For Trump and his backers, destruction is no longer a by-product of ideology. It is the ideology. theguardian.com/environment/20…
This is the denouement of the American Nightmare. The belief that God gave European colonists dominion over the “savage lands” and “savage peoples” of the Americas was translated into a holy duty to subdue and tame them. This meant genocide and ecocide.
The colonisation of the Americas was a series of Crusades against the living world and the “heathens” it supported. Destruction and mass killing was not just a convenience – clearing the land for timber, farming, mining etc – but a sacrament. The mindset continues to this day.
In RH Tawney's words, in the Puritan worldview that contributed so much to the formation of American ideology: “the world exists not to be enjoyed, but to be conquered. Only its conqueror deserves the name of Christian.”
Our government is doing its best to compete with this folly. theguardian.com/environment/20…

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More from @GeorgeMonbiot

7 Jan
I think we have to face a very grim and uncomfortable fact. A lot of people could be permanently affected by Covid-19, in terms or both physical and mental health. Given the huge numbers infected, lifelong impacts could affect a substantial part of the population.
I haven't seen much thinking yet about the implications: the massive amount of support that will be needed, and the horrendous loss of wellbeing. Nor have I seen this threat penetrating the consciousness of those who argue for minimal action to stop the spread of the disease.
It's classic short-termism: to avoid a short period of pain (lockdowns and other restrictions), we will condemn people to a lifetime of suffering.
Read 5 tweets
6 Jan
Without voter suppression, the Republicans are finished.
Without voter suppression, the US becomes a different nation.
Without voter suppression, all sorts of things are possible that seemed impossible before.
Around the world, we are told “the political character of this nation is x”, or “the political character of this nation is y”. But this perceived character is often a distortion, created by richer and more powerful people being more willing and able to vote.
Every country needs an army of Stacey Abramses, getting out the vote.
Read 4 tweets
5 Jan
Remember: the reason we are locking down for a 3rd time is because of the government’s failure to contain the virus. Containment means an effective test, trace, isolate and support system. Our system was handed to cronies and profiteers, and the £12bn spent on it was wasted.
Even if the vaccination programme is not derailed by a new variant (and, yes, I'm afraid this is an if), test-trace-isolate-support remains essential. In 2 articles last year, I explained what happened to it:
1. theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
Read 6 tweets
30 Dec 20
I don’t want to speak too soon, but it’s day 10, and I seem to be emerging from my covid infection.
In case it helps other people facing the virus, I’ll explain how it progressed for me. Please bear in mind that the symptoms + severity of covid-19 are extremely variable
Thread/
1. My health status: I’m 57. Mildly asthmatic. Keep fit. Never smoked. Scarcely drink.
It’s reassuring to know that it wouldn’t have made any difference if I’d died of covid. To the billionaire press, my “pre-existing condition” (asthma) means I was on the way out anyway.
2. Our eight-year-old was the first to show symptoms. After someone in her class fell ill, she threw up and had a brief headache, then recovered instantly. We all got tested, but at that point, only she tested positive. Soon afterwards, I felt nauseous and had a headache.
Read 14 tweets
18 Dec 20
This is how the living world ends: with overgrown boys in giant Tonka toys boasting about their role in its destruction.
(h/t @JFDIecologist)
Read this exchange in the thread beneath this boastful video, and weep:
To me, this highlights the undemocratic nature of power over the land. No one made the land, yet those who assert ownership of it are empowered to treat it - as in this case - in ways that horrify most of us. Why do they have greater rights to decide than we do?
Read 4 tweets
17 Dec 20
Like Johnson and Farage, Rees-Mogg owes his political position to the media, who thought he was colourful and interesting and funny, so gave him a massive platform.
In reality, he's just a cruel, sheltered, pompous arse.
mirror.co.uk/news/politics/…
But this is how the media - including the BBC - creates our politics.
The bigger the idiot, the greater the airtime.
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
Sorry about the language, by the way. There are moments when polite words don't suffice.
Read 4 tweets

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