The master of green socialism

Peter Foster, FP:

Like Lewis Carroll’s Humpty Dumpty, Mr. Strong seems to believe that words should mean whatever he wants them to mean. Orwell pointed out that the totalitarian instinct for obfuscation naturally seeks to reverse meaning (War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength). And in his self-exoneration, Mr. Strong seeks to squirm around his own frequent assertions that he is a socialist. What he really believes in is “responsible capitalism.” He writhes that his call for modifications of “ballot box democracy” has been woefully misconstrued.

Not.

In fact, Mr. Strong has for decades masterminded a strategy to outflank democracy both from above — via UN organizations — and from below, through well-funded radical NGOs that are sold as the voice of “civil society.” When Mr. Strong avers that he wants “more, not less, democracy,” what he means is more control by NGOs. In a recent article, he wrote that since governments might not like his proposals for a “new economic paradigm,” then political priority had to be given to “the organizations and people participating in this dialogue.” That is, the kind of organizations he allowed into Rio to browbeat delegates.

The terminally leftist Guardian newspaper reflexively leapt to the defence of Mr. Strong, criticizing attacks against him as “ideological.” (Mr. Strong has, I am proud to say, called me an “ideologue.” My favourite definition of the term is “the name you call somebody who’s ideas you can’t refute.”). Mr. Strong liked The Guardian piece so much he posted it on his website. The piece suggested, tediously, that Mr. Strong was merely being made a “bogeyman.” How ridiculous that people should take what he says in plain English and imagine that he really means it! How bizarre to believe that he wants “global government,” and to control people’s lives, just because he says so!

[...]

MORE