Princess Mononoke (1997)

Princess Mononoke is a Studio Ghibli film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki, an artistic genius, was heavily involved in all aspects of his films. Mononoke is no exception. Mononoke is a nuanced film. On one level, one may read it as Miyazaki's reflection on his home country, Japan, particularly its history and industrial development. On another level, one may read it as a drama of material and spiritual forces in conflict. On the broadest level, one may read it as Miyazaki's deepest exploration of nature and humanitys relationship with it.

Princess Mononoke, or San, with a wolf god

Like many great works of art, the relevance and power of Mononoke has increased with time. Mononoke is a staggering masterpiece of narrative animation, demonstrating without doubt that animation narratives can be just as serious, artistic and meaningful as live-action ones. 

Many works of art contain vital lessons and can have a positive impact on those who experience them. Mononoke is one of those works. Particularly, I think Mononoke is relevant to our world leaders. Mononoke takes a subtle, accurate and multi-dimensional view on the nature of conflict and provides deep insight into humanitys greatest problems. Unfortunately, many of our current world leaders, particularly the ones with most material influence and power, do not embody the lessons of this film.

The setting of Mononoke is partly historical, set in Japan in the Muromachi period (1338-1573), and partly imaginative and mythical, as its world is populated by gods and spirits. This point already indicates the subtlety of Miyazaki's thought. Although Miyazaki's worlds are richly imaginative and fantastical, they are also serious comments on history, society and culture.

The start of Mononoke introduces us to Ashitaka, a human, and one of the gods, a boar god named Nago. In an aggressive demonic state, Nago charges into an Emishi village. Ashitaka, a prince of this village, attempts to stop the demonic god from harming the villagers. In doing so, Ashitaka becomes infected by the malevolent force that infected the god.

Ashitaka

An elderly woman of this village, Oracle, informs Ashitaka that without help, regarding his infection, he will die, and that help may be found to the west, where Nago came from, so long as Ashitaka "sees with eyes unclouded". Before Ashitaka leaves, Oracle presents a lump of iron that was found within Nago, the cause of his anguish and demonic state. Oracle also informs Ashitaka of the social turmoil and calamity that is occurring in the west. During Ashitakas travels we see evidence of such turmoil plaguing the lands, from desperate villagers to pillaging samurai.

To clarify, in "real life" historical terms, the Emishi village of which Ashitaka is a prince would have been one of the few remaining. By the 9th century AD, most of the land the Emishi had occupied was conquered by the Japanese imperial armies. The Emishi tribes were thus driven northward. Before Ashitaka leaves his village for the west, an elderly villager states "More than 500 years have passed since the Mikado drove us into this land. Now we hear how his power fades and the fangs of his shoguns are broken. But the blood of our tribe likewise grows thin. And, bitter fate, the youth who was to lead us must journey far to the west".

With Ashitaka travelling to the west, we are introduced to the primary conflict of the film. This conflict is between the rise of industry and materialism, symbolised by lady Eboshi and Irontown, and the ancient order of animism and nature, symbolised by the gods and spirits. More broadly, this conflict represents the clash of two fundamental human attitudes and philosophical positions. Materialism and spiritualism.

Eboshi is a human. She is in charge of an iron manufacturing town, fittingly named Irontown. In order to produce iron, Eboshi is involved in the destruction of the surrounding forests, the dwelling place of the gods and spirits. For this reason and others, she is a fierce opponent of such gods. Particularly, Eboshi is an enemy of the wolf gods. Another human, San, or Princess Mononoke, is a member of the wolf god clan.

Ashitaka arrives at Irontown with two of its injured inhabitants, who were left for dead by Eboshi after an attack from the wolf gods. Here we learn that the women who work the bellows of the town were once prostitutes, and that Eboshi gave them the opportunity of another way of life. We also learn that Eboshi houses and cares for lepers. But as well as these factors, we are made aware that Eboshi was responsible for the iron lump lodged within Nago, and thus also responsible for the negative curse transferred to Ashitaka. We are made aware that Eboshi is destroying the forest of the gods to produce iron and that when the boar gods attempted to stop her, those gods were shot at with guns made at Irontown. Eboshi has nothing but disdain for the gods. The gods understandably loathe and want to destroy her. Negative and positive aspects of Eboshi's personality are addressed here in order to illustrate that conflicts are always complex and never absolute or one-sided. This multi-dimensionality, in terms of conflict and human personality, is what makes Mononoke such a powerful film that accurately renders reality.

The gods that we encounter, mainly the boar and wolf gods, are in no way idealised, one-dimensional or supremely intelligent creatures. They possess magical powers, but are arguably just as ruthless and blind as Eboshi. Eboshi, the industrialist and materialist, aggressively wants to expand her domain and power, but also aims to protect her village and it's inhabitants. The gods, particularly the wolf gods and San, aggressively want to destroy Eboshi, in order to stop her destruction of the forest in which they and others live. Both sides are understandable and multi-faceted, but are also blinded by aggression and stubbornness. It takes the indefatigable fairness, sensitivity and will of an outsider, Ashitaka, to help resolve the conflict.

San and Lady Eboshi

The film, I feel, seems to be advising us that blind aggression can only lead to unnecessary suffering and pain. This film is a modern parable or fable showing us that every issue, every conflict and every human being is nuanced, and that when we recognise this we can begin to act with fairness and we can begin to heal the deep wounds of society. A character like Ashitaka is admirable and noble because, while being intelligent, kind and just, he is also determined, steadfast and strong. The character of Nausicaa, who appears in Studio Ghiblis first film Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, also embodies these laudable characteristics.

San and Eboshi are figures with much charisma. They have great agency, determination and will. They are both physically powerful, as well as being intelligent and perceptive. Miyazaki's portrayal of female characters is highly significant and runs through all his films and manga. This topic alone deserves more study and focus.

Three of Miyazakis films - Mononoke, Spirited Away (2001) and My Neighbour Totoro (1988) - are heavily influenced by the indigenous religion of Japan, Shinto. The gods of 

Tree spirits, or Kodama, from Mononoke

Mononoke may be seen as kami, Shinto gods. Though it is not spelled out, in Mononoke such gods are animal embodiments of spirits. Shishigami, for example, is, diurnally, a deer god embodying the spirit of the forest. Refreshingly, there are no absolutes in Shinto. There are no rigid divisions between right and wrong and figures are not absolutely good or evil. In this respect, Shinto recognises the multi-dimensional nature of reality, as does Mononoke. The greatest insight to be derived from Mononoke is that there are no binary divisions in the world. Its characters and conflicts are multi-faceted and complicated. Kodama, tree spirits that occur in Japanese folklore, also appear in Mononoke. Such points show that Mononoke, as well as being embedded in Japanese history, is also embedded in Japanese folklore and religion.

As well as being at war with the gods, Eboshi is at war with lord Asano and his samurai. Eboshi has plans with Jigo, a sly character of stout stature. Eboshi is to obtain the head of the forest spirit for Jigo, who claims that they can then destroy lord Asano together. Jigo works for the emperor, and it is implied that the emperor believes the head of the forest spirit will bestow immortality. We do not actually see lord Asano or the emperor; this does not affect the plot. The conflicts between Irontown and lord Asano, as well as Jigo and the emperor's involvement, further demonstrate the social turmoil that the film depicts. In this respect the film has various levels; historical, political, social, as well as philosophical and mythical.

After a devastating battle between Irontown and the boar and wolf gods, Eboshi's ultimate harmful act is the shooting of Shishigami, the forest spirit. Shishigami, arguably intended by Miyazaki to be an embodiment or personification of nature, is not an explicitly good, righteous or compassionate figure. Shishigami does not take sides or express a particular point of view. It is a giver and taker of life. There is something about the forest spirit that commands the utmost respect. It is elusive, silent and uninvolved in ordinary conflicts. After the forest spirit's head is captured by Jigo, the same spirit, in its nocturnal nightwalker manifestation, roams the land in search for it, destroying all life in its path. Eboshi's negative selfish intentions have created harmful demonic effects, as they had with Nago. When the forest spirit regains its head, curses are lifted and life restored. 

Though Eboshi and the gods are arguably as blind and harmful as each other, Eboshi comes across as worse. It is Eboshi who initiated the main conflict by destroying the dwelling place of the gods (Eboshi started it!) and Eboshi decapitated the forest spirit for purely selfish reasons. The wolf and boar gods are at least aware of the importance of Shishigami. But these reasons alone, maybe, are not enough to claim that Eboshi comes across as worse. After the battle between Irontown and the gods, Ashitaka informs Eboshi that lord Asanos samurai are attacking Irontown, and its women, and that such women have asked for and require Eboshi's help. But Eboshi does not return to Irontown, stating that she has done all she can for her women, and carries on with her task of decapitating the forest spirit. This dismissive and selfish act undermines what had been suggested earlier on in the film, in that it was implied that she cared for the women of her town. Similarly, earlier in the film, Eboshi leaves four of her men for dead after an attack from the wolf gods. Further showing that, when it comes down to it, Eboshi does not care for her people and is certainly not loyal to them. Such points may be seen as a criticism of the film, in that the film attempts, in other scenes, to show Eboshi as being somewhat caring.

Lady Eboshi and Jigo

Mononoke is a sophisticated, dark and brilliantly articulated exploration of important themes and phenomena. Through Ashitaka and Shishigami, we learn that to blindly and solely follow either materialism or spirituality is harmful and ineffective, and that one would do well to cooperate with as opposed to exploit ones environment. Such messages are conveyed indirectly through a narrative that in no way preaches or sermonises. In Mononoke, the world is a multi-faceted and synergetic combination of spirit and matter, with spirits taking on explicit and imaginative manifestations (as in Totoro and Spirited Away), indicating influences from Japans indigenous religion, Shinto. Industrial developments are seen as inevitable and even positive, provided that they work alongside nature. One of the main reasons Mononoke stands out to me is that rarely does one get a multi-dimensional portrayal of conflicts and characters in a story. The firm division between good and evil just seems entrenched in our ways of thinking. Also, the animation work is particularly beautiful.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

When it comes to humanity's relationship with nature, I feel there are two fundamental attitudes. There is the attitude of domination that wishes to control, subjugate and exploit nature for selfish, egotistical ends. Then there is the attitude of cooperation that aims to work with nature in a considerate and mutually respectful way. Sadly, "civilised" groups have from their inception been driven by the attitude of domination, strongly evidenced by patriarchy, organised religion and scientific materialism, and reaching a culmination with the massively destructive effects we have been having on our environment in recent times.

As an interconnected, profit-driven global society, we continue to exploit our environment. We are generating high amounts of fossil fuels, polluting the air and accelerating global warming. We are industrially trawling the oceans for fish, obliterating marine ecosystems. We are involved in industrial animal agriculture, which entails the mass destruction of forests, ocean dead zones, an over-use of pesticides and an over-production of the gases nitrous oxide and methane. The effects and implications of these practices are staggering and concern the very survival of life on Earth.

Nausicaä riding next to an ohmu

Released in 1984, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is the quintessential environmental film. In this film we find a female protagonist showing how everyone might relate to nature in an aligned, sensitive and empathetic way. Like Princess Mononoke (1997), Nausicaä is full of insight and contains vital lessons for humanity.

Nausicaä began as a manga in 1982. This beautiful, meticulously rendered manga was created by Hayao Miyazaki and completed in 1994. Miyazaki also wrote and directed the film adaptation. The manga differs from the film in various ways. In terms of plot, it is more complex. The story is also quite different. For example, the villain in the manga, Miralupa, who poses the greatest threat to Nausicaä, is not in the film.

The Nausicaä film was a significant benchmark in Miyazaki's career, employing many themes that recur throughout his oeuvre. In Nausicaä we find a multi-faceted female hero, a powerful female villain, a critique of human actions, flight as a strong theme, and powerful environmental messages.

Nausicaä was produced by Miyazaki's long time friend, associate and fellow director, Isao Takahata. The great success and popularity of Nausicaä in Japan initiated the rise of Studio Ghibli, encouraging Miyazaki and Takahata to make films in their own unique ways. It was also Miyazaki's first collaboration with music composer Joe Hisaishi, who did the soundtrack for Nausicaä and all Miyazaki's subsequent films.

Nausicaä, though just as rich and imaginative, is less fantastical than Miyazaki's other works. One would best categorise it as science fiction. It takes place on an Earth 1000 years in the future, after the failure and collapse of industrial civilisation and the destruction caused by "the seven days of fire", generated by the powerful warrior gods. Nature has made the world a dangerous and toxic place for humans to live in. Human societies still cling on, but plant life and insects dominate. The sea of corruption, not actually an ocean but a giant ever-spreading toxic forest, poses a constant threat to the human inhabitants of this future world, releasing deadly toxins that can kill humans and their crops.

Nausicaä is a princess of The Valley of the Wind tribe, daughter of the ailing King Jhil. Nausicaä swiftly appears as a charismatic and sensitive character, saving Lord Yupa, a member of The Valley of the Wind tribe and a master swordsman, from an enraged ohmu in one of the first scenes of the film.The ohmu are giant terrestrial insects who hold a highly prominent place in the film. In Nausicaä the great, enigmatic and mystical ohmu may be seen as symbols of the Earth, nature or our environment.

Nausicaä saving Lord Yupa from an enraged ohmu

Kushana leads the Tolmekians and, like Lady Eboshi from Mononoke, is one of Miyazaki's charismatic and powerful female villains. She is partly constituted of prosthetic robotic limbs due to an insect attack and is consequently consumed by a deep hatred for the insects and the sea of corruption. In the manga, Kushana's character is fairly different, where we learn more of her past and sympathise with her more. In the film we find out that, in order to burn and purge the sea of corruption, Kushana is attempting to revive one of the dormant warrior gods, which was unearthed from the kingdom of Pejite. The warrior gods may be seen as agents of pure destruction.

Nausicaä is not detached from experience and nature in the way that many others are. She is highly sensitive and receptive to her environment. From one of the Tolmekian air-crafts in which she is being held, Nausicaä spots something soaring from above. As the soaring object gradually crystallises into view, we see it is a gun-ship. Nausicaä views the gun-ship destroy a huge Tolmekian vessel and screams in desperation. Nausicaä is so strongly attuned to her environment that she can personally and physically feel each death or harmful act that occurs around her. She can't fathom why humans would inflict such unnecessary violence upon each other.

There is a cut to an effective dream sequence. Hisaishi's theme song for Nausicaä is heard in a soft and echoed way and the animation is sketched and simplified. We are seeing things from Nausicaä's perspective as a child. We hear Nausicaä resisting the adults who tower over her, whose many hands are seen prominently, as they are trying to take something from her. She is guarding a baby ohmu from them, crying "no, don't kill it!". This scene emotionally reiterates Nausicaä's relationship with the creatures around her, particularly the ohmu. We learn that she has always had a strong, intuitive and emotional bond with her environment.

Nausicaä finds herself in a large underground forest. We learn that the expansive area in which she has found herself is underneath the sea of corruption and is devoid of toxicity. Nausicaä surmises that the sea of corruption is purifying the polluted water and soil of Earth. We can thus deduce that the toxicity of the forest was caused solely by humans, via the god warriors and the seven days of fire, and that the sea of corruption has been involved in a purifying process ever since. This element of the plot may be seen as a strong social comment on humanity's development of toxic weaponry and pollution of our environment. Significant examples of the use of toxic weaponry that come to mind are the dropping of nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the use of Agent Orange, a powerful herbicide used to destroy crops and forests, in Vietnam. Both employed by the U.S and both still, after more than half a century, having toxic effects. It is also worth noting that the nuclear bombs were dropped on Miyazaki's homeland.

Nausicaä underneath the sea of corruption

Nausicaä goes to the kingdom of Pejite, which she finds has been devastated by charging ohmu. Pejite forces had angered the ohmu in order to quell the Tolmekian forces and aim to direct the rampaging ohmu to the valley of the wind, where the Tolmekians are based. The Pejite want to take back the warrior god in order to do exactly what the Tolmekians aim to do with it, purge their enemies and the sea of corruption. On discovering this, Nausicaä's disillusionment and desperation reappear. She screams for the Pejite to desist their plans. The Pejite are just as blind as the Tolmekians. They are unaware that by retaliating and attempting to purge their apparent enemies, they are perpetuating unnecessary conflicts. One can draw a parallel here with the war-mongering tendencies of recent Western governments. The ongoing, so-called "War on Terror" has undoubtedly fuelled war, death, hatred and extremism. Nausicaä is the only character in the film who has an accurate insight into the existing problems and dilemmas. Her desperation is thus an understandable and plausible reaction.

Nausicaä further discovers that the Pejite are using an intentionally maimed baby ohmu, hanging from a cable on an air-craft, to maintain the fury of the masses of ohmu. She attempts to save the baby, flying toward the Pejite who have captured it while being shot at. In spite of bullet wounds, her determination remains, steadfast, as she releases the ohmu and stops the Pejite with one of their guns. Nausicaä comforts the baby and stops it from crawling into an acidic lake which surrounds them. Nausicaa is burnt by the lake trying to help the baby. Her reactions belie desperation, again, mixed with an unwavering, indefatigable concern for the maimed ohmu.

Meanwhile, the valley inhabitants and the Tolmekians, including Kushana, face a vast sea of stampeding ohmu. The wise woman of the valley informs us that the rage of the ohmu is the rage of the Earth itself. They can't be stopped. Kushana still attempts to use the undeveloped warrior god to destroy the ohmu, but fails. Hope for escaping the raging ohmu appears lost.

Nausicaä appears with the baby ohmu, using the Pejite air-craft. She demands to be dropped, with the baby, in front of the stampeding ohmu, to the dismay of the valley people. There is a cut to Yupa, who is aboard a Pejite air-craft. The sea of ohmu below, while glowing red with fury before, gradually, from a central point, start glowing blue. They are calmed. It is Nausicaä's unconditional devotion to her environment that resolves matters. She has returned the baby and given her life to calm the masses of angered ohmu. But the ohmu lift Nausicaä's limp body with their long tendrils and rejuvenate her. We thus find that by fully and genuinely caring for our environment, our environment will work with us in a dynamic relationship of love, trust and cooperation. This scene is very emotional and expresses an incredibly vital message to humanity.

Image from the Nausicaä manga

During the film's development Nausicaä emerges as a powerful, multi-dimensional and incredibly likeable character. She has a unique and infinitely admirable affinity with the insects, and by extension nature, and she is consistently decisive, determined and steadfast. Nausicaä is an inspirational female hero, who shows us that if we are sensitive and receptive to our environment, if we learn to understand it properly, then we can live in a kind of harmony with it.

There is the argument that Nausicaä does not give enough information regarding the time and place in which it is set, unlike the manga which provides more context. The manga, for example, explains the Daikaisho and gives more detail as to how the sea of corruption was formed. In this respect, the film may have been more effective if done in two instalments. Or it could make an effective TV series. Ultimately, however, I do feel that enough information is provided for the film to work well and make sense.

Nature is the most prominent theme in Nausicaä, where we have a future projection of our world in which plants and insects dominate. Powerful social comments can be found in the film. War, environmental pollution and the use of toxic weaponry is heavily criticised. More broadly, the film criticises the blind, one-sided and egotistical acts of humans. The film explores two ways of relating to nature, as outlined earlier. It shows us, as an interconnected global society, that cooperating with our environment, as opposed to exploiting it, is how we will solve our greatest problems.

The Holy EU

It still irks me today how EU fanatics impacted UK politics so negatively, particularly the performance of Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party. I actually witnessed people crying after the referendum result. How unfortunate. Then the comedian Stewart Lee, who I normally like, writes "arguments about Brexit are tearing my family apart".

Peoples vehement emotions towards the referendum vote were cultivated by mainstream media. I distrust any issue that is constantly shoved in my face by the popular press. Genuinely significant, nefarious events in the world are always hidden from the population. Our society in fact punishes those who reveal significant events. The imprisonment of Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, is the ultimate example of this. Wikileaks revealed to us evidence of war crimes by Western Governments, along with classified information about other governments. These war crimes require deep interrogation and bring into question the fundamental workings of the imperialist societies in which we live. A humane, moral society would promote transparency and honesty in all its operations. We don't live in such a society.

The reason the referendum vote was such a polarising and divisive issue is because UK media and politicians wanted it to be. The issue was in fact nuanced. It wasn't binary and it didn't warrant emotional, childish, heated conflicts. Corbyn was one of the only politicians willing to have a measured, balanced discussion about it, and just look at the way he was treated for doing so. 

At the time, I couldn't understand why the passion and intensity reserved for the EU wasn't also reserved for other things. People were possessed by the referendum vote, in an evangelical and superstitious fashion, and significantly lacked awareness of other issues at the time. An example of one such issue was Saudi Arabia's murderous treatment of Yemen, in what is still the worst humanitarian crisis across the globe, and Britain's complicity in this. The human cost and suffering of such a crisis may be hard for us to comprehend.

We are fed superficial narratives painting the EU as a communal institution, where countries are connected and support each other. One look at Greece's treatment, in recent times, will show you that such communality doesn't exist. But even if some communality did exist, it certainly does not extend to Libya or Syria, where refugees fleeing from conflict-stricken countries are unlawfully denied access to Europe. The automatic belief that the EU is about multiculturalism, tolerance and the eradication of borders is thus erroneous.

It seemed that many liberals reached tipping points with Trump and Brexit, seemingly blind to the fact that these events were symptoms of years of oppression and corruption. My tipping point wasn't Trump or Brexit. My tipping point was thousands of innocent civilians dying in Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan. Or maybe the systematic oppression of working class people, in the US and UK, for over 40 years. Or maybe, depending on how far back we go, the Vietnam war. Or Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Corbyn was always critical of the EU, like his friend and colleague Tony Benn, with good reason. But he was clearly under immense pressure, by senior Labour colleagues, to push for another referendum vote. In this regard, the compromise that the Labour Party made at the 2019 General Election was a major factor in their defeat. Corbyn actually didn't go far left enough. By compromising and being more centrist and liberal, rather than truly progressive and left-wing, the Labour Party suffered a great election defeat. I don't think enough people get this.

Corbyn, Elections and the Case for Rebellion

Progressives have had a hopeful number of years, in both the US and UK. In the US, the huge grassroots movement of Bernie Sanders, which effectively began in 2016, inspired hope in many. Specifically hope that meaningful structural change could occur within electoral politics. Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the Labour Party, beginning in 2015, did the same in the UK. In different ways, both movements ended in electoral defeat, and are now eclipsed by a global pandemic. In each of these movements, and their eventual defeat, there are extremely vital lessons that progressives need to learn and understand. I sincerely hope they do.

The membership of the Labour Party grew under Corbyn to about half a million, the biggest political group in Europe. In 2015 he won 2 leadership elections with a landslide each time. Clearly, many people wanted beneficial change and rightly saw Corbyn as representing that change. Unfortunately Corbyn, from the inception of his leadership, was relentlessly attacked and derided by mainstream media and the political class. I have never known of a politician to be treated in quite the way Corbyn was. It was astonishing and seemed to be an instinctive, convulsive reaction from most politicians and commentators. Was he deemed a threat to their interests maybe?

The attempts to delegitimise, trivialise and demonise Corbyn were, I believe, unparalleled in British history. Early on as Labour leader, Corbyn was treated as a joke by virtually all media commentators and politicians. People scoffed and said "why don't you just resign?", without ever citing any policy critiques or any critique of substance whatsoever. Politicians would rather make fun of the clothes he wore. As his popularity grew, the viciousness, vitriol and venom really came into play, especially from senior figures of his own party.

There was the infamous chicken coup that 172 Labour MPs were involved in. This coup involved members of the Parliamentary Labour Party and was designed to oust Corbyn as leader, in spite of the fact he won 2 landslide leadership elections and grew their party to half a million members. Every Labour politician involved in this coup disrespected the leadership, disrespected the membership and disregarded any notion of party unity. The amount of infighting and disharmony they created massively hindered Labour's performance in the 2017 General Election. Labour's peformance was actually remarkable considering the relentless campaign of denigration directed at Corbyn and his allies. The Labour politicians involved in the coup cared more about their careers and the status quo than the success of their own party. They should be ashamed of themselves. This reaction to Corbyn, both from within his party and without, was incredibly indicative of how toxic our society is and, importantly, how this toxicity infected the main political party meant to be representing working people. Of course, now we have the leaked Labour Report, verifiable proof that many senior Labour politicians actively sabotaged the 2017 General Election just to oust Corbyn as leader. The political implications of this report are staggering and it should not be doubted that these senior figures are responsible for the degradation, failure and ultimate destruction of the Labour Party.

In 2015, as a kind of outsider to the political landscape, I was utterly fascinated at how Corbyn was treated. Initially, this wasn't a political fascination for me. It was a fascination concerned with the very notion of truth. Lies and unfounded attacks poured like torrents from news outlets. The mainstream media was so clearly involved in a systematic campaign of vilification.

Following the Corbyn phenomenon closely, what I learned is that the mainstream media is an integral aspect of the British Establishment and the neoliberal hegemony of our society. In other terms, the mainstream media is vital in propping up the corrupt, powerful corporatists who control this country through lies, manipulation and propaganda. Neoliberalism, by the way, is unregulated capitalism. Neoliberalism is just as much an ideology as it is the dominant economic system of our society. But interestingly, by attacking Corbyn in such a vitriolic fashion, the Neoliberal Beast revealed itself. Normally, this beast conceals itself very effectively from public view. But in this instance, many people managed to catch a glimpse. This partly explains how Corbyn managed to politicise hundreds of thousands of people, including me. The injustice and immorality of this whole phenomenon was visceral and palpable, and incredibly motivating.

The rapper Lowkey called Corbyn a glitch in the matrix. This is accurate. The Establishment would never ordinarily permit a figure like Corbyn, who unwaveringly holds decent, humanitarian values, to attain leadership. His inclusion on the leadership ballot was not a serious choice and his election as leader was highly unexpected. New Labour holds the same fundamental values as the Conservative Party. Unless you change the fundamental conditions of oppression that each of these parties embodies, no substantial or meaningful change is ever going to occur in society. This is an indisputable argument to me that, if you are a true progressive, you will leave the Labour Party and devote your energy to civil disobedience. To stand up to the Neoliberal Beast that threatens all of us, we need to construct a viable opposition from outside the Establishment. You cannot do this within Labour. If you haven't learned this yet, I'm not sure when you will.

Some people might put forward the argument: "But if no progressive politicians were within Labour, if there was no internal pressure for good, then society would be even more oppressive". But maybe the fact that there are more progressives within Labour, making society a little more tolerable, just prolongs the fundamental conditions of oppression that you simply can't alter from within. Then we are in a situation where a handful of progressives are making minor reforms within the party, but the fundamental conditions of oppression just keep going on and on and on and no substantial change ever occurs.

We have reached a significant crossroads in 2020. This is, literally, the most significant period in human history. We face a climate and ecological catastrophe, as even the most conservative scientists are telling us. It really is all hands on deck. I'm not sure how many people get this? For those who believed in the Corbyn project (or Sanders project in US), for those who care about oppressed people, for those who are interested in evidence-based arguments, for those who understand the way unregulated capitalism is at the source of most of the world's problems, I urge you to properly look into the climate and ecological emergency. We need to unite behind this common problem and understand that it is the greatest threat we all face. Many people in poorer parts of the world are already suffering from climate and ecological breakdown, even though they are least responsible for this crisis. It should also be remembered that we have already entered what scientists call "The Sixth Mass Extinction". In other words we, as a species, are quite literally destroying life on Earth.

If all the progressives within Labour used their positions to form an alternative movement from outside the system, or joined a resistance movement like Extinction Rebellion, this will help create a viable opposition to the Neoliberal Beast. This really is the only option left. It is now or never. In this sense, Chris Hedges gets it, who argues that we need to "pit power against power". Neoliberal corporatists, in knowingly destroying life on Earth, have got us and our children by the throats. We can't dither and support minor, gradual reforms anymore. Chris Hedges writes:

"Refusal to participate in the further destruction of the planet means a rupture with traditional politics. It means noncooperation with authority. It means defying in every nonviolent way possible consumer capitalism, militarism and imperialism. It means adjusting our lifestyle, including becoming vegans, to thwart the forces bent upon our annihilation. And it means waves of sustained civil disobedience until the machine is broken"

Considering the gravity of the situation we are in and the severe threat posed to us by the corporate class, I would say it is radical not to rebel. It is extreme behaviour not to partake in civil disobedience. I am genuinely surprised that more people, especially progressives, aren't interested in rebellion and are continuing to spend energy on electoral politics.

Are you a Labour member who believed in the Corbyn project? Are you a Labour MP who believed in the Corbyn project? If so, stop clinging to this party. Stop hoping. We don't need hope. We need courage. Take action. Devote your energy to civil disobedience. Join Extinction Rebellion. Form a new movement. Connect with other movements. Support independent, evidence-based journalism. Get with the times. Write. Create. Share ideas. Support others. Don't give into hate.

Covid-19, Orwell and the Environmental Crisis

"They could be made to accept the most flagrant violations of reality, because they never fully grasped the enormity of what was demanded of them, and were not sufficently interested in public events to notice what was happening. By lack of understanding they remained sane" (George Orwell)

Times of crises reveal true colours. When under genuine pressure, people's actions and decisions tell us who they really are.

Unfortunately, the UK media functions in a truly Orwellian manner, where reality is reversed and the most basic awareness of what is happening before our eyes is distorted and concealed. There is true horror in our country right now. Thousands of avoidable deaths are occurring from Covid-19. Even many NHS staff are dying from the virus. These NHS staff are not being provided with basic PPE and there aren't enough ventilators for sick patients. But most people don't seem too bothered, because most people are not really aware of what is going on, because our media is unspeakably corrupt and incompetent. Most British lives are going on fairly normally, even though we're in lockdown. Spring weather has been glorious the past week. Life isn't too bad for many of us.

We saw what happened in Italy. In Spain. We had time to learn. We even saw countries who were dealing with this pandemic expertly and resourcefully, with great results. Such countries include China, South Korea and Vietnam. These countries managed the virus early on with great effect. We are fed caricature images of China by Western media, because China is deemed a threat to our way of life. But at least in the handling of this virus, they have put the US and UK to absolute shame.

It should be remembered that this pandemic is just a warm-up, a drill, for climate and ecological breakdown. We live in undoubtedly momentous times. Powerful countries are led by monsters. Beasts that even Edgar Allen Poe would have trouble describing. Donald Trump. Jair Bolsonaro. Boris Johnson. Scott Morrison. Most of the world's climate scientists, even the conservative ones, are telling us we have very little time to avert irreversible climate breakdown. Climate and ecological breakdown means death and suffering on a scale most of us can't comprehend. We clearly need radical, structural changes to avert such catastrophe. But these structural changes don't seem to be an option for our monstrous leaders. "It is easier to imagine an end to the world than an end to capitalism" (Žižek/Jameson). Of course, mainstream media isn't going to convey to you the real truth of the environmental crisis and they certainly aren't going to convey the real truth of how to alleviate it. Thus most people will not act accordingly. For how can you act upon what you don't know is happening?

Sadly, I don't know how much good this post I'm writing will do. I don't know what effect this will have. I despair a lot. At least it is a kind of release for me. Even if I had a large audience, the UK population swims in an Orwellian media-ocean of lies, deceit and vital omissions. All the main news outlets are part of this ocean, to varying degrees. The Guardian, The BBC, The Daily Mail, The Torygraph, The Sun. It can be pretty frustrating to speak to people sometimes. When I speak truthfully, or with evidence, I am either met with a kind of blank expression or sometimes with agitation and anger. "Either you repeat the same conventional doctrines everybody is saying, or else you say something true, and it will sound like it's from Neptune" (Noam Chomsky).

In the UK, we don't live in a society of truth and clarity. Our society is constituted of immoral power structures. Even those oppressed by such structures are conditioned to support them. For example, working class people are conditioned to admire and even revere Boris Johnson. They are conditioned to see him as a good laugh who isn't afraid to say it like it is, even though his interests are diametrically opposed to theirs. Boris does not respect the working class. He has attempted to oppress them his whole life, by encouraging privatisation of services like the NHS and supporting crippling austerity measures. His interests lie with the rich elite.

An important element to the Orwellian drama unfolding before our eyes is the way many people get aggressive or agitated when you challenge their world view. Such aggression is consciously cultivated by mainstream media and the corporate class, because this makes people easy to control and manipulate. When people are emotional and angry, they do not see with clarity. This is when the corporate class starts telling them that society's problems stem from immigrants, "benefits scroungers" or activists. Also, when peoples world views are challenged, it makes them feel very insecure, for it is like ripping the carpet from under them. People feel safe and comfortable in their bubbles of misinformation. Truth is often very hard to bear.

All one can do in this seemingly hopeless situation is keep telling the truth and get involved in civil disobedience. In this sense, Extinction Rebellion really gets it. Extinction Rebellion understands that change can't come from within our unimaginably corrupt, globalised system. They also understand that telling the unfiltered truth about the climate and ecological crisis is essential. Rebellion truly is the only option left.

Interestingly, in the face of staggering, insurmountable odds, non-violent direct action is the only place where you will feel content, purposeful and whole. This is what makes life worth living. For life is not about doing what you think will succeed, but doing what you know is right.

Keir Starmer

There's a lot of talk and interest about the election of Keir Starmer as Labour Party leader. This issue is nothing to be concerned about. Not worth your energy. If you want to help those in need, if you want actual progressive change, you will withdraw yourself from standard electoral politics.

Its very simple. Crystal clear. If you didn't learn from the most naked, vitriolic display of propaganda directed at Jeremy Corbyn, one of the few politicians who truly cares about the world, you may never learn. The more caring and progressive you are as a politician, the more you will be viciously demonised, even by members of your own party.

Lets remember that Mr Starmer, in 2016, was involved in the coup against Corbyn, his democratically elected leader. Starmer doesn't care about unifying the party. He doesn't respect Labour party members.

Though there may be some superficial benefits with a Starmer led Labour in power, relative to a Conservative government, the fundamental conditions of oppression will remain. If you want to adequately address issues that really matter, such as the climate and ecological crisis, perpetual war and the systematic oppression of working class people, then you will stop supporting immoral parties and politicians.

Now is not the time to dither and be hopeful. Now is the time to take action and be courageous. The only light in these dark times comes from civil disobedience. This, I believe, is the only means of tackling our significant societal problems.

UK Government and Covid-19

Critical analysis isn't about "scoring political points". It is about attempting to understand the world in which we live. Everyone should be doing this.

On January 24th, Chinese doctors published a paper in The Lancet, the distinguished British medical journal. They warned that the number of deaths in Wuhan was rising quickly and that the virus "could have acquired the ability for efficient human to human transmission". They also emphasised the pressure this would put on hospitals. On the same day, Chris Witty, England's Chief Medical Officer, informed us that the threat to the UK was "low" and that Britain was well prepared to deal with such a situation. Fast forward to present day UK: we are at 650-700 Covid-19 deaths daily, health care workers don't have enough PPE, medics are dying from the virus, there aren't nearly enough ventilators, there isn't nearly enough testing being done (even compared with the US!) and many hospitals are under pressure. Is this prepared? Is this a low threat? Any person with an ounce of morality, who knows what is going on, would be sickened by our government's response and should be ashamed of the criminal ineptitude and negligence of their leaders. But of course, accurate coverage by mainstream media is not being done.

February 29th was the first reported Coronavirus case in the UK. On March 5th, the UK government announced the "herd immunity" approach. The World Health Organisation (WHO) strongly advised against this approach, which went against scientific consensus. It wasn't until March 23rd that the government announced lockdown. Thus, in a complete u-turn, we went from herd immunity to lockdown. It should be very clear that the herd immunity approach is inexcusable and immoral. Some countries, such as Italy and Spain, are experiencing around 800 Covid-19 deaths a day. The UK is now closely catching up. The pressure on health services in these countries is enormous and even health workers are dying from the virus. In the UK multiple medics have already died, and this is without the strategy of herd immunity being fully embraced. If it had been fully embraced, the death figures would be far worse and the pressure on health services would be even more crippling. We still don't know this disease well. To allow an unknown disease to spread through the population unchecked is ludicrous and, again, shockingly irresponsible.

Some people say that the alternative to herd immunity is worse, which is going on lockdown and pausing "business as usual". One of the arguments is that by locking down, many poor people will struggle, especially in developing countries like India, because the small income that they did have would be gone and their governments wouldn't help them enough. Even in countries like the UK, locking down might mean being stuck with abusive partners or parents, for long periods of time, or again might mean poor people being in really difficult situations. Also, the economy would suffer greatly. These are of course arguments that are vital to consider. But this is where we need comprehensive government programmes that help vulnerable people during this pandemic and this is where we need community building and local co-operation. Seeing as though we are at 800 deaths a day in some countries, and these countries aren't even embracing herd immunity, this strategy should not be seen as an option. There are also positives to shutting down the economy, such as the huge reduction in air pollution. Air pollution, by the way, contributes to many thousands of deaths every year. Another point here is that there is poverty and suffering in many countries to begin with, which are the result of already toxic, unethical governments. Trying to return to business as usual and trying  to "keep the economy going" doesn't get to the root of this poverty and suffering. This pandemic and lockdown should be seen as an oppurtunity, by truly progressive people, to transform our societies for the better, by overcoming corporate tyrrany and giving power back to the people of the world.

South Korea and China are clear examples of countries who have dealt with this crisis swiftly and efficiently, as the WHO states. You might have been told different things by corrupt news outlets, but these outlets are not truthful or evidence-based. South Korea and China have contained the virus effectively and should be seen as models. It is unacceptable that even though we have had these instances to learn from, the UK government has dealt with this virus so irresponsibly and unethically. It seems that China and South Korea are intelligent enough to understand that the economy, or business as usual, can be paused while swift, firm containment measures are put in place.

Due to the nature of corruption and power, honest criticism of our governments is  discouraged in popular discourse. This is why most ordinary people will not criticise their government in an appropriate way and will not be fully aware of what is happening in the world. To put it more simply, people are conditioned to be submissive and uninformed. Thus, in pandemics like this, popular discourse will not encourage critical analysis of government action. This can deeply frustrating for some people who want to have an honest, critical conversation about what is going on.

I think a lot of focus really needs to be placed on this vital report from the WHO. UK decision-makers and medical officers really need to study this paper in detail. This report was completed as part of a joint mission between the World Health Organisation and China. This mission included 25 health experts from around the world who visited various cities in China. These experts carried out meetings and conducted field analyses of Chinese infrastructure and health services, in terms of studying the virus and how it was being dealt with. This mission took place between February 16th and February 24th. The findings of this report are trustworthy for the reasons that they are evidence-based and are the outcome of critical analysis and discussion. Here are some of the findings: 

"In the face of a previously unknown virus, China has rolled out perhaps the most ambitious, agile and aggressive disease containment effort in history. The strategy that underpinned this containment effort was initially a national approach that promoted universal temperature monitoring, masking and hand washing. However, as the outbreak evolved, and knowledge was gained, a science and risk-based approach was taken to tailor implementation. Specific containment measures were adjusted to the provincial, country and even community context, the capacity of the setting, and the nature of the novel Coronavirus transmission there.

Achieving China's exceptional coverage with and adherence to these containment measures has only been possible due to the deep commitment of the Chinese people to collective action in the face of a common threat. At a community level, this is reflected in the remarkable solidarity of provinces and cities in support of the most vulnerable populations and communities. Despite ongoing outbreaks in their own areas, Governors and Mayors have continued to send thousands of health care workers and tons of vital PPE supplies into Hubei province and Wuhan city. 

China's bold approach to contain the rapid spread of this new respiratory pathogen has changed the course of a rapidly escalating and deadly epidemic. A particularly compelling statistic is that on the first day of the advance team's work there were 2478 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in China. Two weeks later on the final day of this Mission, China reported 409 newly confirmed cases"

Clearly, China is an example of a country that has dealt with this pandemic expertly. Its strategies should be analysed and respected by other countries. In the UK, we were so lucky to have had the examples of other countries before us, yet the government seem to have learned nothing. In fact, by trying to implement herd immunity, we have gone directly against some very obvious advice. It makes me wonder whether the UK government cares at all about it' citizens? Or whether it is just deeply, deeply ignorant? Or deeply, deeply arrogant? Or a combination of the above? But this really isn't a laughing matter. This is very serious and, due to our government's combined ignorance and heartlessness, they are responsible for thousands of avoidable deaths.

Due to incompetent media outlets I have felt compelled, even though I am a full-time NHS receptionist, to look into this matter in my spare time and try and provide some kind of clarity on what is going on. I could be more exhaustive, but I am at least trying to analyse this situation critically, contextually and with some degree of sensitivity. This is more for my own sanity than anything else.

I urge our journalists and commentators to truly hold our government to account for their criminally negligent handling of this pandemic. Our government has lied about testing, hasn't provided nearly enough ventilators and aren't providing NHS staff, who are dying from the virus, with enough PPE. Please place responsibility appropriately.