Populist politics, where we believe that politicians run countries (and not the thousands of expert officials…

Populist politics, where we believe that politicians run countries (and not the thousands of expert officials they employ), has hit roadblocks in every direction. Faced with hugely complex issues to solve, it has nothing except symbolic, populist acts./1 https://t.co/i4XUdc6pRB

Whether Covid, or the voice to parliament, or climate change, or energy policy, countries have been led into rabbit holes of social media-driven debate. The problems that need solving have practical solutions, but those are hostage to the tedious politics of popularity. /2

The world in 2023 is more complex and inter-connected than at any other time in history. We’re using a politics of the schoolyard to try to run it. A ludicrous layer of popularity-driven daily debate, because you can’t get change without making something popular. /3

Elections are to blame for that, if something can’t win an election, it doesn’t get done. Never mind that there isn’t a single other part of our lives that we run using popularity as the metric. We don’t vote which car mechanic or dentist is best. /4

Until we refocus our politics on specific, practical problems to solve, and embrace solutions whether they’re popular solutions or not, nothing will change. /ends