Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Fascism and the conservative genius David Neiwert is four sixths of the way through his series of pieces on fascism and the conservative movement. A longer exposition on a similar topic can be found at his "Rush, Newspeak and Fascism". Both are worth reading, but I am not entirely convinced. Mr Neiwert has built up a rich collection of circumstantial evidence, but the killer punch never comes. There is no doubt that the conservative movement is right-wing, and that some of its policies are on the far right of political discourse. But for all the problems with the current Administration's views, it is possible to make a reasonable intellectual case that the current global situation is definitively different from the situation in 2000, and that special measures are needed to combat the threat. This is certainly the position of Tony Blair's centre-left government, as it is of the former communist President Kwasniewski in Poland. Neither are prime candidates for fascist status. The polarisation of American political discourse has been a pull in two directions, partly due to the inability of the Democratic party to offer a thoughtful centrist alternative to the current Administration's policies. The one side may be tending to fascistic views at the extreme, and such views should certainly be fought against, but that is just a part of the wider fight against extremism at both ends of the political spectrum, and the rebuilding of democratic discourse. 11:20:31 PM    comment []

For lawyers, Christmas will be on November 3rd If I were a specialist in American election law, I would at this moment be using my spare time to work out whether I wanted a new yacht, or just a few trips on Sir Richard Branson's new airline. Wired reports on the legal chaos to come with provisional ballots. Those who have been paying attention might remember that the Help America Vote Act allowed voters who couldn't prove their entitlement to cast a provisional ballot, that would then be investigated and counted (or not). And what were the rules for provisional ballots, and how should they be assessed? You may well ask. Wired takes up the story: "State election officials have adopted their own -- and differing -- standards for when a provisional ballot will count; some of those rules are still in flux three weeks from the election. "Rules for who casts provisional ballots and how they are counted probably will vary even within states, especially if there are long lines, confusion and hot tempers at the polls, election experts said." Is there some allergy to standardised voting procedures in the US? Even within states? 10:33:01 PM    comment []

The EU and Italy From Brussels, an example of the way the Italians think about the EU. The BBC reports that the Italian Prime Minister's nominee for Justice Commissioner, Rocco Buttiglione, has been rejected in a non-binding vote by the Civil Liberties Committee of the European Parliament. Mr Buttiglione had previously expressed the personal view that homosexuality is a sin. In some countries (France and Britain spring to mind), this would be met by wounded pride and affronted dignity. In Italy, while Mr Berlusconi's office fumed, the opposition's reaction was to point to how Mr Berlusconi was damaging Italy's credibility in the EU. An Italian gay rights group said: "We are pleased and reassured by the decision: the Vatican's backyard ends at the Alps" Is this concern with European opinion a sign that Italy has a mature appreciation for its place in a post-nationalistic Europe? Or is it (as I believe it is) a sign that the country is still suffering from "political cringe" when it comes to the rest of the EU? 8:32:22 AM    comment []