The Nestene take over a toy factory in Epping, where they manufacture the plastic 'Autons'- who will help them take over the country.
That Dr Who story 'Spearhead from Space' got me thinking. When it was first broadcast in 1970 we could easily have told the difference between our leading politicians and a bunch of automatons. You could agree or disagree with them, but no one could accuse Harold Wilson, Edward Heath, Tony Benn or Enoch Powell of being robotic.
But sometime during the period from 1979 — 1999 Britain went from being a democracy to an autonocracy. Politicians who reflected a wide range of opinions — and who generally had the best interests of Britain and the majority of its people at heart, were replaced by neoconservative and neoliberal clones who acted in the interests of foreign powers and international capital. People who put forward views held by the majority, became dissidents. Dr Who's nightmare became a reality.
The process started with the election of Margaret Thatcher in 1979. Britain's mixed economy — which worked well for ordinary people — was restructured to suit the interests of the global elite. Taking her cue from the 'free market' reforms introduced by the big business friendly dictator General Pinochet in Chile, there was 'deregulation', mass privatisation and an abolition of exchange controls.
In foreign policy, there was a more aggressive stance towards the Soviet Union and a closer relationship forged with the US. John Major continued Thatcher's programme in the 1990s, his government carried out the disastrous privatisation of the railways. Tony Blair merely gave Thatcherism a 'progressive' gloss; his governments embraced neoliberal globalisation with great enthusiasm and in foreign policy he proved even more obediently pro-American than Thatcher.
The bogus doctrine of 'liberal' or ‘humanitarian' intervention was used to justify wars of aggression which only made the global elite richer.
By this time it really didn't matter if you voted Conservative or Labour, all the leading figures were singing from the same neoliberal/neocon/'liberal interventionist' hymn sheet. A country which had been a vibrant democracy had turned into an autonocracy. The election of the 'Orange Book' banker's son Nick Clegg as Liberal Democrat leader brought his party into the fold too. In office the Lib Dems have been both enthusiastic privatisers — and warmongers. Sell off the Royal Mail and bomb Libya! How very 'liberal' and 'democratic'!
Privatising and waging war — endless war — is what Britain's autons are programmed to do by their Nestene masters. They act in the interests of the 0.1% and in foreign policy they do what the US, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States and Israel want. What we the British people want doesn't come into it.
Do we want our money spent on funding violent rebels to overthrow a secular government in Syria? Or our leaders to join in enthusiastically in a new Cold War with Russia just because the US says we should? Of course we don't, but our country, our democracy, has been taken over. On issue after issue, majority views are ignored.
However-there are some encouraging signs that the autons' grip on power is beginning to weaken.
The first is the rise of UKIP — and the damage they're doing to the auton-dominated ConDems. On economic policy the party is still tied to neoliberalism, but on foreign policy at least they represent a refreshing break with the neocon/'liberal interventionist' elite consensus. Nigel Farage not only opposed air strikes on Syria, but also criticised the 'intervention' against Libya in 2011 which devastated the country. UKIP's foreign policy can be described as 'non-interventionist' which bearing in mind the death and destruction caused by neo-con and 'liberal interventionist' policies in recent years, can only be a good thing.
Secondly, there's Labour's gradual shift away from both neoliberalism and 'liberal interventionism' under Ed Miliband. Miliband, to the horror of the autonocracy — who wanted his brother David to get the Labour leadership — didn't support air strikes on Syria last year. He's also pledged to freeze energy prices and called for the setting up of a publicly owned rail operator which would be able to bid for rail franchises. He's a long way away from being 'Red Ed' but the very modest steps he's already taken have been enough to get the Nestenes of today calling for his head.
Thirdly, there's the surge in support for the Greens, who reject both neoliberalism and neoconservatism.
The Autons grip on power certainly does not seem as strong as it was only a few years ago. Dr Who eventually destroyed them by giving them the electro-shock treatment — but we're going to have to give them a shock at the polls in 2015. To do that we need to know how to spot an auton from a genuine politician or public figure. They don't have plastic looking faces but the following ten phrases should start alarm bells ringing:
— ‘Privatisation has brought enormous benefits to Britain.'
— ‘Saudi Arabia is a valuable partner for our country.'
— ‘Assad and his evil regime must go- they cannot be part of Syria's future.'
— ‘I believe we need even tougher sanctions against Russia.'
— ‘The Iraq war was justified.'
— ‘Crude anti-banker populism is damaging to the British economy.'
— ‘Anyone who wants to renationalise the railways wants to return us to the dark days of the 1970s.'
— ‘A higher top rate of income tax would drive Britain's wealth creators away.'
— ‘Vladimir Putin is the New Hitler who poses a threat to the entire world.'
— ‘Israel is justified in taking whatever steps it deems necessary to defeat terrorism and we must give Israel our full support.'
And by the same measure, any politician who says they don't want regime change in Syria, and would prefer to renationalise the railways rather than embark on a new Cold War with Russia is most certainly not under the direction of the Nestene. Vote for these people to liberate our country — as we can't count on Dr Who's help this time.
