Government seem like that.
What is perhaps the driving factor is Narcissism. Narcissism of Trudeau and the Elite Establishment.
The definition of Narcissism includes:
Grandiose sense of self-importance
Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
The belief they are special and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people or institutions
Need for excessive admiration
Sense of entitlement
Interpersonally exploitative behaviour
Lack of empathy
Envy of others or a belief that others are envious of them
Demonstration of arrogant and haughty behaviours or attitudes
Trudeau cannot believe that other peoples’ views have any worth because they don’t align with his.
That definition may also map nicely onto what we have seen of one Ms Ardern of New Zealand, as well as Dan Andrews and Mark McGowan in Australia (who appear to be in some kind of contest as to who can demonstrate the most maniacal God complex using state powers).
I think they may have just pushed it too far. The tide is turning .. and when the silent majority go with the new flow the Arderns of this world may find themselves high and dry. And much the worse off for all the double-downing of these last few months. I keep thinking of Ceaușescu!
True. I would be interested to see their Zoom call history. I imagine they chat on the daily.
Rob Butler
2 years ago
There’s a run on the Canadian banks as people withdraw their cash before their accounts are frozen. When tin foil hat conspiracies become fact…
Dan Gleeballs
2 years ago
Surely all he has to do is withdraw the mandate for truckers to get vaccinated? As with Margaret Thatcher and the Poll Tax, mass disobedience is the limit on state power. #Honk!
Desmit: Mass Formation – they are hypnotized, they are like the great Fas*ists of the 1930s, like Jonestown and the Kool-Aid, in a trance of power, craziness, and fanaticism. All Jim Jones had to do was say – “Everyone, I’ve decided we are not drinking the Kool-Aid after all” and that would have been it, they could have gone back to their farming…. but like Trudeau and Biden – he could not, they are completely insane with power and twisted conviction, and the plan (with the elites, the WEF) to create a One World Government – ‘The Great Reset’, so drink your kool-aid, they say…… and quit arguing, and STFU, you deplorables….
Gunner Myrtle
2 years ago
I am sorry but this article seriously downplays the seriousness of this moment. I am a Canadian. The police are enforcing orders – they cleared the Champlain bridge. The fact is that Trudeau is seizing bank accounts – which is an effective intimidation tactic. Donations to this protest were outlawed. The donors were doxed. Canada’s state media – the CBC – who have loyally attacked protesters with smear campaigns- are now harassing these ordinary doxxed citizens. The rest of mainstream media has also largely attacked the protesters. One of the convoys leader – a former senior RCMP officer – said he has heard from credible sources that the government was planning on planting guns at the Ottawa site to discredit this movement. I believe him. Trudeau’s government has a bill out that would allow a government agency to censor the entire internet. The previous version of the bill created a new form of ‘hate speech’ (ie anything not progressive) that would automatically be reported to the police. The message to Canadians is that if you protest for the wrong causes – the government, the media and Big Tech are all coming after you. This will put a serious chill on political discourse in Canada. Trudeau may not be able to throw his opponents in jail on a whim yet – but he is making great progress.
I agree. The fact that the Canadian government sponsors the media has been a huge red flag for a long time. I think things are going downhill, but I hope I’m wrong.
I guess you are right. The “dictator” Trudeau reminds me of the film of the same title by Charlie Chaplin. Chaplins satire was to the point, but his object of satire was indeed dangerous.
J Bryant
2 years ago
Great essay.
“It is notable that Trudeau is calling on the banks and tech firms to help restore public order, while excluding any meaningful role for the military. The banks, as well as various parts of the tech sector, are increasingly looking like the only powerful institution that the managerial classes can expect to count on in a true crisis.”
That’s a keen insight. There’s an essay by Paul Kingsnorth in the current issue of Unherd where he views modern government repression as, paradoxically, a direct consequence of liberalism. The State is the only actor capable of controlling the chaos arising from an atomized society.
Liberalism also spawned the modern economic system where the free flow of capital is paramount, so in Canada it’s not surprising that Trudeau calls on the financial institutions to punish the truckers and their supporters who threaten the economy.
Sadly, I believe Trudeau will break the truckers’ protest. The financial hit to them will be too much. But don’t expect a revolution. Canadians, like other citizens of the developed world, have become used to a fairly cushy life, and the CBC is yet another tame media outlet that won’t challenge the government. If Trudeau yields a little after the protests and allows Canadians to go back to congregating in Timmy’s for their coffee, life will go on much as usual. It doesn’t require bread and circuses, just bread and a little jam.
It is not the Truckers threatening the Government – it is much more than that –
It is that the Truckers are 100% correct, and the entire edifice of the insanely destructive, Anti-Science, Political, Plandemic Agenda is cracking like rotten ice during the breakup of the mighty Arctic Rivers.
Ever see the ‘Break-up’ of the Great, Far North, Rivers? The warming makes the ice rotten, it still is a solid sheet bank to bank wile the mighty river flows beneath. But the ice is watery, weak, honeycombed, ‘rotten’ and one tiny bit fails, and like the world’s biggest set of Dominos on edge – it all just sweeps away, the whole river of ice, in the massive ‘Ice Out’.
The great Political Agenda of the Plandemic is rotten, honeycombed with lies showing, melting in the sun of scrutiny – and ‘WOOSH’, it will shatter, taking the Tyrants of the Trudeau, the Democrats, the Lefty/Liberal destroyers of the West, and revealing the falseness of their agenda –
And the Truckers will have won. Masks are that first bit of ice which fails….. and they are set to be revealed as Fake Science any day, the Provinces ending the mandates, and then…….The Vax will be revealed as the biggest hoax ever instituted – and the most destructive… and then….
I sent a mail to my bank warning them I wouldn’t do business with a fascist lapdog.
Malcolm James McKillop
2 years ago
Canadians have shown that citizens do have power without resorting to violence.
We should never forget the bouncy castles, the dancing, hugging and camaraderie. Feeding the homeless. Children participating in history, their history. Horns instead of guns.
The military and police are not there to respond to a peaceful protest. They are not required to carry out illegal orders. None of these mandates and passports are law. Never debated only decreed and definitely not based on ‘science’.
The violence, anger, accusations and hostility comes from officialdom that have never had an understanding of it’s role as keepers of our democracy. The shouting and name calling comes from an empty space inside their own existence. They remind me of incompetent parents screaming at their children to ‘do as I say, not as I do’.
This poor excuse for a leader, along with all who support him with their thoughtless voting, and silence will be replaced. We can’t guarantee it will be for the better and it can be worse. If it isn’t better and results in the same or worse conduct we will protest again and continue to replace the replacements.
We are Canadians. We have our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We will no longer accept rule by fear. We will continue to be peaceful, even in protest.
Linda Hutchinson
2 years ago
There was a paragraph in an article that I read yesterday in The Economist on-line that would really concern me if I were Canadian. In it was stated that the Canadian government is considering two changes to Canada’s “already illiberal hate-speech laws”. One allowing their Human Rights Tribunal to impose big fines on those it considers have used “hateful language” (whatever that means), the Economist also says that the defendants would have fewer safeguards than under criminal law. The other change would let people make preventative legal complaints against others if they think “they may be about to say something hateful”.
I also notice there is very little reporting of something mentioned in the speech by the Finance Minister on Tuesday… “These powers will be permanent” . ..when combined with her preceding statement…“As of today, a bank or other service provider will be able to immediately freeze or suspend an account without a court order.” …that’s terrifying. She goes on to say that the government will share intelligence with banks and service providers, which presumably means they tell the banks/SPs who they suspect of causing trouble or being a dissident, and the bank/SP shut down their accounts (no court order needed) in order to shield themselves from trouble.
They’re already considering institutionalizing the blatantly anti-scientific claim that biological men can self-identify into being women, and vice-versa, and if you publicly disagree with scientific evidence, the beliefs in human history until now, and your own “lying eyes,” you can be arrested for a “hate crime.”
I believe the respected gender critical feminist Meghan Murphy is finally leaving Canada as a result. The UK already has hate laws for stating the biological men cannot become women, and that several women and few men have been visited by police, but no one’s gone to jail.
A disabled woman was visited by police for putting up stickers that said something like “every three days a woman is murdered by a man,” not because they’re clamping down on feminism per se, but that saying the word “woman” is transphobic. Transactivism is the most dangerous misogynistic backlash in a few generations, and criminalizing dissent is terrifying. In this sense. we gender critical feminists have been the canary in the coal mine before COVID–we saw this coming and have been dealing with purge culture for speaking obvious truth for the past 10 years.
I looked this up and the vertict seemed to be :
“… the majority [of the Court] said a reasonable person would not view Mr. Ward’s comments about Mr. Gabriel as inciting others to detest or vilify his humanity. They wrote, “making fun of a person’s physical characteristics may be repugnant; it most certainly is when the person in question is a young person with a disability who contributes with determination to society. But expression of this kind does not, simply by being repugnant, incite others to detest or vilify the humanity of the person targeted.”
Is there something that I’m missing? Because this seems to be quite a good vertict for free speech.
The split was 5-4. They were one vote away from deciding that a joke was a violation of rights.
Susan Lundie
2 years ago
Interesting and ultimately moderately cheering assessment of an appalling situation.
I’m going a little off topic and somewhat uncouth here, but I no longer care. That visage under the carefully styled affective coiffure has to be about the most supercilous slappable mug I have ever enountered, and I’ve seen a few in my seven decades.
SULPICIA LEPIDINA
2 years ago
Does this ponce Trudeau dye his hair? Or is the photograph incorrect?
I think there’s some confusion. I’m sure Sulpicia meant ‘ponce’ in the sense of being emasculated, effeminate etc. not in the slang sense of being a purveyor of female flesh.
Is this the ponce/nonce confusion? I’ve often noticed it confusing non-Brits in comments (which is not surprising as it doesn’t really make much sense).
For clarity in Britain: ponce= vain & effeminate man; nonce=paedo
Yes, used to be. Also like most insults the phrase ‘poncey b*****d’ doesn’t have to have a specific meaning, it’s an indication of how one feels about the person in question (hint: it’s not a positive feeling, the whole point of insults)
AC Harper used a better word. Yes I understand the various meanings of the word – but even so – the thought police might regard it’s use as homophobic and go knocking on Sulpica’s door. If this parish is, as I am, non-PC then we live in dangerous times and must choose our public utterances carefully.
Musk used it as a short form of paedophile… so rather a purveyor of the flesh of children. This was quite jolting, but he was correct in saying that this slur was used by youths in South Africa for a nanosecond sometime.
Of course the brave diver was churlish to say that Musk’s offer to build a small submarine the moment he heard of a problem, was opportunistic PR. Musk is not ordinary… he is a genius and I think is on the autism spectrum, so he is unfiltered.
Anyway, long story short, crusty Brit diver took on the freewheeling, big thinking, straight talking, heart on sleeve richest man in the world and came short. I for one was pleased.
Hard to say; but we know he used brown face in 2001…
Elena Lange
2 years ago
I assume that during their 12-year reign, people like Goebbels or Goering had their “tired, under siege, and bereft of ideas” moments, but that is not a political critique. It is interesting that military force is no longer needed for a coup, but that does not mean it is not a coup against the citizens of Canada, it means that the choice of weapons has changed. Freezing bank accounts is equally effective, and the formal technocratic dominance over material and direct physical harm is rather something to be cautious of, not a sign of weakness. To the contrary: control is always better achieved through “soft” techniques. The passivity rather reminds of the siege of Leningrad that left 600 000 dead: not by direct military force, but by starving its inhabitants.
hugh bennett
2 years ago
Trudeau is a vain man, he has had it too easy and is still covered in privileged birth slime from head to foot. A boy-man weaned in a womb of elitist entitlement. The Pandemic gave him and his like across the World the chance and office they always yearned for to sit in even greater power and judgement over the plebs and proles.
Of course the Pandemic is petering out and the reality of post-Covid life and the post-Covid Politics is dawning. The likes of Trudeau will not give up their high bound seats easily.
Now is the time for politics and/ or diplomacy based primarily on considerations of given, current circumstances and factors, rather than explicit ideological notions or moral grandstanding, but conceited creepily dangerous politicians like Trudeau will do everything to ward off that day. And they will now increase the attack on the well tested norms of our western societies, stir race hatred ( where often non exists), attack the concept of woman hood etc etc simply dividing us to rule , and take away your freedom unless we find the guts and bravery to fight back.
“The term “emergency powers” usually refers to government powers to respond rapidly to a public emergency by:
making regulations without an act of parliament
taking actions without complying with statutory duties that it would normally have to comply with
taking actions that it would not normally be allowed to take.
Those powers can be set out in new primary legislation or, sometimes, in regulations made by ministers using existing primary legislation. Emergency powers allow the government to introduce measures that may affect fundamental rights, such as the right to liberty. These measures can only be introduced in exceptional circumstances and should be temporary in nature…“
Last edited 2 years ago by hugh bennett
Richard Falardeau
2 years ago
Excellent articles but you can add that do not forget that Trudeau is the puppet of rich Liberal families such as the Desmarais, Irving, Bronfman… and they support him in his decisions. Those families control most of the medias and the message!
Yep. Follow The Money, they keep reminding us, Always Follow The Money.
Jill Mans
2 years ago
Has Trudeau actually seen the data which proves the jabs can cause harm and even be fatal? Surely he must understand that you cannot force people to have jabs on pain of losing their livelihoods. I have seen some of the confrontations with the excellent Candice Bergen, but this info should be rammed down his throat again and again until he acknowledges this and removes the mandates. Problem solved!
A large part of the Canadian problem is that the Conservative Party just deposed its leader and is more divided than ever into its eastern and western groups, so there is no effective opposition with a full time leader. Some Tories have supported the truckers while others have opposed their third week of occupation of Ottawa. This gave Trudeau the opening to do whatever he wanted with support from the third party, the NDP.
The NDP is supposed to be a socialist party. I guess supporting truckers and people without university degrees is beneath them in 2022.
Graham Stull
2 years ago
“email workers”, “professional laptop class”, “zoomers”, “MacBook Heirs and Heiresses”… I really think we need to agree on a name for them and stick to it.
I see them as wonderfully inventive, but entirely accurate descriptions of a group in society with an overwhelming sense of importance and entitlement. The common denominator is a total incomprehension of the daily problems encountered by the “underclass” who have brought them things and kept their world running smoothly since March 2020.
How about “Proxy Class”? They have no real life, they envy those who have one and they want to destroy that – or better: Take it over! -?
Andrew Horsman
2 years ago
Clearly Trudeau has lost it and it is only a matter of time before his WEF-sponsored government fails against the reality with which it is faced. The same is going to happen across the western world, in differing ways and on differing timescales. Essentially, they bet the pharm and they lost, big time.
Trudeau, Ardern, Biden and co are soon to be, if they are not already, totally irrelevant. Maybe the good people of the island of St Helena will welcome them as they did Napoleon after he lost the batter of Waterloo, or maybe they won’t. Who cares, really. The pertinent question that we all need to start asking is, how did we let this happen? How did we allow our governance, our public policy, and our shared stories to become so corrupted?
The key thing, I think, is that we don’t look outwards, to others, to blame. We don’t let resentment take over, that we don’t fall for the temptation to scream from the rooftops, “see, you idiots! I knew since March 2020 this was all a scam!”. That we give people the benefit of the doubt, that we are willing to forgive and to forget, that we recognise that whatever we thought we are all flawed, we all make mistakes, that we can always learn from others, and ours is not to sit in judgement.
As divisive figures like Trudeau fall we have to do our very best to follow them with good intention, with a will to make things better where we can; but with a big dose of humility and kindness. Let’s not make their mistakes, and let’s try to bridge those gaps that have grown between us in the last couple of years. Let’s have some proper, honest politics – where we argue, debate, and reconcile our differences, peacefully and respectfully; and let’s admit that we can’t all have our cakes and eat them.
I am today more convinced than ever that this well within our grasp. There just has to be a critical mass of individuals with the willpower to make it happen locally and I really do believe we are on the very cusp of it. Thank you to the truckers and their supporters out there in Ottawa in the bitter cold – your strength and your fortitude is a beacon of light in a dark night. You are the true global leaders.
You sound like Franz von Papen in 1933, sir.
Yesterday I called Trudeau a First Mover. The night has made that true.
Only the proles can stop it. Not you.
I hope you’re right. But don’t think that Trudeau & co are going to give up and just walk away. Trudeau’s invoking of the Emergency Act shows how he and his ilk will use every card in the book to stay in power and smear their opponents. The other scenario is that this gets nasty: think Ceaușescu.
WEF won’t lose I am afraid. Whilst they have created all sorts of distractions, they are busily digging metaphorical tunnels to set their metaphorical mines. All this noise on the surface is not where the war on the West is at.
Lesley van Reenen
2 years ago
That smarmy, contemptuous look together with the snipped little voice bites and the soft, small girly hands makes my stomach turn. He is one of the ugliest men in the world. For those who think looks don’t count… they do. It’s a package.
Looking again… some of those fingers are definitely extra terrestrial and not in the cute ET way.
Last edited 2 years ago by Lesley van Reenen
Andrew Lale
2 years ago
‘The banks, as well as various parts of the tech sector, are increasingly looking like the only powerful institution that the managerial classes can expect to count on in a true crisis.’ What are the bankers and tech guys going to be eating? How are they going to get to work? How are they going to power their laptops and servers? If they think they can take on the working man and somehow come out on top, they don’t know anything about how the world works.
Brian Villanueva
2 years ago
N.S. Lyons has a great analysis of the truckers and the response on substack yesterday in which he posits that Marx’s classes have morphed into Physicals and Virtuals, with the Virtuals having a lock on institutional power.
The banking response is absolutely the nuclear option in dealing with this, and it is so misguided. The Canadian government has now demonstrated a willingness to freeze your bank account if you say or do things against the Virtual elite consensus or financially support those who do. Why any Canadian citizen would leave his money in a Canadian bank at this point baffles me.
Whether you agree or disagree with the truckers, were I a Canadian citizen, this would shake my confidence in whether I could reliably get my money out of a Canadian bank.
I said it above, but that is the exact e-mail I sent my bank.
Andrzej Wasniewski
2 years ago
He is not weak, the polls are saying that two in three Canadians, our own neighbors, millions of dumb and submissive one person fascist sleeper cells, are supporting him.
And Trudeau, the most clueless and the most malicious of them is their leader an their hero. Do not get confused, this is Canada, this is not one person show.
Tomorrows the big day. I intend to be out and about.
What should I have on my placard?
Sandi Dunn
2 years ago
I live in London so I have no way of judging who really are the ‘far right wingers’ in this fight – the truckers or the authorities. Can I ask if the author has been to Ottawa to study the situation first hand? If not, what or who are the author’s sources?
My instinct goes with the view mandatory vaccination is wrong – especially for those who either have to take it or quit their jobs. I do admit I am prejudiced because I have family reasons not to trust ‘big pharma’. (And didn’t ‘they’ succeed in rubbishing the then ‘not for profit’ Astra Zeneca vaccine? https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/astrazeneca-makes-over-1-bln-q3-vaccine-sales-small-profit-2021-11-12/).
I am keeping an open mind while trying to understand differing ‘reports’ about who is really behind the demonstration and how much residents of Ottawa are suffering, However, I am surprised that Unherd would publish an essay about such a volotile current situation by someone who may not have visited the scene.
Last edited 2 years ago by Sandi Dunn
Charles
2 years ago
Mis-spelling in a headline: “phony,” not “phoney.” This is not about telephony. Get a dictionary.
Vyomesh Thanki
2 years ago
The majority of Canadian truckers are not in support of the actions of the few.
The CTA said: “The Canadian Trucking Alliance does not support and strongly disapproves of any protests on public roadways, highways, and bridges,”
“CTA believes such actions – especially those that interfere with public safety – are not how disagreements with government policies should be expressed.”
Trudeau says: “Almost 90 per cent of truckers in Canada are vaccinated.” The 10% unvaccinated can carry a higher viral load transmissible asymptomatically widely when travelling across borders. The 10% are ideology driven, not informed by peer-reviewed research evidence. Consequently Covid-19 deaths of mostly the poor and the vulnerable – currently nearly one million in US and 35,000+ in Canada – will only rise.
Seattle Times state: “The Royal Canadian Mounted Police cleared protesters from the border with Washington but more are expected. At a blockade in Alberta, the Mounties seized 13 long guns, handguns, body armor, large quantities of ammunition, high-capacity magazines and other weapons.”
Some truckers display ‘Trump 2024’ posters and Confederate flags, and are “backed by right-wing groups and bankrolled by US cash.”
If the police seized illegal guns, they rightly did so. This is the responsibility of the police, not of the truckers.
Any demonstration, and any poltical action against any government, is short of police authority and capablity. It is a mistake to hold a demonstration responsible for illegal bahaviour of single participants.
In short: A demonstration cannot police itself. Don’t expect it to.
For everyone to see: that’s how a government worshipers see the world.
90% of truckers are vaccinated but the Emergency Act was invoked against those 10% who are spreading the COVID.
Are you surprised that Trudeau has no problems getting reelected?
In the country where apparently 2/3 of the population outsourced their brains to the government?
I think you’ve missed the point a bit. Trudeau, outraged at the plebs disobedience, has tried to be authoritarian, tried to be a dictator, but has discovered that he doesn’t quite have the power he thought he had. As is typical of his type of arrogant, sanctimonious, neoliberal ‘progressivism’, he’d assumed that the ‘deplorables’ would just do as they’re told by their ‘betters’.
It’s why he, and the metropolitan elitists that love him, seem so frightened, almost panicked.
Remember these people retain their power through people believing they have more power than they do. Look at Justin Trudeau’s stammering and threats. Is that the sign of someone in control? No, it is the look of someone desperate and panicking. What you mean big trucks are hard to move and the tow truck companies will not help out because they have a good relation with the truckers? Who saw that coming? They blocked all of the shipping routes, even the lesser known ones? How did they even know about those? They are only truckers! The Biden Administration is starting to panic too. It looks like the protests are going to spread here and Americans have far less respect for overbearing authority than Canadians. Multiple Canadian states have already backed down on their Covid-19 restrictions. Here in the United States, the Democrats are already running away from masks and lockdowns while saying the “science has changed”. (hint, it has not) At this point, most of America hates our ruling class and I suspect a lot more Canadians hate theirs than is being reported.
I agree Sharon…. It is a well written essay, but things would have been a lot different if Trudeau had even a whiff of more power. If he sensed more grassroots support he would have clamped down hard. He has already indicated that he did not want to defuse this situation by refusing to meet and negotiate with the truckers.
He is showing the world what a craven, injudicious, uncaring elite he really is – an extremely poor leader.
I’m Canadian living abroad and witnessing this kind of behavior is disgraceful. It often shames me to think how Canada has become so divided and COVID only made things worse. I’m at a loss for words.
Don’t despair, I would think that most expatriate Australians & New Zealanders feel the same, and if they don’t, they should.
There is a sinister aspect to this that is even more depressing. People want to be part of a herd, regardless of what the herd is doing. No one wants to be left out, and it’s safer to go along, even if the herd goes over the cliff. It is disheartening to watch the parliamentary discussions and the smug and arrogant attitude of liberals toward anyone who is not on their side. But it seems to me that so many Canadians live in the confines of urban areas that they have simply lost touch with the rest of Canada. Ontario alone, with almost 40% of Canada’s population, can influence pretty much any ideology across the country. This is happening all over the world where cities have grown so large that they outnumber the rest of the population outside those boundaries. This is a very harsh reality that will not go away when you have such a large following to fall back on.
We used to think that the Soviet Union was immortal*, but it fell just the same. So although I agree with what you say, I live in hope.
(* Aided and abetted by nearly every ‘academic’ one came across.)
I agree with you that it will fail in the end. However, it will take generations to repair the damage. I have worked with people from the former Soviet Union, and they have no faith in anyone or anything. They are such wonderful people with wonderful minds that have been destroyed by a system that has left a path of mistrust and destruction that will not heal anytime soon. This is not what should be happening in Canada, but it is becoming a borderline between ideology for ideology’s sake. No room for discourse or discussion, but simply trampling down on anyone who doesn’t go along.
You have hit the nail on the head quite brilliantly. I am a fluent Russian speaker, spent six months in the Soviet Union, work with Russians daily and have married two Russian ladies. They are just as you write – wonderful people utterly damaged by an appalling, authoritarian system which the West has all but forgotten and now, astonishingly, is trying to ape.
Yes, it’s very frustrating for us, Soviet-born now-Westerners, to see the return of the situation, where our old reflexes once again starting being useful – all this “они нас ебут, а мы их наебываем” (loosely, “they’re stepping on us, we’re tricking them” in very rude form) mentality is back and once again seems like the best tactics. Very sad, indeed … But still, yes, we’re very much individualists after our “communal oppressive society” trauma, and I can’t see, why this should be lamented, especially here, on un-herd 😉
Canada has its roots in a form of Purism/Puritanism that stems from the very strong heritage of Protestantism dating back to the early settlers after the British victory over France in 1759. This also influences politics in Canada in ways that often go under the radar. Even when the Liberal Party is committed to a cause, such as eliminating a viral threat, this too is influenced by a blind fundamentalism that prevents that commitment from being questioned. Advocacy for this noble cause of eliminating the virus as a threat has been corrupted internally by a dogma that destructively plows aside anything and any opposition that gets in the way. Common sense and a more balanced view are lost and everything becomes black and white. Even if it turns out to be the right way, this leads to further division and thus less cooperation.
I’m trusting the marriages were not simultaneous.
What? both at the same time? that’s very greedy!
Dum spiro, spero.
It has been one of the most surprising outcomes of the ridiculous Covid issue is the way that the roughy, toughy colonials in the Antipodes and Canada have rolled over and only now are stutteringly coming out on the streets. I never would have expected these countries to knuckle down to the ridiculous idea of Zero Covid but they did which shows how effective ‘nudge’ behavioural systems can work.
As a New Zealander who has been fighting against this “zero covid” insanity from the day we silently morphed from “two weeks to flatten the curve” to “elimination” it has been incredibly disheartening to see how so many of my countrywomen and men have succumbed to the “nudge” tactics, and still do. We have a battle ahead of us.
They do
Ego quoque.
Alexis de Tocqueville: “There was a time in Europe in which the law, as well as the consent of the people, clothed kings with a power almost without limits. But almost never did it happen that they made use of it.”
Justin Trudeau is discovering that paper power and real power are different things. He will win (he commands the banks, the police, and the army after all), but he has already demonstrated his impotence.
I don’t think the situation in Canada is as “odd”, new, or benign as the author makes out. Most authoritarian regimes attempt to heighten repression whenever their power is seriously challenged, using whenever instruments of intimidation they feel they can still trust. Sometimes this fails and the regime is overthrown (Romania 1989). Sometimes the regime succeeds in shoring up its position, and can continue for many years (China 1989). For truckers, and for most of the rest of us, the threat of losing their livelihoods (through vaccine mandates) and access to their bank accounts, being excluded from the whole payments system and potentially from social security entitlements, and being recorded as a far right hate crime culprit in state and corporate databases, is all likely to be a lot more intimidating than the always remote prospect of being shot at a protest. Not all fascists wear black uniforms. Nobody looking at the pampered prince in the photo could doubt that western democracy is done – Trudeau is Louis XVI with much better technology and a larger cadre of supportive minor aristocracy. As a result his class will be far more difficult to remove.
You are absolutely spot on, sir. Remember what Mathias Desmet said about an atomised society, wherein the individual is cut off from society and become vulnerable to mass formation psychosis. But also vulnerable to an overbearing state that can take away basic necessities for living i.e electricity, financial services, food etc. I disagree with the author that we are far away from a dystopia. Just look at China and its social credit system. Trains run, airplanes fly and carbage gets collected in China. As matter of fact the same was true for Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union under Stalin. The word fascism is inappropriate. Fascism operates under a set of rules, has a founding myth etc. Totalitarianism has no rules and each day defines who belongs to the inner party, who belongs to the outer party, and who belongs to the proles. Mostly peaceful protests is a perfect example of totalitarianism. Look what happens in cancel culture, the 21st century version of ‘Saalschlacht’.
I am afraid Justin Trudeau is a First Mover, to be followed by the mousey woman down under. And they will not go away voluntarily. Sulla was the only dictator in history who gave up power. And after stepping down he was jeered walking home as an ordinary citizen,. Parafrasing the words he then spoke: After me, no one will ever do the same. This was a one time off. Only something Louis style will end the dystopian future lying aheard of us. And wasn’t it Jefferson who thought there were still too many aristocrats in France?
Our tears shall be our food, day and night. Psalm 42- 3
“Sulla was the only dictator in history who gave up power.”
Jerry Rawlings of Ghana operated as a dictator for some decades before holding free & fair elections which he lost and conceded to the victor.
The worst of all this is watching Trudeau sneering at and smearing the working class. Even more shocking are the flat out lies being told by some of his ministers. The state run media is in lockstep with The Party line. And the rest of the institutional media is all on the govt dole through a $600 million state media fund. Its a very disturbing situation.
This is completely normal in Canada. In the Canadian city where I lived, you could rarely buy a coffee without getting an obligatory lecture from the barista about how they are too good for their job because they have a university degree (inevitably in sociology/anthropology/psychology or something similar) and their very strong ideas about how the world should be (and their opinions are inevitably always the same).
Makes me nostalgic for my hairdresser’s “doing anything nice this week-end?” question.
Or my old-fashioned barber asking “Anything for the weekend Sir?”
Ah yes,those were the days!
You’re lucky. My stylist only talks about herself.
The chap who most recently attended to me at my barbers turned out to be an Iranian Kurd, whose family fled across the border during the Iran-Iraq war during the 80’s and settled in Sulaymaniya in Iraqi Kurdistan.
I discovered this because I’m not woke and bloody well do ask people where they’re from.
A group of Sikhs joined the protests. It was funny how the media contorted itself to paint them as token far-right wingers.
Anarchists, fascists, communists and other anti-democratic factions always join protests against the elected government. I don’t think vaccines should be made mandatory and it was a mistake to force that on the population but governments must take action when protests start interfering with citizens right of passages and ability to earn their living..
A decision to reverse the forced vaccination programme should have been taken.. It could have been done without loss of face by following the reversal of imposed vaccination that had taken place in other countries.
The protestors agree with you which is why they are demonstrating against vaccine mandates and enforced lockdowns.
Here in the U.S the reverse happened. Many state and local governments not only joined the anarchistic, fascists, and communists burning down cities, they bailed them out of jail (when the police could be bothered to arrest the miscreants).
Although it is funny to watch so many of them backtracking now that they are discovering this wasn’t popular like they thought it would be
The federal government provoked this event with its effective ban on the 10% of Canadian truckers who remain unvaccinated, by imposing a requirement that unvaccinated cross-border truckers quarantine themselves for 14 days after returning from the US (rather than undergoing 15 minutes of testing). This would limit such truckers to approximately two trips a month, which would be insufficient for most of them to earn a living. Yet these truckers essentially live in isolation in their trucks on most of their trips. There does not appear to be a lot of evidence, if any, supporting the necessity for this quarantine mandate at this late stage, and no such justification has been given. And the Prime Minister threw gasoline on the flames he had ignited by smearing all these drivers as racists.
I keep hearing this repeated, that the truckers have blockaded the city, even ambulances can’t get through etc.
The problem is that I’ve also watched the live streams and it’s clear that isn’t true. An lane has been left open by the protestors to allow people to drive through as needed.
The internet has created information chaos, but in this case of the truckers what I see with my own eyes from video reporting and live streams is at odds with the claims being made about them. And I’m more inclined to believe my eyes and ears, than second hand statements about what is actually happening.
You are right. I live in Ottawa and have been downtown multiple times. They are blocking about 4 streets and have made sure that emergency vehicles can get through. Businesses that are shut are shut by their own choice because there has been zero cases of vandalism or violence. Those that have stayed open have made great business.
I agree that a government must take action when a group of people stop others going about their lawful business, and, in this case, costing the economy large sums of money by blocking trade, but (and it’s a big but) this is done by talking and negotiating, not by demonising and certainly not by imposing draconian, dictatorial laws.
No. When a government exceeds its authority and acts against the people it is responsible to, it is the DUTY of the people to disobey and resist.
That does not make them any of the bad words you used to describe them. It makes them brave, patriotic and responsible.
In those instances, government’s responsibility is to correct its overreach and remove their own violators quickly and firmly.
But, you are correct, they could have easily lifted any mandates well before the truckers convoy protest ever got as far as it did.
The Met police formed a protective cocoon around Insulate Britain idiots who were blocking the M25 and other major roads around London. I suppose nobody told them that governments must take action when protests start interfering with citizens ‘right of passages’ and ability to earn a living.
And for “Trudeau” also read “Ardern”, but replace $600million with $55million.
I’ll agree that the situation in Canada is not totalitarianism or fascism, or even authoritarian, although the actions of the Government seem like that.
What is perhaps the driving factor is Narcissism. Narcissism of Trudeau and the Elite Establishment.
The definition of Narcissism includes:
Trudeau cannot believe that other peoples’ views have any worth because they don’t align with his.
That definition may also map nicely onto what we have seen of one Ms Ardern of New Zealand, as well as Dan Andrews and Mark McGowan in Australia (who appear to be in some kind of contest as to who can demonstrate the most maniacal God complex using state powers).
I think they may have just pushed it too far. The tide is turning .. and when the silent majority go with the new flow the Arderns of this world may find themselves high and dry. And much the worse off for all the double-downing of these last few months. I keep thinking of Ceaușescu!
True. I would be interested to see their Zoom call history. I imagine they chat on the daily.
There’s a run on the Canadian banks as people withdraw their cash before their accounts are frozen. When tin foil hat conspiracies become fact…
Surely all he has to do is withdraw the mandate for truckers to get vaccinated? As with Margaret Thatcher and the Poll Tax, mass disobedience is the limit on state power. #Honk!
Desmit: Mass Formation – they are hypnotized, they are like the great Fas*ists of the 1930s, like Jonestown and the Kool-Aid, in a trance of power, craziness, and fanaticism. All Jim Jones had to do was say – “Everyone, I’ve decided we are not drinking the Kool-Aid after all” and that would have been it, they could have gone back to their farming…. but like Trudeau and Biden – he could not, they are completely insane with power and twisted conviction, and the plan (with the elites, the WEF) to create a One World Government – ‘The Great Reset’, so drink your kool-aid, they say…… and quit arguing, and STFU, you deplorables….
I am sorry but this article seriously downplays the seriousness of this moment. I am a Canadian. The police are enforcing orders – they cleared the Champlain bridge. The fact is that Trudeau is seizing bank accounts – which is an effective intimidation tactic. Donations to this protest were outlawed. The donors were doxed. Canada’s state media – the CBC – who have loyally attacked protesters with smear campaigns- are now harassing these ordinary doxxed citizens. The rest of mainstream media has also largely attacked the protesters. One of the convoys leader – a former senior RCMP officer – said he has heard from credible sources that the government was planning on planting guns at the Ottawa site to discredit this movement. I believe him. Trudeau’s government has a bill out that would allow a government agency to censor the entire internet. The previous version of the bill created a new form of ‘hate speech’ (ie anything not progressive) that would automatically be reported to the police. The message to Canadians is that if you protest for the wrong causes – the government, the media and Big Tech are all coming after you. This will put a serious chill on political discourse in Canada. Trudeau may not be able to throw his opponents in jail on a whim yet – but he is making great progress.
I agree. The fact that the Canadian government sponsors the media has been a huge red flag for a long time. I think things are going downhill, but I hope I’m wrong.
I guess you are right. The “dictator” Trudeau reminds me of the film of the same title by Charlie Chaplin. Chaplins satire was to the point, but his object of satire was indeed dangerous.
Great essay.
“It is notable that Trudeau is calling on the banks and tech firms to help restore public order, while excluding any meaningful role for the military. The banks, as well as various parts of the tech sector, are increasingly looking like the only powerful institution that the managerial classes can expect to count on in a true crisis.”
That’s a keen insight. There’s an essay by Paul Kingsnorth in the current issue of Unherd where he views modern government repression as, paradoxically, a direct consequence of liberalism. The State is the only actor capable of controlling the chaos arising from an atomized society.
Liberalism also spawned the modern economic system where the free flow of capital is paramount, so in Canada it’s not surprising that Trudeau calls on the financial institutions to punish the truckers and their supporters who threaten the economy.
Sadly, I believe Trudeau will break the truckers’ protest. The financial hit to them will be too much. But don’t expect a revolution. Canadians, like other citizens of the developed world, have become used to a fairly cushy life, and the CBC is yet another tame media outlet that won’t challenge the government. If Trudeau yields a little after the protests and allows Canadians to go back to congregating in Timmy’s for their coffee, life will go on much as usual. It doesn’t require bread and circuses, just bread and a little jam.
It is not the Truckers threatening the Government – it is much more than that –
It is that the Truckers are 100% correct, and the entire edifice of the insanely destructive, Anti-Science, Political, Plandemic Agenda is cracking like rotten ice during the breakup of the mighty Arctic Rivers.
Ever see the ‘Break-up’ of the Great, Far North, Rivers? The warming makes the ice rotten, it still is a solid sheet bank to bank wile the mighty river flows beneath. But the ice is watery, weak, honeycombed, ‘rotten’ and one tiny bit fails, and like the world’s biggest set of Dominos on edge – it all just sweeps away, the whole river of ice, in the massive ‘Ice Out’.
The great Political Agenda of the Plandemic is rotten, honeycombed with lies showing, melting in the sun of scrutiny – and ‘WOOSH’, it will shatter, taking the Tyrants of the Trudeau, the Democrats, the Lefty/Liberal destroyers of the West, and revealing the falseness of their agenda –
And the Truckers will have won. Masks are that first bit of ice which fails….. and they are set to be revealed as Fake Science any day, the Provinces ending the mandates, and then…….The Vax will be revealed as the biggest hoax ever instituted – and the most destructive… and then….
Brilliant analogy, which is what I hope will occur. If it does not the world is in for a dark, dark 21st century.
… and then everyone forget and going on their business (hate to be a pessimist, but here I am)
Like the “Year 2000 Crises”?
I sent a mail to my bank warning them I wouldn’t do business with a fascist lapdog.
Canadians have shown that citizens do have power without resorting to violence.
We should never forget the bouncy castles, the dancing, hugging and camaraderie. Feeding the homeless. Children participating in history, their history. Horns instead of guns.
The military and police are not there to respond to a peaceful protest. They are not required to carry out illegal orders. None of these mandates and passports are law. Never debated only decreed and definitely not based on ‘science’.
The violence, anger, accusations and hostility comes from officialdom that have never had an understanding of it’s role as keepers of our democracy. The shouting and name calling comes from an empty space inside their own existence. They remind me of incompetent parents screaming at their children to ‘do as I say, not as I do’.
This poor excuse for a leader, along with all who support him with their thoughtless voting, and silence will be replaced. We can’t guarantee it will be for the better and it can be worse. If it isn’t better and results in the same or worse conduct we will protest again and continue to replace the replacements.
We are Canadians. We have our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We will no longer accept rule by fear. We will continue to be peaceful, even in protest.
There was a paragraph in an article that I read yesterday in The Economist on-line that would really concern me if I were Canadian. In it was stated that the Canadian government is considering two changes to Canada’s “already illiberal hate-speech laws”. One allowing their Human Rights Tribunal to impose big fines on those it considers have used “hateful language” (whatever that means), the Economist also says that the defendants would have fewer safeguards than under criminal law. The other change would let people make preventative legal complaints against others if they think “they may be about to say something hateful”.
I also notice there is very little reporting of something mentioned in the speech by the Finance Minister on Tuesday…
“These powers will be permanent” .
..when combined with her preceding statement… “As of today, a bank or other service provider will be able to immediately freeze or suspend an account without a court order.” …that’s terrifying.
She goes on to say that the government will share intelligence with banks and service providers, which presumably means they tell the banks/SPs who they suspect of causing trouble or being a dissident, and the bank/SP shut down their accounts (no court order needed) in order to shield themselves from trouble.
Surely then the best thing for people to do would be a run on the banks- withdraw their money and hopefully new companies would spring up to compete
They’re already considering institutionalizing the blatantly anti-scientific claim that biological men can self-identify into being women, and vice-versa, and if you publicly disagree with scientific evidence, the beliefs in human history until now, and your own “lying eyes,” you can be arrested for a “hate crime.”
I believe the respected gender critical feminist Meghan Murphy is finally leaving Canada as a result. The UK already has hate laws for stating the biological men cannot become women, and that several women and few men have been visited by police, but no one’s gone to jail.
A disabled woman was visited by police for putting up stickers that said something like “every three days a woman is murdered by a man,” not because they’re clamping down on feminism per se, but that saying the word “woman” is transphobic. Transactivism is the most dangerous misogynistic backlash in a few generations, and criminalizing dissent is terrifying. In this sense. we gender critical feminists have been the canary in the coal mine before COVID–we saw this coming and have been dealing with purge culture for speaking obvious truth for the past 10 years.
Indeed! Given the Supreme Court of Canada decision in Ward v Quebec (2021), Canadians should be very concerned about this issue.
I looked this up and the vertict seemed to be :
“… the majority [of the Court] said a reasonable person would not view Mr. Ward’s comments about Mr. Gabriel as inciting others to detest or vilify his humanity. They wrote, “making fun of a person’s physical characteristics may be repugnant; it most certainly is when the person in question is a young person with a disability who contributes with determination to society. But expression of this kind does not, simply by being repugnant, incite others to detest or vilify the humanity of the person targeted.”
Is there something that I’m missing? Because this seems to be quite a good vertict for free speech.
The split was 5-4. They were one vote away from deciding that a joke was a violation of rights.
Interesting and ultimately moderately cheering assessment of an appalling situation.
I’m going a little off topic and somewhat uncouth here, but I no longer care. That visage under the carefully styled affective coiffure has to be about the most supercilous slappable mug I have ever enountered, and I’ve seen a few in my seven decades.
Does this ponce Trudeau dye his hair? Or is the photograph incorrect?
Pimp? Evidence? Remember what happened when Elon Musk used the term “Some paedo guy”
I think there’s some confusion. I’m sure Sulpicia meant ‘ponce’ in the sense of being emasculated, effeminate etc. not in the slang sense of being a purveyor of female flesh.
Is this the ponce/nonce confusion? I’ve often noticed it confusing non-Brits in comments (which is not surprising as it doesn’t really make much sense).
For clarity in Britain: ponce= vain & effeminate man; nonce=paedo
Again, thank you.
Oh but I understood that ‘ponce’ is also a pseudonym for ‘pimp’ in the UK. Is this not so, Matt? Other Brits?
Not that I have heard of! Your first explanation was the correct one.
I think you are right. Not in use much nowadays. I seem to remember it from The Sweeney.
You can definitely ‘ponce off’ someone else – borrow money or live off them, so I can see the link. SL was using it in the vain sense though.
Yes, used to be. Also like most insults the phrase ‘poncey b*****d’ doesn’t have to have a specific meaning, it’s an indication of how one feels about the person in question (hint: it’s not a positive feeling, the whole point of insults)
AC Harper used a better word. Yes I understand the various meanings of the word – but even so – the thought police might regard it’s use as homophobic and go knocking on Sulpica’s door. If this parish is, as I am, non-PC then we live in dangerous times and must choose our public utterances carefully.
Absolutely correct, thank you.
Musk used it as a short form of paedophile… so rather a purveyor of the flesh of children. This was quite jolting, but he was correct in saying that this slur was used by youths in South Africa for a nanosecond sometime.
Of course the brave diver was churlish to say that Musk’s offer to build a small submarine the moment he heard of a problem, was opportunistic PR. Musk is not ordinary… he is a genius and I think is on the autism spectrum, so he is unfiltered.
Anyway, long story short, crusty Brit diver took on the freewheeling, big thinking, straight talking, heart on sleeve richest man in the world and came short. I for one was pleased.
I wondered about that myself.
Hard to say; but we know he used brown face in 2001…
I assume that during their 12-year reign, people like Goebbels or Goering had their “tired, under siege, and bereft of ideas” moments, but that is not a political critique. It is interesting that military force is no longer needed for a coup, but that does not mean it is not a coup against the citizens of Canada, it means that the choice of weapons has changed. Freezing bank accounts is equally effective, and the formal technocratic dominance over material and direct physical harm is rather something to be cautious of, not a sign of weakness. To the contrary: control is always better achieved through “soft” techniques. The passivity rather reminds of the siege of Leningrad that left 600 000 dead: not by direct military force, but by starving its inhabitants.
Trudeau is a vain man, he has had it too easy and is still covered in privileged birth slime from head to foot. A boy-man weaned in a womb of elitist entitlement. The Pandemic gave him and his like across the World the chance and office they always yearned for to sit in even greater power and judgement over the plebs and proles.
Of course the Pandemic is petering out and the reality of post-Covid life and the post-Covid Politics is dawning. The likes of Trudeau will not give up their high bound seats easily.
Now is the time for politics and/ or diplomacy based primarily on considerations of given, current circumstances and factors, rather than explicit ideological notions or moral grandstanding, but conceited creepily dangerous politicians like Trudeau will do everything to ward off that day. And they will now increase the attack on the well tested norms of our western societies, stir race hatred ( where often non exists), attack the concept of woman hood etc etc simply dividing us to rule , and take away your freedom unless we find the guts and bravery to fight back.
“The term “emergency powers” usually refers to government powers to respond rapidly to a public emergency by:
Those powers can be set out in new primary legislation or, sometimes, in regulations made by ministers using existing primary legislation.
Emergency powers allow the government to introduce measures that may affect fundamental rights, such as the right to liberty. These measures can only be introduced in exceptional circumstances and should be temporary in nature…“
Excellent articles but you can add that do not forget that Trudeau is the puppet of rich Liberal families such as the Desmarais, Irving, Bronfman… and they support him in his decisions. Those families control most of the medias and the message!
Yep. Follow The Money, they keep reminding us, Always Follow The Money.
Has Trudeau actually seen the data which proves the jabs can cause harm and even be fatal? Surely he must understand that you cannot force people to have jabs on pain of losing their livelihoods. I have seen some of the confrontations with the excellent Candice Bergen, but this info should be rammed down his throat again and again until he acknowledges this and removes the mandates. Problem solved!
Meanwhile, over in Scotland, the PHS is now hiding the covid statistics, because the ‘anti-vaxxers’ are using their out of context:
Public Health Scotland Discontinues Vaccine Efficacy Statistics: “COMPARISON OF CASE RATES IS INAPPROPRIATE” (eugyppius.com)
A large part of the Canadian problem is that the Conservative Party just deposed its leader and is more divided than ever into its eastern and western groups, so there is no effective opposition with a full time leader. Some Tories have supported the truckers while others have opposed their third week of occupation of Ottawa. This gave Trudeau the opening to do whatever he wanted with support from the third party, the NDP.
The NDP is supposed to be a socialist party. I guess supporting truckers and people without university degrees is beneath them in 2022.
“email workers”, “professional laptop class”, “zoomers”, “MacBook Heirs and Heiresses”… I really think we need to agree on a name for them and stick to it.
I see them as wonderfully inventive, but entirely accurate descriptions of a group in society with an overwhelming sense of importance and entitlement. The common denominator is a total incomprehension of the daily problems encountered by the “underclass” who have brought them things and kept their world running smoothly since March 2020.
I like ‘Clerisy’ – Joh McWhorter calls them the ‘Elect’.
And lockdowners almost one and all. Bereft of imagination and real concern for their fellow man.
How about “Proxy Class”? They have no real life, they envy those who have one and they want to destroy that – or better: Take it over! -?
Clearly Trudeau has lost it and it is only a matter of time before his WEF-sponsored government fails against the reality with which it is faced. The same is going to happen across the western world, in differing ways and on differing timescales. Essentially, they bet the pharm and they lost, big time.
Trudeau, Ardern, Biden and co are soon to be, if they are not already, totally irrelevant. Maybe the good people of the island of St Helena will welcome them as they did Napoleon after he lost the batter of Waterloo, or maybe they won’t. Who cares, really. The pertinent question that we all need to start asking is, how did we let this happen? How did we allow our governance, our public policy, and our shared stories to become so corrupted?
The key thing, I think, is that we don’t look outwards, to others, to blame. We don’t let resentment take over, that we don’t fall for the temptation to scream from the rooftops, “see, you idiots! I knew since March 2020 this was all a scam!”. That we give people the benefit of the doubt, that we are willing to forgive and to forget, that we recognise that whatever we thought we are all flawed, we all make mistakes, that we can always learn from others, and ours is not to sit in judgement.
As divisive figures like Trudeau fall we have to do our very best to follow them with good intention, with a will to make things better where we can; but with a big dose of humility and kindness. Let’s not make their mistakes, and let’s try to bridge those gaps that have grown between us in the last couple of years. Let’s have some proper, honest politics – where we argue, debate, and reconcile our differences, peacefully and respectfully; and let’s admit that we can’t all have our cakes and eat them.
I am today more convinced than ever that this well within our grasp. There just has to be a critical mass of individuals with the willpower to make it happen locally and I really do believe we are on the very cusp of it. Thank you to the truckers and their supporters out there in Ottawa in the bitter cold – your strength and your fortitude is a beacon of light in a dark night. You are the true global leaders.
You sound like Franz von Papen in 1933, sir.
Yesterday I called Trudeau a First Mover. The night has made that true.
Only the proles can stop it. Not you.
I hope you’re right. But don’t think that Trudeau & co are going to give up and just walk away. Trudeau’s invoking of the Emergency Act shows how he and his ilk will use every card in the book to stay in power and smear their opponents. The other scenario is that this gets nasty: think Ceaușescu.
WEF won’t lose I am afraid. Whilst they have created all sorts of distractions, they are busily digging metaphorical tunnels to set their metaphorical mines. All this noise on the surface is not where the war on the West is at.
That smarmy, contemptuous look together with the snipped little voice bites and the soft, small girly hands makes my stomach turn. He is one of the ugliest men in the world. For those who think looks don’t count… they do. It’s a package.
Looking again… some of those fingers are definitely extra terrestrial and not in the cute ET way.
‘The banks, as well as various parts of the tech sector, are increasingly looking like the only powerful institution that the managerial classes can expect to count on in a true crisis.’ What are the bankers and tech guys going to be eating? How are they going to get to work? How are they going to power their laptops and servers? If they think they can take on the working man and somehow come out on top, they don’t know anything about how the world works.
N.S. Lyons has a great analysis of the truckers and the response on substack yesterday in which he posits that Marx’s classes have morphed into Physicals and Virtuals, with the Virtuals having a lock on institutional power.
The banking response is absolutely the nuclear option in dealing with this, and it is so misguided. The Canadian government has now demonstrated a willingness to freeze your bank account if you say or do things against the Virtual elite consensus or financially support those who do. Why any Canadian citizen would leave his money in a Canadian bank at this point baffles me.
Whether you agree or disagree with the truckers, were I a Canadian citizen, this would shake my confidence in whether I could reliably get my money out of a Canadian bank.
I said it above, but that is the exact e-mail I sent my bank.
He is not weak, the polls are saying that two in three Canadians, our own neighbors, millions of dumb and submissive one person fascist sleeper cells, are supporting him.
And Trudeau, the most clueless and the most malicious of them is their leader an their hero. Do not get confused, this is Canada, this is not one person show.
This is a great interview with a trucker representative:
https://youtu.be/kwtgc2fsw2A
Carl Schmitt would have had a field day with all of this.
Turdeau is the only man in the world with 5 fathers.. Mick, Keef, Bill, Charlie,……..
And Castro it turns out.
Shouldn’t it be “phony,” not “phoney”? We’re talking about fakes, not telephony, right?
oh! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearms_regulation_in_Canada
PLEASE check this out
https://doomberg.substack.com/p/just-watch-me
This is a great article. TSA Soviet Union in particular.
Covered here:-
https://youtu.be/J9KLvPUXcE0
Tomorrows the big day. I intend to be out and about.
What should I have on my placard?
I live in London so I have no way of judging who really are the ‘far right wingers’ in this fight – the truckers or the authorities. Can I ask if the author has been to Ottawa to study the situation first hand? If not, what or who are the author’s sources?
My instinct goes with the view mandatory vaccination is wrong – especially for those who either have to take it or quit their jobs. I do admit I am prejudiced because I have family reasons not to trust ‘big pharma’. (And didn’t ‘they’ succeed in rubbishing the then ‘not for profit’ Astra Zeneca vaccine? https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/astrazeneca-makes-over-1-bln-q3-vaccine-sales-small-profit-2021-11-12/).
I am keeping an open mind while trying to understand differing ‘reports’ about who is really behind the demonstration and how much residents of Ottawa are suffering, However, I am surprised that Unherd would publish an essay about such a volotile current situation by someone who may not have visited the scene.
Mis-spelling in a headline: “phony,” not “phoney.” This is not about telephony. Get a dictionary.
The majority of Canadian truckers are not in support of the actions of the few.
The CTA said: “The Canadian Trucking Alliance does not support and strongly disapproves of any protests on public roadways, highways, and bridges,”
“CTA believes such actions – especially those that interfere with public safety – are not how disagreements with government policies should be expressed.”
Trudeau says: “Almost 90 per cent of truckers in Canada are vaccinated.” The 10% unvaccinated can carry a higher viral load transmissible asymptomatically widely when travelling across borders. The 10% are ideology driven, not informed by peer-reviewed research evidence. Consequently Covid-19 deaths of mostly the poor and the vulnerable – currently nearly one million in US and 35,000+ in Canada – will only rise.
Seattle Times state: “The Royal Canadian Mounted Police cleared protesters from the border with Washington but more are expected. At a blockade in Alberta, the Mounties seized 13 long guns, handguns, body armor, large quantities of ammunition, high-capacity magazines and other weapons.”
Some truckers display ‘Trump 2024’ posters and Confederate flags, and are “backed by right-wing groups and bankrolled by US cash.”
If the police seized illegal guns, they rightly did so. This is the responsibility of the police, not of the truckers.
Any demonstration, and any poltical action against any government, is short of police authority and capablity. It is a mistake to hold a demonstration responsible for illegal bahaviour of single participants.
In short: A demonstration cannot police itself. Don’t expect it to.
For everyone to see: that’s how a government worshipers see the world.
90% of truckers are vaccinated but the Emergency Act was invoked against those 10% who are spreading the COVID.
Are you surprised that Trudeau has no problems getting reelected?
In the country where apparently 2/3 of the population outsourced their brains to the government?