[spectre] Fwd: Chris Oakley: The view from outside

Sat Oct 8 11:42:55 CEST 2016

brexit is inevitable anyhow (european union is obviously not a union 
anymore and collapsing as a result), so the referendum is irrelevant other 
than to signal who is in denial and who is thinking ahead

as a partner in the united states of america empire, the uk is a fascist 
state (maintained by unlawful behaviour and violence) - so don't expect 
too much progressive behaviour

pgp fingerprint

F6AC B54E E18A 97C1 D8F7 66F4 C18E 6B72 DCA7 4FD8

On Fri, 7 Oct 2016, Andreas Broeckmann wrote:

> [Chris Oakley is a British artist: http://www.chrisoakley.com
> His message to friends and colleagues is documented here with his 
> permission; ab]
>
>
>
> Betreff: 	The view from outside
> Datum: 	Thu, 6 Oct 2016 14:45:32 +0100
> Von: 	Chris Oakley <contact at chrisoakley.com>
>
> Dear All,
>
> I have been wanting to send this communication to my friends and 
> colleagues in Europe for some weeks, but find myself only just emerging 
> from the state of shock resulting from the Brexit vote sufficiently to 
> collect my thoughts coherently. I fear for what my country has unleashed 
> on both on Europe and itself, and wanted to share some of my 
> observations from this side, which is an increasingly uncomfortable 
> place to be. Perhaps I desire to sound a warning about the sentiments 
> being stirred up elsewhere. I'd also like to state clearly that I voted 
> to Remain, and strongly supported Britian's continued membership of the 
> Union.
>
> I awoke on the 24^th June to discover I had been walking in a dream 
> world for my entire life. I believed Britain to be flawed, but 
> fundamentally fair, politically and culturally fairly stable, in spite 
> of distasteful elements around the fringes. Above all, I had believed 
> Britain to essentially reasonable in character, and inherent fair. 
> Whilst never brimming with patriotic sentiment, I felt broadly positive 
> about my country. And then the narcissism and unbridled ambition of 
> Britain's political class stepped in, leaving the Britain I now inhabit 
> unrecognisable from the Britain prior to the 23^rd June.
>
> Parliamentary democracy effectively died that day, accompanied as it was 
> by the self-immolation of the Labour opposition party, which at best had 
> been non-committal in its position towards Europe. The referendum itself 
> came about in response to the extremist brayings of an otherwise 
> marginal political party in the form of UKIP, having but a single member 
> of Parliament, alongside the further reaches of the Conservative hard 
> right. The new government has signalled its determination to sever all 
> existing ties with the continent in terms of movement, trade, and 
> justice, and is free to do so without political opposition. The new 
> Prime Minister has laid out a path whereby she will overrule the 
> constitution of the UK first by triggering Article 50 without obtaining 
> the consent of parliament, and then proceed to implement a law that will 
> allow ministers to strike existing laws from the UK statute books 
> without recourse to Parliament. I feel alone in recognising that this 
> represents a dictatorship, flying in the face of the principle of 
> parliamentary democracy.
>
> All of this has been justified by the 'overwhelming mandate' of the 
> referendum vote. This overwhelming 'landslide' of 51.9% to 48.1%, with 
> two of the UK's 4 nations voting firmly to Remain. This margin of 
> victory for Leave has justified the political abandonment of the 
> remaining 48%. Politicians who campaigned for Remain (including the new 
> Prime Minister, let's not forget) have abandoned their support for the 
> Union en masse, as 'the people have spoken'. It has become legitimate is 
> any public forum to shout down opposition to leaving the EU, with Remain 
> supporters shouted down as 'Bremoaners' and 'Bremaniacs' who need to 
> “suck it up. You lost”. Given the chance to express the most abhorrent 
> facets of the national character, the British people grasped it with 
> booth hands, and managed to throw in the UK's first political 
> assassination in 30 years.
>
> The divided a result ans narrow victory for Leave would suggest to the 
> rational that what is required to heal a divided nation would be a 
> compromise. Parliamentary debate about the nature of Britain's departure 
> from the EU, which ties to maintain, or if indeed we must depart. But 
> no. The roadmap and goals of the Brexit deal are being planned in 
> secrecy and without Parliamentary oversight, by a troika of ministers 
> with divergent goals, all of them pushing for absolute severance of the 
> links to the Bloc.
>
> All of this would be bad enough, but then there is the day to day lived 
> experience of life on the new Britain. People voted Leave for a wide 
> variety of reasons, many of which have little to do with the EU at all. 
> Many also voted believing the rampant and often transparent lies of the 
> Leave campaign. Some were angry with the effects on ongoing austerity 
> and demonisation of the poor by the previous government. Many voted out 
> of racist beliefs, and those who voted Leave but don't share these views 
> have legitimised the racists. Many voted leave out of pure sentiment, 
> hankering after a return to a Britain of the past that probably never 
> existed. How many voted leave in ignorance of the history of the last 
> few hundred years of European history, of which only the last few 
> decades have been marked by widespread peace? I simply have no idea how 
> to deal with those who voted Leave, because they all share one 
> characteristic. They are impervious to reason. And most significantly, 
> they are everywhere.
>
> There may be have been rational reasons to vote to leave the EU, but we 
> heard almost nothing of them during the referendum campaign. Opposition 
> to the TTIP trade deal could be one, for example. Instead, absurb 
> sentimental arguments about sovereignty and a return to former glories 
> alongside comic claims that the EU was holding Britain back from 
> boundless trading fortunes went hand in hand with uncloaked and rampant 
> xenophobia. Not just Farage, but Boris Johnson as well framed a vote to 
> leave as an act of war on the EU, both stated that they hoped Brexit 
> would lead to collapse of the EU.
>
> In the history of 20^th century, Britain's role in Europe is defined by 
> the ousting of Fascism; its 21^st century role seem to be to deliver it 
> back to the continent. I do not say this lightly. The new face of 
> British politics carries many of the tenets of fascism; we have 
> overwhelming nationalism, disdain for human rights (especially for 
> foreigners), we have the rebirth of a the nation and the awakening of a 
> people suppressed by the decadence of neoliberalism. We have our 
> scapegoats. The popular media drove the people towards Brexit and does 
> not need direct control, disdain for intellectualism and expertise has 
> taken root. The rights of the labour force are about to be stripped. I'm 
> still waiting for the fraudulent elections, but as we now effectively 
> have a one-party state, they are unlikely to be required for some time. 
> Nothing seems politically impossible in this country any more.
>
> At least we still have friends in Europe and beyond. Marine Le Pen 
> tweeted in praise of a quote from our new prime minister:
>
> “If you believe you are a citizen of the world, you are a citizen of 
> nowhere.”
>
> Let's not forget about Geert and Donald. They still like us, too.
>
> As someone who has not only benefited from being a member of the EU but 
> has based a part of their future on it, it's quite difficult to explain 
> the feeling of living through this on the wrong side of history. It is a 
> crisis, both politically and psychologically, and infuses everyday life. 
> It's clear things will get worse, and causes for hope are snuffed out 
> daily. Many report that they have been drinking heavily since the vote 
> (we are British after all, even if half of us are no longer proud of 
> that fact). It is impossible to consider the future when the path is 
> unclear. Many have talked of leaving the UK, something which will become 
> increasingly problematic as travel restrictions inevitably bite and the 
> Pound continues its collapse. This place where I was born may no longer 
> feel like home, but to leave would be to give in to this tide of idiocy. 
> Unfortunately, stupidity is uniquely difficult to defeat.
>
> As an artist, it is enormously disappointing that the art world seems to 
> have disengaged with the situation. Now that the initial shock has 
> passed and there has been time to stare clear-headed into the abyss, I 
> for one am ready to begin to respond. I have accepted that my anger 
> about this situation will never subside, and making artwork as a 
> response seems a small and futile gesture. But I am a bit old for 
> pitchforks at dawn, and the mood for armed uprising is surprisingly 
> lacking in my country folk. We are a sanguine people. Or perhaps a bit 
> lazy. Best not to make a scene, old chap. Perhaps to persuade others 
> that dancing to the drumbeat of nationalism has never been the wise path 
> is the only positive course of action. If anyone still listens to the 
> Idiot English.
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Chris.
>
> ___________________
>
> +44 (0)7932 715337
> www.chrisoakley.com <http://www.chrisoakley.com>
>
>
>
>
>
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