#you people already laugh at us for being affected by his policies despite not voting for him

[asocial-skye]

Maybe I’m a heartless bitch but I truly believe that it is perfectly alright and expected to laugh at people who suffer from the policies they voted in.

[biconicfinn]

id like to know, what are your takes on politician!Alec? if you want to talk about that

THANK YOU FOR THIS ASK!!!!! POLITICIAN ALEC IS MY FUCKING JAM DJKABVHJKDBVKADVBFAV okay anon strap in because this will get crazy

holy shit this is long so i’m putting it under a read more!! 

okay so first of all: alec is someone who has been trained from a young age to be a politician, he would have been educated in diplomacy and politics, his parents were expecting him to become head of the new york institute and they have no qualms about living vicariously through their children and forcing their burdens on them as we have seen in the show.

he was probably taught clave law and the accords, a whole bunch of languages (polyglot power couple malec ftw) because i assume the NYI uses english as their lingua franca because of their location but since institutes also have to deal with local downworld and mundane populations it’s safe to assume that in other countries where english isn’t the main language, they go with the local languages and alec would need to communicate with these other institute heads, etiquette, some formal ballroom dances like the waltz, the art of negotiation, administrative stuff like resource allocation, budgeting, public speaking, the nitty gritty details of the clave workings, in addition to the knowledge of the different races of the shadow world, hand to hand combat, combat with a variety of weapons (he masters archery to utter perfection but he definitely is also incredibly proficient in close range combat as well).

sorry i just love alec and he is definitely more competent than most of the Alec StansTM (yall know what im saying) make him out to be

okay so!!!!! it’s pretty much canon that alec has spent a considerable amount of time as acting head of the NYI; what with maryse and robert always fucking off to idris to lick the boots of the clave and so he probably has a good relationship with the people under his command. he’s probably put protocols in place to reduce casualties and injuries, form patrol teams that are well-balanced so that they are versatile enough to take just about any threat that comes their way, etc.

of course, thanks to a little thing called the nephilim’s deep-rooted homophobia, a lot of the work alec put in probably got negated when he came out. it took a lot of courage for him to come out and to be openly gay. raj was an absolute asshole to alec for no reason and often questioned his leadership decisions post coming out, and even if not all the shadowhunters reacted like that, they did show some resistance(?) to alec’s leadership when he was appointed head and questioned him. it probably took a lot out of him because it’s one thing to have your people doubt you as a leader because of your actions or words; your decisions as a leader, it’s another thing for them to mistrust you entirely because of a fundamental part of your identity that you can’t change. you can build trust by publicly admitting and apologising for mistakes and putting in honest work to be better, but it’s impossible to build trust when the other person doesn’t even see you as human to begin with. 

this is turning into a hoti!alec ramble but i promise i will bring this back to politician!alec okay i promise i just need to establish the headcanons i’m building on first sorry 

okay back to business!!!! i feel like alec is so very genuine and honest outside of the political sphere alec “casual wedding vows” lightwood anyone? so when he does show his ability to be a complete fucking shark in the political arena a lot of people are blindsided because they expected him to be very honest and direct but he knows that as much as he’d like to be genuine, he needs that shrewdness to navigate the political minefield of idris. he prefers directness, but if you take the manipulative, indirect, route and underestimate him, he will not hesitate to turn your own methods against you.

he is also the type of leader who constantly tries to make an effort. his intentions were genuine with the downworld cabinet and i think that if it wasn’t set up in the middle of the shitstorm which was valentine’s re-emergence and the circle’s rise, it would have been more successful. he has a lot to learn and unlearn, and he (an utter perfectionist) will do as much as he can to help the downworld. i like to think that in a post s3 world, but before the time skip, he helps to re-establish the ties between the shadow world factions in new york and focuses on being the nephilim voice of the downworld to the clave, constantly trying to push for new accords and reformed policies, and he makes an effort to not speak over the downworlders, but instead be their representative and ally to the clave because the clave are racist bastards who wouldn’t listen to them but they have to listen to alec lightwood (”it’s lightwood-bane, actually”), one of the heroes who stepped up to defend alicante when the rift to edom opened. (and also because if they did try to slander or belittle him, they risk angering magnus, who has enough clout to embargo most warlocks from providing magical assistance to any local institutes, if he feels that the downworld is being ignored despite the fact that a warlock is the sole reason why alicante was’t razed to the ground, or that he and his husband are being targeted by the clave. because they are That Couple.) in conclusion alec is a good ally okay?

but as much as he tries/tried to do right by the clave, he sometimes also doesn’t give a fuck about them. he’ll be in meetings at idris, and maybe they’re discussing asinine, irrelevant, minor issues that are really just stupid excuses to showboat and compare family clout and whatnot and he’ll be pissed as fuck because instead of discussing actual relevant issues like irregularities/strange patterns in demon attacks, hunting down remaining circle sleeper cells, reparations for the downworld (like for the heavenly fire project), rewriting the accords, rebuilding idris, helping get the attacked institutes back up and running, you know, actual important issues that need attention but no, we’re discussing some petty family squabble that turned into a political feud that involves everyone and their fucking uncle. and he gets so damn angry he just blows up and rants at them and tears them a new one. he finishes his impressively long spiel with “you know what? fuck this. when you guys are done fighting like children and taking up precious time that we should be using to talk about real, pressing issues that affect the entire shadow world instead of five people at this table, let me know and i’ll be there but until then don’t bother. if you’ll excuse me, i’m going back to my husband. thank you. and for the last damn time, my name is alec lightwood-bane. i already changed my damn name legally so fucking use it.” and he just leaves to go back to new york because fuck the clave. 

he goes back home to the loft and it’s like the stress and anger just melts away because he walks in on magnus dancing around the kitchen as he cooks dinner, singing dancing queen at the top of his lungs, laughing when magnus twirls to see him leaning against the doorway of the kitchen with his heart eyes and blushes at being caught doing somethin so silly

he becomes a successful inquisitor by sheer force of will and determination. it’s not at all intentional, but it just happens. with the success of the cabinet and the measures he puts in place, he shares it with other institute heads and slowly more and more institutes are collaborating with the local downworld and most of the time, the statistics pay off in the long run. there are starting troubles as with any new initiatives, but soon enough there is a sizeable number of institutes following them successfully and it’s hard for the clave to ignore. alec gets invited to alicante to discuss the possibility of him becoming inquisitor just when the downworld deputy program is taking off in new york. (it all starts with simon asking “so are you guys nephilim or shadowhunters? what’s the difference? or is it interchangeable?” and then they realise that while nephilim is a term to describe half-angel half-human beings, shadowhunter is a term more commonly used by active duty demon hunters and drops out of use as a self-descriptor when the nephilim in question leaves combat. “so that means technically anyone in the shadow world whose job it is to fight demons is a shadowhunter? right?” and the lightbulbs light up in alec’s head immediately) oops time to get back to it the point. 

okay so!!!! the clave offer alec the position of inquisitor and it’s part recognition for his efforts and acknowledgement of his skills, part them wanting to keep him under their control. how does that work? well it’s simple. if alec is inquisitor and the clave makes it as hard as possible for him to do any effective work, bogging him down with bureaucracy and and votes on motions that are just shy of the majority needed to pass laws etc etc. basically throw every road block they can at him and wear him down; forcing him to step down and thus silencing him, and by extension, the downworlders who rely on him for a voice in the clave. 

malec side note: so they first say that magnus can come to alicante and make an exception for him, and the general plan is to make it look like they’re actually doing something good when it’s to lull them into a false sense of security. (but alec and magnus choose to live in brooklyn first because despite everything, it is still dangerous for magnus to be the only warlock in a city full of nephilim) but then alicante opens up to the rest of the shadow world, magnus becomes the high warlock of alicante, and the clave are dealing with the force of nature that is known power couple and ultimate badasses magnus and alec lightwood-bane. oops. 

but they underestimate the power of alec’s Lightwood(-Bane) DeterminationTM and his sheer stubbornness. so their plan backfires spectacularly when within the first few years, he’s implemented laws to open alicante up to downworlders, expunge criminal records of downworlders who were previously wrongfully charged with crimes, rehabilitation of wrongfully imprisoned downworlders, mandatory downworld cabinet and downworld deputy initiatives worldwide, as well as be part of the core group that rewrote the accords to be more fair. 

alec probably retires after like five years of being inquisitor and then magnus steps down as high warlock and they just travel the world together and be in love and happy, occasionally consulting on political issues here and there but for the most part they just run off into the sunset to be immortal husbands together because they’ve sacrificed enough for the good of the shadow world to last several lifetimes. 

[berniesrevolution]

IN THESE TIMES

Despite widespread support for the Green New Deal, an ambitious resolution to transform the economy and society to address the climate crisis, the labor movement is not uniting behind it. On March 8, the AFLCIO’s Energy Committee released an open letter to Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) criticizing the plan on grounds it “could cause immediate harm to millions of our members and their families.”

In contrast, some union locals have come out in support of the resolution, including the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, which noted in January that “climate change poses an immediate and long-term threat to all working people.” Groups like Climate Workers, a membership organization of rank-and-file workers, the Labor Network for Sustainability, a labor group that fights for ecological and economic justice, and the BlueGreen Alliance, a coalition of major unions and environmental groups, have spent years trying to bridge the labor movement and the movement for climate justice, but rifts remain.

The labor movement is divided precisely at a moment when it could ensure the passage of a Green New Deal rooted in justice, self-determination and union rights. The resolution’s call for a just transition emerges from the environmental justice, labor and Indigenous rights movements of the 1980s and 1990s. It is premised on the principle that the shift away from a fossil fuel economy must ensure workers play a lead role in the transition—and that workers are not abandoned in the shift to zero emissions. A jobs guarantee, universal basic income and protection of union rights—all floated as components of a Green New Deal—could play key roles.

In These Times called Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-Communications Workers of America (AFACWA) and a rising star among union leaders, to discuss the idea.

Nelson captured national attention when she issued a strike threat in the midst of the Trump administration’s infamous government shutdown over border wall funding. Five days later, when some air traffic controllers on the East Coast did not show up for work, she told New York magazine that flight attendants were “mobilizing immediately” to strike. Hours later, Trump announced he’d reached a deal to temporarily reopen the government.

Nelson’s very public challenge has made her a leading contender to replace Richard Trumka as president of the AFL-CIO if he retires as expected, at the end of his term, in two years.

Nelson was born in Corvallis, Ore., to a teacher and a lumber mill worker. She majored in English and education, and applied for a flight attendant position in 1996 to pay the bills. She recalled to the New York Times that her six-week training included “make-up” day for women to learn how to apply mascara while men took the day off. An early pay dispute turned her into a union activist, and she became the union’s president in 2014. One of the few international union presidents who publicly aligns herself with Bernie Sanders, Nelson now works about one flight a year, devoting the rest of her time to her union.

Nelson hails from an industry that poses a problem to the goal of zero emissions: Passenger airplanes account for 1–2% of global carbon emissions, and air travel is expected to double in the next 20 years. Finding alternative energy sources for airplanes has proven trickier than for cars or electrical grids. At the same time, Nelson represents workers whose conditions have already grown more dangerous as the climate crisis has escalated. “Extreme weather is increasing instances of turbulence, which is a serious occupational injury threat,” Nelson notes.

The Green New Deal calls for us to “achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions through a fair and just transition for all communities and workers.” As a labor publication that cares a lot about climate change, we have been asking ourselves what a “just transition” could actually be. What do you think?

Sara Nelson:

I can tell you what it’s not! A few hours of training is not a just transition. The transition needs to begin before the jobs go away. A just transition must ensure pensions and healthcare are protected for workers who spent their lives powering our country in the fossil fuel industries. A just transition includes bringing the expertise of unions to the table so we don’t create policy that has unintended consequences, such as making it impossible to produce steel needed to create alternative forms of energy. A just transition must also invest in technological innovation to determine whether current energy sources can be utilized in a green way. A just transition includes focus on negotiating fair trade agreements for American workers to keep production in the United States so that, for example, American workers are building wind turbines and solar panels. And finally, a just transition means maintaining income for families who depend on an actual transition of jobs, career training, apprenticeships.

What would it take to build more labor movement support for the Green New Deal?

Sara Nelson: 

Make labor central to the discussion, including labor rights, labor protections and labor expertise. We must recognize that labor unions were among the first to fight for the environment because it was our workspaces that had pollutants, our communities that industry polluted. Let’s not dismiss the labor movement. Let’s recognize and engage the infrastructure and experience of the labor movement to make this work.

We need the airline industry to engage as well. According to an industry analysis, the airline industry has, for the last 40 years, improved fuel efficiency at a rate equivalent to taking 25 million cars off the road each of those years.

The point here is that we need to build a broad coalition, and to do that we can’t start from a position that assumes opposition. If we bring everyone to the table, recognize the efforts to date, draw on the expertise from each affected field, and mobilize a united effort, then we can create allies where we otherwise might have had enemies.

Is increasing fuel efficiency enough? Because of more flights, total airline emissions are still expected to rise. Must flights decrease, and if so, how do we protect workers?

Sara Nelson: 

I think … [laughs] I think that we have to be pretty clear that interstate commerce in the United States, international trade and transportation just don’t work without air travel, right? We can advance technology to help the airlines use an alternative energy source and there is both a moral and a cost incentive to do that.

What are the biggest lies opponents of the Green New Deal tell workers?

Sara Nelson: 

The biggest lie is that the Green New Deal resolution is legislative policy and that it imposes certain strict requirements—for example with air travel, that every plane will stay on the ground in 10 years. There is not a flight attendant or pilot or anyone in aviation who actually believes that aviation is going to be grounded. That’s simply not true. The opposite is true. This resolution seeks to promote technological advancements and policies that will keep flights in the air. Today, airplanes are grounded because of severe weather events, sometimes for long periods because these events destroy infrastructure that is necessary to take off and land. Or, destroy the demand for those locations—there is nothing to fly to.

How can climate campaigners build bridges with organized labor?

Sara Nelson: 

First and foremost, there has to be a recognition that labor has never seen an actual “just transition.” You can say those words all day long, but what people hear is “a couple hours of training and then you’re going to leave my community devastated and alone—like a ghost town.” So, there’s zero trust.

If you want to build trust, you need to do two things. One, you need to shore up the wasteland that’s already been created where there was no just transition. When new environmental regulations promoted low-sulfur mining, collection of coal moved from union mines in Appalachia to nonunion surface mines out West. No one addressed the communities that were hurt in the process. So miners are understandably skeptical.

Now coal companies have filed for bankruptcy and stopped contributing to healthcare and pension funds. We need to push to adopt legislation that keeps America’s promise to coal miners of pensions and healthcare, as well as addresses black lung— that’s the bare minimum to show good faith that this process of taking on climate change will focus on making coal miners’ lives better, not worse. Bipartisan legislation to fund pensions has had support for years, but Mitch McConnell has stopped it from getting to a vote. We can demand H.R. 934/935 and S. 27 get passed now, and show miners and others working in the fossil fuel industry that we’re on their side. My union, AFA-CWA, will be on the Hill with the United Mineworkers of America on May 8 to do just that. Everyone should get behind securing those pensions.

Second, a just transition needs to talk about how we start the transition process early. We need to get into these communities, talk with them about their needs, and get to know them. It’s important that we not write them off and say, “They just have to get over it.” Nobody is ever going to get over not being able to provide healthcare for their families and watching people die in poverty or lose their homes. So, let’s talk with the people about the jobs that are there and what those jobs also support in the community. Every good union coal mining job supports another five jobs in that community. So, we need to start talking about how we are going to put some of these jobs back into those communities. With new technology? With training? And how are we going to support people in the meantime? Who is going to be able to get retrained and learn a new career?

(Continue Reading)

[abaikgirl]

Loki, Asgard’s UN Representative

So I had this idea of what if after Avengers 4, after Thor defeats Thanos, settles the remainder of Asgard on earth and brings Loki back to life, Loki becomes the right hand to the throne and handles all diplomatic and foreign relations for Asgard (because he’s so sly and silvertongued and Thor is actually perfectly awful at diplomacy). So of course Thor chooses Loki to represent Asgard at the United Nations meeting and Loki goes in guns blazing to make things better for his people and takes advantage of the fact that everyone is terrified of him to do whatever the hell he wants. Anyways, it was kind of a one shot I wrote in a hurry, so enjoy!

“And now we call attention to the newest member of the United Nations-the sovereign nation of Asgardia, represented by Loki Odinson, All-Brother and advisor to the throne.” Although the words were said with decorum, there was a quiver in the voice of the UN head that betrayed the fear all in the room felt at having a former super villain present with them. 

Loki rose from his seat at the back and gracefully walked to the microphone. Despite being a thousand year-old Norse god from space, he wore a simple but expertly tailored black suit that lacked any ornamentation except for a single gold lapel pin that had an elaborate knot design etched in it. His shoulder length hair was slicked back in soft curls and his smile was warm and gracious as he looked at the diplomats before him. Despite themselves, his refined appearance and elegant movements made many of the women and men in the room feel a rush of attraction. This wasn’t done by any magic because upon hearing that King Thor had appointed his brother Loki as Asgard’s UN representative, the leaders of the world reached out to Doctor Strange who was more than happy to put up anti-magic charms all around the main chamber to prevent Loki from getting out of hand. So no, this wasn’t magically induced attraction and trust, this was Loki doing what he did best—winning people over with his silver tongue and good looks. 

“Citizens of the world, leaders of earth,” he began. “I understand many, if not all of you, are quite disturbed at the thought of having me be a part of your council. Considering the horrendously bad first impression I made, I can hardly blame you. However, you may put your worries to rest as I come as a humble representative of the Asgardian people to work in unity to find solutions that not only benefit Asgard, but all the nations of Earth.”

Loki allowed a pause, smiling warmly at the representatives half of whom looked ready to eat out of the palm of his hand and the other half looked entirely unimpressed with his eloquent “I’m good now” speech. Undeterred by their doubting expressions, he continued. Looking down, he pretended to be consulting notes even though he had the entire speech fully memorized and prepared, but the need for assist made him look more human and thereby more accessible to the mortals around him. 

“The first topic Asgard wishes to bring before the United Nations is the abolishment of the Sokovia Accords.” For a moment, the contented lull he had induced on the crowd was broken and there was a flurry of urgent murmurs. Loki, undeterred by this rush of sound, continued. “Considering the fact that the accords seek to control and condemn Asgard’s leader, All-Brother Thor Odinson, Rightful King of Asgard, it cannot continue to be a functioning part of the world government and we move to have it abolished immediately.”

General Ross leaned forward to speak into his microphone. “With all do respect, Mr. Loki, the accords seek to prevent out-of-control vigilantes from running amuck in other countries. To abolish it is to put the world at risk.” Loki’s grin widened, turning colder and steelier as his bright green eyes settled on the general like a wolf that had spotted its prey. “And you would know all about putting people at risk, now wouldn’t you, General Ross?” There was a glimmer of fear in Ross’ eyes and Loki savored it as he continued to fix his gaze on the weak man before him. “After all, you were the one who led a military detail against an unstable and uncontrollable element, known as the Hulk, on a public college campus, endangering hundreds of innocent bystanders by your clumsy and bullheaded antagonization of said Hulk?”

Ross began to sweat and broke his gaze to look at the representatives around him for support. “That was—”

But Loki didn’t allow him to finish and plowed on. “I also recall you captured the Hulk after he had changed back into Bruce Banner only to release him on the unsuspecting population of Harlem to quell the rise of another unstable element—a member of your own team no less.” Loki let out a short, breathy laugh. “In all honesty, under the accords as they stand General Ross, you should be equally restrained and scrutinized for such reckless endangerment of human life that you accuse the Avengers to be guilty of.” Ross attempted to defend himself but Loki had already turned his attention back to the assembly. “Ladies and gentlemen of the United Nations, I am not here to say that my dear brother couldn’t use a bit of restraint. I, of all people know how reckless he can be. But as someone who once marched on the city of New York with the intent of conquering it, I can say with full confidence that the world is better protected with the Avengers and groups like them being given free mobility in emergency situations.”

This statement gained Loki some traction as the other delegates began to whisper amongst themselves that he had a very good point. After all, Thanos had wiped out half the universe only a few months ago and it was good that the Avengers had ignored the Accords and sprung into action to change that. 

General Ross could feel his position quickly slipping and stood up. “Now, hold on. We can’t just let this…super villain come in here and overthrow important legislation for the selfish reason of allowing his brother do whatever he likes.”

“First of all, these accords affect the leaders of two sovereign nations,” Loki interjected. “Both Asgard and Wakanda are led by those who have risked their lives to save the world, so this is not only affecting my brother, but also King T’Challa whom I understand has only recently opened the borders  of his country to the rest of the world. I would think it unwise to impose illegal and discriminatory legislation on their leader at such a delicate time. And second,” Loki gave General Ross a smile that dropped the temperature of the room a few degrees, “that’s reformed super villain to you.”

A deathly silence followed, broken only by Loki’s renewed cheerful tone. “All those in favor of abolishing the accords?”

No one dared to tell Loki he wasn’t authorized to initiate voting on a policy and it was almost unanimous.***

When Loki left the chamber, Thor was waiting for him and making conversation with T’Challa and his entourage. In all honesty, Loki adored Wakanda. Maybe it was the technological advancements, or the centuries of unbroken tradition or the all female royal guard—but it reminded him of home. Of course, the Wakandans did not share his same sentiment and as he approached they were guarded and reserved. It would take a lot for them to stop seeing him as the pawn of Thanos and start seeing him as a Thor saw him—a hero, a prince and an ally of Asgard. 

Thor saw him and gave him a wide smile. “Brother! I saw the recording of your meeting. A true victory!” Thor clapped him on the shoulder and Loki returned his smile.

Turning to the Wakanda leadership, Loki gave a small bow. “King T’Challa,” he greeted. 

“I appreciate what you have done for Wakanda and the Avengers,” T’Challa said, “But as I was just telling your brother, I still do not trust you to always do what is best for the whole.”

“I’m hurt,” Loki replied, but his playful smile didn’t match his words. “After all, I’m a diplomat now and that means I will always do what is best for Asgard and her allies. Are you one of our allies, King T’Challa?”

The Wakanda king frowned at Loki’s tone and stared at him for a few moments, appraising him. “I am an ally of Thor’s,” he responded in a careful tone. 

“Well then, it seems that, like it or not, you will have to learn to trust me.”

Thor nervously looked from Loki to T’Challa, waiting for some further arguing and when none came he laughed. “It’s good to see you’re making friends, brother.” Turning to T’Challa, he tried to look more serious. “I assure you Man of Panthers, I trust Loki with my life. He has fought by my side in many battles for the good of Asgard and the universe, and I know he would do it again. You have my word, he is trustworthy.”

T’Challa looked as surprised as Loki did. T’Challa knew how important and binding oaths were to the Asgardians and no matter how often Thor expressed his admiration and trust for his brother since the destruction of Asgard, Loki didn’t think he would ever get used to it. 

Brunnhilde approached them, her Valkyrie armor looking as out of place in the sleek modern UN building as Thor’s kingly attire, but if she noticed she didn’t show it. Loki watched how the crowd parted around Brunnhilde as she walked and he smiled, wondering how the UN would like it she were Asgard’s representative instead of him. After ten minutes they would practically beg to have him back. 

“All-Brothers,” she greeted, with a secret smile. Heimdall had coined the title, back on the ark. Thor was pretty sure he had said it in jest, but somehow it stuck and now that was what everyone called them. Thor and Loki, All-Brothers on the throne of Asgard. “If we plan to make all of the appointments of the day, we had better go,” Brunnhilde informed them. 

“Of course,” Thor replied with a boyish smile. “Until next time, my friends.”

T’Challa crossed his arms in the Wakanda salute which Thor, Loki and Brunnhilde returned. 

Brunnhilde led the way to the slab of concrete the UN had laid especially for them. It was still freshly singed from their arrival and there was no doubt it would only continue to be worn away with further usage. Loki thought back on his conversation with T’Challa and frowned. “They still don’t trust me, brother,” he grumbled.

“They will,” Thor replied. Lifting Stormbreaker to the sky, he opened the bifrost and with a flash of light they were taken home to Asgard. 

Thanks for reading. Should I write more? Let me know!

Special thanks to @the-spastic-pen for pre-reading.

[clubofinfo]

Expert: The truth of corporate journalism, and the great irony of its obsession with ‘fake news’, is that it is itself utterly fake. What could be more obviously fake than the idea that Truth can be sold by billionaire-owned media dependent on billionaire-owned advertisers for maximised profit? The ‘mainstream’ worldview is anything but – it is extreme, weird, a product of corporate conformity and deference to power. As Norman Mailer observed: There is an odour to any Press Headquarters that is unmistakeable… The unavoidable smell of flesh burning quietly and slowly in the service of a machine.1 A prime example of ‘mainstream’ extremism is the way the UK’s illegal wars destroying whole countries are not an issue for corporate moralists. Physicians for Global Responsibility estimate that 1.3 million people have been killed in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan alone. And yet it is simply understood that UK wars will not be a theme during general elections (See here and here). By contrast, other kinds of ‘inappropriate behaviour’ are subject to intense scrutiny. Consider the recent resignation of Defence Secretary Michael Fallon and his replacement by Prime Minister Theresa May’s Chief Whip, Gavin Williamson. Fallon resigned after it was revealed that he had ‘repeatedly touched the broadcaster Julia Hartley-Brewer’s knee at a dinner in 2002’. Fallon was damaged further by revelations that he had lunged at journalist Jane Merrick: This was not a farewell peck on the cheek, but a direct lunge at my lips. The Commons leader Andrea Leadsom also disclosed that she had complained about ‘lewd remarks’ Fallon had made to her. Sexual harassment is a serious issue, despite the scoffing of some male commentators. In the Mail on Sunday, Peter Hitchens shamefully dismissed women’s complaints as mere ‘squawking’. But it is strange indeed that, while harassment is rightly deemed a resigning offence, other ‘inappropriate behaviour’ leaves ‘mainstream’ commentators completely unmoved. Fallon voted for both the 2003 war that destroyed Iraq and the 2011 war that wrecked Libya. He voted for war on Syria. He voted for replacing the Trident nuclear missile system. Earlier this year, he even declared that Britain would be willing to launch a nuclear first strike. After he was made Secretary of Defence in July 2014, Fallon oversaw the supply of weapons to Saudi Arabia waging war on Yemen. Two years later, Campaign Against Arms Trade reported that UK sales to Saudi Arabia since the start of the war included £2.2 billion of aircraft, helicopters and drones, £1.1 billion of missiles, bombs and grenades, and nearly half a million pounds’ worth of tanks and other armoured vehicles. British sales of military equipment to the kingdom topped £1.1bn in the first half of this year alone. In December 2016, Fallon admitted that internationally banned cluster munitions supplied by the UK had been used in Saudi Arabia’s bombing campaign. Six months earlier, Amnesty International had reported that British-made cluster bombs were being used in attacks on civilians that had claimed the lives of children. For none of these horrors did Fallon resign. So what kind of conflict are these weapons fuelling? The Guardian reports this week: Yemen is in the grip of the world’s worst cholera outbreak and 7 million people are already on the brink of famine. In July, Reliefweb reported: The scale of the food crisis in conflict-ridden Yemen is staggering with 17 million people – two thirds of the population – severely food insecure and seven million of these on the verge of famine. Director-General of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, José Graziano da Silva, has described Yemen as the UN’s ‘largest humanitarian crisis today’, noting that conflict and violence have disrupted agriculture, with violence intensifying in areas most short of food. In December 2016, a study by UNICEF, the UN children’s agency, found that at least one child was dying in Yemen every 10 minutes. The agency found that, since 2014, there had been a 200 per cent increase in children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, with almost half a million affected. Nearly 2.2 million children were in need of urgent care. This week, the Saudi-led coalition declared it would close Yemen’s borders to prevent an alleged flow of weapons from Iran, after it intercepted a missile attack by Houthi rebels near Riyadh, the Saudi capital. Johan Mooij, Yemen director of Care International, commented: For the last two days, nothing has got in or out of the country. Fuel prices have gone up by 50% and there are queues at the gas stations. People fear no more fuel will come into Hodeidah port. He added: People depend on the humanitarian aid and part of the cholera issue [is] that they do not eat and are not strong enough to deal with unclean water. There have been ‘daily airstrikes in Sana’a,’ Mooij said, adding: ‘People fear the situation is escalating.’ On Monday, the UN’s World Food Program said that, out of Yemen’s entire population of 28 million people, about 20 million, ‘do not know where they’re going to get their next meal’. These are Fallon’s millions, May’s millions, the ‘mainstream’s’ millions. In the Independent, Mary Dejevsky made the only mention of Yemen in an article discussing Fallon’s resignation that we have seen in the national corporate press: In the Middle East [on Fallon’s watch], the UK made great efforts to maintain its alliance with Saudi Arabia – and the arms sales that went with it – playing down the desperate plight of Yemen which was a by-product of this policy. Mass death, Iraq and Libya destroyed, millions of lives torn apart, profiteering in the billions from the torture of an impoverished, famine-stricken nation – none of this was deemed worthy even of mention in considering the record of Fallon and his ‘inappropriate behaviour’. As for his replacement, the Guardian‘s Andrew Sparrow tweeted a link to his blog piece titled: ’10 things you might not know about Gavin Williamson’. Vital facts included news that the new Defence Secretary ‘kept a pet tarantula called Cronus on his desk’, ‘likes hedgehogs’, ‘is only 41’, and ‘went to a comprehensive school’. Sparrow was adhering to the journalistic convention that parliamentary politics should be depicted as a light-hearted, Wodehousian farce. It is all a bit of a laugh – everybody means well. Despite Williamson’s lethal new role, the word ‘war’ was not mentioned. Preoccupied with spiders and hedgehogs, Sparrow found no space to mention that Williamson ‘almost always voted for use of UK military forces in combat operations overseas’. He voted for war in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. He voted against the Yemen motion put before the House of Commons in October 2016 that merely called on the Government to suspend its support for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition forces in Yemen until it had been determined whether they had been responsible for war crimes. The motion was defeated by 283 votes to 193, telling us everything we need to know about the ‘mainstream’s’ much-loved myth that British policy is motivated by a ‘responsibility to protect’. The BBC’s political editor Laura Kuenssberg tweeted a link to the BBC’s own comedy profile, which also discussed the tarantula and other nonsense, and made no mention of Williamson’s record on war. We asked Kuenssberg: Will you be asking him if he has any regrets on voting against the Yemen motion to suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia, given the vast civilian crisis? We received no reply. The extreme cognitive dissonance guiding ‘mainstream’ moral outrage was again highlighted by the Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff, who tweeted: Can’t help thinking that now would be quite a good time for the first ever female defence secretary, really We asked: What difference would it make to the civilians dying under our bombs in Yemen and Syria? Isn’t that the key issue on “defence”? Hinsliff did not reply. But the answer, of course, is that it would make no difference at all. * Mailer, The Time Of Our Time, Little Brown, 1998, p.457. http://clubof.info/