The words which follow come from Ronald Reagan's first inaugural address in January 1981, when the American economy was in deep trouble. They demonstrate why he was so popular, because he could relate to individual people. He believed in the power of the individual to take destiny in their own hands. Gordon Brown, on the other hands, believes the individual can only be empowered by the state. It's impossible to imagine him reassuring the nation in this way, and that's why compared to Reagan, he is a political pygmy.“The economic ills we suffer have come upon us over several decades. They will not go away in days, weeks or months, but they will go away. They will go away because we, as Americans, have the capacity now, as we have had in the past, to do whatever needs to be done to preserve this last and greatest bastion of freedom. In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem. From time to time, we have been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. But if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden. The solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price. We hear much of special interest groups. Our concern must be for a special interest group that has been too long neglected. It knows no sectional boundaries or ethnic and racial divisions, and it crosses political party lines. It is made up of men and women who raise our food, patrol our streets, man our mines and our factories, teach our children, keep our homes, and heal us when we are sick—professionals, industrialists, shopkeepers, clerks, cabbies, and truckdrivers. They are, in short, ‘we the people’, this breed called Americans.First Inaugural Address, Tuesday, January 20, 1981
Reagan's words are particularly appropriate given the chorus, from both left and right, of politicians and journalists today saying ‘Gordon Brown should do that’ or ‘the Bank of England should do this’, as though individual people have little role and are unable to influence the course of events. Hattip to George Bathurst.
14 comments:
Absolutely, Iain, but I think it's worse. Gordon Brown and Labour generally extend this beyond mere economics. Take ID cards, the new database for children that will hold permanent state records on everyone, etc, etc, etc. They simply do not view the state's job as serving the individual. Liberating us. Instead they see the job of the state to manage us. We are a problem, as they see it, and the state must roll up its sleeves and control us. And worst of all, they cannot understand why this is wrong - just plain wrong.
Stuart - Well said!
I would add that there is malign intent motivating them, though. Gordon Brown is a malign, if incompetent, individual. Blair is ultra-malign. All those fat NuLabour women are malign. Jack Straw is mega malign.
Thank God the world is not without giants...ogres there are aplenty & we are more than familiar with them.
Reagan had/s his detractors among the power-hungry control freaks, none of whom could even begin to measure up to him. He made mistakes...who has not...but on his watch he made sure that the World could breathe a little easier.
He knew who his friends were &, as far as was possible, stood by them when push came to shove.
His term in office is to recent for a full assessment but, be sure that history will confirm him as the giant he was.
given the chorus, from both left and right, of politicians and journalists today saying ‘Gordon Brown should do that’ or ‘the Bank of England should do this’, as though individual people have little role and are unable to influence the course of events.
Which is another way of saying Cameron's Conservative Party differs only in method from Labour, both seem wedded to "Big" government and the power of the state. Of course they're about to be ever more in the shadow of an even bigger state laying down the law - the EU.
iain, everyone, including cameron and his boys, is a political pygmy compared to reagan. you're at your best when you're less partisan.
Reagan had a better speechwriter for sure, but he also had a different outlook. Brown and his cohorts spent their formative years protesting and in opposition, but belieing that once in power they could solve all their grievances - even though common sense tells us that if it was that easy they would have been fixed years ago.
Reagan had a different outlook in that he believed that what was good for America was good for every American. His perspective had more in common with that of America's founding fathers who deliberately set limits on the power of the state, reversing a trend in American that had persisted since the Depression. Ronald Reagan put people before government.
Cameron and Brown should both take note. Most people don't need "empowerment" or "facilitation" from the government. They just want the government to get out of the way.
Iain, you are failing to take into account the fact that Reagan was a professional actor and being President was his biggest role.
Blair, of course, was a would-be actor.
jcb:
There was a whole bunch of actors on both sides of the pond who, when their countries went into WW2, joined the various services & fought bravely...just role-playing of course; good script-writers too don't you know...just actors.
So Gordon Brown isn't a stupid, alzenmiers ridden b movie actor? Yes I agree.
So Gordon Brown isn't a stupid, alzenmiers ridden b movie actor? Yes I agree.
Permex said .... "There was a whole bunch of actors on both sides of the pond who, when their countries went into WW2, joined the various services & fought bravely...just role-playing of course; good script-writers too don't you know...just actors."
There certainly was. Ronald Reagan wasn't one of them. He joined up but spent the was in PR and film-making. His friend John Wayne managed to avoid joining up altogether and spent the rest of his life playing in films where he was the All-American hero.
anonymous @9:33.......
Be selective if you will; a game all can play.
Suffice to say that to suggest that Reagan was 'playing a Presidential role' is demeaning...to the writer.
So Brown cannot be compared to Reagan - well I'm sure that will be a big relief for Gordon.
As fot getting the state off peoples back the following graph of national debt as a % of GDP might demonstrate how sucessful Reagan was in that regard.
http://zfacts.com/p/318.html
permex said...
"..... to suggest that Reagan was 'playing a Presidential role' is demeaning..."
According to his staff, Regan was gaga towards the end of his presidency. However, he was able to respond when they handed him a script and was able to give a good performance as a world statesman.
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