The Threat to Democracy
'Populists' like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage are a "threat to democracy", chant the mainstream media. In fact, they are just reminding our politicians what they are supposed to be doing, says Prof James Alexander.
'Populists' like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage are a "threat to democracy", chant the mainstream media. In fact, they are just reminding our politicians what they are supposed to be doing, says Prof James Alexander.
Labour is divided over electoral reform, with its leaders happy with First Past the Post, which gave them a landslide on a 34% vote share, but activists wanting PR. Prof James Alexander looks at the issues.
The worst political word of our time is ‘delivery’, says Prof James Alexander. It's on the lips of every politician, but this "Amazonisation" of politics completely misunderstands what politics is about.
How seriously should we take Labour's New Britain proposal, asks James Alexander. "We should fear that it is ever instantiated; and we should fear that these are the sorts of people who are trying to instantiate anything."
Zadie Smith looks back with glazed eyes on the good old days of Blair, and welcomes the likely dawn of a new Labour era. Prof James Alexander takes the writer to task for her simplistic view of the world.
We should vote Conservative to keep out the Trots and their permanent revolution, says Peter Hitchens. No no no, that just ratifies the Uniparty, says Matt Goodwin. Professor James Alexander ponders the dilemma.
The insidious growth of 'nudging' as a subtle means of controlling democratic populations is undermining our freedom in the West. But there's an important reason it cannot work for long, says Prof James Alexander.
We are tempted at times to call our enemies Narcissists. But narcissists are harmless, says Prof James Alexander. It is the vain that are the trouble. And in the age of social media we live in the Kingdom of the Vain.
In aiming to be a meritocracy, we inevitably create a parallel 'mediocracy' – where the meritless club together against the meritorious, says Prof James Alexander. This is the key to understanding our politics.
The relentless, social media-driven 24 hour news cycle is not conducive to the calm acquisition of knowledge about the world, says Professor James Alexander. How can we escape from it?
What do 'Queers for Palestine' and radical Islamists have in common? They are both authoritarian movements seeking to impose their beliefs on everyone else, says Prof James Alexander.
The West used to know why we should obey the law – our Christian faith gave us the answer. But as the sea of faith continues to withdraw, the void is being filled by sinister ideologies, says Prof James Alexander.
