An Old Trick.

I was reading today about the laws being enacted in California in response to Trump’s anti-immigration tactics. Foremost was the banning of law enforcement personnel and I.C.E. officials from wearing face masks – which they do, presumably, to hide their identity.

Remember the days of the old westerns when it was the bad guys who wore handkerchiefs over their faces? This isn’t making America great again; this is making American culture increasingly sinister. Surely there are enough intelligent Americans to see where this is taking them.

When I said in a post a long time ago that Trump might lead the way to a second American civil war, it was a tongue-in-cheek remark. Now I’m not so sure. And maybe Trump knows it, too. Maybe that’s why he’s pre-empting the situation by militarising the cities.

Over on this side of the pond, Starmer and his so-called Labour Party are now planning to make the carrying of identity cards obligatory for everybody. He says it will make life easier and safer.

Well of course he does. That’s what they always say when there’s a perceived need to make the populace acquiescent. True dictators only have to say the word to have their orders obeyed without question, but dear old Blighty still likes to think of itself as a free country. And so, if the government wants to erode liberties and send the sheep securely into the pen, it helps to persuade people that it’s for their benefit.