Trump understands resentment.
As a billionaire narcissist who never received what he believed he was due, he understood the power of resentment that being sneered at can generate.
This is the secret behind National’s ridiculous new ‘burn two regulations for every new one’ policy which is straight out of Trump’s actual playbook…
…The Dark Art of politics now is not in the proposal and debate of ideas, it is the promotion of anger as policy which is communicated to potential voters based on the outrage it generates amongst identifiable tribal protagonists.
On social media platforms algorithmically fuelled by subjective rage, that person always denouncing you as racist or homophobic or sexist or transphobic becomes the person you resent. When you see them scream at National’s plan, even if you don’t understand the idea, even if it’s economically counter to your interests, you support it because it makes that person you resent angry.
I’ve outlined how National intend to maximise this phenomena via social media and their desire to simply replicate a neoliberal Trump policy is designed to create that outrage and instead of evaluating the madness of simply burning regulation for the falsehood of the free market, the debate will denigrate into name calling and virtue signalling.
We have created a terrible feedback loop where our disdain for others difference of opinion has been weaponised with all the resulting resentments that generates.
Here’s the political problem for the Left, the public service has been a neoliberal stick to beat the bejesus out of the poor for decades now – people don’t queue at 2am outside WINZ for shits & giggles – perversely National’s message will resonate despite their underfunding being part of the problem.
One of the rules so merrily burned by National during the nineties was the building standard requiring treated timber in building frames. We know how that ended… In fact we don’t. That fiasco is ongoing. They gutted the mining regulations by under staffing the inspectorate. We do know how that turned out. These people don’t do joined up thinking. If there is money to be made by a party donor, who cares what happens five years down the track.
Quite. Another epic regulation-slashing fail was National’s “reform” of the construction sector in the early 90s that gave us “The Leaky Homes of NZ”.
Abolishing the Apprenticeship Scheme in the Building Sector was a good one. If my memory serves me correctly I think it was Dr Nick Smith the MP for Nelson in the South Island ?
Martyn wrote “We have created a terrible feedback loop where our disdain for others difference of opinion has been weaponised with all the resulting resentments that generates.”
Yep, the Left lowered the bar on what was deserving of hatred and being doxxing out of your job. Twitter and other social media turbo-charged that ‘performative intolerance’ of difference and now various parts of the Left spend more time hating each other than hating the capitalists.
The middle voter might agree with some Left policies but they’ll never trust today’s Left because of its capacity to have a vitriolic hate-fest.
First of all Right Wing Politics needs to apologise for Mike Hosking, Cameron Slater, John Key, Don Brash, Roger Douglas, Richard Prebble, Rodney Hyde, Iwi vs Kiwi and so on.
This seems like a faux pas by the Nats. The Government has been busy helping National’s 2020 chances through its gross overindulgence in identity politics and its general display of incompetence. All Bridges has to do to win in 2020 is to put the boot into identity politics (but not too hard) and present National as the party of “common sense and decency” or something like that – plus maybe the occasional tongue-in-cheek ad aimed to provoke certain Green MPs into righteous outrage.
Instead, Bridges pledges to slash taxes and regulations. Will this help National strengthen its hold on the centre? Looks more like Bridges has sent in the cataphracts to rescue an embattled Government, as I suspect Middle NZ resents identity politics more than it resents regulations and taxes. I think some in the Government will be quietly pleased by Bridges’ announcement.
BTW, let’s not muddy the waters by calling Trump’s policies “neoliberal”. Trump is highly protectionist when it suits him, and he’s pushing socially conservative policies – whereas neoliberals are generally globalists and think the free market should decide just about everything.
Bridges keeps shooting himself in the foot. He just needs to keep his mouth shut. The Greens and NZF will be gone next Election so he could have a chance if he plays his cards right ?
I guess you’re right Ngungukai, Labour is at risk of being left all alone at the next election.
I see this as a logical counterpoint to the identity politics of the woke left.
While labour/greens are busy deciding what’s best for us in all their moral superiority and bubble wrap, and making laws on what they think is hate speech, or online porn, the Nats simply promise to tear up a bunch of their bullshit.
Sure it’s got no real detail but it’s a positioning statement.
Virtue signalling by the right if you like.
Yes, I guess that’s what it is. You might call it virtue signalling for a right-wing audience.
Sadly this simplistic drivel appeals to many unthinking voters.
Life and politics is a little more complex than this. There’s a reason why regulations exist. In fact given how the free market is not delivering in many areas (e.g. the environment) we need more rules and regulations not fewer.
The problem today is too many people cant talk to people face to face they use the keyboards/i phones and say things they haven’t got the guts to say. We have young people who are socially inept and we have adults that don’t lead by example and so what do you expect.
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