Conservative politicians don't seem to have the same relationship with consistency and truth that most of us have. When facts - such as the low turnout in Thursday's elections - become inconvenient they are quite content to do a 180 degree flip on their public view. When Trade Unions hold ballots the Conservatives complain when a decision to strike is made on the basis of a 30% response. But when some right-wing political hack with zero policing experience is elected by less than 15% of the voters in their minds everything is suddenly fine!
My impression that conservatives are the architects of their own misery only enhances my liberal glee. Cameron, the Old Etonian, is still blaming freeloading Brits who want a fairer share of the wealth of the country for many of the problems we are facing. The only explanation for his delusions is that the conservative controlled media and his campaign consultants, having lied for years about everything from global warming to the causes of the deficit, have started to believe their own propaganda . Whether conservatives will now learn their lesson and exhibit more skepticism about their self-selected facts remains to be seen.
My feeling is that this is most unlikely - for one very good reason. The conservative mindset and scientific method are poles apart and there’s no real reason to think conservatives are going to sharpen up on this now.
The religious right in the US isn't much better. Most of them don't seem to mind Romney’s nonstop lying, even though his constantly changing positions made it unclear where he would have stood if he ever made it to the presidency. I've heard it suggested that republicans, after years of training themselves to enjoy the garbage poured out by their media outlets such as Fox News, now rely on openly lying as a kind of comfort blanket.
No comments:
Post a Comment