Dangerous Stirrings in a Silent Majority

Scenes of wild water bursting the doors of a shop somewhere in Austria. The message/tweet posted on X: “expect more of this, watch climate change in action.” Social media is awash with alarmists, attributing all the world’s weather phenomena to global warming, often accompanied by a rallying cry for immediate remedial action. Don’t eat meat; don’t use fossil fuel; shun airplanes; shower less; install solar panels; turn down the heating or cooling – an apparently endless stream of commandments assail the average citizen.

Hypocrites abound such as a Dutch guy on X who expressed genuine irritation at his fellow passengers on the return flight home: “All coming home from vacation and not a single one bothered by their carbon footprint.” The visibly annoyed traveller went on to explain – earnestly – that he had been travelling to study foreign cultures and thus could justify his personal carbon expenditure. The other had just been on vacation, a much less noble pursuit.

The rant reminded me of an American lady who, when introduced to a friend from Chile, exclaimed with great indignation: “You murdered all your native people!” There was no irony or sarcasm to be detected in her voice. The lady, aptly named Joy, was genuinely upset but, alas, not a student of history.

Nixon The Communist?

Today, on a great many internet fora, users are finely attuned to whatever ukase their idol has issued. Kamala Harris is a ‘communist’ because she wants to introduce ‘price controls’ and that is ‘what communists do’. When asked if Richard Nixon was a communist – he froze wages and prices for ninety days in 1970 by executive order – silence reigned supreme. Facts are not at all popular.

The cohort once known as the ‘silent majority’ is awakening and starting to push back against societal change inspired by climate concerns, the perceived hypocrisy of economic and political elites and their hangers-on, the topsy-turvy world of the alt-truth crowd, and assorted other irritants.

It started in the UK with the 2016 referendum on Brexit. As happens with all referenda, the question posed was not addressed or, indeed, answered. The vote did, however, give people a chance to express their dissatisfaction with the national state of affairs – particularly sorry in the UK where austerity had become a government cult.

The referendum offered an opportunity to ‘stick it to the man’, that man being Prime Minister David Cameron – a product of Eton and Oxford and, as such, wholly out of tune and touch with the concerns of ‘the common man’.

At present, it is a similarly estranged elite that is pushing for radical and costly measures to stop global warming. Untold billions and even trillions of dollars are being raised, not to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere or adjust to a warmer environment; but to help poor countries build up resilience and subsidise industry as it shifts towards net zero.

Out-of-Whack Cycle

In both Europe and North America, a silent majority is slowly waking up to the fact that they are being bamboozled, not because climate change is fake but because the measures proposed and adopted do not address the issue.

The only way to reduce the pace of global warming, and possibly revert the trend, is to reestablish the equilibrium – out of whack due to humankind’s emissions – of the natural carbon cycle. This implies the need to either remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through capture or disposition or wait for the molecules to break down naturally, a process that takes many centuries.

Whilst net zero and other sustainable initiatives remain necessary for a cleaner and cooler future, these solutions will not reduce, let alone stop or revert, global warming over the next two centuries or so. Yet, politicians and scientists insist that by observing their many well-intentioned commandments, enlightened societies will shape a better tomorrow and may reap the fruits of their collective effort before long.

Whilst there is no conspiracy at play, circumstances do seem to conspire against common sense. Measures to check global warming come on top of a pile of pre-existing concerns such as high taxes, budget cuts, regulatory excess, the rise of computers (and bots), war, currency debasement (inflation), and immigration – to name but a few. The idea has taken root that the establishment has no interest in, or time for, the non-rebellious, non-marching, and non-victimised citizen – the ‘hard-working’ people politicians are full of at election time and promptly wipe from memory the day after.

Politicians and governments on both sides of the ideological centre have become largely indistinguishable and peddle in unison and harmony a message that doesn’t deviate from the politically correct. Dissenting voices are ruthlessly silenced and chastised with terms that imply severe condemnation. Cancel culture shows no mercy and remains as tone deaf as ever.

Small wonder that voters increasingly turn to populists and demagogues who cater to concerns with simplistic solutions contained in catchy one-liners or with abusive language hurled at their opponents.

No More Huddling

In the US, Donald Trump has not yet found an invective he’s unwilling to fire at Kamala Harris. In Europe, where political discourse has so far kept a veneer of civility, politicians such as Geert Wilders in The Netherlands, Marine Le Pen in France, and Nigel Farage in the UK have captured the imagination of masses tired of convention, excuses, and hypocrisy and no longer willing to huddle in the face of a know-it-all establishment and the climate alarmists it panders to.

However, the shift taking place throughout Europe does not portent a revolution. Instead, it removes exclamation marks and softens the proposals of an über-correct elite of enlightened liberals. Thus, Europe’s signature Green Deal which aims to make the EU climate neutral by 2050 is not off the table; it will likely be scaled back at the request of the newly elected European Parliament after most traditional parties returned post-election with diminished strength.

People such as the British scientist James Lovelock add to the disruption by suggesting that the fight against climate change may warrant checks on democracy given that short election cycles block long-term policy initiatives. Mr Lovelock’s unwise words merely add fuel to conspiracy theories.

Instead of limiting the rights of people, anti-establishment parties gain in popularity precisely because they promise voters more agency. These parties also prioritise short-term rewards and satisfaction over future benefits. In the case of policies that seek to limit global warming, they actually have a point but fail to make it largely because the technicalities involved are deemed too complex.

Tapping into Base

To avoid further polarisation and the otherwise inevitable rise of the nationalist right, mainstream politics needs to reconnect with its base. Labour parties must lower the climate and immigration rhetoric and tap into their natural demographic: perfectly normal people trying to maintain their way of life, freedom, and achievements. Liberals may want to place a check on their penchant for self destruction via extreme tolerance and return to fighting for their endemic values such as individual freedom and a minimum of state interference. Meanwhile, greens should take up the defence of nature and environment, including of course climate change.

This way, voters have something to chose other than a populist who promises quick deliverance from the elites. There is, however, absolutely nothing wrong with having a political upper class, well educated, highly erudite,  and well versed in public administration. The problem only occurs when that aristocracy takes a let-them-eat-cake attitude. Because, that’s when heads begin to roll.