tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612793.post1822222445985905766..comments2024-03-27T23:59:49.801+00:00Comments on Stoat: Governance is hardWilliam M. Connolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05836299130680534926noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612793.post-58626546805877552842023-11-20T10:28:50.219+00:002023-11-20T10:28:50.219+00:00> I have come increasingly to believe that the ...> I have come increasingly to believe that the direction to move in<br /><br />I think I've said this elsewhere, and also defended my vagueness on exactly how far down this road I'd go, on the grounds that we're so far away from it. But, having just come across Bryan Caplan's <a href="https://betonit.substack.com/p/socialism-the-provocative-equivocation" rel="nofollow">"Socialism": The Provocative Equivocation</a>, I should note it, because he criticises the socialists for <i>authors almost never specify exactly what policy should be. Instead, they focus on radical movement in a desired direction, with minimal discussion of their ultimate objective</i>.William M. Connolleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05836299130680534926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612793.post-91723948721898144812019-03-21T18:22:39.156+00:002019-03-21T18:22:39.156+00:00the interconnected world is just harder to govern....the interconnected world is just harder to govern.<br /><br />Not quite sure I agree with this. I think that the interconnected world maybe changes precisely how people make themselves electable. Pre 24 hour news channels, your MP was on TV much less frequently, and was less practiced at giving bullshitty sound byte answers to questions, so people would tend to actually give things like long, informed answers rather than reeling off a list of talking points, which required that they knew their stuff to an extent. There was also much less opportunity to spend time on things like twitter trying to get attenation for oneself.<br /><br />One of the biggest problems in recent years is the use of the governing process itself as a campaign tool. T May did a superb job of this as home secretary, using deliberate fights with the courts to get herself praise in the press, and passing complete nonsense bills like the psychoactive subtances act, which was done as much to placate the daily mail as anything.<br /><br />I totally disagree that the answer is less government. Democracy is still a staged competition, with rules, and the rules can be tweaked. Also, let's not forget that one of the main reasons we have the house of lords is precisely so as to avoid the problems of electioneering. And while there are plenty of duffers in the lords, if you ever listen to their committee hearings (Dieter Helm did one on energy a few years back) they are very well informed and are vastly closer to the deliberative ideal than you tend to get in the commons.Samnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612793.post-87898728522730162402019-03-18T11:36:52.069+00:002019-03-18T11:36:52.069+00:00>"It is every easier to see that (many) po...>"It is every easier to see that (many) pols genuinely are not competent, or serving the general public interest."<br /><br />I am not so sure. Events and hindsight show up 'bad decisions with the advantage of hindsight' but were they incompetent decisions in absence of hindsight? Do we just have more POV pushing that such decisions were atrocious because that is more clickbaitable than suggesting decision may have been reasonable?<br /><br />That is a bit different from your "I would attribute it to greater transparency and information" though I am not really sure which - could be a bit of both and other positions as well.<br /><br />>"trust in govt ... low. But why do you attribute that to bubbles?"<br /><br />Fair point, bubbles are the meme de jour. I see an issue not just of more discussion in internet echo chamber forum but also less talk with random people outside such bubbles. In the past strangers would tell off teenagers for acting naughtily, nowadays you don't dare for fear of being stabbed/beaten up... Being told off reinforced society norms but if never told off such behaviour can get normalised and believed acceptable by the perpetrator. At different times this would be lumped in with several different themes.<br />crandleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15181530527401007161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612793.post-28486853796371178242019-03-18T07:03:18.671+00:002019-03-18T07:03:18.671+00:00Surprisingly thoughtful.
Of course you identify t...Surprisingly thoughtful. <br />Of course you identify that perhaps governance today is no worse then it used to be. And I would go there. As I often find with my side (the left), I'm forced to correct them and point out that we are richer, healthier, safer and less violent than we used to be. But I'm not sure I can say that we are better governed.<br />I'm with you that just because you are good at campaigning, you may not be good at governing. And I've suggested tongue in cheek that political parties have one leader during the campaign, and if they win, they choose the person they want to lead them in government.J C Brookeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04264014753628822373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612793.post-3507261883935969472019-03-17T22:28:10.677+00:002019-03-17T22:28:10.677+00:00Good government has always been hard to find. See...Good government has always been hard to find. See the new book "10 Caesars".David B. Bensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15914145623997712113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612793.post-34637805607827864142019-03-17T19:21:20.574+00:002019-03-17T19:21:20.574+00:00>"Given that it is now much easier to be n...>"Given that it is now much easier to be not-in-a-bubble."<br /><br />Perhaps it is easier if you particularly want and are willing to make the effort to be 'not-in-a-bubble'. However, if you dislike being told you are wrong, it is now much easier to shrink into only discussing such matters in your favourite internet self selecting echo chamber.<br /><br />I think it is logical to expect more of the extremes as a result of that being easier and also more people attempting to be not-in-a-bubble as that is also easier.<br /><br />Now where was that onion? article on expecting more normal weather as well as more of the extremes. ;)<br /><br />crandleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15181530527401007161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612793.post-60671406623150492342019-03-17T16:30:16.052+00:002019-03-17T16:30:16.052+00:00> more people believing their own bubble
Ah, b...> more people believing their own bubble<br /><br />Ah, but that's what I'm querying. We certainly have more news asserting more people are in a bubble, but is it actually true? Given that it is now much easier to be not-in-a-bubble, if you don't want to be, I question whether average-bubblyness has increased.<br /><br />> More cynical views of politicians<br /><br />Indeed, public trust in govt seems to be historically low; e.g. <a href="http://www.people-press.org/2017/12/14/public-trust-in-government-1958-2017/" rel="nofollow">http://www.people-press.org/2017/12/14/public-trust-in-government-1958-2017/</a>. But why do you attribute that to bubbles? I would attribute it to greater transparency and information. It is every easier to see that (many) pols genuinely are not competent, or serving the general public interest.William M. Connolleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05836299130680534926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612793.post-54067826134998473732019-03-17T16:17:43.081+00:002019-03-17T16:17:43.081+00:00'More people' does I think imply not compl...'More people' does I think imply not completely new, but yes, much easier and more frequent now. <br /><br />>"How that impacts overall politics is not clear."<br /><br />Yes to some extent. However, more people believing their own bubble only means more people being irritated at politicians who they believe are not acting sensible given their world order view. -> More cynical views of politicians:<br /><br />https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2019/01/11/americas-most-least-trusted-professions-infographic/#3ae90dc97e94<br /><br />Would that be the same 50 years ago/pre internet? (Some cynicism of politicians previously sure, but as much as we have now? On that poll, I'm surprised bankers and real estate agents aren't seen as worse.)crandleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15181530527401007161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612793.post-77137029425032759812019-03-17T15:21:17.616+00:002019-03-17T15:21:17.616+00:00> echo chamber bubble
it is a thing, but is it...> echo chamber bubble<br /><br />it is a thing, but is it a new thing? It is certainly possible to hear only views you want to hear, but perhaps it always was; when I were a lad, we only got the Torygraph. Though we watched the Beeb news too, but others may not. Nowadays it is much easier, if you want, to either get a wide or narrow spectrum of news. How that impacts overall politics is not clear.William M. Connolleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05836299130680534926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612793.post-19442164397168601272019-03-17T13:17:29.539+00:002019-03-17T13:17:29.539+00:00>"the interconnected world is just harder ...>"the interconnected world is just harder to govern."<br /><br />More people living in their own echo chamber bubble? Making almost any belief possible - like murdering innocent muslims is ok?crandleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15181530527401007161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612793.post-66464918604292601812019-03-17T00:27:56.073+00:002019-03-17T00:27:56.073+00:00Well, small c conservatives and independents here ...Well, small c conservatives and independents here in the US have long made the case that one way to minimize the destructive effects of bad governance at a national level is increased subsidiarity. Push decision making as far down the pipe as possible, as people are more likely to know and interact at a local level.<br /><br />Although I am very much a leftist, this idea is not exactly BS.Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12747117922597525042noreply@blogger.com