Anarchy in the UK

Back in the late '70s/early '80s, the circle-A symbol could be seen practically everywhere, on flags at festivals, graffiti on the streets, t-shirts and punk fanzines: "Anarchy in the UK" by The Sex Pistols charted in 1977. The meme persisted well into Thatcher's reign of terror in the '80s. Anarchy is defined as an absence of government and law, and an anarchist as one who opposes all forms of government. A conservative is defined as one tending to avoid change; moderate: in favour of the rule of law and order. Unfortunately, I think someone forgot to brief the neo-liberals who have infested the chambers of Westminster for far too long, who are neither conservative nor moderate in temperament or intention, intent as they have been on removing the rules of law that govern and constrain the activities of big business and corporate finance and governance. This has resulted in numerous economic crashes and near total economic disaster by their hands over the decades; any of which could have brought this and many another country to its knees.

But most recently, this apotheosis of laissez faire thought and lack of governance has had a far more menacing, physical manifestation: the almost complete breakdown of that most basic public service; our water supply. Without potable water to consume, a human being will either succumb to waterborne diseases - most of which bring with them symptoms ranging from simply extremely unpleasant and frankly noisome, through to a protracted, painful death - or in avoiding drinking altogether, an equally painful death within three days, through thirst alone. At least two areas in the UK this very month have seen outbreaks of waterborne parasite-induced illness break out, including parts of the capital itself: the very seat of supposed government. Thames Water are now investigating their own supplies for Cryptosporidium. It's almost as if we've wilfully returned to a pre-Bazalgette era of open sewers and untreated water supplies; there is human waste everywhere it shouldn't be: most particularly in our water supply chain.

And the cause? Corporate capitalism having been allowed to take ownership of what is the most basic human need: a clean, potable drinking-water supply and the disposal of our waste products in a safe and timely manner. And for why? Maximising shareholder dividend, of course. The profits from supplying water and sewage treatment and disposal, it would be quite fair to imagine, should in large part be re-invested in the continual expansion and improvement of the network and systems of supply. Since privatisation, however, this has gradually ceased to be the modus operandi of the water companies, who pay out massive dividends to [largely corporate] shareholders and hand over stupidly excessive bonuses to the ineffectual turds at the heads of their organisations, at the expense of actually providing the service they purport to be in the business of providing.

If one wants to define the situation in which we find ourselves, it's exactly this: the complete and deliberate breaking down of governance of corporate business and the removal of the necessary checks and balances that keep business, and by extension, society under control; by a monstrous cabal of entirely self-serving financiers and politicians working hand in glove, cheek by jowl, and in perfect lockstep to fleece the rest of us of our basic human rights at little cost but great profit to itself. In doing so, it is putting the lives of millions of us in jeopardy. If you want a definition of anarchy, this is it, and it ain't pretty...