From illusion to illusion

Joy is passion, passion is suffering; we cannot desire what we possess, therefore desire is rebellion prolonged indefinitely against the realities of existence; when we attain the object of our desire, we must perforce neglect it in favour of something still unknown, and so we progress from illusion to illusion.

George Moore – Celibates (1895)

This is the rabbit hole the political classes persuade us to enter – rebellion prolonged indefinitely against the realities of existence. Political parties define themselves by the realities they persuade us to rebel against.

Now they are reduced to scraping the barrel with rebellions against carbon dioxide, human reproductive biology, practical personal transport, central heating that works and people who disagree with you.

Yet it does help us to home in on that strangely distorted word “progressive”. It means a person who advocates progress from illusion to illusion.