A Small Intermission

 Welcome back or welcome to the blog if you're new. 

Firstly, let me apologise - I'm really not hitting those Wednesday pieces at the moment and I think it's probably fair to say that world building posts are going to drop at the weekend for the foreseeable future. I'll try to get back on track, as soon as I can but life is taking things in a less than brilliant direction of late. 

With that in mind, I want to take this week to post a more personal piece reflecting on what's going on in the news. Inevitably, that means talking about the USA, because of course the events there are dominating the headlines and overshadowing things that the UK government is doing. 

My Political Beliefs

To be upfront about my perspective, I lean left politically and while I've always seen myself as being on the centre left, I oppose the rightwards drift we've seen since the start of the 21st Century. I do believe that the state should provide a safety net for people and that class politics are valid. I also believe in anti-racism, I'm a feminist, believe in disabled people's rights, and that LGBT+ people should be equal in our society. I also, as you may have picked up from the Werewolf: the Apocalypse pieces believe that climate change is real and we should be doing more to fix those problems. I believe in cooperation between nations and that things like the EU are largely beneficial. 

The things happening in the world are bad enough but since the start of this year it definitely feels like things have grown that much worse. Much of that is coming from the west, with deportations, discussion of how climate change isn't real, the targeting of education, and other acts that run in direct opposition to my values on display. To put it in Werewolf: the Apocalypse terms, it feels like the Wyrm has reached out, accelerating destruction and corruption worldwide. If the Garou Nation were real, their fight would have just become even more desperate.

A Reflection On America's Current Politics

What’s happening in America right now is alarming, and it feels like things are spiralling out of control. I know that the speed is part of the point in the takedown of the American state (and I know that some people are highly supportive of what's going on - I don't understand that). Two months after the Inauguration, the pace of change isn’t slowing down—is that concerning? I think so. It feels like chaos is the goal, and the 'firehose of falsehood' is operating at full blast, making it impossible to see where things truly stand until it’s too late. The lack of a clear end goal only makes it more unsettling. I've heard that the plan is for the US to go back to the 1850s, which frankly sounds atrocious for everyone but people like Donald Trump (rich, white, and privileged). 

The recent rise in tourists from Europe being detained by ICE, which has led to the British and German governments issuing travel warnings for the USA, shows that this has an impact beyond America's borders. In Europe, there's an understanding that the post World War 2 order has now fundamentally broken and so we see the EU determining that it must be able to defend itself against Russia within five years. At the same time, Keir Starmer is working with EU leaders to aid Ukraine, which is a positive, but both these moves reflect a new reality that the US cannot be relied upon for aid. The love Trump appears to have for dictators has altered the course of other countries already. Trump’s repeated comments about adding Canada as a 51st state and taking over Greenland may have been dismissed as bluster in the past, but if acted upon, they could create a dangerous geopolitical crisis. Both Canada and Denmark (which owns Greenland) are NATO members, meaning an attack on them would trigger collective defence obligations. If this escalated, the EU could find itself fighting a war on two fronts—one against a rogue US, and another if Russia seized the opportunity to expand its influence.

How America's Politics Might Affect The UK

The world feels like it's creeping towards a major crisis. The new administration seems to be testing every boundary to see how much it can exploit while the rest of us watch on in horror (or, sadly, glee). The worst thing is the feeling of helplessness and the questions that spring to mind. I find myself asking what I can do to show my disapproval (aside from writing blog pieces) and fearing for my country, the UK, because it's been so common to see America sneeze and the UK catch a cold over the past decades. For decades, we’ve watched the US struggle with its internal chaos, only to feel the aftershocks here in the UK. It’s no longer just a cold—it’s the fevered tremors of a deeper political sickness that we’re now starting to feel. The race riots over summer 2024 confirmed that there are still racists and autocrats in the UK, and while I hope, no I pray, that the horror which most British people are watching the States will swing us in a new direction I'm deathly afraid that it won't be the case.  

It feels as if the best thing we can do right now is focus on how to keep the UK out of the hands of extremists, keep our country as a place of reason and hope against this potential barrage of political cold germs (to drag out the metaphor). I have some hope that our governments having to fight tooth and nail to get new laws onto the books would help if the likes of Reform, or the far right wing of the Conservative Party took power, but there's no guarantees and the leaders of both those parties seem happy to engage in culture wars and disinformation. None of us can afford to hope someone else will fix the problem for us; each of us must act. 

What We Can Do

Getting involved is a good thing. Write to your MP, go and see them when they hold surgeries and make your concerns known. Keep up the pressure too, don't just be a one time email writer or surgery attender, let them get to know you and make sure that they know you care and will hold them to account. Register to vote, and do so for progressive candidates (and if you're worrying about Labour in the UK, just remember where 14 years of Tory rule left us), and push for electoral reform. Countries with proportional representation systems have proved more resistant to far right insurgencies than countries operating under First Past The Post. To get involved in this fight in the UK, please visit the Electoral Reform Society's site. 

If possible, get involved in your local community and seek solidarity with other groups. Ever since the 1980s, but especially since Glasnost, the broad alliance across the Left has splintered into innumerable different groups, each of which pushes for its own group. Once the West "won" the Cold War, there was an assumption that capitalism would help everyone, that it would "lift all boats" and that it was more important to address systemic prejudices against minorities. That, of course, didn't happen, and 2008's economic crash with the austerity that followed it and continuing deindustrialisation only compounded the situation. This is one reason many people in the working classes have drifted away from Labour and to the far right, because while the far right doesn't care about them, they appear to address their concerns. They appear to argue for a return to a world where the state will step in and help - even if that's the last thing on their agenda (if anything Nigel Farage appears to want to take the UK back to the anarcho-capitalism of the Victorian period).

Putting all of that aside, we have a common enemy to fight. Whatever we disagree on, the fact is we don't want a country where anyone who isn't a neurotypical, able-bodied, white, straight, middle class man will be in trouble. I don't want to conjure the spectre of concentration camps and the like, because that sounds like hyperbole - even with the illegal flights taking Venezuelans to prisons in El Salvador. It feels like madness to think that UKVI staff might start dragging people off the street. But, "it couldn't happen here" is magical thinking and we can't sit by and pretend there isn't a chance that it could. It's imperative that we build alliances across communities to vote to keep Reform and the Tories out, to sway Labour towards more progressive ends and shape the country to look how we want it to. 

On top of that, let's get in at the grassroots, let's do things to make our communities better and more accessible. Let's work in concert to feed back to our Councillors and MPs about what isn't working and get to the bottom of why things don't work in the UK. It's so important that democracy is a conversation and without our feedback of course our MPs will just do what the party leadership tells them to. It's a little like a relationship, if you don't talk to each other you won't last very long. 

Volunteering Links

If you'd like to step in this direction, here's a list of places you can find community projects to get involved with, along with links: 

Do-It.org: One of the largest volunteer databases in the UK, offering a range of opportunities in various sectors, from environmental and community projects to supporting those with disabilities and combating poverty. Do-It.org

Volunteering Matters: This charity runs volunteer programs across the UK. They focus on making a difference in communities through inclusive, accessible, and effective volunteering. Volunteering Matters

The Volunteer Centre Network: The UK Volunteer Centres offer local information, with each centre having resources specific to their community’s needs. You can find opportunities in your region here. Volunteer Centres Network

Local Giving: This platform connects people with local charities and projects, providing ways for individuals to donate, volunteer, or fundraise for causes that matter to them. Local Giving

Street Support Network: A collaboration of local charities and community organisations that are dedicated to helping the homeless and vulnerable. Check your local area’s Street Support page for volunteer roles and projects. Street Support Network

Campaign Against Climate Change: If you're passionate about tackling climate change, this group offers various ways to get involved, from grassroots actions to lobbying government officials. Campaign Against Climate Change

The Big Issue Foundation: They work to support homeless people across the UK, offering opportunities to volunteer in various ways, whether through fundraising, outreach, or direct assistance. The Big Issue Foundation

Greenpeace UK: Greenpeace offers ways to join in climate activism, including local campaigns, street outreach, and community events. Greenpeace UK

Community Action Network (CAN): This is a UK-based charity that helps communities take action, whether that’s environmental, social, or political activism. They also offer a directory of local organisations to get involved with. Community Action Network

UK Youth: A platform for young people (aged 8-25) to get involved in various activities that aim to empower, inspire, and build youth leadership. UK Youth

The Struggle Online

Unfortunately, we do need to be vigilant online as well. We can't ignore the virtual world - it is where a lot of the discourse which has led to the rise of the far right has been centred, after all. It's clear that we need to be on the side of facts, and to ask for them at every turn. Assume that if people won't back up their points with facts and links to sources they're lying, but also be willing to look for your own resources to back up your arguments. I think the two main questions we should be asking at this point are "how", and "why". These work to almost all assertions, ask how a certain policy would actually benefit people and why people think that it's necessary. If the person who's extolling the position you're questioning can't tell you why they think it's important or how they think a change would help, it's probably safe to assume they don't know what they're talking about. (If more people had asked why and how in 2016, perhaps we'd have stayed in the EU... just saying).  

Fact Checking Resources

To do this, I'd suggest referring to the following sites:

FactCheck.org – A project from the Annenberg Public Policy Center, this site focuses on fact-checking claims made by U.S. politicians, political ads, and other influential figures.

Full Fact – A UK-based independent fact-checking organization that covers political claims, statistics, and other matters in the media.

PolitiFact – A Pulitzer Prize-winning site that fact-checks political statements, news, and policy discussions in the U.S. It uses a "Truth-O-Meter" to grade claims.

Snopes – Known for debunking rumours, hoaxes, and urban legends, Snopes is one of the longest-standing fact-checking resources on the internet.

The Conversation – While not strictly a fact-checking site, The Conversation provides in-depth articles from academic experts, offering factual analysis on current events and complex topics.

Reuters Fact Check – Reuters offers a fact-checking service that focuses on viral social media claims, misinformation, and other newsworthy topics.

BBC Reality Check – The BBC’s own fact-checking unit that addresses misleading claims or information circulating in the news and social media, particularly in the UK.

Media Bias/Fact Check – A site that assesses the reliability, bias, and factual accuracy of various news outlets, helping you spot potentially unreliable sources.

Narratives

Don't forget, many people on the Right say that facts don't care about your feelings - and most people who use that line also don't care about facts. In fact, most of their rhetoric doesn't pass a fact check, or has just enough truth that it sounds right before vanishing off into a fantasy world far more ornate than one an author or world-builder would be willing to construct. So much of their power comes from stories and I wish we could just counter those with facts, but we need stories too. Our brains operate on them far more than they do facts, which is one reason the rhetoric about immigrants, trans athletes (and just so we're clear, most transwomen aren't elite athletes, just as most transmen aren't going to be amazing boxers - Patricio Manuel aside) has been pushed so hard. It's not just that most people don't know a trans person or an immigrant, the chances of them reacting positively to any they do meet has been reduced because of propaganda. The story makers on the Right rely on prejudices and simple us v them narratives to gain support, mostly through shock, awe, and a sense that these "new" elements in our society are somehow taking advantage of us, acting unjustly, and doing abhorrent things like eating pets, or if you're in the UK, swans! Let's make our own, showing cooperation, showing community spirit, and other positive things. Please, tell everyone about how positive experiences, especially if they're with people the autocrats want you to despise. Show the humanity we all share, so we can't forget how much we have in common. 

In Closing

Drawing a close to this piece, it's hard not to simply put a pithy slogan and move on. Unfortunately, I don't think that would provide the respect the matter at hand requires. Too many people think that Trump will perish and things will go back to normal: spoiler, they won't. The Right doesn't want things to go back to "normal", and the Left shouldn't want it to - or if we do it should be a stepping stone to build a world that supports everyone instead of leaving a lot of people feeling lost, alone, and afraid. While there's no resurrecting the USSR (and nor should we want to), our critiques of white supremacist patriarchal capitalism and its excesses are still relevant. It's not beyond our wit as a species to build a better way and we shouldn't let ourselves off the hook simply because its hard to do. 

I hope you found this useful, I hope we can build a better, fairer, future. I hope things will turn out alright. I hope when the dust settles, there's something left to rebuild.