It is a political speech by 37-year-old Tory MEP Daniel Hannan in which he denounces Gordon Brown, the British MP, as a "Brezhnev-era apparatchik". Hannan is a free market nationalist. A strange hybrid that one, since nationalism is opposed to the global market. It captures the anger of the Right about the big spending Brown-Obama-Rudd juggernaut---even though this opposition would do the same.
The nationalism appealed to does offer an alternative to the politician's claim that life can be indefinitely continued by urging people to get out and shop.but this return to the nation---and its appeal to unity ---can take a virulent form that goes way beyond British jobs for British workers.
| Posted by Gary Sauer-Thompson at 7:51 PM | Permalink
This is called 'demagoguery' if I remember correctly. It tends to sprout during great recessions like mushrooms after autumn rains.
'... one of the most magnificent speeches I have heard' according to Sinclair "I'm a professor and you're not" Davidson over at Catallaxy.
The self-described conservatives do seem to have trouble grasping the fundamental incompatibility between global free markets and passionate nationalism.
I'll have to take your word for it. I'm in the mountains in NZ and the NZ ISP has cut all sound off on the video! It took me ages to connect las night because of overload of the server.
Re your cpmment"
The self-described conservatives do seem to have trouble grasping the fundamental incompatibility between global free markets and passionate nationalism.
I guess that assume that there is a great divide between the economy and politics, rather than saying as a true conservative that the authority of the state over rides the dynamics of free markets.
There's a similar vibe here with the kerfuffle over politicians being friends with Chinese people. Like the Japanese a couple of decades ago, the logic is that they couldn't invade us so they're buying us out instead, with the approval of our Mandarin-speaking Prime Minister.
Do we make a big deal out of this dog whistle style and risk alienating a significant trading partner? Of course we do.
The nationalism thing is kneejerk. Realistically, globalisation needs nation states to regulate and to facilitate. It's not the threat to sovereignty some people think it is. We're accustomed to thinking of states in terms of violence - protection, defence, exploitation etc, but there's no reason they can't serve opposite purposes just as well, and do it in the national interest.
This is called 'demagoguery' if I remember correctly. It tends to sprout during great recessions like mushrooms after autumn rains.
'... one of the most magnificent speeches I have heard' according to Sinclair "I'm a professor and you're not" Davidson over at Catallaxy.
The self-described conservatives do seem to have trouble grasping the fundamental incompatibility between global free markets and passionate nationalism.