Today one can assume an ideological liberty to argue that black is white and that two and two do not make four. What is essential is that any gained result of the argument supports one's ideology. The 'truth' is therefore an ideological interpretation. Or rather the 'truth' is essentially the ideology. To defend and perpetuate an ideology, the end always justifies the means. Unsupportive truth in this case would be just as inadmissible as historic facts that go against the grain of the ideology.
In the light of this, all ideologues would be akin to sectarian idolaters, and all ideologies can only survive by eventually being autocratically imposed. Democratically they cannot otherwise sustain themselves, which is just as well.
As an example of an 'ideological truth', it has been theoretically established in France according to such 'ideologic', that by imposing a 35 hour working week in both the public and private sectors, this will contribute towards remedying unemployment. For the convinced ideologue the categorical fact that it has had an inverse and adverse effect does not alter what is, and will be maintained as an 'ideological truth'.
Another more recent 'ideological truth' is that if you recruit enough teachers to boost the ranks of the National Education institution, (and for some cabalistic reason multiples of six seem to have been favoured) it will undoubtedly improve education. Thus whether the full amount of say 66,666.666 (recurring) teachers have all been squeezed in yet or not, the forty two thousand or so already recruited, (to add to the burden of the French tax payer) have had no positive effect whatsoever. In fact one could affirm that the situation regarding French National Education is even worse. Yet this cannot possibly be allowed to challenge the established 'ideological truth'.
Such are the examples of the application of 'ideologic'. With regard to the ideologue's capacity of stimulating private enterprise however, this has failed miserably. But as words such as 'competitive' and 'individual initiative' cannot possibly figure in the thin, ideological, ABC book of politically correct words, this would come as no surprise.
Private companies in France that by miracle have somehow managed to survive the long ordeal, may have been able to flee the country in time. In the public sector there are the usual dark clouds rumbling, and one has to contend with tiresome strikes organised by the disillusioned Marxist trade unions. Nevertheless, the endless concoction of formulas such as 'le pacte de responsabilité' are exemplary as improvised inventions of 'ideological truths'.
'Le pacte de responsabilité' is a theoretical agreement consisting of the State's decreasing excessive charges and perhaps a percentage of tax that cripple private companies, providing that they will employ more wage earners. Naturally each private company is required to take on enough new employees to absorb the full amount of the State's magnanimous reduction in charges, to thereby contribute 'responsibly' towards reducing the unemployment figures.
Logically the situation of any private company that signs such a 'pact' would be made worse, but 'ideologically' the pacte de responsabilité must be regarded as a 'truth'.
After all, if there's no pact forthcoming, it doesn't necessarily imply that it's the fault of the head of State who invented it. On the contrary, the responsibility (the key word) must be assumed by the private companies who cannot apply it without making their already critical situation worse. For the ideologue this refusal would amount to an irresponsible dismissal of another 'ideological truth'.
Despite the nomination of Monsieur Valls whose authoritative PM air might appear to lend temporary credence to French socialism, we are witnessing a curious immobility. Nothing of any positive economic consequence has happened, nothing is happening, and it would be reasonable to believe that nothing will happen. The long summer holidays are soon to begin, which in a way means it's holiday time for everyone. Once more the Parisians will migrate south like lemmings, and the media will probably try to charm these carefree holiday makers with TV film reports of portly Monsieur Normal and his latest flame nonchalantly paddling in the sea.
The status quo of immobility will renew itself once more for la rentré in September with a superficial show of much ado about nothing. But before the government has time to plan how to continue their fraudulent pantomime and come up with a new set of absurd pat phrase formulas for the gullible, another year will be over, and there will be only two more years to go for Monsieur Hollande.
The last public announcement commitment (if one can call it such) that François made this year, was to say that he will not stand for a second mandate as presidential candidate if there's no improvement regarding the unemployment figures. This gives him a considerably wide margin, but he shouldn't delude himself. Even if the unemployment figures improve by 0.000006% by May, 2017, the French aren't likely to repeat a monumental error... or are they..? For it's not as though they never repeat monumental errors. It's already apparent that France learnt nothing from the long drawn-out, stagnant years of F. Mitterrand. If the majority can be so easily manipulated by certain media intent on having a round of socialism for their own lucrative benefit in 2012, there's no reason to believe that it won't be possible to repeat the exercise in 2017. This would have the effect of making sure that France will continue its inexorable descent into abysmal, long lasting Mediocre Land in all respects.
Without any real restraint to the government's immigration laxity, it's possible that the rising courbe in unemployment will continue in any case. One suspects that any tacit encouragement to allow immoderate immigration, including clandestine immigration, also qualifies as an 'ideological truth'. Ideologues might reason that if you are kind enough to immigrants and legalise the situation of clandestine immigrants, they in turn will vote for you when you additionally grant them the right to vote. Ideologues always reason in terms of numbers, but their vanity prevents them from appreciating the real logic (not 'ideologic') that democracy defeats itself when the accumulated majority either repudiates this freedom, or takes advantage of its superiority of numbers by electing one of its own community's favourite fundamentalists.
This could be illustrated by the Paquebot France foundering in a heavy swell, the crew taxed to the point of exhaustion, whilst the podgy captain, oblivious of reality, and ever intent on boosting his failing popularity, generously allows an unlimited amount of voyagers the right to desert their own vessel to board the already overloaded Paquebot, thus ensuring the inevitable acceleration of its tragic fate.
Text and illustrations (top image c. 1980) © Mirino. June, 2014
In the light of this, all ideologues would be akin to sectarian idolaters, and all ideologies can only survive by eventually being autocratically imposed. Democratically they cannot otherwise sustain themselves, which is just as well.
As an example of an 'ideological truth', it has been theoretically established in France according to such 'ideologic', that by imposing a 35 hour working week in both the public and private sectors, this will contribute towards remedying unemployment. For the convinced ideologue the categorical fact that it has had an inverse and adverse effect does not alter what is, and will be maintained as an 'ideological truth'.
Another more recent 'ideological truth' is that if you recruit enough teachers to boost the ranks of the National Education institution, (and for some cabalistic reason multiples of six seem to have been favoured) it will undoubtedly improve education. Thus whether the full amount of say 66,666.666 (recurring) teachers have all been squeezed in yet or not, the forty two thousand or so already recruited, (to add to the burden of the French tax payer) have had no positive effect whatsoever. In fact one could affirm that the situation regarding French National Education is even worse. Yet this cannot possibly be allowed to challenge the established 'ideological truth'.
Such are the examples of the application of 'ideologic'. With regard to the ideologue's capacity of stimulating private enterprise however, this has failed miserably. But as words such as 'competitive' and 'individual initiative' cannot possibly figure in the thin, ideological, ABC book of politically correct words, this would come as no surprise.
Private companies in France that by miracle have somehow managed to survive the long ordeal, may have been able to flee the country in time. In the public sector there are the usual dark clouds rumbling, and one has to contend with tiresome strikes organised by the disillusioned Marxist trade unions. Nevertheless, the endless concoction of formulas such as 'le pacte de responsabilité' are exemplary as improvised inventions of 'ideological truths'.
'Le pacte de responsabilité' is a theoretical agreement consisting of the State's decreasing excessive charges and perhaps a percentage of tax that cripple private companies, providing that they will employ more wage earners. Naturally each private company is required to take on enough new employees to absorb the full amount of the State's magnanimous reduction in charges, to thereby contribute 'responsibly' towards reducing the unemployment figures.
Logically the situation of any private company that signs such a 'pact' would be made worse, but 'ideologically' the pacte de responsabilité must be regarded as a 'truth'.
After all, if there's no pact forthcoming, it doesn't necessarily imply that it's the fault of the head of State who invented it. On the contrary, the responsibility (the key word) must be assumed by the private companies who cannot apply it without making their already critical situation worse. For the ideologue this refusal would amount to an irresponsible dismissal of another 'ideological truth'.
Despite the nomination of Monsieur Valls whose authoritative PM air might appear to lend temporary credence to French socialism, we are witnessing a curious immobility. Nothing of any positive economic consequence has happened, nothing is happening, and it would be reasonable to believe that nothing will happen. The long summer holidays are soon to begin, which in a way means it's holiday time for everyone. Once more the Parisians will migrate south like lemmings, and the media will probably try to charm these carefree holiday makers with TV film reports of portly Monsieur Normal and his latest flame nonchalantly paddling in the sea.
The status quo of immobility will renew itself once more for la rentré in September with a superficial show of much ado about nothing. But before the government has time to plan how to continue their fraudulent pantomime and come up with a new set of absurd pat phrase formulas for the gullible, another year will be over, and there will be only two more years to go for Monsieur Hollande.
The last public announcement commitment (if one can call it such) that François made this year, was to say that he will not stand for a second mandate as presidential candidate if there's no improvement regarding the unemployment figures. This gives him a considerably wide margin, but he shouldn't delude himself. Even if the unemployment figures improve by 0.000006% by May, 2017, the French aren't likely to repeat a monumental error... or are they..? For it's not as though they never repeat monumental errors. It's already apparent that France learnt nothing from the long drawn-out, stagnant years of F. Mitterrand. If the majority can be so easily manipulated by certain media intent on having a round of socialism for their own lucrative benefit in 2012, there's no reason to believe that it won't be possible to repeat the exercise in 2017. This would have the effect of making sure that France will continue its inexorable descent into abysmal, long lasting Mediocre Land in all respects.
Without any real restraint to the government's immigration laxity, it's possible that the rising courbe in unemployment will continue in any case. One suspects that any tacit encouragement to allow immoderate immigration, including clandestine immigration, also qualifies as an 'ideological truth'. Ideologues might reason that if you are kind enough to immigrants and legalise the situation of clandestine immigrants, they in turn will vote for you when you additionally grant them the right to vote. Ideologues always reason in terms of numbers, but their vanity prevents them from appreciating the real logic (not 'ideologic') that democracy defeats itself when the accumulated majority either repudiates this freedom, or takes advantage of its superiority of numbers by electing one of its own community's favourite fundamentalists.
This could be illustrated by the Paquebot France foundering in a heavy swell, the crew taxed to the point of exhaustion, whilst the podgy captain, oblivious of reality, and ever intent on boosting his failing popularity, generously allows an unlimited amount of voyagers the right to desert their own vessel to board the already overloaded Paquebot, thus ensuring the inevitable acceleration of its tragic fate.
Text and illustrations (top image c. 1980) © Mirino. June, 2014
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