I’m not sure that people have no interest in politics. I suspect that they have simply lost all respect for those who practise it. Perhaps if they weren’t constantly in our faces.- A little remoteness can be beneficial.
As for Campbell. He is a prime candidate for a new reality show that I am devising. It will be called “Involuntary Euthanasia”. The main aim will be to end our suffering, rather than his.
Chris Hume
1 year ago
The utter brass neck on Campbell. To see him pontificating about decency in government is bad enough, but to see his reputation being rehabilitated in this way is frankly nauseating. He should be in prison, to put it mildly.
Richard Abbot
1 year ago
There is no amount of money that you could pay me to watch anything that features Alastair Campbell.
I don’t know, a public flogging would be worth a visit
MJ Reid
1 year ago
The flaw in most arguments that revolve round people having commonsense, is so many people do not have any commonsense. It is not a generic trait in the population of any country.
To develop a level of common sense worth the label “sense” one needs experience of the ups and downs and contradictions of life. That’s why paying too much heed to young people doesn’t solve difficult problems.
When we criticise politicians we should consider that millions of clever people have not yet managed to solve the perennial problems of poverty that affects generations of some families, drug addiction which contributes to it, delinquency, crime and the global effects of severe climate events. This suggests that not especially clever people and/or common sense alone won’t solve them either.
Andrew Raiment
1 year ago
Can’t be any worse than letting anyone with an Oxford PPE degree do the job.
Can’t wait for the ‘organise the invasion of a sovereign nation’ episode.
Allison Barrows
1 year ago
William F. Buckley, Jr., said “I’d rather entrust the government of the United States to the first 400 people listed in the Boston telephone directory than to the faculty of Harvard University.” I dare say he’d have added PhD students at Oxford University if he’d been asked about British politics.
Steve Elliott
1 year ago
Didn’t the Blair government put out a TV advertising campaign to persuade people to be interested in politics? From what I remember it featured fake interviews where one person would say they weren’t interested in politics and then the conversation would turn to something like the NHS and then they’d say but that’s politics.
Yes. It went as far as people complaining about the price of a pint, to which the other would shake their head and say “you said you weren’t interested in politics.”
Aaron James
1 year ago
”Make Me A General?”
next season show – one can be Putin, One Zalenski, and the third Biden
1) Putin – corrupt to the core – and ruthless; but the military is corrupt, incompetent, and shirking. He is a trapped wild animal at this point.
2) Zalenski – corrupt to the core, soldiers patriotic, but him, and all the system, are pawns and controlled by character #3
3) Biden – corrupt to the core – has $Trillions to use for nefarious purposes – has the Pentagon to manage #2’s fighting, and no one knows what his motivation is but to distract voters from runaway inflation for Midterms.
We only need look at the trouble that presenting a “mini” budget without publishing OBR forecasts has just caused for Truss/Kwarteng to realise how the exercise of government is far from being a matter of common sense. Despite the combined experience and intellect (yes, i’m being serious) of the two of them, they heralded a political storm through relative naivety.
Anyone dropped in a senior role from the general public wouldn’t last two minutes in front of media questioning. The programme (which i don’t watch, i’ve got much better things to do) is an embarrassment to Campbell and Warsi and an insult to viewers from the description of it, except those who watch it (like the author of this article, i suppose) for a particular purpose other than taking it seriously.
Surely the argument is that Truss and Kwarteng are too intellectual, so don’t have common sense?
Jeremy Bray
1 year ago
Why would anyone want to watch a program hosted by these two who look positively comically glum in the photo. The fact that Jackie Weaver that tinpot mini- authoritarian dictator was one of the contestants would only be a further disincentive to watch.
I’m not sure that people have no interest in politics. I suspect that they have simply lost all respect for those who practise it. Perhaps if they weren’t constantly in our faces.- A little remoteness can be beneficial.
As for Campbell. He is a prime candidate for a new reality show that I am devising. It will be called “Involuntary Euthanasia”. The main aim will be to end our suffering, rather than his.
The utter brass neck on Campbell. To see him pontificating about decency in government is bad enough, but to see his reputation being rehabilitated in this way is frankly nauseating. He should be in prison, to put it mildly.
There is no amount of money that you could pay me to watch anything that features Alastair Campbell.
I don’t know, a public flogging would be worth a visit
The flaw in most arguments that revolve round people having commonsense, is so many people do not have any commonsense. It is not a generic trait in the population of any country.
Common sense is very subjective, what it entails is different for every person
To develop a level of common sense worth the label “sense” one needs experience of the ups and downs and contradictions of life. That’s why paying too much heed to young people doesn’t solve difficult problems.
When we criticise politicians we should consider that millions of clever people have not yet managed to solve the perennial problems of poverty that affects generations of some families, drug addiction which contributes to it, delinquency, crime and the global effects of severe climate events. This suggests that not especially clever people and/or common sense alone won’t solve them either.
Can’t be any worse than letting anyone with an Oxford PPE degree do the job.
I have a nagging feeling that the pitch meeting went something like this:
That Mitchell and Webb Look – Apprentice – YouTube
Can’t wait for the ‘organise the invasion of a sovereign nation’ episode.
William F. Buckley, Jr., said “I’d rather entrust the government of the United States to the first 400 people listed in the Boston telephone directory than to the faculty of Harvard University.” I dare say he’d have added PhD students at Oxford University if he’d been asked about British politics.
Didn’t the Blair government put out a TV advertising campaign to persuade people to be interested in politics? From what I remember it featured fake interviews where one person would say they weren’t interested in politics and then the conversation would turn to something like the NHS and then they’d say but that’s politics.
Yes. It went as far as people complaining about the price of a pint, to which the other would shake their head and say “you said you weren’t interested in politics.”
”Make Me A General?”
next season show – one can be Putin, One Zalenski, and the third Biden
1) Putin – corrupt to the core – and ruthless; but the military is corrupt, incompetent, and shirking. He is a trapped wild animal at this point.
2) Zalenski – corrupt to the core, soldiers patriotic, but him, and all the system, are pawns and controlled by character #3
3) Biden – corrupt to the core – has $Trillions to use for nefarious purposes – has the Pentagon to manage #2’s fighting, and no one knows what his motivation is but to distract voters from runaway inflation for Midterms.
Make for great hilarity…..
The great flaw in your argument is that Biden is senile.
Fantastic article.
As I was reading the article I was losing the will to live. I was astonished at the craziness of it all.
I would not welcome my suitability as PM being judged by people who might be considered to be liars or racists.
liars and racists, as well as being totally evil.
We only need look at the trouble that presenting a “mini” budget without publishing OBR forecasts has just caused for Truss/Kwarteng to realise how the exercise of government is far from being a matter of common sense. Despite the combined experience and intellect (yes, i’m being serious) of the two of them, they heralded a political storm through relative naivety.
Anyone dropped in a senior role from the general public wouldn’t last two minutes in front of media questioning. The programme (which i don’t watch, i’ve got much better things to do) is an embarrassment to Campbell and Warsi and an insult to viewers from the description of it, except those who watch it (like the author of this article, i suppose) for a particular purpose other than taking it seriously.
Surely the argument is that Truss and Kwarteng are too intellectual, so don’t have common sense?
Why would anyone want to watch a program hosted by these two who look positively comically glum in the photo. The fact that Jackie Weaver that tinpot mini- authoritarian dictator was one of the contestants would only be a further disincentive to watch.