Populists, are dicks.

 

Its a sad fact, but true. 

The leaders of populism are colossal arses.

From Trump down, whether progressives or regressives, they just don’t have any good leaders.
Worse. They actually  have bad leaders.

Le Pen.
A populist leader who took over an almost Nazi style fascist party managed to bring it all the way to the final round of France's election process. Despite the supreme odds against her of doing this, she did.
And then fluffed the round. Ranted and raved like the junior league politician she is. And scared off those who were wondering if a bit of authoritarianism wouldn’t go amiss in the ungovernable country

Nigel Farage.
An amazing figure. Took UKIP to the heights that actually threatened the Tory partie's ability to hold power. Actually caused the strategic decisions within the conservative leadership that directly led to the UK leaving the EU.
He achieved his, and his parties aim, without having more than two borrowed MPs. A giant political figure of the 21st century. And also a huge ass.

Every time he was getting close to breaking through. To turning those 4 million votes into a powerful, political force to usurp the liberals third place status, he managed to drop the ball.
Not just drop it. But kick it far into touch. Where it landed in a cow pat.

As with Le Pen, when the time for a little moderation came, Nigel would always, always decide instead to turn up the rhetoric to eleven and feed his opponents narrative.


Trump.
Trump I want to do separately so we won't dwell too much. Suffice to say most thought him unfit before he became President. And they have been proved right. He is unfit for the office.
But he is still President. He did take on the vested interests in the same way Farage did. And won the biggest, most powerful prize on earth. Against the same, impossible odds.

But what has he done to cement this new type of politics? To make the new way?  The new idea. The genuine “populist, my people” party.
Not much.

His thin skin has allowed the 'whole world is against us, but we shall endure and prosper,' to become 'the whole world is against me. Well I'll show them...' 
Which was always how he was. So it shouldn't be a surprise he still is. But it still sort of is. He IS President, after all. Although looking increasingly like a one term President.  

Corbyn.  
The man of the hour. He stands on the cusp of power. Of bringing about the Marxist-Lenninist-Chavist-Maoist and whatever other teenage romantic socialist collective ideas he still waves banners in his head for. 

Another, remarkable, against the odds winner. Another written off low ability loser who's populist magic touch has brought great and unlikely rewards.
Instead of being in the dustbin of history, he has managed to almost make communism for the 21st century a reality. Here. In the UK. Where we don't have any time for that 'European' free-stuff, nonsense.
Corbyn is only a few missteps, a Brexit negotiation disaster, and a senior resignation away from being  Prime Minister.
But he is still far from being able to enact every fantasy nationalisation and tax rise, and every defence cut and US annoying law his old heart could desire. Because he hasn't , isn't, prepared for that. He's simply winging it.

What has he done with his power? With his legions of youth and disaffected? 
Not much. 

Instead of setting out the vision and moderating his lunacy, to attract over the last 10% of voters he needs, he spends his days plotting to take over local control of the labour party. 
The man needs 50 seats. Where do they come from? He doesn't know. But he does know that getting Reg Smith into the deputy people's workers committee for regional union appointments will cement control of the Brent East council with Corbynistas.
How long does he think he has? Why is he such an amateur ass?


Geert Wilders does the same. Makes the gains, and flings it all away in ways that are obvious to any impartial observer. What is Carles Puigdemont doing with his unexpected Catalonia Independence windfall. He doesn't know. 
Why is the UK Green party, in the age of Green, losing support and going backwards? Why does a party with no real membership and just one MP have two leaders?
Why dilute an already minuscule profile?

Even a successful populist, like Sturgeon, had no real vision. Other than the independence one that had already been rejected. From holding the whole of Scotland, the Queen of the Heather, has let it slip away because she never put down any foundations. Never gave any inspiration for what an SNP could be. Other than a failing, incompetent, expensive protest government. 
The SNP lost 33% of their seats in 2017. And many that remain have a very small majority. The revolution could be over before it even began. the smack in the face reality might have come just in time for Sturgeon. If she is wise enough to change.

In all these cases the wind of opportunity was as good as it gets for the 'populists.'

Immigration. Austerity. Brexit. Crime. EU authoritarianism. Poor opponents. Divided opposition. Complacent ruling parties. Misjudged government interventions. Favourable news events and plain old lucky breaks. Everything from holding a referendum, to choosing unpopular Crooked. To van slaughters to letting Spanish police smack old ladies in the face live on TV.

Fortune has favoured the populists.

Its unlikely to continue to do so.

Where are these 'new people's politicians  advisers? Not the batty ones that they all surround themselves with who believe the same rubbish they do. But REAL advisers. Ones with actual power within the operation. Ones who can say, don't do that. Don't say that. Don't look like that. Look like this. Do this. Kiss this puppy. Hug this migrant. Wave this banner on the platform at this time for this reason.  Once you've won, you can be as fascist or communist as you like. But first you have to win.
They don't have them. or don't have them in authority.

So its likely the established order. Left and right social democrats. EU Federalists. Republican and Democrat big beasts will continue to survive and rule.

Because populists, are just amateurs.

Perónism in Argentina was formed in 1946. And has at times been ultra dictatorial, revolutionary, left and fascist corporative right. It became the political force. Then a political idealism. Perónists have won 9 out of 12 elections they have stood in. And to get anywhere, even today,  a leader has to at least claim some kind of Perónist credentials. 
Now that's populism done well. 40 years of  victory. 
Not just a single term. That once it is over everyone will try and pretend it never happened.

Is Labour right to burn their boats?

There's only one story in town. Goodbye News of the World. Not my thing, but plenty of other people fancied a read of it over the toast and Coco pops.

Who's had who. Which idiot minister was still being taken in by a man in a bed sheet and dark glasses claiming to want buy London Underground.

Mr Miliband himself is leading the attack on Murdoch in language that Ronnie Regan might have used about the Russians. The evil empire is in the sights of the left, and they want to give it a beating that it won't forget. Its long been believed by the socialists that all media are against them, even the Tory-led BBC and the liberal Guardian. So now, with the the king of the hill, the NOTW about to phoenix into its own flames, the Labour party is taking full opportunity to bash it.

And with very good cause. Phone hacking celebs is one thing. But the huge overstep of the boundaries of society and the hypocrisy in listening to the messages of troops and slain victims is inexcusable. The other media, long overshadowed by Murdoch's empire are also wading in with all their might and outrage. Partly to damage a rival and partly to deflect attention from of their own activities that are not 'whiter than white,' as a former Prime Minister once said.

Murdoch is in deep trouble. This is a major crisis. His long desired merger is coming apart, right at the moment it seemed assured. There are more revelations to come, says Mrs Brooks. Well they can't be good. Are they just going to do further damage here? We hacked Maddy's mum's phone!
The defence chiefs? The Queen?
But that's all minor compared to the real story which is cash payments to the police. The original investigation..was there a cover-up? Who deleted the emails? Who's hanging onto some of them. Where did the funds come from to the plod?

Even worse for NewsCorp, has this been going on in America and Australia, and are Fox news involved in any scandals? How much more will tumble out?

So its the happy time for the left. Still smarting from the Sun's decision to dump them at the last election, they are out for blood. But this seems to be leading down the wrong path. Politicians can never resist an opportunity to blame the other party for any misfortune. At the moment, Ed Miliband, Harriet Harman and Tom Baldwin are touring the newsrooms, with the usual prepared sound bites, that seem to imply that David Cameron has personally been listening in to Cheryl Cole's phone messages.
Labour are out to blame the Tories, using Cameron's unwise decision to appoint a former NOTW editor as his media guru. It certainly makes Dave squirm. It calls into question his desperation to make the Tory party Murdoch's favourites again. They like to point out Cameron's friendship with Rebekah Brooks.

But Cameron hasn't done anything criminal. Just poor judgement and an unwillingness to look beyond the immediate and powerful punch Coulson would give him. {Which, to be fair, it did. An immediate success that rattled Labour. But there was always the possibility it could all go wrong.}
The Guardian story out today that Cameron was told Coulson was a wrong 'un, is almost irrelevant. Would Labour have listened to the Daily Telegraph telling them Damien McBride 'can go a bit far?' Of course not!

And new Labour have.
This has the potential to become the biggest pot/black/kettle story since Guardian Media attacked tax planning. One party has been in thrall to the newspapers since its inception. One party was so determined to befriend the media that eventually a new word appeared in the dictionary. "Spin".
New Labour's entire early campaign was based on 'what would Rupert like us to say, so he can print it in his papers?' They spent a lot less time on the manifesto than they did on courting the press. And Murdoch in particular.
For thirteen years there was no mention of curbing the power of the red top press. Even when that press was savaging their own, like Blunkett and Mandelson. The hopeless PCC allowed to continue doing nothing, long after the excesses of the newsprint organisations had come to light.

Its no use Harman now saying Labour was like a battered wife, frightened to leave her husband, and so the party stayed with Murdoch, but they hated him, and were badly abused.
On Newsnight she virtually claimed that she had been forced to face up all the labels on the cans in the kitchen cupboard or face a beating. She only escaped Rupert's beautiful beach front property by faking her own drowning.
Danny Alexander, superbly ambushed by Hugh Grant on Question Time, for having only just returned from a News International party. Along with many of his shadow cabinet colleagues.

It seems quite a short term strategy to fight the Tories on this, There just isn't any need. The press will do the pummelling for them. If anyone saw Dave's press conference they will have seen the hacks and journos lining up to give him a whack. All without the need for Ed Miliband to pop up with his "He just doesn't get it!" faux outraged comment.
The Tories are currently under fire. They are the government so they will be. Dave is just behind the curve as he tries to do the minimum necessary, whilst pretending to do the maximum. But he is a skilled operator. This is actually what he is best at. Looking sincere. Sounding reasonable. Remaining calm. He'll catch up to the events at some point soon and then Labour's attacks will falter.

But Labour need to remember they were in government DURING the scandal. It happened under Mr Blair/Brown's watch. And they did nothing about it. Once the initial phase of this scandal is over the media will move to looking at what went on before. There are many, many bones in Skeleton city.

The Murdoch barbecue is well alight. If Labour try to pour even more lighter fluid on it they may well find themselves in A&E with bandaged hands and a very red face. Already lord Ashcroft is trying to open up a second front where Labour whips and spinners are implicated. New/New-Labour are behaving as if the Murdoch days are over. As if The Sun might be about to run its last issue and Sky news go off air.

Mr Miliband should reflect on CU's End of the World post, where it was revealed that the NOTW was already being prepared for closure. The advertisers who fled NOTW this week aren't suddenly planning to run adverts with the Sunday Times and Observer culture magazine.
Morrisons don't sell a Tender Pork Loin Rubbed w/ a Sweet Chili Guava Barbeque Glaze Served w/ Mashed Sweet Potato & Topped w/ a Mango Coulis & Candied Pecans... microwaveable pizza.
The people who read the News of the Screws aren't going to decide to give up on sex stories and scandal and read the Independent's literature and art section on Mayan tapestries.

Murdoch has been around since Noah. He's seen off a lot of better and more powerful figures than Miliband. So Rupert may be wounded. May be facing some tough times and difficult questions. He's left it very late to begin doing something about the scandal. He may feel the pinch as the shares slide. He will have to face the abuse of the world's public for a while. He's not a young man any more and may decide to cut his losses. But Labour are behaving as if they have slain the Giant. But the Giant isn't dead.

And one day he's going to come back.
And he'll be mighty pissed.

Gordon Brown's Crackers

The PM was asked a tough question a few days ago. One that he wasn't briefed for and one that he felt too unprepared to answer. This question that had Gordon Brown flummoxed was

What is your favourite biscuit?

Asked at a Mumsnet session where the leader was trying to set out his vision for a pan global solution to the credit crunch and demonstrate his communication skills and man of the people credentials, The PM resorted to evasion.

Imagine the tough questioning from Mums twittering the Labour party leader.

"What's your favourite biscuit" Sarah-Jane , Telford.
"I believe in choice. That is why we introduced competitive tendering into the NHS.."
"Prime minister..what is your favourite biscuit?" Lindsay, Stockport.
"Erm .. I can't read that..sorry ..Next question?"
"Gordon..what is your favourite biscuit?Do you like pink wafers" Kylie, Guildford..
"Well, I think the real issue here is about Labour investment versus tory cuts.."
"What's your favourite biscuit. Will you answer the question?"
"If I may just be allowed to answer the question without these interruptions..Now I bailed out the banking sector.."
"Gordon..do you believe that men eat more biscuits than women?" Harriet, Westminster
"I don't have those figures to hand but if you write to me at my office I will have the ONS look into that for you.."
"Sarah is on record as liking plain biscuits-You were inclined towards chocolate. Did you threaten to over rule her?" Mrs Paxman, Oxfordshire.
"I have made my position quite clear.."
Did you threaten to over rule her?" Mrs Paxman, Oxfordshire.
"I canot answer this questions on the grounds of national security.."
Did you threaten to over rule her?" Mrs Paxman, Oxfordshire.
And so on.

Today, after two days working non-stop with various focus groups and spin doctors, cautios not to alienate any section of the community, but anxious to demonstrate strength and leadership, whilst also appearing sensible,frugal, but not miserly the somewhat lame answer to this question of national importance emerged.

"Anything with a bit of chocolate."

Really? He looks absolubtely Cream Crackered to me.
Or maybe, in view of his indecision a Cowardy Custard Cream?

Sunday snooze.. In the comments if the mood takes , biscuits for
George Osborne
Tony Blair
Boris Johnson
Vince cable
Baroness Scotland

No downside to the Scottish licensing bill

At the Scottish Parliament's presentation on alcohol by the Sterling Cooper advertising agency everyone is very excited. Mr Daryl McCool is winding up..

"And folks.. The icing, on the cream, on the cherry, on the cake; is..... its going to be a Revenueeeeee........ Raaaaaiiiser."

{Gasps of amazement..loosened blouse buttons and ties}

"Its good for you. Its healthy. It requires taxation and compliance through off limit areas and signage, and monitoring of compliance and targets also. Its a jobs creator too! It gives you some pricing and incomes controls. This policy will save lives. Babies lives. Animals lives. It lifts kids out of poverty and ends crime. It reduces drugs; noise, waste, glass shards, litter, bad behaviour,broken street architecture, vomit on the pavements, knife crime, teenage pregnancies, hoodies in parks, under-age sex, St D's, graffiti, gun crime, accidental death, muggings, lost property, broken cell phones, snapped heels and B.O.

{more gasps, more loosening}

It frees up landfill, taxi routes, improves the bus service, aluminium reserves, street cleaners, paramedics,firemen, police, nurses, doctors, beds, haulage and PCSO's. It will improve school results, doctors waiting lists, treasury accounts and Vat revenues. It will improve work attendance, sick days lost, missed school days,productivity, liver transplant availability, dehydration, car crashes, pedestrian injuries, Accident and Emergency visits, and frees up incalculable NHS resources. It will reduce accidents in the home and domestic violence. Abuse of the elderly and stains on the carpet. Alcohol or otherwise !
Oh..it will also end drunken phone calls to ex lovers that you would be embarrassed by in the morning. {beams smile}

Ladies an' gen'lmen this policy, this beautiful, beautiful policy will increase your incomes while reducing your outgoings. It will increase everyone's incomes as they abandon the beer. It initially restores falling sales to the pub trade too, but like the congestion charge and taxes in general..prices can only go one way.. {laughter..'its true' says someone}

This is the only bill you will need this year. It's popular with the voting majority and has an unarguable argument for those opposed.

"It's for your own good. We want to help you"

"May I present the "Scottish Licensing Bill 2009"

{Thunderous applause and standing ovation for the presenters.
As the applause dies away assembly members slump back into their chairs smiling and nodding and shaking hands with at each other.}

"This is the mother lode policy. This is the Broadway Musical of policies. It has everything!"

{As everyone flopped breathlessly in their chairs, panting and deep breathing with flushed exhaustion, one brighter than the average spark, jumps up.}

"We could do this with other things too, couldn't we? We could say these things about.. well lots of things, right?"

And the slick Adman clicks to the next power-point.

"Way ahead of you sir."

"We are making tracks..to beat snacks...{click}
Crisps. Dealing with our children's greatest danger."

SNP ministers spent £36,000 on booze at official receptions last year, it was revealed yesterday.
The bar bill has nearly doubled in four years.

'Public Bank Bonus'

Alistair Darling was on the Andrew Marr show this morning, making it clear that the Government is going to have a quiet word with Stephen Hester about the RBS bank bonus's. The Labour tribe are in full swing in demanding that no money be paid out. The BBC mischievously says RBS is about to pay out £1 billion in bonus's for a bank that has lost £28 billion this year.

George Osborne was quite clear to say on the show too that senior management should not get the money this year.

This is a difficult piece of populism to avoid. No one who has lost their job due to recession brought on by the banks is going to be happy with people making six figure and more sums of money.

Now that RBS and LLoyds have such chunks of state ownership the politicians can get their fingers dirty just as they love too.

The easy answer surely is too defer money to be paid when the banks is back in profit, even perhaps to pay in shares that will only be worth anything if the banks are not fully nationalised and instead are sold back to the public sector.

This is the solution, I wonder why the politicians don't want to mention this and just concentrate on pure populist stands?