I’ve been thinking a lot about the people these days. Why, you ask? Because I think the fundamental relationship between the people and those who govern them has changed. Sometime in the mid to late twentieth century we hit a high point when liberal democracy seemed to be working, and things looked good. Life was prosperous, society was stable (although not perfect) and we were making progress. The Civil Rights movement seemed to have corrected many age-old wrongs, and things, already pretty good, were getting better. Democratically elected governments came and went, and people accepted the results. Despite the cold war, we could see a bright future. So, what went wrong?

The People Against “The Five”

Our present situation is different. In many ways, it doesn’t look good, and you could be forgiven for asking questions such as: “Why is this happening?”  “Why are we going through this?” or “What’s causing this insanity?”  In my opinion, one of the most important reasons things are different is that the people have become separated from those who govern them and are opposed by five influences they once trusted. For the purposes of this piece, I will call them “The Five.” I am not referring to outside political powers or foreign influences, although I believe we are in danger from them too. By “The Five” I mean five domestic influences working against the will of the people. They are the following: The mainstream media, the universities, the left leaning K-12 school system, government and the permanent unelected bureaucrats working to promote extremist left-wing values. “The Five” work tirelessly to promote their ideology and are determined to limit free speech and the will of the people.  

The People through Time

Throughout history, the power of the people has waxed and waned. There have been times when tyranny has dominated, balanced by times when the people have had more power. The Magna Carta represented a great leap forward. The Declaration of Independence of the United States was another milestone, as was the document “The Rights of Man and Citizen” written during the French revolution. All of them represented stages in the growth of citizen’s rights. They elevated the concept of individual freedom, and brought us closer and closer to formal constitutional rights and freedoms. In each case the people had to fight against absolutist rulers who routinely silenced and oppressed them, and it is well for us to remember that this centuries long process was achieved only through great sacrifice. 

A New Situation

But we now find ourselves in a very different situation. The people, and by that, I mean regular class and working-class people struggling to survive financially and culturally,  find themselves opposing a new kind of tyranny. “The Five” are working together to establish something new, something that may one day end our freedoms altogether, oppress us and usher in a new age of servitude. The people are beginning to realize this, and they are awakening. Unlike past tyrannies this new age of servitude will resemble what comedian George Carlin called “Smiley Faced Fascism.” It will be a new kind of totalitarianism, friendly and instituted in the name of the “common good.” (You should always be careful when you hear that term). The new fascism will claim to be saving “democracy” from far-right conspiracies that can never be fully identified. They will claim that the people need to be saved and that only they, “The Five,” can do it (in concert with leftist progressive governments of course ) It is the way “The Five” think and it is, unfortunately, the situation we now find ourselves in. 

The World Turned Upside Down

I will borrow the title of Melanie Phillips book “The World Turned Upside Down” to fully describe what is happening to us. We owe a lot to her writing and courage. Nowadays the world truly is upside down. How do we know this? Because we see it everywhere. Everything has become inverted. Parties like the New Democrats in Canada and Labour in England now work against the working class. They push the ideologically extreme ideas of progressive elites and despise the people. Paradoxically, Conservative populist parties and their supporters have now become the champions of the working class, those who simply want relief from taxation and the chance to have a good life. The universities too are upside down. Once the place you went to become more educated, they are now enemies of education, oppressors of free speech and champions of indoctrination again, the world upside down, and it goes even further than that. Despite evidence that traditional families are beneficial and that a faith-based outlook on life leads to success and stability, “The Five” try to convince us that these obvious truths don’t apply. 

Are the People Trapped?

No, but the noose is tightening. The time has come for ordinary people to stand against “The Five.” Regular people have to exercise their power. It is an immense power and can act as an irresistible wave if people want it to. At the moment the people are unaware of their strength. Propaganda has lulled them into lethargy. They have seen too many elections where governments do whatever they want, contradicting their pre-election promises and the will of the people. They have seen the truth twisted by politicos, ideologues, and extremists and have been harmed by them again and again.  As a result, they no longer trust the system. And they have become aware that the institutions they once trusted are corrupt and even going to the ballot box may not yield the result they want. The result is that they have become numb to the entire process. It’s not the way they ought to be but, in one sense, it is understandable. If your institutions betray you, how can you have any trust? 

The Five Must be Defeated

It’s not a matter of tolerating “The Five” or living with them. They must be defeated and our institutions rebuilt. Several years ago, I came to a similar conclusion about the far left. Like all extremists, there is no negotiating with them. You can’t appeal to reason or convince them of your views. It doesn’t matter how moderate or common sense your views are. The far left is indoctrinated, and the same is true of “The Five.” The people must defeat their influence and right the overturned boat of society. Nothing else will suffice. 

But How Do We Do it? 

I can hear you repeating the question I have written above. “How Do We Do it?” “All that is fine and well you say but, if all this is true, how do we defeat them?” There are a multitude of ways.  They all require courage. Without conviction and courage, the people cannot hope to succeed against “The Five.” So here are, in my humble opinion, five concrete actions we can take to beat them. 

Five Actions 

Don’t Support the Mainstream Media. As we have all come to realize, the mainstream media are not dependable. They are not truth tellers. I have not had cable television since Oct. 19^th, 2015, the day Justin Trudeau won the prime ministership. I did not want to sit through biased reporting about it, especially the C.B.C., gloating about it day and night. I have been none the worse for having cut the cord and have no problem using alternate media to keep up with events. 2. Don’t support Woke universities, either by attending them or by paying for your child’s tuition. There are plenty of ways to become educated, including online degrees and conservative universities that they, or you, can support.  3. Homeschool your children, join a homeschooling group or send your kids to a Classical school or a conservative private school. I’m not naïve. I  realize this isn’t easy, but it can be done. You should not support the corrupted public school system. It is left wing, biased, full of propaganda and often harmful. Your kids deserve better. 4. Refuse to support any party that censors the people or restricts freedom. Vote, but do not vote for governments that restrict people’s freedom of expression. I will leave you to fill in the blank regarding Canada’s current situation. 5. Become involved. Stopping bad actors and corrupt governments is an active process. You must become involved. If you do not, then you tacitly support “The Five” and must accept the consequences. Getting involved was one of the best decisions I ever made.   

Where the Real Power Lies

Although they can be crushed by authoritarians, in the end the people have the real power. If they decide to do so, they can sweep away the tyranny of “The Five.” History has proven this many times. The most dramatic example in my lifetime was the “velvet revolutions” of 1989 when communism collapsed in the Eastern Bloc nations and a new order was established with comparatively little bloodshed or strife. The people simply refused to participate in the system, and the authorities found themselves with little or no real power. Ultimately, that is the best way to defeat “The Five.”  We should never forget that, and we should never forget our power. It really is “We the People” standing together, that can effect change and do almost anything.