Eric Arthur Blair (“Blair”), writing under the pen name “George Orwell”, penned his 1949 book “1984” contemporaneously with the development of the first digital computer named “Eniac” which was developed between 1943 and 1945. “Eniac” was an acronym for “electronic numerical integrator and computer” and launched the computer age.
Blair, more often referred to as “Orwell” published “Animal Farm” in 1945 as a metaphor for the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the rise of Joseph Stalin, with the horrid consequences of the rise of Communism in Russia and the deaths of millions of Russians at the hands of the state. His later book, “1984”, was his last of nine books and was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg. “1984”
is a metaphor for the consequences of totalitarianism, mass surveillance, and totalitarian regulation of people within society.
A recent meme on X says it all.
It is clear today that the governements of Keir Starmer in the United Kingdom, Joe Biden in United States and Justin Trudeau in Canada are bent on limiting free speech, censoring public discourse, increasing state control over the everyday lives of their citizens and building larger and more intrusive governments which enact laws to limit individual freedoms, all couched as beneficial to the citizenry. All three governments are reliant on the specious claim that CO2 causes climate change to justify imposing a greater degree of control over their citizens. They repeatedly cite “the Science” without any grasp of anything that could be accurately described as “science” and contemplate laws to stifle dissent from their narrative. Charlie Angus’ proposed bill 372 would do just that - fine or imprison Canadians for denying that CO2 causes climate change.
Science is predicated on debate. As Nobel Prize winning physicist Richard Feynam famously stated “I would rather have questions that cannot be answered than answers that cannot be questioned”.
What is remarkable to me, as an amateur historian, is the degree to which voters in those three democracies are willing to sacrifice democracy to further an ideological belief that society will be better off with an authoritarian socialist regime at the helm. Recent laws in the U.K. seek to punish those who make what the government claims are “misinformation” on social media with harsh sentences for “misgendering” anyone, for example. As set out in a recent article in the Spectator, free speech is under threat in the U.K.
The rise of Hitler in Germany, Franco in Spain, Mussolini in Italy and Meduro in Venezuela (following Chavez) all have the same characteristic - a captivating leader able to rouse the passions of the people, and a population who welcomes their rise to power with overwhelming majorities in their early elections. Half of all Americans now support the socialist policies of the Democrats; Justin Trudeau came to power in 2015 with enormous support from Canadians; Starmer just won a landslide victory in the U.K.
The ability of a captivating speaker to touch the souls of people disaffected with their lives with speeches that reek of faux empathy and promises that only a larger and more intrusive government with increased regulation can improve their lives is the stock in trade of tyrants who came to power throughout history. Universally, they rely on a perceived threat - be it the Jewish people, climate change, income inequality, or the ills of capitalism - that speaks to the fears of their respective electorates and claim their policies comprise the solution. Universally, the reverse is the outcome.
As free speech is suppressed, freedom of assembly curtailed, gun ownership restricted or banned, media co-opted or controlled by the state, and utopian dreams of a society where a central government provides everything and individual effort is neither needed, welcomed or rewarded, the road to tyranny becomes paved with broken promises. The utopian dreams of Marxism - “to each according to his need, from each according to his ability” has produced nothing but tragedy everywhere on Earth and never a more equitable society. As Blair wrote in Animal Farm “some animals are more equal than others”.
Western democracies are on a bad path today. Rampant and uncontrolled immigration has contributed to nosebleed housing costs, overloaded schools and hospitals and in Canada declining per capita GDP. Curiously, there is no doubt that immigration benefits Canada (a country built on immigrations) but like most despots seeking power, immigration can be used as much as a sword as a shield. In U.K., United States and Canada, the left has permitted or encouraged high levels of immigration in advance of building the infrastructure to support the newcomers and swamped society with newcomers in such numbers that assimilation and integration become virtually impossible and the character of each country’s culture changes, not always for the better.
When we can see public demonstrations supporting terrorists, calls for jihad and Sharia law, and growing anti-Semitism, all supported by the Liberals, we can see with our own eyes the dangers. Muslims are welcome in Canada as are Jews, and there are undoubtedly elements of Sharia law we could benefit from. The war in the mid-East brings out the worst of all worlds - innocent Israeli’s murdered and raped on the one hand and a greater number of innocent Palestinians killed or injured by the Israeli Defense Forces attempts to squash the terrorist group Hamas.
Rather than promoting moderation and acceptance of differing views and an open dialogue, Canada’s Liberals, American Democrats and U.K. Laborites want to stifle free speech, control the narrative, and push society closer to an authoritarian state. It is not a new approach and it is working. Respectful disgreement and debate have been replaced by vitriol and hatred, and there seems little common ground between political parties in any of these three countries. Personal attacks have replaced policy debates.
The leftists in democracies have not ignored Orwell’s fears, but embraced them. They employ the tactics Orwell decried in his nine books. I am not optimistic about the outcome.
Well said, Michael Blair. As an educated older American-born in 1953, I've had thoughts along the same lines, but not taken the time to set them down as eloquently as you have here.
Most profoundly-how is it that people who have enjoyed the bounty-some writers call us the "lucky billion" that western democracy has provided up to now, can be so quick to turn their backs on it. It literally boggles the mind when you think about it. Our ancestors fought wars to preserve a way of life that had been carefully crafted to maximize individual liberty and promote capitalism. And now, we just give it away. And for what? Largely a lesser life. Marking the first time in the west politicians have actively promoted the notion that we in the west must tighten our belts-no they rarely come out and say this, although its not unheard of, but rather use the apparatus of the deep state bureaucracies to implement them on the sly, once they are in office. The pandemic and the "climate change" narrative have been the empowering agents for this sharp turn in the last five-ten years. The rolling crises that never dissipates and as Orwell imagined keeps the population in a state of unrest, seeking safety. The other thing I would add is the DEI trend where individualism and excellence are diminished in favor of averaging down, and taking from those who produce and redistributing wealth through onerous taxation that stifles capitalism. I don't know about Canada, but in America, the education system has been completely taken over by Marxists, intent only on turning out DEI robots. You can see the results on our streets. Thanks for a thought-provoking essay this morning.
The only hate speech allowed in Canada is against Conservatives, white men and Christians, dont even think about a negative comment regarding anything, any group, or anyone else.
PS: More recently hate speech of Israel is also allowed...