In a revealing lecture, Dominic Cummings exposes the failures of Britain’s political system. It’s not just Britain — the failures he describes affect all our democracies.
Cummings just reminding us all that all the bullshit and bureaucratic ridiculousness seen and heard on the ever brilliant TV series "Yes Minister/Prime Minister" was absolutely bang on target way back then and is sadly still ongoing today. Dominic may be right but the system will never change. It will never be allowed to change and that's the problem. However, that was a very entertaining hour. Thanks for bringing it to us Alasdair.
I watched this video only recently and I concur with Alasdair. Dominic Cummings offers an impressive and insightful analysis of the workings of government. It's food for thought on multiple levels!
Funny the single authoritarian document of representative government is called a democracy. If it's run by elected crooks out to fill their pockets and please the rich, what is it really? There's no mystery about why the system ends in a debacle after the Treasuries are looted by our "representatives"
I considered Cummings an interesting and rather clever character when he campaigned for Brexit and in the early days of the Johnson government, but I lost all respect for him during the Covid madness. It wasn't the hypocrisy when he travelled to Durham during the lockdowns he supported that made me change my mind. What really shocked me was his naive belief in the dodgy computer models, support of the devastating lockdowns and technocratic solutions. He talks a good game, but when he had a real opportunity to make a positive difference as special adviser to the prime minister, he succumbed to group think and pushed the technocratic solutions that destroyed the economy, public finances and had many other negative effects on society. The decent thing would have been to resign from his role when the PM announced the lockdowns. He still hasn't admitted his mistakes from that time.
He's clearly articulate and very good at pointing out the issues and contradictions of our times, but what he says is basically the same theory William Strauss and Neil Howe wrote about in their book The Fourth Turning in the 1990s. His answer to the challenges of our times seems to be that people like him should be in charge, so that they can build a wonderfully efficient technocratic state where experts apply scientific management and planning with lots of AI and other cutting edge tech. My fear is that this would be just as bad as the current system, but in a very different way.
I'm afraid I had to stop listening at 7 minutes when he said that they had worked out how to develop vaccines 10x faster and the vaccine task force was closed down. If he's as intelligent as is claimed he wouldn't have said this. On the matter of Mr Cummins we will have to disagree.
Cummings must love our convicted rapist maniac POTUS then. Funny how examples chosen weave a certain narrative. However, I agree that we are in a cyclical downturn and things will continue downhill until they cannot any longer.
Read it - a couple of times. Unfortunately, I think - in America - it is going to be uglier than either suspect. Us peons/minions in the U.S. won't be anywhere near able to adjust nor be prepared.....the vast majority just think it will go on and on and on. As Doug Casey thinks - maybe time to go to Uruguay.
What I recall of Cummings was that he once drove an hour or so to check his eyesight. Not that I believed much in the Covid lockdowns. I will watch this with interest.
Mr Simon Field, you lose your bet! COVID lockdowns were, in my opinion, a gross overreach and dangerous erosion of liberty. I was strongly opposed to the idea and resisted, just as some others did. This did not involve grassing on neighbours. No, my point is that Cummings and Boris belonged to a government that imposed these restrictions but did otherwise. It's this hypocrisy that jars. Write it out one hundred times!
All of this is easier said than done. He offers very good insights and is probably spot on with everything that is going on, but to try and change all of that is going to be a significant challenge. Nothing is impossible but the cynic in me says that this is unlikely.
MP's should go back to the days when they were without pay (1830's if memory serves correctly).
Cummings just reminding us all that all the bullshit and bureaucratic ridiculousness seen and heard on the ever brilliant TV series "Yes Minister/Prime Minister" was absolutely bang on target way back then and is sadly still ongoing today. Dominic may be right but the system will never change. It will never be allowed to change and that's the problem. However, that was a very entertaining hour. Thanks for bringing it to us Alasdair.
I watched this video only recently and I concur with Alasdair. Dominic Cummings offers an impressive and insightful analysis of the workings of government. It's food for thought on multiple levels!
Funny the single authoritarian document of representative government is called a democracy. If it's run by elected crooks out to fill their pockets and please the rich, what is it really? There's no mystery about why the system ends in a debacle after the Treasuries are looted by our "representatives"
I considered Cummings an interesting and rather clever character when he campaigned for Brexit and in the early days of the Johnson government, but I lost all respect for him during the Covid madness. It wasn't the hypocrisy when he travelled to Durham during the lockdowns he supported that made me change my mind. What really shocked me was his naive belief in the dodgy computer models, support of the devastating lockdowns and technocratic solutions. He talks a good game, but when he had a real opportunity to make a positive difference as special adviser to the prime minister, he succumbed to group think and pushed the technocratic solutions that destroyed the economy, public finances and had many other negative effects on society. The decent thing would have been to resign from his role when the PM announced the lockdowns. He still hasn't admitted his mistakes from that time.
He's clearly articulate and very good at pointing out the issues and contradictions of our times, but what he says is basically the same theory William Strauss and Neil Howe wrote about in their book The Fourth Turning in the 1990s. His answer to the challenges of our times seems to be that people like him should be in charge, so that they can build a wonderfully efficient technocratic state where experts apply scientific management and planning with lots of AI and other cutting edge tech. My fear is that this would be just as bad as the current system, but in a very different way.
I'm afraid I had to stop listening at 7 minutes when he said that they had worked out how to develop vaccines 10x faster and the vaccine task force was closed down. If he's as intelligent as is claimed he wouldn't have said this. On the matter of Mr Cummins we will have to disagree.
Cummings must love our convicted rapist maniac POTUS then. Funny how examples chosen weave a certain narrative. However, I agree that we are in a cyclical downturn and things will continue downhill until they cannot any longer.
"Will continue downhill until they cannot any longer".........then what? Just curious.....
See Neil Howe and William Strauss, The Fourth Turning.
Read it - a couple of times. Unfortunately, I think - in America - it is going to be uglier than either suspect. Us peons/minions in the U.S. won't be anywhere near able to adjust nor be prepared.....the vast majority just think it will go on and on and on. As Doug Casey thinks - maybe time to go to Uruguay.
Or Read the "Fruits of Graft" by Wayne Jett. He gives a comprehensive review of the forthcoming attractions.
Very interesting, Alasdair. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Alasdair.
What I recall of Cummings was that he once drove an hour or so to check his eyesight. Not that I believed much in the Covid lockdowns. I will watch this with interest.
“Not believed much in lockdowns”. But you remember DC was naughty.
I bet you were grassing on your neighbours kids birthday party because there was more than 6 in his “bubble’
Mr Simon Field, you lose your bet! COVID lockdowns were, in my opinion, a gross overreach and dangerous erosion of liberty. I was strongly opposed to the idea and resisted, just as some others did. This did not involve grassing on neighbours. No, my point is that Cummings and Boris belonged to a government that imposed these restrictions but did otherwise. It's this hypocrisy that jars. Write it out one hundred times!
All of this is easier said than done. He offers very good insights and is probably spot on with everything that is going on, but to try and change all of that is going to be a significant challenge. Nothing is impossible but the cynic in me says that this is unlikely.
MP's should go back to the days when they were without pay (1830's if memory serves correctly).