Rupert Matthews is a freelance historian who has had over 150 books published and was recently one of the MEP candidates for the Conservative Party in the East Midlands. You can read more about him on his website.
When the state serves the people, that is democracy. When the people serve the state, that is tyranny.
We like to think that we live in a democracy, but in an increasing number of ways we do not. We live in a tyranny. Not that anyone calls it by that name, partly because they dare not and partly because it is not recognised for what it is. The slippery slope by which a society moves to have a tyrannical state is gradual and slow – and very often the motives are the very best and most noble.
Take the seemingly innocuous matter of recycling. There was a time when everybody recycled everything that they possibly could for the simple reason that materials were relatively expensive and labour was relatively cheap. For this reason lemonade bottles had a deposit on them. When a person bought a bottle of lemonade they paid the deposit, and got it back when the empty bottle was returned. The bottle was then taken away to be washed, refilled and used again. Some of us still return milk bottles to the doorstep for the milkman to take away and reuse, time and time again.
Around the house recycling went on the whole time. Used string was detangled, knotted together and used again. Yesterday’s newspapers were carefully twisted into faggots to light tomorrow’s coal fires. School uniforms were patched up and passed on to a younger sibling.
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