Scorched Earth - Cynical Tactic That Hurts People For Political Advantage

Scorched Earth is a tactic normally associated with military campaigns where armies destroy anything that could be useful to the enemy during an advance or retreat. The tactic itself is nothing new and was used by the ancient Greeks, the Romans and the Vikings. Infamous uses of this tactic in more modern times include Sherman's March to the Sea during the American Civil War, Lord Kitchener during the Boer War and Hitler's retreat from Russia during World War II.

I have deliberately omitted Saddam Hussein's destruction of the oilfields during his retreat from Kuwait as there was no shortage of oil for the coalition troops therefore Kuwaiti oil was superfluous to the campaign. This destruction was not only an act of spite but also of pure evil designed to hurt the Kuwaiti people and make the reconstruction of their country more difficult than it otherwise would have been.

By their very nature scorched earth tactics hurt civilian populations the most but this fact is never taken into consideration when the implementation decision is made.

In the political arena scorched earth has now become a weapon that is being increasingly deployed, not in the interests of the people but to gain political advantage by cynical, agenda-driven politicians over perceived enemies.

It is worth taking a brief look at how scorched earth came to be a tactic and the reasons that engendered its common use today in both Great Britain and the USA.

At the end of World War II it was decided that Great Britain was a spent force with an Imperial past that rendered it a bad influence during the construction of the modern post war world. It was agreed that Great Britain would enter a period of 'managed decline' until its influence was decreased and its status no higher than that of its former colonies.

Things were progressing as planned until the arrival of Margaret Thatcher who opposed the 'managed decline' project but believed that Great Britain, with its history and free enterprise system, still had plenty to offer the modern world. It must be remembered that Thatcher's rise to power was enabled by voters from all sections of society including the working class, trade unionists, rich and poor alike.

The 'managed decline' project was halted in its tracks and those responsible for its implementation were cast into the political wilderness for thirteen years.

During those thirteen years the believers in 'managed decline' planned their return and made their political calculations to implement their project irrevocably and to such a degree that another Thatcher would be powerless to halt its progress and final implementation.

The election of Tony Blair's Labour government in 1997 signaled the restart of the project with a time table and contingency based on electoral calculations.

a) The assumption was that Blair would only get two five year terms therefore the project had to be completed and made irreversible during that time.

b) Should the project not be irreversible by that time, a scorched earth policy would be put in place that would make it impossible for an incoming government to operate without making itself so unpopular it would be limited to a single term.

History shows us that it was indeed Blair's second term where the scorched earth policy was deployed with complete disregard for the economy, the country and the wellbeing of the people. The policy was embarked upon with the ruthlessness of Sherman and Kitchener and with the malice of Saddam Hussein.

The government spending flood gates were opened and the public sector expanded beyond recognition; government borrowing and debt reached record levels. Pension schemes were willfully wrecked and government assets, including gold reserves, airports, utility companies and all the remaining major industries were sold off leaving the Treasury empty and the nations credit card maxed out.

The borders were thrown open to anyone without checks, regardless of any criminal past and with a total disregard for the views or the wellbeing of the British people.

Incorporating the European Human Rights Act into British law was an integral part of the scorched earth policy as it made it virtually impossible to deport anyone and for all intents and purposes acted as an amnesty.

Unpredictably, Blair secured a third term which was marred by a succession battle with his Chancellor Gordon Brown. He lost the battle leaving the British people at the mercy of an unstable misogynist with a visceral hatred of anyone he perceived as an enemy.

It was a racing certainty that he would not get another term resulting in Brown pursuing Blair's scorched earth with renewed vigour. He increased welfare entitlements and made them available to all and sundry including immigrants and their children who may never have set foot in Great Britain.

His biggest crime was signing the Lisbon Treaty which surrendered whole new areas of  British sovereignty to the EU bureaucrats without first giving the people the referendum which he had made a solemn promise to give.

The wreckage of Great Britain and the state that the people find themselves in today was avoidable, it is primarily the result of a deliberate scorched earth policy embarked upon by the Blair/Brown governments to render the 'managed decline' project irreversible and to make the country impossible to govern. It was calculated that any incoming government would have to make unpopular decisions and subsequently be limited to a single term.

Looking at events in the USA, it is more than obvious that President Obama is following a similar agenda to Blair and Brown, although unlike the his two British counterparts he did signal his malign intention to 'fundamentally transform' America in advance.

The decline of the USA has been spectacular and in many ways it has outpaced Great Britain. Obama is the American equivalent of Tony Blair on steroids. The decline is there for the whole world to see.

The Constitution limits Obama to two terms and it is not guaranteed that he will be followed by a fellow supporter of America's decline. He is embarking on a scorched earth policy that makes Tony Blair's effort look mild by comparison.

By the time he leaves office the American people and future generations will be saddled with insurmountable debt. At time of writing it is already a mind boggling seventeen trillion dollars with two more years of spending to go.

He is deliberately orchestrating a tsunami of immigration both legal and illegal and refuses to implement the law to stem the flow. This tsunami is getting ever bigger with the promise of an amnesty.

He is increasing welfare benefits and extending entitlements to all and sundry including illegals.

He has wrecked the health care system and saddled the country with an unworkable bureaucracy that will eventually wreck the economy.

He has increased the powers of the Environmental Protection Agency to the point where it has gone rogue and operates outside the restraints of Congress.

He is dismantling the mighty American military machine and making deals with the Taliban. This has the effect of emboldening its enemies both at home and abroad.

He has bypassed Congress and he now rules by Executive decree.

This is not an exhaustive list but merely an example of what President Obama is up to.

I will add in conclusion that this is by no means the end for the American people, their spectacular decline will continue apace until they wake up and smell the coffee. They are being destroyed by malignant forces from within. Learn from the British experience and don't let it happen to you.