NOT SUBMITTED TO THE SUN HERALD
In “Homage To Catalonia,” an account of his experiences fighting in the Spanish Civil War, George Orwell described, in general, the political forces operating in the war:
Spain, under free-market capitalism, had become a nation in which the wealthy few owned all of the usable property, making the rest of the populace dependent upon them for survival.
The people elected a “mildly left-wing” president who promised a more equitable distribution of land.
General Francisco Franco led a portion of his army in revolt against the new government, in favor of the status quo.
The people of Spain, along with loyal government troops, organized militias and opposed the army.
As things progressed, there were three political views contesting the nature of any future government; the “fascists,” represented by Franco’s army, wanted a government that would preserve the power of the rich, the “socialists” wanted the government to control everything and thus ensure a “fair” society, and the “anarchists” wanted to keep government power local, where they might actually be able to control it.
In the end, while still bitterly fighting each other, the fascists and socialists simultaneously fought to destroy the anarchists.
Orwell criticized the international media for creating an image of the war as a “battle between capitalism and communism,” while neglecting the third political perspective.
This was unfortunate since, as history has shown, ANY powerful central government, including our own, ends up serving mainly the wealthy, and the only security for “the people” is in keeping power close to home.
Today, appreciation of the benefits of “local sovereignty” has been all but eliminated from the public’s mind – so much so that, in response to problems that were CAUSED by our placing too much trust in distant interests, we feel we have no choice but to give them even more.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and each time expecting different results.”