Many missed it but the budget yesterday was an authoritarian budget, entirely consistent with Labour’s recent behaviour.
Authoritarianism doesn’t always just happen overnight, sometimes it creeps in through a mix of centralisation, surveillance and the quiet attack on rights.
Venezuela is a classic example. When Hugo Chavez took power, he began with populist social programmes supporting the poor. The clampdowns came later, he politicised the courts, undermined the press, corrupted the institutions and jailed opponents. Maduro is just a continuation of this, using the framework Chavez created.
The lesson is simple, once a government starts concentrating power, curbing dissent and expanding its reach, it becomes far harder to reverse. That’s why safeguarding civil liberties, maintaining limits on government power and keeping democratic rights must remain non-negotiable.
Under Labour
- Arrests for speech ✅
- Deep state concentration ✅
- Politicised courts ✅
- Corrupted institutions ✅
- Gaslighting the press ✅
