Category: truth

THE INSPIRATIONAL COURAGE SHOWN IN A MOSCOW COURT LAST WEEK.

December 16, 2022 /

In February 1966 Andrei Sinyavsky and Yuly Daniel were tried for ‘anti-Soviet agitation’ in a Moscow court and sentenced to seven and five years in labour camps. Their satirical writings had offended the state. Their trial was reported around the world[1] and provoked an international reaction and inspired others in USSR to take a stand against their rulers. It led to a wider dissident movement which stood against state repression in USSR. Ilya Yashin stands firmly in this tradition. On 9th December 2022 he was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for a series of posts in May about the murder and torture of Ukrainian civilians by Russian troops in Bucha[2]. This is the report from The Moscow Times of his speech from the dock[3]:-

“….Ladies and gentlemen,
You have to agree that the phrase “the defendant’s last word” sounds very sombre as if after I speak they’ll sew my mouth shut and forbid me from ever speaking again.

Everyone understands that this is precisely the point. I am being isolated from society and imprisoned because they want me to remain silent, as our parliament is no longer a place for discussion and Russia must now silently agree with any measures its government takes.

But I promise that as long as I live I’ll never make peace with that. My mission is to tell the truth. I’ve spoken it on city squares, in television studios, in parliament and I will not cease to speak it from behind bars either. As one classic author put it: “Lies are the religion of slaves and masters. Truth is the god of the free man.”

Your Honour, I have a principle that I’ve followed for many years now: do what you must, come what may. When the hostilities began, I did not doubt what I should do even for a second.

I must remain in Russia, I must speak the truth loudly, and I must stop the bloodshed at any cost. It physically pains me to think how many people have been killed in this war, how many lives have been ruined, and how many families have lost their homes. You cannot be indifferent. And I swear I do not regret anything. It’s better to spend 10 years behind bars as an honest man than quietly burn with shame over the blood spilled by your government. Of course, Your Honour, I’m not expecting a miracle here. You know I’m not guilty, but I know that you’re pressured by the system. It is obvious that you will have to issue a guilty verdict. But I hold no ill will toward you, and I wish you no ill. But try to do everything that is in your power to
avoid injustice. Remember that it’s not just my personal fate that depends on your verdict — this verdict is against the part of our society that wants to live a peaceful and civilized life. The part of society that, perhaps, you belong to, Your Honour.

I’d also like to use this platform to address Russian President Vladimir Putin. The man responsible for this bloodbath who signed the “military censorship” law, and according to whose will I am currently in prison.

Mr. Putin, when you look at the consequences of this terrible war, you probably already understand the gravity of the mistake that you made on Feb. 24. No one greeted our army with flowers. They call us invaders and occupiers. Your name is now firmly associated with the words “death” and “destruction.”

You brought about a terrible tragedy for the Ukrainian people, who will probably never forgive us for it. But you’re not just waging a war on Ukrainians — you’re at war with your own citizens, too.

You’re sending off hundreds of thousands of Russians to war. Many will return disabled or lose their minds from what they’ve seen and gone through. To you, this is just a death toll, a number in a column. But to many families, this means the unbearable pain of losing a husband, a father or a son.

Hundreds of thousands of our citizens have left their country because they don’t want to kill or be killed. People are running from you, Mr. President. Can’t you see?

You’re undermining the basis of our economic security. Your switch to a wartime economy is turning our country backward. Have you forgotten that this policy already led our country to ruin in the past?

Let this be a voice crying out in the wilderness, but I’m calling on you, Mr. Putin, to stop this madness right now. We need to recognize that our policy on Ukraine was a mistake, to withdraw our troops from its territory and to reach a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Remember that every new day of the war brings new victims. Enough.

Finally, I want to address the people who have followed these court proceedings, who have supported me for all these months, and who are anxiously waiting for the
verdict.

My friends! No matter what verdict the court gives, no matter how tough that verdict is, this must not break you. I realize how difficult it is for you right now, I realize that you feel hopeless and powerless. But you must not give up.

Please do not give into despair and don’t forget that this is our country. It is worth fighting for. Be brave, do not retreat in the face of evil. Resist. Stand your ground on your street, in your city. And most importantly — be there for each other. There are many more of us than you think, and together we have enormous power.

Don’t worry about me. I promise to endure my tribulations without complaint and that I won’t lose my integrity. In turn, please promise me that you’ll not lose your optimism and won’t forget how to smile. Because the moment we lose our ability to find joy in life is the moment they win.

Believe me, Russia will one day be free and happy.”[4]

  1. Alexander Ginzburg, a journalist, compiled a report of the trial which circulated secretly in USSR called “The White Book” and was arrested and sentenced to 5 years in a labour camp along with 3 others whose trial was recorded in the book “The trial of the Four”. All these defendants made courageous speeches from the dock. ↑
  2. See https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/09/russian-opposition-figure-ilya-yashin-jailed-for-denouncing-ukraine-war accessed 16/12/22 ↑
  3. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/12/07/people-are-running-from-you-mr-president-cant-you-see-a79626 accessed 16/12/22 . The article ends “This is an edited version of a translation provided by Novaya Gazeta Europe. The views expressed in opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the position of The Moscow Times. The unedited translation of Novoya Gazeta Europe is at https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2022/12/06/people-are-running-from-you-mr-president-cant-you-see-en ↑
  4. For more information about Mr Yashin see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilya_Yashin. Thanks to the “Battleground” podcast for alerting me to Mr Yashin’s speech https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/battleground-ukraine/id1617276298 ↑

 

GOVERNING LIKE THIS IS DAMAGING…. WHAT NOW?

October 24, 2019 /

British politics has become so tribal and so polarised that the following thought experiment will be very difficult for most people but please try it:-

Imagine Mr Johnson’s government asks you for a list of policies that it should pursue. You provide that list and the government immediately agrees to pursue all the policies on your list and that existing policies will be abandoned if they contradict your list. Would this government’s methods of governing be acceptable if it was pursuing your chosen policies?

My answer to that is a clear “NO”. No matter what the merits of one’s chosen policies might be, the collateral damage Mr Johnson’s method of governing is inflicting is too great.  Here are some examples;-

● The Government is using ‘Downing Street Sources’ to spread lies and smears. Read this article https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/british-journalists-have-become-part-of-johnsons-fake-news-machine/ which gives specific examples. (This is not only an unwise way of doing business: it is also short sighted.  What happens if we get so used to hearing lies and misrepresentations from the media and politicians that even when they tell the truth we won’t believe them?)

● The Government refuses to use moderate language and is content to inflame tensions by inflammatory and aggressive language. Mr Johnson knows how to use words: journalism was his trade. The frequent use of images and language of war is not just distasteful: it is a step towards inciting violence. 

 

● If the Government perceives a short term gain is to be had, it does not shrink from adopting questionable methods to obtain that gain. Unlawfully advising the Queen to prorogue Parliament is a case in point. Treating the judiciary, parliament itself and MPs with disrespect are further examples.

The Government is acting as if the end justifies the means. It doesn’t.  If the ends justifies the means for a government why should not the same be true for others– no matter how far right, far left or extreme?

I emphasise that I am not making any point about the merits or otherwise of the Government’s aims and policies. My point is that HMG’s method of speaking and acting is objectionable and is doing harm that will take a long time to repair, if it can be repaired at all.

Nearly everyone approves of democracy and democratic institutions but this government’s way of governing assumes that democratic institutions are self-healing and everlasting. History shows that they are not. They can decay from the inside. The Government’s methods are causing such decay at a rapid pace. 

When democracy dies democratic institutions lose substance even whilst preserving the appearance of not having changed.  Thus there may still be Courts that sit with Judges who have the same robes but if judicial independence is lost or if the courts are too expensive or inaccessible (because the decisions are made by the home office and no effective review available) true justice fades.  Parliament may still meet in the iconic building of Westminster but if capable and diligent people are unwilling to serve as MPs because of the abuse that would go with the job what then?  If there is no easily available way of obtaining reliable news what chance of reasoned debate or meaningful choices without which democracy becomes impossible?

Read The Windrush Betrayal and you encounter a tyranny of the bureaucracy against defenceless innocent people. Read Refugee Tales III and you encounter similar bureaucratic tryanny against refugees.  Try telling them that they have the right to protection from the Court.

If you can stand the painful shame of it, watch the evidence given to the Public Accounts Committee in December 2018 by a Windrush victim and you will catch a glimpse of how rights can become hollow once decency and civility are eroded.

Decency and civility are being replaced by a very different and brutal way of governing and its not clear how this can be stopped.  There is a common thread that runs through the Grenfell tragedy, the Windrush betrayal and the marginalisation of many needing state assistance: that thread is an uncaring, even brutal, way of governing that fails to listen to cries for help.

A general election is coming but a change of government would not necessarily repair the damage that is now being done. The government’s methods, along with other factors beyond the government’s control, are poisoning the wells.  A new ‘normal’ is being established which is far from normal. This is easiest to see by considering the same phenomenon in the USA where Trump’s behaviour now has to be shocking to a degree before it even registers as unusual. What once would have caused outrage now causes barely a comment of disapproval.

Please use the comment facility or the email link on the left to suggest:-

  • How can we encourage our politicians to work in ways that build up trust and mutual respect?
  • How can we persuade our politicians that using language that promotes goodwill and compromise is something we respect and value?
  • How do we get the message across that the end does not justify the means?

 

THE SILENT THIEF AT WORK AROUND US

October 24, 2018 /

“Glaucoma has been called the “silent thief of sight” as it is asymptomatic but causes irreversible vision loss. One of the most common ophthalmic conditions in the world, it is also the leading cause of irreversible blindness (World Health Organization, 2010)… Glaucoma …. is a silent progressive disease and is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness …Screening is key to diagnosis, and treatment adherence is critical to prevent vision loss in those who are diagnosed[1]

I have a personal interest in glaucoma.   It runs in my family.   A disease which steals sight by imperceptible degrees until one is blind sounds like horror fiction:  yet it frequently happens.

Something similar is happening to our ability identify truth and tell it apart from falsehood. Whereas  anyone in the public eye used to be careful not to be caught out being ‘economical with the truth’, now words are deliberately used without regard to truth or fiction. I don’t know if this is a cause or a symptom of the disease but of this I am sure: there is a silent thief at work causing us to lose our ability to perceive truth, albeit by such gradual degrees that we are becoming oblivious to our loss. Here are two stark examples which illustrate how successfully the silent thief is at work.

On 8th October 2018 When Kavanaugh was sworn in as a Justice of the Supreme Court, President Trump declared to the world, “You Sir, under historic scrutiny, were proven innocent.”

However one characterises the U.S. Senate hearing that approved Kavanaugh’s appointment, it was not a trial. The Senate committee had no power to declare innocence or guilt and it did not pretend to. Trump’s proclamation that his appointee had been ‘proven innocent’ was untrue.  We have become so used to such falsehoods that they seem hardly worthy of note. But each lie is worth noting and identifying for what it is, lest we become accustomed to a declining standard of truth, just as diseased eyes can become accustomed to increased darkness even when exposed to the mid-day sun.

For further evidence of increasing darkness, consider the reaction of Trump’s senior advisor and son-in-law,  Mr Jared Kushner, to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.  According to the New York Times he said

“We’re getting facts in from multiple places. Once those facts come in, the secretary of state will work with our national security team to help us determine what we want to believe.”[2]

It’s worth pondering that sentence.  One sign that the truth-thief is at work is when a fact ceases to be a fact if someone does not want to believe it. This is the reverse side of the coin that proclaims something to be a fact on the basis that the person talking wants to believe it, despite there being  no evidence to support it (e.g. that Kavanaugh was ‘proven innocent’).

If glaucoma is to be treated, early inspection and detection is essential. Likewise the actions of the truth-thief. “The sayings of the wise are like nails firmly fixed.”  (Ecclesiastes 12:11 ). The sayings of those spreading this disease are the opposite: like words writ in water.  Unreliable, temporary and worthless.

Trump’s presidency began with a public row about how many people attended his inauguration. The White House made false claims and the world laughed in ridicule. That was 20th January 2017. Less than 2 years later we are now becoming as accustomed to hearing words used as weapons irrespective of their veracity as a glaucoma sufferer becomes accustomed to receding light.  We are in the danger zone where treatment is essential if blindness is to be avoided. The ability to perceive words of truth and tell them apart from what is not true should not be taken for granted. We have to work at it by sifting what we hear, identifying and calling out what is not true and having the courage to stand up for what is true.  

The two examples given above are from the USA.   Further examples could be given from UK politics.  And it does not stop at politics.  Why should anyone tell the truth when telling less than the truth can be effective to achieve one’s ends?  Here’s the rub.   If all you care about is winning, lie away:  suppress inconvenient truths and present dodgy evidence, gift wrapped and enhanced to delight the listener and sparkling to please the eye.  History shows that this works, at least in the short-term.

History also shows that there are long-term consequences.  A society that loses the ability to identify what is true is in deep trouble.  Mutual trust and confidence declines.  Communities break down.  When everything is doubted, relationships collapse and every relationship, be it commercial or family, is undermined.  Maybe this is why the Judaeo-Christian tradition puts a very high value on truth telling:-

16 There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, 19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. 20 My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. Proverbs 6:16–20 (ESV)

12 Which of you desires life, and covets many days to enjoy good? 13 Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. 14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. Psalm 34:12–14 (NRSV)

There is a further argument which sounds strange to our secular ears but which would have been taken for granted in times past.  God hears what we say.  He knows truth from untruth and He will hold us accountable for our words.  Now there’s a thought.  (1 John 1:5, Psalm 50:16-23, Psalm 139:1-4).  One day each of us will discover for ourselves whether this is true.  

But you do not have to believe in God to appreciate that there are strong logical reasons why a society which regards truth as optional is undesirable.  Would you want to visit a doctor if you thought he would tell you what you wanted to hear rather than what he knew to be true?  Would you want to be in a police station or a court if the police said what they wanted to be true (in order to increase detection rates) rather than what the evidence said?  When you die, what matters most to you: how those you love remember your character or how people record your achievements?  

  1. https://perma.cc/F46X-5WKM Marsden J (2014) Glaucoma: the “silent thief of sight”.Nursing Times; 110: 42, 20-22 ↑
  2.  https://perma.cc/2SGW-SYN4 New York Times 22 Oct 2018 ↑

 

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