Russia in the time of St Peter the Great sowed the grains for the Russian revolution. The ‘success’ in wealth terms of that period was never surpassed. St Petersburg being an enduring legacy. However was a success built on the model of serfdom.
Landowners that were responsible for tracts of land as big as Wales, with populations in the 100,000s, but those populations were serfs. Not quite slaves, as they were provided with more than food. But they were considered chattel of the estate, effectively owned by their masters
It was not exclusive to Russia. European families operated on a similar model. The Dukes of Burgundy being one great example. The financial ‘model’ of wealth extraction was so tightly managed that the peasants were almost starving.
Except one year the noble Duke noticed the peasantry were starting to look rather well fed. He sent some spies into the villages to find out what was happening. They reported back that the peasants were eating snails.
The duke said, get some, I want to try, and a new ‘delicacy’ was born!
Such attitudes to people was never going to end well.
Marie Antoinette ended her life on a gastronomic faux pas – ‘let them eat cake’.
Russia’s ‘ancien regieme’ took a while further to topple.
It took the economic devastation of the first world war, and the cunning plan of General Ludendorff to transport the diseased revolutionary mind of Lenin by train, to destabilise a country, before Russia reformed.
But it reformed in a bad way. Revolution bought not an idyl of communism, but a new form of serfdom. Serfdom of the mind.
Serfdom of the mind, managed by brutal oppression.
Serfdom of the mind, while people collaborated in the direct murder and causation of deaths of millions of citizens on the lies of a great fraud, and thoroughly nasty piece of work, Stalin. A populist who created himself as an image of the greatest leader of all time.
Some of the artwork is magnificent. Have a look at the mosaics in Moscow’s underground!
Serfdom of the mind – where people do not realise that their leader is a criminal.
Serfdom of the mind – where the media is controlled by the government, and information is trivialised, propaganda is devised to divide, and lies are told in three-word strap lines.
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Brexit was a shit idea, sold via lies and deceptive dark ads by the million, and as a consequence people voted for it, at the same time voting to lose their jobs and livelihoods, and make themselves and their children financially and culturally poorer.
Let’s look at the beginning. Horrendous stories from Wuhan. A first big European breakout in Italy in April 2020. However, they found Covid in water samples taken in DECEMBER in Italy, so the awful death rates in Northern Italy in April had been developing for 3-4 months.
2/37
Everyone in China wore masks. A criminal offence not to. The UK advice was first not to shake hands. Except for bloviator Johnson. Problem is that Covid is also AIRBOURNE – it spreads also in droplets of air.
A year ago we left the EU, but the real impact of leaving will only be felt from tomorrow.
1/13
Although the ‘deal’ includes tariff free access to the single market and customs union – it still destroys friction free access to the EU markets, which will destroy many UK businesses and cost many UK jobs.
2/13
It of course fails to address the UK’s services industry – which represents 80% of trade with the EU.
There was a reason why EU lorry drivers were not availing themselves of the opportunity to find out what Brexit means as far as driving to the UK was concerned.
The simple reason: they will not be driving to the UK post 1st Jan 2021. It’s the economics. They pay £100,000+ for their lorry. They work on small margins. Parking in a lorry park in Kent won’t cut it.
3/
What has Brexit flagged to me?.... that there is a group of people with a phenomenally developed capability to talk and write. Who are looked upon by many as gurus.
Thread.
1/31
Sages. Marvellous individuals. People with drive, gusto and personality. Who are wheeled out into the bright lights of the TV cameras and repeatedly the demonic nature of their lies are hardly questioned.
2/31
Think Farage, Hanan, Singham, Baker, Rees-Mogg. Their sentences are so well constructed, such perfect button pressers, and delivered in a relentless monologic style, that the rationale is not questioned.
And yes, the book does highlight the ways in which the Remain campaign failed democracy, and used unfair and deceptive means, as well as the multiple Leave campaign groups.
2/5
This book does not incite anger or division – it simply describes where we are at. It is tremendously important because pundits, politicians, as well as the general public can miss a trick.
3/5