This, I reckon, is worth 60 minutes of your listening-time. The import of the pandemic for all our futures is indeed a very big issue, and all thoughtful contributions are welcome. More interesting ideas in here than you'll encounter in the average hour of your life.
(Sorry it's from a leftie podcast, but there we go. Nothing if not broad-minded here at C@W ...)
Actually, it's also interesting in a mild sort of way that it should be hosted by a leftie like Bastani. Anytime the Real intrudes on wrong-headed thinking is helpful; but surely this'll have given him a few things to ponder quite close to home ...
ND
10 comments:
I dislike podcasts. Is there a link to a transcript?
P.S. However much these people pee in their pants, there is no catastrophic, anthropogenic Global Warming.
Transcript? Not that I know of - but there's a whole "short" book!
https://www.versobooks.com/books/3787-the-revenge-of-the-real
PS you don't need to believe in CAGW to recognise that governments everywhere are reacting as though it existed. For many practical purposes, that's quite enough to be in need of some illumination as to Wot Happens Next
Fusion power is getting much nearer to working.
Don Cox
I found a summary of Revenge of the Real on strelkamag.com.
IMHO this guy is talking b&*locks. Sure, a wise world government sounds a good thing until you think of the realities. Imagine the conversation - 'Hi Mr Johnson, we see your population is above world norms. Cut it please, next week will do'. Repeat with many many other countries. Indeed the entire concept of country may have to go.
Cull the herd? A couple of billion? Which ones? Scale is the politicians' big problem here.
Sure, the sensible thing might be for everyone to agree to wear sackcloth and ashes and shiver or bake. But is the current 2nd and 3rd world going to take that sort of s^&t from the US and Europe? All decided by rich overweight pale people?
I suspect our politicians will do nothing useful for the next 100 years and eventually if the doom mongers are right Mother Nature will solve 'the problem' for us. It's the fairest way...
He does have a point with politicians and their unreal chattering. When you are wrapped in security and infinite money and surrounded by sycophants and an opposition ready to yell na na na and do nothing. Doing nothing real seems a good idea.
Alternatively some well funded private group might buy a hollowed out volcano on a distant island and fund some deep research starting with that rather feeble Covid bug. I'll donate the white cat.
H G Wells was a great believer in a World Government run by wise and good technocrats.
Unfortunately the human race includes a large number of foolish and/or bad people who will work very hard to get the chance to run the world. Wise and good people do exist, but they keep their heads down.
The EU is a good example of what the best possible World Government would be like in practice. It could be much worse.
How to run a planet with a rabble of jumped-up monkeys ?
Don Cox
Another thing. We are stuck in a 'must ask permission' society. Can hardly break wind without the OK from some agency. Once you start locking down the taking away of the 'ask permission' idea is a problem. Must ask upstairs, more than my job's worth. We will still be saying 'please Sir, can I Sir' in 2024. Our local village hall is still closed to elderly ladies dancing - waiting for insurers OK.
As for the travel industry. Time to get rid of those passenger locator forms and all that poking swaps in dark places. A real killer for the holiday industry and designed with all the flexibility and user-friendliness Priti Patel could muster.
If she must test, stream the arrivals such that those from civilised places go straight to PPort and baggage and lesser nations show forms as they get off the planes. Passport control is slow and clunky enough as it was, let alone squinting at QR codes. Easy enough to pull over a few randomly for a swab for genetic tracking - no need to waste time on ID, it is the genetic variations that matter.
"Fusion power is getting much nearer to working."
I was told that at school 35 years ago.
Apart from which, even if it was true, the water melons don't want the masses to have access to unlimited zero carbon power sources. The only power they are interested in is their power over the rest of us, and 'climate change' is just the latest of their hobgoblins designed to scare us into giving it to them.
World government to save us all- LOL. EU a good example of why it won't work - instead just another leeching dysfunctional layer of cronies. The UN another talking shop designed to convince themselves of their piety.
The Austrian school explain why centralised command economies don't work - the fat controller at the centre doesn't have sufficient information to make rationale decisions. Even worse when the fat controller is blissfully unaware of just how ignorant they are (see suggestion on technocratic leaders).
Even the UK government suffers from this. Decisions made in Westminster within the bubble by PPE graduates with no experience outside of politics. Aided & abetted by the media and third sector who are all part of the same gravy train.
So we're stuffed because decentralised government won't work either - see every Labour run council for an example (and I include Blu-Labour in that). Governance is captured by political parties and so run for their benefit rather than for the people.
A better approach might be for a form of jury duty that extends to government (both central and local). That should give a representative group that matches the views of the country without an election. Even this though relies on a branch of government to perform the random selection without gaming it for their own ends - so will also fail.
Kill yourselves now and save the misery - Gaia, St. Greta and Attenborough want you to do it anyway.
Somewhat off topic, but this thought occurred to me: at least the Taliban aren't woke.
Don Cox
Don, are you sure? I suspect if you asked the Taliban they would say "Transwomen ARE women"....
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