What political opponents to the current conservative, neoliberal, libertarian orthodoxy in the developed may…

What political opponents to the current conservative, neoliberal, libertarian orthodoxy in the developed may need to do is be as populist as their opponents. Good people are too nice, politically. We’ve seen outrageous populism from conservative politics. Here’s an idea. /1

Right now opponents to the status quo are regularly beaten at elections and between elections by conservative politicians whose moral compass was thrown overboard many years ago. It’s really regulatory capture we’re seeing, on a global scale. Government has been captured…/2

…almost entirely by vested interests. Not even much lobbying needed now, political candidates are now increasingly the old lobbyists themselves. These candidates are like parents offering kids a diet of nothing but lollies. Political practice always cautioned strongly…/3

…against populism, identifying rightly that its effects were generally short-lived and the consequences long-lasting. But that’s all gone now. These same vested interests have recognised that if they act like Kings and Queens, like extravagant monarchs, it taps into deep…/4

…social desires about leadership. We saw this so clearly with Trump, and to some extent with the Tories in the UK. Utterly flagrant lying and disregard for due process, but wildly popular because done in that old way Kings were popular. Royal whim is different to politics. /5

Kings were loved FOR this arbitrary use of power, for that feeling of absolute power. Due process may be an administrator’s passion, but it has never been a peoples’ passion. But both have always been there, you absolutely need both. /6

So, my idea. Progressive opponents of the current neoliberal regimes in the developed world have to play the same game. Make outrageously populist promises, govern in outrageously populist ways. And have proper government administration happening at the same time. /7

Just don’t make *that* the basis for election victory. Right now progressive politics feels bamboozled by the conservative populists, feeling they need to do the right/due process thing in response, and to use that as the basis of their election strategy. It’s a mistake. /8

The people hate that stuff, they see it as ‘bureaucracy’. They want a King or Queen. So give them one. Do all the due process stuff underneath when in government, as monarchs used to do as well. But it’s not a selling point. And lie, liberally, as the neoliberals do. /9

Play as dirty as them. The key thing is to understand that this isn’t about debasing politics, it’s about recognising that monarchy is far and away the most long-lasting, popular form of government in human history. Nothing else is even close in second place. So use that. /end