The challenges of democracy when so many want governmental control.
Years ago, my wife wanted her sister to get married; the latter was not overly keen on the idea. At another point, we wanted one boy to learn a musical instrument. He found his time best spent kicking soccer balls into goals. With such experiences, we came up with a simple rule in life: you can’t want something more than the person in question. While you can certainly help and set up positive conditions, if the person involved doesn’t want to do something, nothing will progress.
With the above in mind, I look at the ostensible democracies of Europe. They are being overrun by illegal immigrants. The quality of life and safety of the locals are heading south, but their governments keep providing foreigners with food, housing, money, and amenities. Except for Poland and Hungary, all of the European countries seem to be on a Kamizake ride to destiny as the illegal newcomers reproduce at a fast clip while the locals barely make babies. And yes, there are the Tommy Robinsons, Eva Vlaardingerbroeks, and Marine Le Pens demanding that their countries return to sanity and the ways of the past. But you want to know an open secret? Much of the populace of the countries of Europe actually doesn’t mind an all-intrusive government or the end of the cultures with the introduction of new Sharia states.
We saw during COVID that many people relished and supported the draconian rules that really had no basis in science or reality. Someone whose mask wasn’t exactly where it should be would be threatened or reported to the authorities. I was once walking in Jerusalem with my mask under my nose when I was stopped by two female Border Patrol officers. They wanted to know why I was more than 500 meters from home and why my nose was not covered—out in the open. I told them that I was a biochemist, to which I heard in Hebrew, “What is a biochemist?” In the end, I got off with a warning, which is apparently still in my file. We were told to cover our mouths while chewing our food on flights and to keep the strict six-foot separation, which even Doktor Fauci could not explain as to the scientific origin of this pagan custom. A lot of people were into it and happily ratted out their neighbors or complained when someone didn’t get the now-questionable mRNA jabs. The government added new powers (CDC: Don’t have to pay your rent!), and many bought into the governmental power grab.
So when you look at Europe, recall that every feckless government that absorbs illegal immigrants who hate their new hosts but expect the latter’s largesse was elected by the locals. The present Labor government in England followed years of rudderless Tory leadership, which seemed indistinguishable from the lefty opposition: more illegals, green edicts, trans mania. What does one make of a conservative government that conserves nothing? Nobody in Europe has the kishkes (Yiddish: internal fortitude) to do something similar to what Donald Trump has done in the past 15 months in the U.S. Do we still hear of 10,000-person strong caravans starting in South America on their way to the U.S.-Mexico border? Nope. When you hold firm, even the bad guys understand. What Europe should be doing but does not have the political will to do is simple:
- Give long jail sentences to anyone facilitating the arrival of illegal aliens.
- Give warning and then sink any approaching watercraft.
- Deny government benefits to people in the country less than 10 years.
- Facilitate removal of illegal aliens with flights and cash.
- Arrest anyone involved in sedition against the existing government.
The last point is for local Muslims who cannot be ejected but still make it clear that they want to replace democracy and thousand-year-old cultures with Sharia state #243 in the world. The points above are easy to list but impossible to implement when large percentages—possibly even majorities—of the people in Western countries are not into stopping the invasion of their homelands. In New York, they knew what Zohran Mamdani had to offer, yet put him in office anyway. We live in an age where even when people know that one party is really bad for them, their families, and their wallets, they will either keep voting for them or abstain and let them gain or retain power. It took eons for our kids to convince a great aunt to stop voting for Israel’s Labor (formerly Mapai) Party, something she had done since the country was founded. Only in her last election in this world did she cast her vote for Bibi Netanyahu and Likud.
Let’s imagine that Reform UK in England or AfD in Germany somehow rises to victory. It’s all but irrelevant. Have you noticed how aggressive British police have been about hounding the one poor fellow with an Israeli flag at massive pro-Hamas rallies? Did you catch their canceling a Christian march as it might offend the Muslim residents of London? Even if the “good guys” win, the police, armed forces, courts, and EU institutions are all aligned against them. Try to organize a plane to send a couple of hundred people back to Syria. Someone will run to the courts. Then the police will refuse to help round up the illegal immigrants in question. The local air force will refuse to fly the folks out, and commercial airlines will fear lawsuits if they get involved in the transfer. Did Geert Wilders or Giorgia Meloni make any dent in incoming or outgoing immigrants from Muslim lands? No, they got caught up in local politics and promised that at some time in the future, they would deal with the problem. Do you see how this works? Even with great intentions, these people do not have the backing or power to address the demise of their countries and cultures. Even Donald Trump, with the electoral wind at his back, has had to fight the courts that have tried to short-circuit his removal of illegal immigrants either by force or by self-deportations.
One of the reasons why Bibi Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister in Israel’s 78-year history is that much of the population soured on the left. Lefty leaders like Shimon Peres and Ehud Barak promised peace with the Palestinians, but only ushered in intifada and death. Their economic policies were still rooted in the socialist history of the country, while Bibi was pushing privatization and high-tech growth. The international Left, including the U.S. State Department under Obama and Biden, has done its all to get rid of Bibi and get Israel lined up with the rest of lefty Europe. The people want otherwise.
A few years ago, a friend told me that he was investing in office buildings in Dubai. I told him that I could not see myself investing in a place whose culture and business ethos I don’t understand. And the same is true in Israel. I moved our internet to fiber and was promised 89 shekels a month (around $29). When the first bill came, it was 119. So we did the Israeli Consumer Dance: I suggested that I’ll go to the competitor, and their guy knocked off 20 shekels a month. I had the same with my bank last week: they added a credit card fee, and I told them I live closer to the nearest branch of their competitor. The fee was canceled. I don’t understand Europe. I am an American through and through. But a lot of Europeans are okay with the death of their countries. And there is little we can do to stop it.