Totalitarian State metaphors proliferate

It all comes together in the Observer today (floated yesterday in teh Graun). Johnson is dictatorially proroguing Parliament (for a whole extra 4 days as defenders point out), and Cummings is pursuing a 'reign of terror' by sacking SPADS and other aides who leak stuff or want to succour rebels, just as parties always did before May's pathetic reign:

Senior politicians, a former cabinet secretary and an ex-head of the home civil service have called for a top-level inquiry into how Boris Johnson’s closest aide, Dominic Cummings, was able to sack an adviser to Sajid Javid, the chancellor of the exchequer, without Javid’s knowledge and then order an armed police officer to escort her out of Downing Street in front of staff....Friends of Khan said she was deeply upset by the episode and was considering what action to take next. They accused Cummings of establishing a “reign of terror” at the heart of government.

The latter was described (in the Times, I recall, or maybe in yesterday's Graun) as armed police 'frogmarching' the unfortunate aide out of the door.

Meanwhile, S Khan (no relation as far as I know) was raising the metaphor stakes. As usual, news of his article in today's edition is permitted a double-whammy, as it is both news and 'opinion':

The lessons of the second world war risk being forgotten because of the rise of “extreme” rightwing leaders such as Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, the mayor of London has said.... showing contempt for the European Union, which was established to prevent another world war after up to 85 million people died between 1939 and 1945.

Ah yes, the European Union -- entirely focused on world peace with absolutely no economic axes to grind.

Meanwhile, Hell hath no fury like a journalist tricked by a spin doctor. N Cohen:

when the Observer revealed last Sunday that Johnson was planning to shut down parliament to stop it thwarting a no-deal Brexit, Downing Street spin doctors led by Robert Oxley, Johnson’s press secretary, said the report was “entirely false”.

This was justified by Johnson insisting the point of the whole thing was to prepare for the Queen's Speech --nothing to do with delaying critics, oh dear me no. How unspeakable! Remainers by contrast are entirely honest with their noble claims to be upholding Parliamentary democracy, not planning to torpedo Brexit, no, not at all. Spin doctors misleading honest journalists -- this is surely new and sinister?

It's all got horribly polarised -- nothing to do with aggressive Remainers though:

Brexit has become a war to the death where “winning” is all. Its supporters are not even fighting for a cause any more – just for the thrill the unrestrained assertion of power can bring...Apparently disparate modern movements are united by their determination to win by destroying independent checks and their contempt for truth [but only on hte Leave side, ofc ourse] [They are] playing with the courtesies of public life

It might get worse:

fear of setting a precedent for the left has not restrained the Johnson administration. It treats Britain’s constitution (such as it is), its standing and prosperity, and frightened European citizens in Britain and British citizens in Europe, with equal insouciance.

Overall:

malign forces [are] sweeping the globe. If Cummings’s contempt for parliament or Johnson’s suspension of parliament cannot shake it, will a refusal to obey a law stopping Britain endorsing a no-deal Brexit? How about the mass ennoblement of pro-Brexit peers or the creation of new bank holidays to prevent a Commons recall? At some point soon, even the smuggest believers in “it can’t happen here” should realise that nothing is now so “unBritish” as the British government.

God! Can't we be British about the whole thing? Small c conservatism seems even more apparent.