Bubblehammerblog

The contradictions thrown up by capitalism have become so glaringly obvious that they can blot out the horizon, fog the landscape, occlude the moon.

What we need now is a plain, ergonomic tool that can be used by anyone to understand the workings of histories and societies. A simple use for such a tool would be the production of slogans. Au pouvoir l'imagination*, seems an apt example. But it would have many other uses and become the Swiss army knife of revolutionaries.

Engineering such a device might start by drawing up various schemata. I came across a recent example of one these at UbuWeb Written by Henry Flynt, it can be found at: http://goo.gl/2geRv

* The original as I recall it was au pouvoir l'imaginaire. My Petit Larousse has under imaginaire : Qui n'existe que dans l'imagination: chimérique. Someone might explain this to me.

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I read today that the odious twat Martin Amis intends to leave England for good, citing family reasons but also bemoaning the 'moral decrepitude' of the country. He intends to write a novel, to be called 'The State of England', in which he will deliver a clip round the lughole to his disappointing homeland. He doesn't want to be English anymore.

I met Amis once, many years ago. I was limping through Hyde Park, having just had my foot run over by a motorbike. I was almost penniless due to the drink and needed tube fare to get me home. It's never bothered me asking strangers for money; if I'm approached myself I invariably cough up respectfully, recalling a saying of the Besht about not turning your back on an outstretched hand.

It was only when I was halfway through my politely delivered request for a pound coin that I realised I was speaking to a famous son of a famous writer, though I didn't mention it to him.

I think he was alarmed by my Northern accent, which can sound barbarous to his kind, though we speak a more authentic German dialect. He wouldn't look at me, refused me the coin, and concluded the exchange with the words 'Now move on.'

It wasn't his refusal of the coin but those final words, with their intimation of a police order, that caused my knuckles to tingle. I considerd punching him in the face, but thought better of it since the park was busy and my lame foot might impede flight. Now when I glimpse him on TV or see his face in the paper I feel a small pang of regret over that missed opportunity. He has eminently punchable features. If he doesn't deserve a fat lip for refusing me a quid all those years ago he deserves it for the ignorant remarks he made in Manchester about Muslims.

I agree with much of what Amis said about England – but has he only just noticed that the monarchy are philistines and the culture superficial? He clearly despises working people, (the leading character of his new novel is a lottery winning violent criminal called 'Lionel Asbo'), imagining that they are responsible for the superficiality of the tabloid press and the loathsome 'celebrity culture' that fills it..

He can't help feeling nostagic for the Empire though, and like others of his class links it's passing to the continuing decline we're experiencing now. He says that were he to be offered a knighthood he'd refuse it. That's how jolly well fed up he is. You can hear guff like this at the bar of any boozer in the Home Counties.

And where's Amis going to escape English philistinism and superficiality? You guessed it – America.

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From today’s Ha’aretz, under the headline, Israel's plan for next year's school curriculum: Reinforcing Jewish and Zionist values

A survey released two weeks ago found that 60% of Jewish youths aged 15-18 believe "strong" leaders are more important than the rule of law, and 70% believe that when the state's security needs and democratic values conflict, security should win out. In addition, 46% said Arabs should not be allowed to serve in the Knesset, and 50% said they opposed having Arabs live in their neighborhood. The main trend is that Jewish nationalist values were growing stronger, and respect for democratic-liberal values were weakening, concluded the survey-makers.

So Jewish values and Zionist values are the same thing?

I know this is too easy a trick to pull but let’s turn the clock back to, say, 1935, and run that paragraph again:

A survey released two weeks ago found that 60% of German youths aged 15-18 believe "strong" leaders are more important than the rule of law, and 70% believe that when the state's security needs and democratic values conflict, security should win out. In addition, 46% said Jews should not be allowed to serve in the Reichstag, and 50% said they opposed having Jews live in their neighborhood. The main trend is that German nationalist values were growing stronger, and respect for democratic-liberal values were weakening, concluded the survey-makers.

Far too easy.

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