Boris and Cambridge Analytica

I followed Cummings on twitter a few years ago. I read some of his blogs then because I thought they would be an interesting take on the 2010 - 2015 coalition government where he was a Special Advisor to Gove in the department of education. I gave up on him very quickly as his blog was basically a long tirade about how very clever he (Cummings) is and how very stupid everybody else, both MPs and civil servants, is.

He's not now accusing the Conservative Party of not caring about the NHS and the poor, that dates from 2017 I understand. It's probably true. Remember that Osborne & Cameron weren't interested in social or affordable housing because the people who needed it weren't likely to be tory voters?

I've also seen it reported that his objective in the 2016 ref was to get a result which would get the EU back to the table to meet more of Idiot Cameron's demands for remaining in the EU. I suspect that might be true; Gove and Johnson's white and stricken faces at the moment of 'victory' really seemed to indicate horror at the result, rather than jubilation. Also, recall Sarah Vine's comment on results day (which she recounted in her column, I believe) to her husband, Gove "You were only meant to blow the doors off" (A reference I didn't quite understand until I saw it explained as coming from a film where a whole building was blown up when it was only intended to blow the doors off.)

It's a podcast, but if you've been keeping up do date with what's going on, you probably wouldn't be surprised. I'm trying quite hard not to find it all very sinister.

growstuff I will read it but I don’t expect to be surprised ?.

Again I agree with you - unfortunately!

Nevertheless, it's been shown that societies work best when there is some degree of support and respect for others. Of course, that means that the "top dogs" miss out on some of their bones, so it seems that they're deliberately manipulating people to act tribally.

In fact, if you do have time to attempt Cummings' blog, you'll see that's precisely what he's trying to do. The man seems utterly amoral. For him, winning is all that matters and he couldn't care less what damage he does. It's actually ironic that he's now accusing the Conservative Party of not caring about the NHS and the poor, etc - I wonder what he's up to now. It all reminds me of the historical revolutions, with factions all fighting each other and jostling for top spot. Of course, they need to claim the alleged "will of the people" to legitimise their actions.

growstuff I think this hatred towards those who are different/ from other culture/ another race/ with disabilities/etc. is inbuilt in our genetic makeup. It’s tribal almost. You see it in football supporters, the way children bully weaker pupils.

So this swing to the right appeals to our baser instincts. Sadly, underneath it’s all about survival of the fittest.

Agreed, Anja. I wish those of a more moderate ilk knew how to stop it.

This podcast about Dominic Cummings is worth 20 minutes of your time. He absolutely hates the civil service and he's definitely pulling the Conservatives' strings.

www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2019/aug/01/understanding-dominic-cummings-boris-johnsons-chief-strategist

In the past, I've tried reading Cummings' blog, but it's beyond me. The bits I do understand seem like rambling megalomania. It's frightening to think somebody like that is wielding so much power.

If they views expressed on here are representative of the country as a whole then we are heading for dangerous times ahead as the rise of the far right sweeps the UK as it has already taken over the US.

POGS, I'm no expert on political labelling and I've already described Russia as I see it.

After some years of trying to liberalise the country, Putin has reintroduced authoritarian policies, but they're not Communist.

So what's the problem? From my perspective, it seems like ganging up and demanding something I have already done.

PS. Thank you, Maizie. You're correct. I pointed out that Russia is no longer considered Communist...and, for the record, I most certainly don't think Communism is a solution to anything, so I couldn't possibly defend it.

So why I seem to be the object of such aggression, I'm not quite sure.

What??!!

I hadn't even registered who lemongrove was until she(?) started accusing me of following her and threatened me.

Pathetic!

If you think two of my posts are rather aggressive towards growstuff, MaizieD, check out the ones attacking Lemongrove on other political threads! Or will you not comment on those because you agree with those posters?

maizie very interesting point about the way populism de-democratises by undermining the various independent institutions.

I was struck by Bannon criticising the British civil service recently, and of course the Daily Mail constantly criticises the judiciary and civil service.

Farage has also recently done the same and the latest to join the cacophony is Cummings and some prominent Tories.

In the U.K. it has always been the tradition NOT to criticise these institutions as they are recognised as part of the foundations of our respected and world recognised democratic institutions.

The populists amongst us appear to want to destroy something of which we can be justly proud.

Every British citizen is equal before the law, how long would that last if the judiciary was politicised?

Every civil servant can speak truth to power, how long would that last if it was politicised?

Populism is a scourge and must be defeated.

What is 'pathetic', POGS?

Two rather aggressive sounding posts from Pantglas at 11.49 and 15.31 demanding that growstuff explain why communism didn't work, for all the world as though gs had been defending communism. When all s/he did was point out that Russia is no longer communist. Don't you think that's a bit weird?

Maizie d

" I don't quite understand why growstuff is being interrogated as if s/he were a communist or a communist apologist."
--

Pathetic!

I don't quite understand why growstuff is being interrogated as if s/he were a communist or a communist apologist.

I'm also surprised that POGS didn't seem to know that Russia has not been a communist state since the 1980s. It is supposedly a democracy now though it appears to me to be more like an autocracy.

It supposedly runs a market economy. Lots of stuff about it here:

duckduckgo.com/?q=Russia%27s+economic+system&t=chromentp&ia=web

For the second time, Day6. I've posted this before quite recently. Perhaps you missed it.

In politics, populism refers to a range of approaches which emphasise the role of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against "the elite". There is no single definition of the term, which developed in the 19th century and has been used to mean various different things since that

The term populism came into use in the late 19th century alongside the promotion of democracy. In the United States, it was closely associated with the People's Party, while in the Russian Empire it was linked to the agrarian socialist Narodnik movement. In the 1960s the term became increasingly popular among social scientists in Western countries, and later in the 20th century it was applied to various political parties active in liberal democracies. In the 21st century, the term became increasingly common in political discourse, particularly in the Americas and Europe, to describe a range of left-wing, right-wing, and centrist groups that challenged the established parties. When in office in liberal democracies, populists have often been responsible for democratic backsliding – also called "democratic erosion" or "de-democratization" – as they undermine independent institutions like the media or judiciary which they consider hostile to the "will of the people ".[1

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populism

Populism can be of the right or the left.

Note the last paragraph in bold. This is what is happening in the US and here in the UK.

To rage about one incident and not another is futile and lacks understanding of the Big Brother existence we ALL belong to

A sensible post as always, POGS.

Can we also redefine 'populist' as the left use it as a term to smear regimes they hate.

It means it appeals to the population, and as long as we have democracy we will have populism.

Because we have Trump and Boris and Brexit the left hold up their hands in dismay that 'the common people' choose to vote differently from them. It says more about left wing politics that populism is affecting elections all over Europe.

I am sure the left can blame Putin for that manipulation too. <eye roll >

growstuff

'Russia is no longer communist.'
-

Then I will ask you the same question:-

Intrigued. What label would you give to the politics of Russia growstuff.

Capitalist
Democratic
Liberal
Another

Your last comment last night on this thread growstuff. Why would Russian stop being communist after all those years? Maybe the system wasn’t working? Or perhaps they weren’t proper communists?

What's that got to do with anything?

So growstuff didn’t communism work? After all those years of finessing it, practicing it @nd pushing it around the world - it was a failure?

An Interview with Steve Bannon has confirmed that Johnson has thought about it for a very long time 'that a hard Brexit No Deal is the best option' - encouraged by Trump. That was of course the aim of ERG right from the start.

Putin is an authoritarian leader, but Russia is no longer communist.

"Russia is no longer a Communist state"
----
Intrigued. What label would you give to the politics of Russia varian?

Capitalist
Democratic
Liberal
Another