8 Stoic lessons are to be found in the journey of Ebenezer Scrooge as he’s visited by the spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come
Author Archives: Bingo Demagogue
Interdependence is Normal
There’s no such thing as a country. Nation states are a shared figment of the imagination, defined by invisible, imaginary, interim lines on maps. There is no such natural thing as a country: maps, borders, coasts and people have changed over time. That’s one of the facts that highlight the pointlessness of nationalism. Who nowContinue reading “Interdependence is Normal “
How to spot a populist
A populist is a political leader or movement that seeks or obtains power by claiming to represent the interests of ordinary people and combat what they designate as the “elite” or the powerful. This is the ideational definition of populism I refer to in the prologue to the Populists handbook, which sees populism as aContinue reading “How to spot a populist “
How to deprogram a nationalist.
Subscribe to get our latest articles into your inbox Disagreement in a debate can be healthy – one definition of politics is how civilised society makes decisions when members disagree. But the online debate is often poisonous, and there are genuine and well-founded concerns about the polarisation of societies; in the UK generally, specifically hereContinue reading “How to deprogram a nationalist. “
Size Matters
What’s the best size for a country? The Scottish National Party make much of Scotland’s population of around 5 million as conveniently the best size for a country – as though simply by being around 5 million nations are predestined to be “wealthier, happier and fairer” but does their claim stand up to investigation? InContinue reading “Size Matters”
Shunning Sturgeon
Renouncing Nicola Are the faithful having doubts? The key figure in the push for Scottish independence since 2014 has been Nicola Sturgeon, the current First Minister of Scotland and the Scottish National Party leader. While her position on fossil fuels, feminism, and Europe has changed with the wind over the decades, Sturgeon has always beenContinue reading “Shunning Sturgeon”
Against Nationalism
Why Do I Oppose Nationalism? Many of the arguments I make are economic, or practical, or based on the fact that the case being made for Scottish independence is inaccurate, dishonest or weak. However, I have a more fundamental opposition to Nationalism as a philosophy. Nationalism, the belief in the superiority of one’s own nationContinue reading “Against Nationalism”
Computer Says No
Populist’s Playbook asked AI ChatGPT to write an evidence based article arguing both for and against Scottish Independence. Here is what it produced: first the case against… Scottish Independence is a hotly debated topic that has been making headlines for years. While many argue that Scotland should break away from the United Kingdom and becomeContinue reading “Computer Says No”
Scottish Soothsaying
Prophecy is a staple trope of mythology, and if Nationalism is anything, it’s an emotional appeal to mythology, often of an idealised past. The mythology of Scottish Nationalism has included a prophecy of the inevitability of victory, the surety in the collapse of the union, a glorious day coming where real or imagined wrongs willContinue reading “Scottish Soothsaying “
Separation Anxiety
The separation of the legislature and the judiciary is an indication, not a failure, of a healthy liberal democracy. It is the defining behaviour of populists to claim that they speak with the will and the authority of ‘the people against some defined elite. Independent courts must be able to hold the people’s representatives toContinue reading “Separation Anxiety”
The Populist's Playbook 