Charles Coulombe - The Rulers and the Ruled

8/12/2019 Charles Coulombe - The Rulers and the Ruled

1/17

The Rulers and the Ruled

The late Malcolm Muggeridge often declared that the modern world is based onfantasy. By this, alas, he didnt mean such beguiling (and ultimately true) books as

The Lord of the Rings, but rather, a refusal to look reality in the face that is, we areresol!ed to attem"t to resha"e the cosmos to our liking. #ince we cant really do this,we "retend that what we want is so $$$ e!en though we know it isnt. %rwell called it&double$think.'The title of this essay was suggested by that of an nglish ghost story, &The auntersand the aunted ' the im"lication of which being that the reader will ha!e a hardtime figuring out *ust who is being a""eared to and whom the a""arition. #o it is withthe nature of "ower in the modern world $$$ by which, incidentally, this writer means

uro"e, +orth merica, -a"an, and ustralasia. cross the rest of the globe, e ce"t

for Latin merica, the /hili""ines, and "ossibly 0ndia and a few other "laces (whichare in !arious stages of transformation $$$ though from what to what has yet to beascertained), there is rarely a 1uestion as to whom the rulers may be, and who theruled.

Muggeridge and %rwell had an ad!antage in knowing the "ower of fantasy, for theyli!ed under 2onstitutional Monarchies. s they ha!e e!ol!ed, these sorts of nationsha!e become show"laces of shared fiction. +ot only in 3reat Britain, but in 2anada,

ustralia, +ew 4ealand, #"ain, -a"an, #candina!ia, and Benelu , the "ageantry ofroyalty clothes the reality of "ower. %n state occasions, e!en now, the so!ereign rides

by crowds of cheering sub*ects in a gilded coach laws are enacted in the name of theMonarch the armed forces swear their allegiance to him, and so forth. 2harities,learned bodies, schools, and churches all treasure their connections to the 2rown.

!en fa!ored tradesmen "roudly dis"lay their warrants as "ur!eyors to the court.

But in those countries immediate "ower rests with whome!er holds a ma*ority in/arliament. 0f the #o!ereign deli!ers the s"eech from the throne amidst Medie!al (orat least 56th century) "om", it is the /rime Minister who writes the s"eech. The lawsmay be e ecuted in the name of the 2rown, but that wearer of that crown has nothingto say about them. 0n "ractice the Monarch cannot e ercise his !eto, e!en if hewanted to. lthough in some of these nations, it is theoretically "ossible that the#o!ereign might directly inter!ene to safeguard the 2onstitution, it is unlikely toha""en $$$ the one time in recent years it did, in 5678, when #ir -ohn 9err, 3o!ernor$3eneral of ustralia dismissed /rime Minister 3ough :hitlam, it was done withoutreference to ;ueen lis, much has changed with reigning Monarchies, as with all

else in :estern society. The marriage and di!orce of the /rince of :ales and hissiblings, as well as !arious attendant scandals, ha!e tarnished the a""earance of the

ouse of :indsor in the 2ommonwealth (the fact that in this they resemble at least


2/17

8>? of their British sub*ects is con!eniently ignored). But it is not *ust in di!orce orse ual scandal that modern royals a"e modern commoners. +ot a single heir

"resum"ti!e to a modern uro"ean throne has married a fellow royal the 2rown/rinces of #"ain and +orway ha!e married, to use a 1uaint "hrase, &women with

"asts,' in the latter case, com"lete with illegitimate child. The former &@amily' of

royalty has been broken.These and kindred de!elo"ments ha!e led many in the media and "olitical classes tochi" away at what remains of the institution. 0n the name of &democracy,' a""ointed

"ositions one by one become "olitical, rather than royal, gifts. Royal symbols arechiseled away at, and the lords of the media indulge in constant sni"ing and ridiculingof the institution. t least one of the ma*or "arties declares itself in fa!or of abolitionof the Monarchy, and kee"s u" a constant "ro"aganda on the "oint $$$ whether in

"ower or as the &loyal o""osition.' The fact that such "oliticians ha!e sworn oaths ofallegiance to the #o!ereign they undermine is of little conse1uence "er*ury, as we

"ro!ed with the im"eachment of Mr. 2linton, is not a crime.But when the desiccated 2rown is o!erturned, and re"laced, so to s"eak, with the

"oliticians to" hat, does the golden age at last arri!eA m, no. 0n "arliamentaryre"ublics such as Third and @ourth Re"ublic @rance, 3ermany, 0taly, /ortugal,3reece, and ustria, dreary old "oliticians take turns re"lacing each other as tenantsof the former royal "alace. nable to in!ent new symbols of legitimacy and authority,they must ado"t the former onesC "residential guard units $$$ often in uniforms littlealtered from those of the 9ing $$$ listlessly "rotect the nominal heads of state. #mallroyal "rerogati!es are *ealously clutchedC the /resident of ustria retains the right tolegitimi>E, deli!ered a thundering s"eech in fa!orof "reser!ing the @rench Re!olutions &tradition' of laFcisme) *oyfully fulfillsreligious roles inherited from the MonarchyC 2o$/rince of ndorra with the #"anishBisho" of rgel canon of Romes Basilica of #t. -ohn Lateran and /rotector of the

oly /laces in 0srael$/alestine (e ercised through the @rench 2onsul$3eneral of-erusalem, who is rendered !arious liturgical honors by the 2atholic churches of the

oly Land as a result). 0nstitutions with the sort of connections earlier mentioned tothe former Monarchy continue to boast of them. walk through the inner city ofGienna, if confined to looking at sho" windows, would con!ince the a!erage touristthat there is still an m"eror in the ofburg, gi!en the enormous number of double$eagles gracing establishments still ad!ertising the 0m"erial :arrant.

+one of this hand$me$down "om" stirs u" a great deal of interest on the "art of theciti


3/17

in "ower, the "o"ulation is bombarded with referenda until they gi!e inC theintroduction of di!orce in 0reland is a classic e am"le.

+ow, we mericans might smile "ityingly at all this, secure as we are in "ossessionof the oldest and most successful re"ublican constitution in the world. !ery four

years we !ote for our /resident we !ote for our re"resentati!es and senators, for ourgo!ernors and assemblymen, for our sheriffs and su"er!isors and district attorneysand mayors and aldermen and on and on. 0n these nited #tates, the "eo"le ruleI

Ho we, indeedA This is most comforting. 0n common with the citi


4/17

the !ast ma*ority of mericans celebrate 2hristmas in some form, and most of thosethink it has something or other to do with 2hrist. Jet more and more, they are unableto say so. t least the authorities are ha""y to im"ort e!er$larger 1uantities of&holiday ornaments' from 2hina. %ne can only wonder what the inmates of thefactories who "roduce them think of the whole thing. :ell, at least somebody is

making "rofits.

+ow, whence come these de!elo"mentsA To a great degree, from the ma*or media,whose owners and minions ha!e achie!ed social "rominence. They try theirdamndest, with some success, to influence the "o"ulaces attitudes. But they do ha!etheir limits. The furor o!er the film, The /assion of the 2hrist, underscores the widechasm between the !iews of the chattering classes and the interests of the "ublic. 0talso illustrates the truth of @rench sociologist @ranKois Berger that &0ndia is the mostreligious nation in the world, and #weden the least the nited #tates are a nation of

0ndians ruled by #wedes.' The unkind might translate that into a nation of rednecksruled by effete chardonnay$swillers, but the truth of the statement remains. 2ertainly,it is said here in #outhern 2alifornia that the ""er 2lass make mo!ies and tele!ision

"rograms, the Middle 2lass do the "roduction work, and the Lower 2lass watchthem.

But the amount of damage the media can do is minimal in the last analysis. They canridicule, and corru"t taste, but they cannot, by themsel!es, affect structural change.

+o, in most of the cases cited, it was the -udiciary who ha!e done that. nfettered,for the most "art, by the electoral "rocess, they ha!e come to manufacture law ratherthan to inter"ret it $$$ and that manufacture goes unchallenged by any "rominentelected official, "olitical "arty, or citi


5/17

H% # a""ear is a clause forbidding 2ongress to establish a single religion for thewhole nation, and "roscribing loss of ci!il rights to any merican citi


6/17

2hurch !s. The nited #tates alikeA :hat was the sheet of music the #u"reme andlesser courts would sing fromA :e do not know. 0ndeed, we know less now than wedid in 568P. The &Borking' of -udge Bork "ointed out that the doctrine of &%riginal0ntent' $$$ that is, that the ideas of the framers of the 2onstitution ought to beem"loyed in inter"reting it $$$ was !oided. Huring his own confirmation hearings, Mr.

-ustice 2larence Thomas had to swear that he did not belie!e in what :estern2i!ili


7/17

introduced merican$style "olitics to Britain, to see the lowest !oter turnout inBritish elections since 565 . But they were sim"ly emulating the semi$conscious,inarticulate res"onse of the merican electorate to a "olitical scene where theiro"inions do not matter. 0t is not that either British or mericans decided that !oting isnot worth the bother, it is sim"ly that anything else becomes more im"ortantC

watching T.G., taking a na", or hel"ing the neighbours collie with his dental floss.3i!en what we ha!e seen, who can blame themA re they not alreadydisenfranchisedA

ow to sol!e this dilemmaA ow to bring the citi


8/17

of no e ce"tions. !ery human society re1uires some animating s"irituality or "hiloso"hy that embodies faith in things unseen. 0n most arrangements this will bee "ressed in 2oronation Rites, ci!ic liturgy, and the like but so uni!ersal is thisre1uirement that e!en 2ommunist countries erected Mar ism into a religion $$$&There is no 3od, and Mar is is /ro"het.' @or all that the leaders of these countries

disdained and disdain any hint of the unseen, their declared end, &the withering awayof the state' and "erfect e1uality, re1uires as much faith as any "aradise e!er dreamedof by saint or "ro"het. There is a reason for this Man will ne!er submit to "ower forits own sake. e can be com"elled to do by brute force, but such a com"ulsion doesnot "roduce loyalty. e will only acce"t (and fight) for something that can claim linksto the transcendent, no matter how !aguely. Moreo!er, he will only cheerfully obeylaws that can make this same claim.

Which brings us to the next point: every society has rulers and ruled. Regardless

of how the rulers deri!e their "ower, or the authority to use it, they are the ones whomake the decisions. +or could it be otherwise. @ew of us ha!e the ability or theknowledge to rule $$$ much less the e "ertise to handle the system in which we li!e.This is a se"arate issue as to whether the rulers are com"etent. This writer knowsnothing at all about making shoes. !en if his cobbler is a fool who doesnt know asneaker from an o ford, he can make shoes his customers cant. #o it is with rulers.

s for the ruled $$$ well, we are "retty much along for the ride. t the end of the day,we can grumble and go along with our rulers "rogram, or we can rebel. But,ine!itably, men who also ha!e the talents we lack as a whole lead such rebellions orre!olutions. :e o!erthrow the old regime, and "restoI new set of rulers emerges to

bede!il us with some of the old annoyances and (in all likelihood) new ones as well.

Lastly, every society has a class system of some sort, whether based on invention,money, land, heredity, military prowess, or some combination of the lot. 0t may

be com"le or sim"le, but ine1uality is a "art of life. 0n modern times, it is ne!er so1uick to emerge as when attem"ts are made to su""ress it. Jet, oddly enough, whensystems change, it is ama


9/17

forced, when faced with what seems to be an illegitimate use of "ower, to sim"lyscratch our heads and say, &that aint rightI' But we would be hard "ut to say why.The *udiciary ha!e, in a !ery real sense, made themsel!es the source of authoritythus for many of us, whate!er is legal is moral. @or this reason few of us really wantto fight for the losing side in, say, a #u"reme 2ourt *udgment.

The mantra of se"aration of 2hurch and #tate, often re"eated by the swamis on the!arious courts, has remo!ed any idea of some form of 2hristianity (or any otherorgani


10/17

numbers of the new faith ha!e always been small, they ha!e wielded an influence outof all "ro"ortion to their numbers. 3i!en the im"ortance of such men as merson andThoreau in merican literature (and so in merican classrooms), the ideas of

nitarianism $$$ and abo!e all, its tone $$$ are im"lanted in most of our minds. Thenitarians substituted a belief in tem"oral "rogress for indi!idual sal!ation, and so

ha!e "ursued social change as a religious crusade. 0n the 56th century it wasabolitionism, in the D5st, it is gay rights. But whate!er the cause of the moment, thenitarians are out to further itI

t the same time, howe!er, as the nitarians arose, so too did the 3reat Re!i!al. 0n "art it was a reaction to the dryness and intellectualism of many merican /rotestantchurches of the time. The Re!i!al swe"t much of the country, and in*ected being&born again,' &sa!ed once and for all,' and &getting religion' into the nationalconsciousness.

By the time of the 2i!il :ar, these four streams $$$ 2al!inism, Heism, nitarianism,and Re!i!alism $$$ had "enetrated the consciousness of the /rotestant ma*ority "rettythoroughly. %f course, the e act "ro"ortions differed from church to church,congregation to congregation, and "erson to "erson. But it was a heady mi , "erha"s

best ty"ified by the Battle ymn of the Re"ublic.

fter the war, another church began to add its in"ut to the national religious bloodstream. lthough the "isco"al 2hurch was the oldest /rotestant faith in thecountry, it had been se!erely damaged by the Re!olution, due to its association withthe 2rown. But following 57 6 it rein!ented itself, and functioned after the 2i!il :aras a 1uasi$national church. 0ts churches became much more ornate, its rituals morestately, and its connection to the newer "ower structure which emerged from the :ar

became tighter. 0t is no coincidence that the &+ational' 2athedral in :ashington and#t. -ohns, Lafayette #1uare, near the :hite ouse (called the &2hurch of the/residents') are both "isco"alian. The e am"le of the "isco"al 2hurch influencedthe other /rotestant bodies as well 3othic Methodist, /resbyterian, and other sort ofchurches rose all o!er the country. #tained glass made a ma*or comeback. s it wasfor 2atholics, so too for /rotestants, the "eriod between the 2i!il :ar and :orld :ar00 was the golden age of church architecture. 0n any case, "isco"alian influence, asin choirs, buildings, set "rayers, and so on, ga!e a ritual form to the set of ideas whichhad dominated the country by 5 =>.

This mi ed faith itself began to unra!el in the 568>s. s we shall see, 2atholics and-ews had already been entering the ranks of the elite for a while, and now the stream

became a flood. %f course, both 2atholics and -ews showed a willingness (at least onthe "art of their more influential members) to shed most of their distincti!e doctrinesand "ractices as the "rice of admission. #urely the great national faith could do as

much for them.

0n time, Muslims, indus, and Buddhists would *oin the u""er ranks as well, and in


11/17

their turn go through what the 2atholics and -ews had. This "rocess is far fromcom"lete. But as good an e am"le as can e!er be found in stone of this "rocess is thenew 2athedral of %ur Lady of the ngels in Los ngeles. lthough nominally2atholics, it was a designed as a &sacred s"ace for all "eo"le.' +ot sur"risingly, thegreat ci!ic rituals, which, in eastern cities would be held in the local "isco"al

cathedral, in Los ngeles are held here. This writer attended an interfaith memorialon #e"tember 55, D>>D, for the Twin Tower !ictims. :hile there were hymns,scri"tures, and "rayers from e!ery concei!able /rotestant, -ewish, Muslim, indu,and Buddhist grou" imaginable, three things remain lodged in the brainC n*elica

ustons "erformance as Mistress of 2eremonies, the elite of ollywood and the 2itygo!ernment singing the chorus of :hat the :orld +eeds +ow is Lo!e, #weet Lo!ewhile Burt Bacharach "layed on the "iano, and Roger 2ardinal Mahony "raying to3od to &"reser!e us in the unity of the faith we share.' 0n a""earance, this is a newface for the national religion but in reality, it is the same old syncretism at work.

That, then, is its ritual side, re"eated in interfaith ser!ices of all kinds around thecountry. But it is its "hiloso"hical side that characteri


12/17

%f course, while they s"oke of no ta ation without re"resentation, they did not "ractice it but in in!oking it they "a!ed the way for others. #o the "ost$war "eriodsaw such outbreaks as #hays and the :hiskey Rebellion. Both the ma*or "arties $$$@ederalist and Hemocratic$Re"ublican were for the most "art in their hands. This isnot to minimi


13/17

would recognis and certainly the =>s was re!olutioni>P aremembers if Jales #kull and Bones 2lub. :hile such membershi" still meanssomething today, it is not 1uite what it was 8> years ago. @eminism allowed certainwomen to attain to" roles in the hierarchy (although most had to content themsel!eswith acting crudely and working like "ackhorses, and calling it e1uality). The e!er$

burgeoning number of 2atholics who retained the title while re*ecting their 2hurchsteachings was also able to enter the elite $$$ a "rocess facilitated by bisho"s willing too!erlook such la"ses. -ews were also able to enter the rulershi" in larger numbersthan e!er before, although with few e ce"tions, howe!er, these were not %rthodo .The new leadershi" were not united by nominal religion or by ethnicity. :hat ser!edto set them a"art from their fellows were two things, one of which was money.

The other, howe!er, was a similar world$!iew. +ow, to be sure, some are called&conser!ati!es,' and some &liberals.' But this means little, "ractically. Theirdifferences are far outweighed by their similarities. -ust what are theseA The first is ashared e "erience of the cultural re!olution of the 56=>s. They tend to be disdainfulof tradition, to a great or lesser degree (though ready to in!oke its memory whennecessary). s an e am"le, /resident 2linton ga!e only a single white$tie state dinnerduring his eight$year reign (for the 9ing and ;ueen of #"ain). They much "refercasual clothes to suits, and *eans to dresses. @or "olitical ty"es, being "hotogra"hedwithout ties is !ery im"ortant, as it shows them to be &natural.'

These are small things, but they are indicati!e of a desire for "ersonal comfort, for "ersona freedom, as o""osed to the traditional re1uirements of leadershi". This desire


14/17

in turn betokens an unfettered "ragmatism. 0deology, as such, "lays little role forthem if it gets in the way of what they want. 2arried o!er into "ublic life, thismanifests in a willingness to *ettison recei!ed "ositions in fa!our of immediatead!antageC thus the Re"ublican /arty does not really o""ose abortion andhomose ual marriage in an effecti!e way, and the Hemocratic /arty is ha""y to

sacrifice organised labour in the name of globalisation. /redictably, their res"ecti!ecore constituencies do not notice this.

owe!er, this ruthlessness does not make them realists. They "ursue what they belie!e to be their interest doggedly, but they do not sto" to consider the "robableresults of their actions. The thirst of the +eo$2ons around /resident Bush for a war in0ra1 was "al"able, because it allowed that faction of the rulershi" (who themsel!esfor the most "art a!oided their generations blooding in Gietnam) to accom"lish themessianic goal of &democratising' the +ear ast. But neither the goal nor the means

em"loyed bore any relationshi" to 2onstitutionality, e istent reality, or anything else.0n this, howe!er, they were "atently at one with their more &liberal' confreres, whorefuse to see the ha!oc their "o"ulation "olicies ha!e made with, for e am"le, the ta

base.

There is another trait that makes the current rulershi" uni1ue. They are com"letelyirres"onsible, in the sense of not being accountable for their actions. Because of thelegerdemain of electoral "olitics, those actually res"onsible for national decisionmaking in the media, *udiciary, and elsewhere are not forced to recei!e theo""robrium "ro"er to their decisions. 0n this sense, elected officials becomesca"egoats. They themsel!es are not truly re"resentati!e in any case. Most elected

"oliticians are like athletes and artists, in the sense that they cheerfully sacrifice e!eryother consideration to being and remaining elected. /rinci"le means nothing to them,if it would mean their falling afoul of the media, *udiciary, etc. 3enerally wealthierthan their "utati!e constituents (=>? of .#. #enators are millionaires), they do notresemble them in the least.

0ndeed, it is interesting that they themsel!es lead li!es 1uite different from the "atterns they urge u"on their "eo"leC making it economically difficult for the lessfortunate to attend any other than "ublic schools, they send their own children to

"ri!ate schools. ngineering conditions that make it im"erati!e for both "arents ofthe a!erage merican family to work, they kee" their own s"ouses home $$$ and so itgoes. s noted, they certainly do not share the religious beliefs of their sub*ects. 0t isironic to note that, in com"arison, the late lamented hereditary "eers of Britains

ouse of Lords were far more democratic than the "rofessional "oliticians of theouse of 2ommons. 3i!en that, as with most "eo"le, they owed their "ositions in life

to chance or "ro!idence, they were far more like the ordinary British #ub*ect thanmost M./.s could ho"e to be. This was reflected in the Lords ansards, wherein the

1uestions they asked on legislation were !ery much like what the common man mightask, sa!e that they were generally framed in com"lete sentences. The remo!al of such

"eers from the legislati!e "rocess only ser!ed to seal its control by the


15/17

&"rofessionals.'

%ne man who is "erha"s ty"ical of the new rulershi" is the 2he!alier Ru"ertMurdoch, 9.#.3. This /resbyterian /a"al 9night is a man of little loyalty $$$tem"oral or religious $$$ sa!e to himself and his minions. Beginning life as an

ustralian "ress magnate, he surrendered his nati!e citi


16/17

to be mounted on a large scale.

Re!olution, "erha"sA +o. s mentioned, e!en if such were "ossible, the newrulershi" would likely be no better than the current, and 1uite "robably worse.Moreo!er, the attendant un"leasantness would surely negate any future benefits.

+o, as a beginning, it is necessary for "eo"le to begin to see how things really are. great deal of the dangers which face us are attributable to the "o"ulace belie!ing thattheir leadershi" is somehow re"resentati!e of them. @acing the sad truth $$$ that mostof those who rule us are not answerable to us and do not care about us, would

"arado ically make them more accountable. Treating !oting as "erformance art,rather than as a sacramental rite, would hel" a great deal. Goting ones conscience $$$e!en if it means !oting for a minor "arty $$$ is "referable to continuing to "lay thegame. @or that matter, not !oting at all $$$ "ro!ided one notifies ones nominal "arty

on ad!ance $$$ might also be useful. This is not throwing your !ote away $$$ gi!en thefew number of times that a candidate one really su""orts is elected $$$ and e!en fewertimes kee"s the "romises that "ut him into office, you are no more likely to wasteyour !ote than by !oting for the "arty line. Jou will get as much in return. bo!e all,the Murdochs of this world must be held accountable. million letters to the2he!alier on one issue or another might accom"lish a great deal more than writingones congressman.

But it is im"ortant to remember that any "urely "olitical solutions are mere sto"ga"s.0n 56D=, in his ncyclical ;uas /rimas, /o"e /ius Q0 declared that &0f, therefore, therulers of nations wish to "reser!e their authority, to "romote and increase the

"ros"erity of their countries, they will not neglect the "ublic duty of re!erence andobedience to the rule of 2hrist.' s things stand, any attem"t to do this in the nited#tates would be shut down immediately by the 2L . But /o"e /ius knew whatwould be the e!entual result of such action, and followed the 1uoted sentence withC&:hat :e said at the beginning of %ur /ontificate concerning the decline of "ublicauthority, and the lack of res"ect for the same, is e1ually true at the "resent day. O:ith3od and -esus 2hrist, we said, Oe cluded from "olitical life, with authority deri!ednot from 3od but from man, the !ery basis of that authority has been taken away,

because the chief reason of the distinction between ruler and sub*ect has beeneliminated. The result is that human society is tottering to its fall, because it has nolonger a secure and solid foundation.' 0t would take someone either !ery blind, orelse in "ower, not to see the truth of the last sentence.

%f course, as 2atholics we know that the end of the :est will not be the end of the2hurch or of her Hi!ine mission to s"read the teachings and 9ingshi" of 2hrist. Butit shall mean the end of this country, and of those nations from whom most

mericans descend. s loyal children of the 2hurch, we ha!e an obligation to

e!angelise our neighbours and our country as "atriotic citi


17/17

subsumed into the "ower structure ha!e $$$ is that the two goals are inse"arable, and,indeed, the same.

Charles Coulombe - The Rulers and the Ruled

Documents

Transcript of Charles Coulombe - The Rulers and the Ruled