[Nigredo]

Minor deviation but is the pork haystack leaking the news about Charles' briefcase full of money his play at deposing a king, Francis Urquhart style?

[Andy McDandy]

I think it's getting to the stage of "does that sound like the sort of thing he'll pull?". And the answer is yes.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

What you should fear from Johnson and Brexit is a move towards a client state economy in which a few loyal producers dominate the economy. As in Russia and increasingly Hungary. Its been a feature in some leftist populist regimes as well the authoritarian hard right. Its basically capitalism by licence from the executive. The new right critiqued this form of government in the early 80s claiming it would stifle innovation and creativity in society. Not a controversial observation given overwhelming evidence they were right.

That's the modern version of the Corporate State.

[Bones McCoy]

I think the USA is something of an outlier within the anglosphere.
It has powerful corporate influence (quite a characteristic of the anglosphere), compare with greater worker participation in Northern Europe.
America also has a strong religious angle to its politics which you won't find in the mainstream in other anglophone nations.


It is difficult to find other nations that mirror the USA situation.
This probably isn't surprising, since being the world superpower has unique influences that shape a nation.

There are certainly nations that have "swung right" with a strong religious influence: Hungary and Poland for example.
As far as I know they lack the huge corporate power of the USA.

The other place you'd look for authoritarianism and religion combined is the Middle East.
But the balance of power there sees the religious leading, and Royals / Dictators sharing power.

[Bones McCoy]

Another useful function of the 14 aspects of fascism.
A litmus test of other utopian political philosophies.

Consider, for example, Libertarianism, which receives broad support in the editorials of the print media.
Run through Eco's fourteen and consider which aspects would increase.

Classic Fascist traits of traditionalism and racial division are not present.
But Libertarianism scores very high on other factors: Contempt for the weak, creation of heroes, machismo, selective populism, action for action's sake, disagreement is treason, obsession with plot.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Corporatism and Utilitarianism are bedfellows.

[Abernathy]

Have we talked about the fact that Johnson wanted £150,000 from Lord Fuckpig (or whatever the prick that fronted him a huge bag of cash to do up his Downing Street flat is called ) to have a fucking tree house built in the grounds of Chequers for his son, Wilf.

I mean, what the actual fuck ?

He was asked about it the other day in an interview and threw up a smokescreen about never discussing personal matters relating to his family. So, not denying it.


But what next? Getting some rich Tory donor to fund a fucking artificial ski slope in the number ten garden ?

[Boiler]

£150K?

For a fucking tree house?

My late great-aunt's 3-bed Victorian end of terrace just sold for that sum - a proper bricks and mortar house with a nice garden to the rear...

[Samanfur]

According to the article in The Times that broke the story, the treehouses that this particular builder makes often end up on Airbnb in their own right.

[Spoonman]

Even as soon as a decade ago (and especially in times like the current with people's purses feeling the pinch) the story of a PM asking for a sum equivalent to £150k in 2022 to help build a tree house for one of their sons would have seen them being fucking crucified by pretty much all the press away from the lunatic fringe of its spectrum.

But in the era of client journalism and "Save Big Dog"...

[Malcolm Armsteen]

The seductive power of a K.

[Nigredo]

Even as soon as a decade ago (and especially in times like the current with people's purses feeling the pinch) the story of a PM asking for a sum equivalent to £150k in 2022 to help build a tree house for one of their sons would have seen them being fucking crucified by pretty much all the press away from the lunatic fringe of its spectrum.

But in the era of client journalism and "Save Big Dog"...

"Don't you know there's a war on? Get a sense of perspective!"

[Spoonman]

Even as soon as a decade ago (and especially in times like the current with people's purses feeling the pinch) the story of a PM asking for a sum equivalent to £150k in 2022 to help build a tree house for one of their sons would have seen them being fucking crucified by pretty much all the press away from the lunatic fringe of its spectrum.

But in the era of client journalism and "Save Big Dog"...

"Don't you know there's a war on? Get a sense of perspective!"

And I'd fire that right back at them.
Shoot them with balls of their own shite.

[Bones McCoy]

£150K?

For a fucking tree house?

My late great-aunt's 3-bed Victorian end of terrace just sold for that sum - a proper bricks and mortar house with a nice garden to the rear...

You should see the going rate for beach huts down Bournemouth / Sandbanks way.

[Youngian]

Its probably a shag pad. Quick discreet legover with staff while out walking Carrie’s dog.

[Tubby Isaacs]

That Red Wall appeal then.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I agree with this. I think Johnson is in more shit than it looks.

[davidjay]

The red wall figure is the one that will do for Johnson. The Tories are happy as long as the poor but honest northerners voting for their betters outnumber the traditional voters they've lost, but at the first sign of the figures not working he'll be sorting out a literary agent and booking the lecture tour.

[Spoonman]

Monkey_Puppet.jpg (31.1 KiB) Viewed 2074 times

[davidjay]

Alastair Campbell used a nice phrase today. Johnson ia an accidental fascist.