Billy G
@billirubins.bsky.social
I'm just here to rant about shite that also boils my pish.
Foul language is a requirement for said rant.
Foul language is a requirement for said rant.
Levitsky & Ziblatt–How Democracies Die
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/562246...
Snyder – On Tyranny
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/558051...
Arendt – The Origins of Totalitarianism
archive.org/details/hann...
Reuters & AP Jan 6 coverage
www.reuters.com/world/us/fac...
apnews.com/article/capi...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/562246...
Snyder – On Tyranny
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/558051...
Arendt – The Origins of Totalitarianism
archive.org/details/hann...
Reuters & AP Jan 6 coverage
www.reuters.com/world/us/fac...
apnews.com/article/capi...
How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky, Daniel Ziblatt: 9781524762940 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The urgent and influential guide to the forces that have undermined democracies across the globe—forces running rampant in the United States today—hailed as...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
October 7, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Levitsky & Ziblatt–How Democracies Die
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/562246...
Snyder – On Tyranny
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/558051...
Arendt – The Origins of Totalitarianism
archive.org/details/hann...
Reuters & AP Jan 6 coverage
www.reuters.com/world/us/fac...
apnews.com/article/capi...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/562246...
Snyder – On Tyranny
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/558051...
Arendt – The Origins of Totalitarianism
archive.org/details/hann...
Reuters & AP Jan 6 coverage
www.reuters.com/world/us/fac...
apnews.com/article/capi...
SOURCES (1/2)
Eco, Ur-Fascism (full text)
sites.evergreen.edu/politicalsha...
Paxton, The Anatomy of Fascism (Google Books)
books.google.com/books/about/...
USHMM: Gleichschaltung explainer
encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/a...
Eco, Ur-Fascism (full text)
sites.evergreen.edu/politicalsha...
Paxton, The Anatomy of Fascism (Google Books)
books.google.com/books/about/...
USHMM: Gleichschaltung explainer
encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/a...
sites.evergreen.edu
October 7, 2025 at 12:27 AM
SOURCES (1/2)
Eco, Ur-Fascism (full text)
sites.evergreen.edu/politicalsha...
Paxton, The Anatomy of Fascism (Google Books)
books.google.com/books/about/...
USHMM: Gleichschaltung explainer
encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/a...
Eco, Ur-Fascism (full text)
sites.evergreen.edu/politicalsha...
Paxton, The Anatomy of Fascism (Google Books)
books.google.com/books/about/...
USHMM: Gleichschaltung explainer
encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/a...
Authoritarianism never dies; it simply rebrands.
It hides behind patriotism, populism, or “common sense.”
Our defence lies in civic memory — in knowing that democracy is not inherited, but practised.
The past is not past. It’s a warning.
::::::::::::
It hides behind patriotism, populism, or “common sense.”
Our defence lies in civic memory — in knowing that democracy is not inherited, but practised.
The past is not past. It’s a warning.
::::::::::::
October 7, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Authoritarianism never dies; it simply rebrands.
It hides behind patriotism, populism, or “common sense.”
Our defence lies in civic memory — in knowing that democracy is not inherited, but practised.
The past is not past. It’s a warning.
::::::::::::
It hides behind patriotism, populism, or “common sense.”
Our defence lies in civic memory — in knowing that democracy is not inherited, but practised.
The past is not past. It’s a warning.
::::::::::::
The pattern is psychological, not chronological.
Authoritarianism thrives where truth is distorted and personality supplants principle.
Each era modernises its propaganda — radio, film, television, social media — yet the emotional architecture remains identical: fear, faith, and belonging.
:::::::
Authoritarianism thrives where truth is distorted and personality supplants principle.
Each era modernises its propaganda — radio, film, television, social media — yet the emotional architecture remains identical: fear, faith, and belonging.
:::::::
October 7, 2025 at 12:27 AM
The pattern is psychological, not chronological.
Authoritarianism thrives where truth is distorted and personality supplants principle.
Each era modernises its propaganda — radio, film, television, social media — yet the emotional architecture remains identical: fear, faith, and belonging.
:::::::
Authoritarianism thrives where truth is distorted and personality supplants principle.
Each era modernises its propaganda — radio, film, television, social media — yet the emotional architecture remains identical: fear, faith, and belonging.
:::::::
Trump inherited the language, not the empire.
His rallies were rituals of grievance; the “enemy” was fluid — migrants, journalists, judges.
He transformed disinformation into a political weapon.
January 6, 2021, revealed how a populist myth can breach the democratic heart itself.
::::::::::::
His rallies were rituals of grievance; the “enemy” was fluid — migrants, journalists, judges.
He transformed disinformation into a political weapon.
January 6, 2021, revealed how a populist myth can breach the democratic heart itself.
::::::::::::
October 7, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Trump inherited the language, not the empire.
His rallies were rituals of grievance; the “enemy” was fluid — migrants, journalists, judges.
He transformed disinformation into a political weapon.
January 6, 2021, revealed how a populist myth can breach the democratic heart itself.
::::::::::::
His rallies were rituals of grievance; the “enemy” was fluid — migrants, journalists, judges.
He transformed disinformation into a political weapon.
January 6, 2021, revealed how a populist myth can breach the democratic heart itself.
::::::::::::
Authoritarianism rarely abolishes law — it bends it. Decrees, loyalty oaths, and “emergency powers” hollow out democracy from within. Institutions often die by obedience, not overthrow — legality masking decay, until the rule of law becomes rule by law.
October 7, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Authoritarianism rarely abolishes law — it bends it. Decrees, loyalty oaths, and “emergency powers” hollow out democracy from within. Institutions often die by obedience, not overthrow — legality masking decay, until the rule of law becomes rule by law.
Hitler radicalised Mussolini’s model. Gleichschaltung absorbed parties, unions, and culture; propaganda became total, dissent criminalised. The “machinery of control” turned ideology into genocide — showing how populism, unchecked, mutates into annihilation.
::::::::::::
::::::::::::
October 7, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Hitler radicalised Mussolini’s model. Gleichschaltung absorbed parties, unions, and culture; propaganda became total, dissent criminalised. The “machinery of control” turned ideology into genocide — showing how populism, unchecked, mutates into annihilation.
::::::::::::
::::::::::::
Mussolini rose from Italy’s post-WWI chaos, promising order and pride.
He understood performance: uniforms, salutes, marches, and slogans. The theatre of power made dictatorship appear patriotic.
By turning propaganda into ritual, he normalised authoritarianism through spectacle.
::::::::::::
He understood performance: uniforms, salutes, marches, and slogans. The theatre of power made dictatorship appear patriotic.
By turning propaganda into ritual, he normalised authoritarianism through spectacle.
::::::::::::
October 7, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Mussolini rose from Italy’s post-WWI chaos, promising order and pride.
He understood performance: uniforms, salutes, marches, and slogans. The theatre of power made dictatorship appear patriotic.
By turning propaganda into ritual, he normalised authoritarianism through spectacle.
::::::::::::
He understood performance: uniforms, salutes, marches, and slogans. The theatre of power made dictatorship appear patriotic.
By turning propaganda into ritual, he normalised authoritarianism through spectacle.
::::::::::::
Sources:
Reuters → www.reuters.com/world/us/bor...
BBC → www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-6822...
Freedom House → freedomhouse.org/report/freed...
Guardian → www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
#AuthoritarianDrift #CivilLiberties #WesternDemocracy
Reuters → www.reuters.com/world/us/bor...
BBC → www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-6822...
Freedom House → freedomhouse.org/report/freed...
Guardian → www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
#AuthoritarianDrift #CivilLiberties #WesternDemocracy
Border Patrol agents shoot armed woman in Chicago as protesters confront immigration personnel
No law enforcement officers were seriously injured in the incident.
www.reuters.com
October 6, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Sources:
Reuters → www.reuters.com/world/us/bor...
BBC → www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-6822...
Freedom House → freedomhouse.org/report/freed...
Guardian → www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
#AuthoritarianDrift #CivilLiberties #WesternDemocracy
Reuters → www.reuters.com/world/us/bor...
BBC → www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-6822...
Freedom House → freedomhouse.org/report/freed...
Guardian → www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
#AuthoritarianDrift #CivilLiberties #WesternDemocracy
Authoritarianism today legislates, regulates, and praises its restraint. It doesn’t storm parliaments; it occupies them politely. The threat is not collapse but adaptation — democracy refashioned to serve its captors.
October 6, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Authoritarianism today legislates, regulates, and praises its restraint. It doesn’t storm parliaments; it occupies them politely. The threat is not collapse but adaptation — democracy refashioned to serve its captors.
In the 1930s, liberal democracies believed they could contain extremism through the rule of law. The laws they passed to contain it became the scaffolding that sustained it. History doesn’t repeat itself in spectacle; it rehearses in silence, through small compromises mistaken for prudence.
October 6, 2025 at 10:16 PM
In the 1930s, liberal democracies believed they could contain extremism through the rule of law. The laws they passed to contain it became the scaffolding that sustained it. History doesn’t repeat itself in spectacle; it rehearses in silence, through small compromises mistaken for prudence.
This isn’t a coup but a drift — nationalism fused with technocratic control. Populist rhetoric sustains the illusion of democracy while executive power deepens beneath it. Modern authoritarianism doesn’t need ideology; it thrives on anxiety, apathy, and a quiet surrender of civic imagination.
October 6, 2025 at 10:16 PM
This isn’t a coup but a drift — nationalism fused with technocratic control. Populist rhetoric sustains the illusion of democracy while executive power deepens beneath it. Modern authoritarianism doesn’t need ideology; it thrives on anxiety, apathy, and a quiet surrender of civic imagination.
Most restrictions arrive as “temporary emergency measures.” Yet, history shows that emergency powers have the longest lifespans. Once codified, they linger, rebranded and repurposed — converting what should be exceptional state powers into permanent administrative habits.
October 6, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Most restrictions arrive as “temporary emergency measures.” Yet, history shows that emergency powers have the longest lifespans. Once codified, they linger, rebranded and repurposed — converting what should be exceptional state powers into permanent administrative habits.
Paramilitary policing, predictive surveillance, and algorithmic censorship are packaged as defences against chaos. Each creates dependency on the systems that restrict freedom. Once fear is operationalised, power rarely relinquishes it; it expands from borders into homes, workplaces, and speech.
October 6, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Paramilitary policing, predictive surveillance, and algorithmic censorship are packaged as defences against chaos. Each creates dependency on the systems that restrict freedom. Once fear is operationalised, power rarely relinquishes it; it expands from borders into homes, workplaces, and speech.
From Chicago’s “Operation Midway Blitz” to Britain’s anti-protest laws, governments increasingly use war metaphors to police their own populations. The justification is identical everywhere — to preserve public order. Yet order maintained by fear becomes state property, not a public good.
October 6, 2025 at 10:16 PM
From Chicago’s “Operation Midway Blitz” to Britain’s anti-protest laws, governments increasingly use war metaphors to police their own populations. The justification is identical everywhere — to preserve public order. Yet order maintained by fear becomes state property, not a public good.
📎 Sources:
Reuters → reuters.com/world/middle...
Guardian → theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
Al Jazeera → aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/...
#Gaza #ForeignPolicy #PeaceOrPowerplay
Reuters → reuters.com/world/middle...
Guardian → theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
Al Jazeera → aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/...
#Gaza #ForeignPolicy #PeaceOrPowerplay
reuters.com
October 6, 2025 at 9:38 PM
📎 Sources:
Reuters → reuters.com/world/middle...
Guardian → theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
Al Jazeera → aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/...
#Gaza #ForeignPolicy #PeaceOrPowerplay
Reuters → reuters.com/world/middle...
Guardian → theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
Al Jazeera → aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/...
#Gaza #ForeignPolicy #PeaceOrPowerplay
Post 4 (Conclusion)
Call it what it is: an unelected foreign committee deciding Gaza’s future under the language of “stability” and “transition.”
Even if others join later, the foundation is exclusion, not peace.
Call it what it is: an unelected foreign committee deciding Gaza’s future under the language of “stability” and “transition.”
Even if others join later, the foundation is exclusion, not peace.
October 6, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Post 4 (Conclusion)
Call it what it is: an unelected foreign committee deciding Gaza’s future under the language of “stability” and “transition.”
Even if others join later, the foundation is exclusion, not peace.
Call it what it is: an unelected foreign committee deciding Gaza’s future under the language of “stability” and “transition.”
Even if others join later, the foundation is exclusion, not peace.
Post 3 (Critique)
That’s not a board — it’s a Washington-led power bloc dressed up as diplomacy.
No elected Palestinians.
No regional consensus.
No transparency.
That’s not a board — it’s a Washington-led power bloc dressed up as diplomacy.
No elected Palestinians.
No regional consensus.
No transparency.
October 6, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Post 3 (Critique)
That’s not a board — it’s a Washington-led power bloc dressed up as diplomacy.
No elected Palestinians.
No regional consensus.
No transparency.
That’s not a board — it’s a Washington-led power bloc dressed up as diplomacy.
No elected Palestinians.
No regional consensus.
No transparency.
Post 2 (Reveal)
The plan creates an “International Board of Peace” to run a temporary Gaza administration. Sounds noble, doesn’t it?
In reality, only two names have been confirmed: Donald Trump (Chair) and Tony Blair (Member).
The plan creates an “International Board of Peace” to run a temporary Gaza administration. Sounds noble, doesn’t it?
In reality, only two names have been confirmed: Donald Trump (Chair) and Tony Blair (Member).
October 6, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Post 2 (Reveal)
The plan creates an “International Board of Peace” to run a temporary Gaza administration. Sounds noble, doesn’t it?
In reality, only two names have been confirmed: Donald Trump (Chair) and Tony Blair (Member).
The plan creates an “International Board of Peace” to run a temporary Gaza administration. Sounds noble, doesn’t it?
In reality, only two names have been confirmed: Donald Trump (Chair) and Tony Blair (Member).
Freedom of speech and peaceful assembly are not privileges. They’re legal rights under the Human Rights Act 1998.
Article 11 exists precisely to stop governments from criminalising opposition.
Source: Human Rights Act 1998, Article 11
www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/4...
Article 11 exists precisely to stop governments from criminalising opposition.
Source: Human Rights Act 1998, Article 11
www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/4...
Human Rights Act 1998
An Act to give further effect to rights and freedoms guaranteed under the European Convention on Human Rights; to make provision with respect to holders of certain judicial offices who become judges o...
www.legislation.gov.uk
October 6, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Freedom of speech and peaceful assembly are not privileges. They’re legal rights under the Human Rights Act 1998.
Article 11 exists precisely to stop governments from criminalising opposition.
Source: Human Rights Act 1998, Article 11
www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/4...
Article 11 exists precisely to stop governments from criminalising opposition.
Source: Human Rights Act 1998, Article 11
www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/4...
No government has the mandate to rewrite the meaning of democracy.
Those who stay silent now will regret it when silence itself becomes law.
#RightToProtest #StarmersBritain #DefendDemocracy
Those who stay silent now will regret it when silence itself becomes law.
#RightToProtest #StarmersBritain #DefendDemocracy
October 6, 2025 at 9:17 PM
No government has the mandate to rewrite the meaning of democracy.
Those who stay silent now will regret it when silence itself becomes law.
#RightToProtest #StarmersBritain #DefendDemocracy
Those who stay silent now will regret it when silence itself becomes law.
#RightToProtest #StarmersBritain #DefendDemocracy
When a government manufactures fear to suppress dissent, it isn’t protecting democracy — it’s dismantling it.
Using tragedy as a means to fuel political agendas is one of the oldest authoritarian tricks in the book.
Using tragedy as a means to fuel political agendas is one of the oldest authoritarian tricks in the book.
October 6, 2025 at 9:17 PM
When a government manufactures fear to suppress dissent, it isn’t protecting democracy — it’s dismantling it.
Using tragedy as a means to fuel political agendas is one of the oldest authoritarian tricks in the book.
Using tragedy as a means to fuel political agendas is one of the oldest authoritarian tricks in the book.