Limey Logic

This Brit Has it Right

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS

4 Minute Read

Happy Monday, and there are 1,455 days left of Dear Leader’s administration. No, I won’t be counting the days until it ends.

But my handy-dandy new webpage will be.

https://howmuchmoretrump.com

Click that, and you’ll see this.

Fun fact: I used the Claude AI engine to write the HTML and JavaScript code that produces the calculations. Indeed, it wrote it all, including the formatting, fonts, and colors. With nothing but a prompt from me. Amazing.

Please share and bookmark it - you and others may find it comforting at times.

But I digress.

For those somewhat displeased or worse by Dear Leader’s election, how will we not make the same mistake again?

I know, I know. I have also had enough of the “what went wrong” BS from all quarters; I’ve weighed in plenty myself already. It’s over and to use the trite cliché, it is what it is.

With that said, we must learn from what happened here and elsewhere, before it’s too late. 20th century history proves the descent from Populism to Nationalism, and then to Fascism, is like Hemingway’s description of bankruptcy in The Sun Also Rises:

Gradual, then sudden.

Today I am sharing a fresh take on the matter, one from the United Kingdom. It came to me via the must-listen podcast, also British, The Rest is Politics - I know I’ve mentioned it before, but it’s worth emphasizing - it’s fantastic. It provides an international (OK, British) perspective that is difficult to find here in the U.S.

The article is from Peter Hyman, a senior advisor to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Kier Starmer. The article is entitled How You Can Beat Populism, and it appeared in the publication The New European.

There is a paywall, but you can access it for free if you pony up an email address. But here are a couple of takeaways regardless.

First, and in case you’ve forgotten, the article reminds us

we couldn't beat someone with 34 felonies, who called all Mexicans rapists, who encouraged an insurrection, was called Hitler by his vice president, and deemed unfit for office by almost every senior person who worked for him.

The good guys still lost.

Hyman lists the problems with Western centrists everywhere leading to these defeats.

1. Patronizing

We believe we are the clever ones. With our university degrees, metropolitan lives, and greater expertise. From the comfort of knowing that money is coming through the door at regular intervals, we look down on those who are not living by our rules.

2. Complacent

We believe that the logic of our position will win out in the end, that people will see the light, and emotional appeals are slightly grubby. Yet, that rational appeal falls on deaf ears, if trust is low and you have not made a connection.

3. Abstract

The populists speak in direct terms; too often we speak in riddles. We are systems thinkers, which is good for solving problems, but when we communicate, A plus B rarely equals C.

4. Censorious

We are the thought police. We cancel those who fall short of the right kind of virtue signaling or who refuse to go along with our latest linguistic contortions. We are in the shame game, and people don't like being shamed.

5. Gullible

We are suckers for the bait. We stop to examine every turd a Trump (or a wannabe Trump) drops on the sidewalk. Every wind-up remark, anti-woke sentiment, sexual innuendo. We do more than that. We crowd around the turd, pick it up, sniff it, debate it. We lose focus, get diverted, stop connecting to the people we want to serve, meander away from the mainstream. Meanwhile, the populist is marching forward with the smirk of someone who knows he's got one over on us yet again.

6. Conservative

We win when we are the agents of change and when we shape the future. Yet, we have a caution born of fear - of the far right, of the far left, of the media, of failing. But too often we get boxed into defending institutions that aren't working, giving away the mantle of change too easily, allowing others to become the disruptors on behalf of the people we once served.

7. Bland

In a world of entertainment, we do not surprise, amuse, anger, excite, or charm. Our range of emotions starts at earnest and ends at sincere. We are the TikTok of an antique carriage clock, not the viral clip. And no, asking a teenager to add some sparkle to our social media pages will not work if the content remains bland.

I agree with most of this, and am guilty of much of it myself.

But does that mean we normalize Dear Leader, and not fight back?

No, says Hyman. That’s what I say, too. Fuck that bullshit.

Note that I’ve inserted the word America parenthetically in this, the conclusion of the article.

If we are to break out from identity politics, we need to reclaim an unashamedly patriotic national story. We need to understand that for millions of British (American) people, national pride comes from a belief that whatever our difficulties and setbacks as a nation, to be British (American) is to have won the lottery of life.

That being British brings with it the world language, a history of great pioneering achievements and national characteristics from satire to sarcasm, stiff upper lip to a love of the underdog, that makes life worth living.

(America and being an American is quite a story, too)

We need to start from this place and tell a story about Britain's (America’s) future that draws on our proud history and is hopeful, outward-looking, dynamic and entrepreneurial. A Britain (An America) united by a shared project; one in which all play their part, all feel they belong and all feel respected.

A fightback is possible. It needs to come from a place of humility and reflection. We need to avoid "the seven deadly sins" of our current approach and take seriously the scale of our task.

As Trump takes office, we must use this moment to stop taking the bait, wrestle ourselves free from a business-as-usual mindset and start to become the disruptors again – all in the name of a better and fairer future for all our citizens.

Hyman is spot-on.

But it’s already getting late for the good guys.

FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES

Thank you for reading this newsletter.

KLUF

If only there were a British band that made great albums related to politics and class.