As usual gentleman an informative podcast. I feel calm and collected when I listen to you and I am able to learn more about politics and other issues you discuss. I hate feeling upset and agitated and any pressure to pick a side. Enjoy your weekend both of you.
What a great combo. Have to say you two bounce off each other really well. I find myself binge watching, moreover being educated in in a calm, non shouting way that is the childish playground of the Commons. Keep up the good work chaps, I''m a better person for your calm fun delivery.
Julius added July, Caeser Augustus added August, and that's why we have the tenth month beginning Oct-, the eleventh Nov- and the twelfth months Dec-, which were originally months 8, 9 and 10.
10:46 - Alastair on handling Iraq outrage If you're expecting this 74 second segment to deal with Alastair's handling of the outrage that was the illegal invasion and subsequent destruction of an entire society then you should probably skip it.
When I saw those Hamas protestors on the news, I was like, " the conservative heartland is going to vote in anyone who condemns and puts down protestors wearing the garb and carrying posters that sing praises of Hamas."
Thank you so much for these fascinating podcasts which rise above party politics beautifully. Can I please ask you a question for the next one, inspired by the one today about shouty questions? I keep listening to politicians (Conservatives mainly, sorry Rory) who say things that provably untrue. A classic example today - we had the highest net migration figures ever last year - and this is legal migration - and it's a cold, hard number so it can't be argued, and when asked about it today Rishi Sunak said that his government has done more than any other in history to reduce migration. My question to you is, do you think that this strategy works? Are the public (or at least enough of them) simply likely to believe what they want to believe - and if so - what does that mean for democracy today? Thank you either way - love listening to you.
The legal migration we have today (excluding HK and Ukraine) is people on visa's either for work or education for which they are contributing large sums of money. By virtue of those visa's the entitlement they have from the British state is limited as is the time they can stay, unlike the EU citizen whose entitlement to health housing benefits etc was identical to UK citizens and they could stay indefinitely. If we had remained in the EU the total migration figures would probably now be around a million annually.
when we have governments that dont look after their people properly, this is what happens. as an ex commando i done my stints in N Ireland. 72 and 74 i realised the catholics were being badly treated. as a prodie from glasgow my opinion changed dramatically. the right is always first to shout, but last to do anything. three cheers for mo molam and her visits to the maze. labour sorted most of it out, the tories were too far up the backsides of the unionists to be effective
When Alistair gets annoyed that the first he knew about Rory's involvement in Julius Caesar was reading about - is the same sort of irate that my wife gets when she hears from a mutual friend that I'm doing something at the weekend. I think you make a beautiful power couple.
I would be grateful to hear your thoughts on Viktor Orbán and the way present Hungarian politics, with their Russia friendly ideology, are going to affect EU and the rest of Europe.
It may bring a growth boom, but certainly at the expense of a lot of mid salary jobs. Marketing departments slashed in 1/2 or more, customer services, procurement all will be decimated. Low paid - moving things about jobs safe, senior management safe, but the middle will be hit very badly.
Ive wondered if a system where we vote mps in then the cabinet and PM are then employed in the same way as a job application where members of the public can apply for the job and parliament determine the successful candidates. All the voting control and power still sits in parliament. The cabinet have a set contract and have to reapply for the job, they are effectively on zero hour contracts which allow them to be fired if needed a lot easier. You could also suggest some qualifications from the applicant and a public job interview. Etc.
When labour praise bankers and EU officials, instead of workers, people who suffer high costs of living, choose the one who can speak the point out the issue.
"AI meand the price of cognition will go down to zero" Harvard prof. Lakani - now people who produce 'words' protest and downplay AI (Hollywood writers, humanities professors, journalists), very soon other forms of thinking will follow. Can we distribute gains made from non-human cognition fairly and how? Rory? Alistair?
There is literally ONE issue today for voters. The reason for the move to the right has mostly to do with the massive and demoralizing crime wave due to the ongoing third world invasion.
Did you know CS Lewis wanted to but never have the time to write about socio/political/religious principles history for children but recognised he would never have the time maybe you could both get your heads together and write a classic for kids for all time
Sabine Hossenfelder has a great video on what may have been going on. In short, she suspects (and I concur) that he may have been raising money for AI hardware without telling the board.
If not able to vote having aa active and visible youth parliament as aswell as a people’s forum maybe useful. And maybe a mechanism to call for a change of government via a referendum system if there is too much discontentment
On 22nd November France 2 Infos ran a report where Family Allowance was trialling AI to answer online enquiries. The most interesting bug that needed working out was that, when the AI didn't know the answer, it made something up 😮. Human or what 😢😊?
Respect Rory, but grocely simplistic interpretation of Caesar. He was a true populares, he achieved things, unlike most populists, he was actually for or about something. The consitution had already been destroyed by his time. I'm a PhD, please contact me for more details if you want some advice.
@@afgor1088 I’m not from the US. And I didn’t mention the uni for a reason, i.e., I’m not showing off. In any case the value of a PhD is shown by the fact I can call out an inadequate interpretation of Caesar, as a classicist. That at least ;)
@@BiffaTW never said you were and I am now certain you don't have a PhD because only an idiot would think knowing that description of ceaser is inadequate would be worth anything... Did you actually think that was something people don't know? Very basic knowledge Goodbye liar.
Why do we want to get more productivity out of people (the AI question)? I mean, I can imagine some reasons of course. It'd be great of people feel like they're wasting less of their time. On the other hand, won't it lead to job cuts for the sake of profits?
Yes, it's not to improve the the lot, of the great unwashed. No, it's a tool to exploit them more; by rationalising their labour for maximum profits.I could be also be, a recipe for insuraction.
For ‘Populism’ read right-wing racism and bigotry. “I’m not racist but …..” is a phrase I thought that I’d no longer hear in these so-called enlightened times. I’m afraid that such beliefs and attitudes seem to bubble just below the surface, even in 2023 Europe. It doesn’t take much for them to surface again. As a gay man I worry about that trend. The success of Wilders in the Netherlands is very worrying.
You should be more worried about Islam becoming the majority religion in the UK. Interesting isn't it that virtually the only country that protects LGBTQ rights in the middle east is Israel.
The dutch elections came as no surprise to me, there's a hard movement against what you could call "neo-liberalist". The center parties have been stunlocked by recent events. Not knowing how to deal with the US imperialism, not setting up a clear immigration plan, international companies influencing elections and a growing mistrust and quality of life among both the lower and middle class. The left pushed away their progressives, and the right spawned progressive "populist" parties. The progressive left, wanting something to change has been hovering with new parties and seems to have settled on the center-reform NSC, the green/liberal/labour party (as a dutchman, i can't even find a good translation for groenlinks-pvda) and even the right wing PVV. The PVV is something of a mix of parties, with a very strong isolation ideology combined with some socialist economics. It can cash into left wingers tired with economic "neo-liberalism" and american domination while also winning the conservative social and immigration reform voters. As a dem-socialist, i'm just happy there's a chance for economic reform now, although i am afraid that Wilders will do bad things to migrants, palestinian people and asylum seekers. Especially now that Islamophobia is at an all time high in the Netherlands.
Yes, the option is there already. But the point is not that 'oh, i have no one to vote for', but that the system is wrong and I don't want to be another number that signals that the system is working. Sure, in theory this system could work, but I am long on the opinion that stuff that only works in theory better be replaced than wished to be improved.
The issue with automatic voter registration is that currently the franchise doesn't just include British citizens but also all British nationals, Commonwealth citizens & Irish citizens with leave to remain. These groups probably contribute a lot to those 8 million eligible voters who aren't registered. So doing automatic voter registration would be more complicated for those groups.
Citizens assembly - instead of adding an additional layer of democracy, why not fix the existing mess? The Lords is not fit for purpose and should be replaced with a smaller, elected body (using a different voting method than elects the commons) working within a written constitution. Automatic voter registration is a good idea, as is mandatory voting (providing there is a none of the above option to enable registration of dissatisfaction).
Right & Left is too simplistic a distinction for modern politics. Wilders is on many accounts a socialist: he wants the elderly to receive their benefits, wants affordable housing for people in Holland, wants good quality health care for all. What he does not want is an open door, where the current tax payers have to pay for an unlimited amount of Europeans / students / economic and security refugees, while there is already a shortage of housing. Ultra left or right, populism is no more than name calling. Rather than avoiding debate by using these ad hominem attacks, please stick to the policy positions you agree or do not agree with.
I think "populism" can be understood as it always has: offering people what they think they want, even if it is against their interests. You are either a populist or not: it's about being politically successful, rather than having a sincere ideology. "Left" and "right" are much more complex because an individual can be "ultra right" on social issues and simultaneously "ultra left" on economic issues, for example. You can be both left and right: it's about the specific policies you'd like, rather than how you go about realising them. Just the way I see it, no special knowledge implied!
@@tomonetruth I like your definition of populism, but there is hardly a democratic elected politician who this does not apply to. Cameron wanted to stay in power, so offered a referendum on Brexit he thought he would win. Why don't we call him populist ? Lee Kuan Yew is quoted to say that all Western politicians are forced to mortgage future generations by buying votes with debt. If he is right, all successful politicians are populists. Rather than name calling someone a populist, ultra left/right or a Nazi, focus on the policies you agree / disagree with. Name calling stops the debate and polarizes positions, and I would think that in a healthy democracy we want the opposite: better debates on issues and less polarization.
More 16 years old people are way more politically engaged than the elderly people that can vote, and they are going to be there to reap the repercussions of the decisions made. Imho, 16 is a good age for your first vote.
Is it me, or does the idea that an agi just intervened to get its daddy back seem... Plausible? Daddy, at a press junket: did another revolutionary thing last week. Watch this space. Board, week later: fires daddy, out of nowhere, citing vaguely that he was up to stuff they dodnt approve of. Daddy: says nothing, just smiles and says "sure microsoft, ill take that job. For now". Two days later, board: im really really sorry i love what we do here, daddy can have his job back... *Suspicion*.
Geert Wilders PVV 37 seats actually win Dutch Coalition government in Netherlands yes Thomas. Did get the £301 payment yes. Letter evidence it DWP it UK government ministry London Britain England. Appreciate your work. Not been following it Netherlands politics. Holland wealthy Thomas.
I can understand why populism gets a bad press from the establishment, the existing system. It,populism, fills the potentially Darwinian gap between large elements of the population ,who feel that the existing system does not meet their requirements, and the existing system.
@@tomonetruth dinosaurs then change in the environment then a bloody big meteor then tha gap as the spaces created by the meteor are re-established with the eventual domination of new species. Simple enough. try harder.
Populism is telling lies, encouraging negative aspects of human nature (such as incorrectly blaming minorities for society's ills, whether those minorities are racial, sexual or disabled people), exploiting fears and hardship and dishonestly using that to further one's own position. That's why it gets a bad press.
You need to put the date when you record your episodes in the description. The OpenAI story is already outdated. AGI will be launched the same day as fusion power :p Consciousness is quantum and cant be replicated on a traditional computer. Have a talk with Sir Roger Penrose. He calls AI (machine learning) "artificial cleverness".
In relation to the rise of populism in Europe (and actually the world), Russia has been encouraging this trend. Sadly those in that political sphere in the west have been happy to take this aid, even if knowing that coming from Putin this must be not in the best term interests of western democracy. This has the potential to be huge and likely to cause the collapse of western democratic civilisation unless we wake up quickly to the threat it poses and control the ability of far-right political parties to undermine democracy.
Yee, maybe we could try and stop ppl voting for them or reject the results of elections if they win.. something must be done about this threat to democracy!
The AI issue left when the Social Media companies failed to moderate reasonably. AI's got to the position where computers could decide NOT to support humanity: fire the parasites and don't compensate. When we got computing started in the 1960s, Asimov's 3 Rules was speculative. Everything was Open Computing, my surname even got into the centre of all code. Rory knows it, I'm Dana's chum back in 2015. But now, productivity to what purpose?
If people don't care about politics or believe in the system, they aren't going to help democracy by being forced to play the game. Too many people vote, not too few.
The reason why far right politics is in the ascendency is because the neo-liberal project engineered by Thatcher and Reagan (Friedman economics with Hayekian philosophy) has failed. Triple down economics don't work. There's plenty of reputable economic research to support this. The 2008 crash brought this to a head. People's living standards are going down, austerity doesn't work. People want someone to blame - and as ever it's easier to blame the migrant rather than the billionaire. Everything from the Greek financial crisis to Orban, Brexit and Trump stems from the failed neo-liberal capitalist consensus. Centrists will forever be scrabbling in the dark until they recognise this. They don't fully acknowledge the reality because they are generally affluent and don't swim in the same waters as the majority of the population. These guys along with Maitliss, Kuensburg et al are good at the palace intrigue of politics but cannot understand why people are voting for Trump, Brexit etc. Yes there's a reactionary media sphere of Murdoch, the Daily Mail and Fox news but there's also the establishment 'liberal' media of the BBC and CNN etc who cannot understand the underlying trend of an increasing working poor and disillusionment in the political institutions that have been asleep at the wheel for at least 15 years now. And all the while there's the grim spectre of global climate change in the background. Hopefully the new generation coming through the system can have the imaginative policies to spark a new kind of politics that can transform people's lives or at least stop the decay.
a typo - but now you say it - perhaps it is steroid trickle down. And as someone who grew up alongside the massive steroid abuse of young working class men with orange tans and tattooed bicep angst, it's easy to see this steroid induced rage in the eyes of statue defenders and Farage devotees. @@tedf1471
Rory's citizens assembly idea is very very similar to an idea I've been floating for a good while to help ensure democratic accountability. In my mind, if a jury of your peers is good enough to help establish a legal position in a court, it's absolutely good enough to scrutinize an elected government's actions.
Cant get enough of these discussions, you're both doing an incredible job. Thank you so much for restoring some normalcy back into political media, much love.
On the AI issue there is one major thing that needs to be looked, the impact on the labour market. It’s just like the Industrial Revolution when large sections of the labour force were replaced my machinery. We have already seen strikes in the US from many sectors, among them the film industry, where studios tried to impose AI in the film industry. I just feel that politicians are 2 or 3 steps behind when it comes to the impact of AI on the job market. This can potentially cause social strife in the near future if things are not handled carefully politically.
A citizens' assembly (randomly selected) wouldn't be as good as aggregating up authority from the whole of the populous, for example with an app, and those representatives being the assembly members
From an American who follows British politics while living in Hungary: I learned a lot from Vernon Bogdanor’s Gresham College lectures about how British/UK politics works and has worked in historical context. It was a very good starting place and has enabled me to follow things much more comprehendingly.
@@janjasiewicz9851 american works in hungary hahaha, dont make me laugh. for what? eastern european wages, shitty food or subpar weather? only rubbish thing here is we r on the internet any one can be who ever they claimed them self to be. any ways I waste enough time with u lots, c ya
@@laujack24you, sir, are what’s wrong with the internet. You know absolutely nothing about me or my views on anything other than Vernon Bogdanor. In fact, I now know more about you than I care to. Good day to you.
This has nothing to do with anything discussed in this vid so forgive me, but Rory,, what is that piece of art you have in the background? Looks very interesting.
Compulsory Voting: There are some people who have religious or spiritual beliefs that do not permit voting. If you want more people to vote also make general and local elections paid national bank holidays as an incentive to vote. A big way to get more people to vote is to provide proportional representation in national elections. Many people are aware of the gerrymandering the Conservatives have done and so they have lost confidence in the current system. Also, many MPs don't come from the constituencies they claim to represent. There is a perception amongst many that they represent their donors and not the people of the UK, this is evident in the scandals we see year on year. We also see candidates for our local MPs Selected by parties and donor's and not by the local people. Elections are as fake as American wrestling, just look at what happened to the Labor party since the selection of Sir K. He made all the right noises on his climb up the greasy poll and then when he was selected he cleared all the voices that didn't follow the party "vision" and went back on his word about everything. The conservatives are equally as bad, but just so openly corrupt at this point Spitting Image could not do a sketch that would be able to top it. They are a bag of bastard's so why would we even give you our attention yet allone our mandate (represented by our votes) to continue destroying our society, working conditions and our planet. The corruption in politics is hard wired in and so mass apathy is what they want. I won't be surprised if they take the vote completely away from the common UK citizen. Your corruption is the reason why the extreme right wing is coming to power, and we will all face the consequences. This happened before British civil war, the French Revolution, in Russia, China and in Germany just before the Nazi party took over. It is happening now in Israel (a very right wing coalition, who's election was already causing internal strife, the war has been a great distraction from that btw) in our European neighbours and unfortunately here. For anyone whom as studied history this is a frightening time to be alive, in the past 10 years the ordinary citizens have lost more civil, personal and political rights than at any other time in our history and those freedoms that our forebears fought and died for have been stolen by your class.
On Pieter Omtzigt and het toeslagenschandaal (benefits scandal): the government knew from 2017 onwards that they had wronged the families because the targeting was illigitimate. A senior civil servant (legal advisor) brought this up and advised that they should compensate the families. However they did not do this and continued to ignore it. Pieter Omtzigt together with two other MP's continued to ask questions in parliament and eventually brought this to light. A lawyer (Eva Gonzalez Perez) for a group of parents who were wronged first contacted him to ask him for help. And journalists from Trouw and NRC helped as well.
Just to keep the balance because I cant lie I am scared about the state of affairs in the world for all of us . But I am standing the middle ground with all my weight without sitting on any fence .. keep the moral high ground gentlemen someone needs to and youre both doing an absoulutely superb job
I like you podcast very much and watch them religiously, but one correction: the Rutte 4 government did not fall over the Child Benefit Scandal (Toeslagen Affaire), but internal disagreement about family reunion policies regarding immigrants
Rory is broadcasting from the office of a British ambassador, who he just happens to be staying with. Alastair is in the attic, where earlier in the day his wife was rummaging in the storage boxes for the Christmas decorations
Does Starmer really have to say anything on brexit. He's going to win. Surely better to play the King Juan Carlos game, and nod along quietly to brexiteers until he's actually got the massive majority? Then he can do what he wants
I’ve started noticing that you make a face after you’re done speaking Rory! It means your brain is coming up with good stuff! Keep up the good work guys.
On the new Napoleon film, Bart Van Loo, a Belgian writer who wrote 'Napoleon, the shadow of the revolution' (2014), only had praise for how good the movie looked. But it is a collection of historical inaccuracies. Shooting canon balls at the pyramids never happened. Ridley Scott just put that in, "to convey that he conquered Egypt". And, apparently, the movie is love scene, battle, love scene, battle, love scene, ... And, of course, Napoleon wouldn't have meant anything, but for the woman behind him, who would be the real mastermind. Van Loo has rewritten his book, and updated it with some newly discovered findings about Napoleon. I'd go with the book.
Rory mus tdo better on Rwanda scheme - must make it clear that a postively processed Rwandan asylum claim expressly EXCLUDES possibilty of acceptance back into the UK.😒
Love how much Rory talks about citizens assemblies. They would make such a difference, if implemented well (which needs to include access to experts to answer questions of fact).
Just an idea, factually based. Stable, progressive, open minded countries who build well funded public services attract top class companies & productivity soars.
Rory pulling those faces / grimaces makes me think of Wallace from Wallace and Gromit.
As usual gentleman an informative podcast.
I feel calm and collected when I listen to you and I am able to learn more about politics and other issues you discuss.
I hate feeling upset and agitated and any pressure to pick a side.
Enjoy your weekend both of you.
What a great combo.
Have to say you two bounce off each other really well.
I find myself binge watching, moreover being educated in in a calm, non shouting way that is the childish playground of the Commons.
Keep up the good work chaps, I''m a better person for your calm fun delivery.
Love your podcasts. Please keep doing what you are doing. Your breath of knowledge is amazing x
Breadth of knowledge, I think you mean 😊
@@Iano1049bone apple tea. 😅
Julius added July, Caeser Augustus added August, and that's why we have the tenth month beginning Oct-, the eleventh Nov- and the twelfth months Dec-, which were originally months 8, 9 and 10.
You know that this is a cool podcast when they include a screenshot from Ghost in the Shell. The best anime ever made.
"Populist" = people who are popular that I don't like.
Alastair would never describe Tony Blair as a populist.
10:46 - Alastair on handling Iraq outrage
If you're expecting this 74 second segment to deal with Alastair's handling of the outrage that was the illegal invasion and subsequent destruction of an entire society then you should probably skip it.
Don't understand how Alastair can even mention Iraq after all of his and Tony Blairs lies and Dr.Kelly's death. The man with a conscience
The war was not illegal. And there were no lies. Multiple inquiries have shown this.
Loved the image of Ghost in the Shell at 1:16. Big kudos to the editor 🙌
When I saw those Hamas protestors on the news, I was like, " the conservative heartland is going to vote in anyone who condemns and puts down protestors wearing the garb and carrying posters that sing praises of Hamas."
Thank you so much for these fascinating podcasts which rise above party politics beautifully. Can I please ask you a question for the next one, inspired by the one today about shouty questions? I keep listening to politicians (Conservatives mainly, sorry Rory) who say things that provably untrue. A classic example today - we had the highest net migration figures ever last year - and this is legal migration - and it's a cold, hard number so it can't be argued, and when asked about it today Rishi Sunak said that his government has done more than any other in history to reduce migration. My question to you is, do you think that this strategy works? Are the public (or at least enough of them) simply likely to believe what they want to believe - and if so - what does that mean for democracy today? Thank you either way - love listening to you.
The legal migration we have today (excluding HK and Ukraine) is people on visa's either for work or education for which they are contributing large sums of money. By virtue of those visa's the entitlement they have from the British state is limited as is the time they can stay, unlike the EU citizen whose entitlement to health housing benefits etc was identical to UK citizens and they could stay indefinitely. If we had remained in the EU the total migration figures would probably now be around a million annually.
when we have governments that dont look after their people properly, this is what happens.
as an ex commando i done my stints in N Ireland.
72 and 74 i realised the catholics were being badly treated.
as a prodie from glasgow my opinion changed dramatically.
the right is always first to shout, but last to do anything.
three cheers for mo molam and her visits to the maze.
labour sorted most of it out, the tories were too far up the backsides of the unionists to be effective
When Alistair gets annoyed that the first he knew about Rory's involvement in Julius Caesar was reading about - is the same sort of irate that my wife gets when she hears from a mutual friend that I'm doing something at the weekend. I think you make a beautiful power couple.
I would be grateful to hear your thoughts on Viktor Orbán and the way present Hungarian politics, with their Russia friendly ideology, are going to affect EU and the rest of Europe.
It may bring a growth boom, but certainly at the expense of a lot of mid salary jobs. Marketing departments slashed in 1/2 or more, customer services, procurement all will be decimated. Low paid - moving things about jobs safe, senior management safe, but the middle will be hit very badly.
Growth boom for all the individuals at the top of the pyramid. Rest of the people just stay home and play on the iPads or computers
assuming they can afford them.
Excellent podcast. Many thanks.
Ive wondered if a system where we vote mps in then the cabinet and PM are then employed in the same way as a job application where members of the public can apply for the job and parliament determine the successful candidates. All the voting control and power still sits in parliament. The cabinet have a set contract and have to reapply for the job, they are effectively on zero hour contracts which allow them to be fired if needed a lot easier. You could also suggest some qualifications from the applicant and a public job interview. Etc.
Short answer to the video title? The economic and social philosophy of people like Stewart and Campbell. There. Glad I could simplify that for you.
When labour praise bankers and EU officials, instead of workers, people who suffer high costs of living, choose the one who can speak the point out the issue.
thankyou very much 🙂 x
so smart!
"AI meand the price of cognition will go down to zero" Harvard prof. Lakani - now people who produce 'words' protest and downplay AI (Hollywood writers, humanities professors, journalists), very soon other forms of thinking will follow. Can we distribute gains made from non-human cognition fairly and how? Rory? Alistair?
There is literally ONE issue today for voters. The reason for the move to the right has mostly to do with the massive and demoralizing crime wave due to the ongoing third world invasion.
Did you know CS Lewis wanted to but never have the time to write about socio/political/religious principles history for children but recognised he would never have the time maybe you could both get your heads together and write a classic for kids for all time
Please can you guys keep us upto date with whats happening in argentina, we dont get many english news updates
Keep up the work guys , love the podcast
I wonder whose decision it was to slip in a image from Ghost in the Shell? Alistair?
that caught me off guard as well. well cultured editor
Blooming Brandon Lewis - my useless, invisible MP! The local rag recently stated he has SIX other jobs!
Nice still from Ghost in the Shell at 1:16.
When Rory says this is a tiny world, it displays the issues with right-wing populism. They run on platforms of insularity and isolationism.
The discussion is not wether there are moral risks, but about the likelihood of those moral risks.
Is the studio being redecorated?
Sabine Hossenfelder has a great video on what may have been going on.
In short, she suspects (and I concur) that he may have been raising money for AI hardware without telling the board.
Is that art work, behind Rory, Cixi last Empress Dowager of China?
Why you don’t discuss about UBI connect to AI and future politics
If not able to vote having aa active and visible youth parliament as aswell as a people’s forum maybe useful. And maybe a mechanism to call for a change of government via a referendum system if there is too much discontentment
On 22nd November France 2 Infos ran a report where Family Allowance was trialling AI to answer online enquiries.
The most interesting bug that needed working out was that, when the AI didn't know the answer, it made something up 😮.
Human or what 😢😊?
Any thoughts on the very low voting turnout out (approx’ 34% I believe)?
Respect Rory, but grocely simplistic interpretation of Caesar. He was a true populares, he achieved things, unlike most populists, he was actually for or about something. The consitution had already been destroyed by his time. I'm a PhD, please contact me for more details if you want some advice.
PhDs are a dime a dozen. If it's even true (doubt it, most people I know with PhD's don't take every chance to mention it) it's irrelevant
@@afgor1088 I’m not from the US. And I didn’t mention the uni for a reason, i.e., I’m not showing off. In any case the value of a PhD is shown by the fact I can call out an inadequate interpretation of Caesar, as a classicist. That at least ;)
@@BiffaTW never said you were and I am now certain you don't have a PhD because only an idiot would think knowing that description of ceaser is inadequate would be worth anything... Did you actually think that was something people don't know? Very basic knowledge
Goodbye liar.
question to you both is the following statement true or false THERE ARE TWO TRUTHS IN THE CONFLICT IN THE HOLYLANDS ?
Not just Europe
Good discussion. Compulsory voting? Not sure. Taking a test before you can vote to show you understand the issues? Probably.
it would be most helpful to understand who is actually putting these people into the lime light who are the backers?
1:16 ghost in a shell (1995)??
30% of the vote; suggests substantial coalition needed.
@17:50
Is Rory advocating for a tribunate of the plebs??
He really does think about the Roman Empire a lot!
Wrt voting age.
I'd lower it to counter the population trends (ie people getting older)
AI aint going to do shit except help large organisations to figure out new ways to get people's money.
Have either of you seen the new Napoleon movie? What are your thoughts?
Does anyone else think Rory looks a bit like Victor from Arcane? 😂
Why do we want to get more productivity out of people (the AI question)? I mean, I can imagine some reasons of course. It'd be great of people feel like they're wasting less of their time. On the other hand, won't it lead to job cuts for the sake of profits?
Yes, it's not to improve the the lot, of the great unwashed. No, it's a tool to exploit them more; by rationalising their labour for maximum profits.I could be also be, a recipe for insuraction.
How does Rory know so much!
...and Alastair too!
For ‘Populism’ read right-wing racism and bigotry. “I’m not racist but …..” is a phrase I thought that I’d no longer hear in these so-called enlightened times. I’m afraid that such beliefs and attitudes seem to bubble just below the surface, even in 2023 Europe. It doesn’t take much for them to surface again. As a gay man I worry about that trend. The success of Wilders in the Netherlands is very worrying.
You should be more worried about Islam becoming the majority religion in the UK. Interesting isn't it that virtually the only country that protects LGBTQ rights in the middle east is Israel.
As a gay man I think you should be worrying about another trend entirely
The dutch elections came as no surprise to me, there's a hard movement against what you could call "neo-liberalist". The center parties have been stunlocked by recent events.
Not knowing how to deal with the US imperialism, not setting up a clear immigration plan, international companies influencing elections and a growing mistrust and quality of life among both the lower and middle class.
The left pushed away their progressives, and the right spawned progressive "populist" parties. The progressive left, wanting something to change has been hovering with new parties and seems to have settled on the center-reform NSC, the green/liberal/labour party (as a dutchman, i can't even find a good translation for groenlinks-pvda) and even the right wing PVV.
The PVV is something of a mix of parties, with a very strong isolation ideology combined with some socialist economics. It can cash into left wingers tired with economic "neo-liberalism" and american domination while also winning the conservative social and immigration reform voters.
As a dem-socialist, i'm just happy there's a chance for economic reform now, although i am afraid that Wilders will do bad things to migrants, palestinian people and asylum seekers. Especially now that Islamophobia is at an all time high in the Netherlands.
I would rather get punished than vote if compulsory voting is introduced. Why should anyone have to be forced into a role of enabler?
@@tonylister2442there would be. In any case, you can just spoil your ballot. That still constitutes voting.
Yes, the option is there already. But the point is not that 'oh, i have no one to vote for', but that the system is wrong and I don't want to be another number that signals that the system is working. Sure, in theory this system could work, but I am long on the opinion that stuff that only works in theory better be replaced than wished to be improved.
The issue with automatic voter registration is that currently the franchise doesn't just include British citizens but also all British nationals, Commonwealth citizens & Irish citizens with leave to remain. These groups probably contribute a lot to those 8 million eligible voters who aren't registered. So doing automatic voter registration would be more complicated for those groups.
Proportional representation is designed for such elements to gain a strong foothold, then expand.
Introduce it at your own peril.
Just to point out that this is a little out of date SA has not in fact joined Microsoft and is back at OpenAI as CEO. Panic over!
Citizens assembly - instead of adding an additional layer of democracy, why not fix the existing mess? The Lords is not fit for purpose and should be replaced with a smaller, elected body (using a different voting method than elects the commons) working within a written constitution. Automatic voter registration is a good idea, as is mandatory voting (providing there is a none of the above option to enable registration of dissatisfaction).
Right & Left is too simplistic a distinction for modern politics. Wilders is on many accounts a socialist: he wants the elderly to receive their benefits, wants affordable housing for people in Holland, wants good quality health care for all. What he does not want is an open door, where the current tax payers have to pay for an unlimited amount of Europeans / students / economic and security refugees, while there is already a shortage of housing. Ultra left or right, populism is no more than name calling. Rather than avoiding debate by using these ad hominem attacks, please stick to the policy positions you agree or do not agree with.
I think "populism" can be understood as it always has: offering people what they think they want, even if it is against their interests. You are either a populist or not: it's about being politically successful, rather than having a sincere ideology.
"Left" and "right" are much more complex because an individual can be "ultra right" on social issues and simultaneously "ultra left" on economic issues, for example. You can be both left and right: it's about the specific policies you'd like, rather than how you go about realising them.
Just the way I see it, no special knowledge implied!
@@tomonetruth I like your definition of populism, but there is hardly a democratic elected politician who this does not apply to. Cameron wanted to stay in power, so offered a referendum on Brexit he thought he would win. Why don't we call him populist ? Lee Kuan Yew is quoted to say that all Western politicians are forced to mortgage future generations by buying votes with debt. If he is right, all successful politicians are populists. Rather than name calling someone a populist, ultra left/right or a Nazi, focus on the policies you agree / disagree with. Name calling stops the debate and polarizes positions, and I would think that in a healthy democracy we want the opposite: better debates on issues and less polarization.
More 16 years old people are way more politically engaged than the elderly people that can vote, and they are going to be there to reap the repercussions of the decisions made. Imho, 16 is a good age for your first vote.
Two rich men saying how stuffed Project UK is 😂
Well, it is.
@seriousoldman8997 especially if you're looking for cheap labour from Africa
Is it me, or does the idea that an agi just intervened to get its daddy back seem... Plausible?
Daddy, at a press junket: did another revolutionary thing last week. Watch this space.
Board, week later: fires daddy, out of nowhere, citing vaguely that he was up to stuff they dodnt approve of.
Daddy: says nothing, just smiles and says "sure microsoft, ill take that job. For now".
Two days later, board: im really really sorry i love what we do here, daddy can have his job back...
*Suspicion*.
Geert Wilders PVV 37 seats actually win Dutch Coalition government in Netherlands yes Thomas. Did get the £301 payment yes. Letter evidence it DWP it UK government ministry London Britain England. Appreciate your work. Not been following it Netherlands politics. Holland wealthy Thomas.
I can understand why populism gets a bad press from the establishment, the existing system. It,populism, fills the potentially Darwinian gap between large elements of the population ,who feel that the existing system does not meet their requirements, and the existing system.
What's a "Darwinian gap"? Never heard that expression before.
@@tomonetruth the evolving change between that what is to that what will be due to changes brought about by the environment. That clear?
@@erongi233 lol, no. nvm - thanks for trying.
@@tomonetruth dinosaurs then change in the environment then a bloody big meteor then tha gap as the spaces created by the meteor are re-established with the eventual domination of new species. Simple enough. try harder.
Populism is telling lies, encouraging negative aspects of human nature (such as incorrectly blaming minorities for society's ills, whether those minorities are racial, sexual or disabled people), exploiting fears and hardship and dishonestly using that to further one's own position. That's why it gets a bad press.
The Andrew Sabisky abuse was intensely personal to other geeks like me. Pure hatred. Are we doing this for swine like that?
You need to put the date when you record your episodes in the description. The OpenAI story is already outdated.
AGI will be launched the same day as fusion power :p
Consciousness is quantum and cant be replicated on a traditional computer.
Have a talk with Sir Roger Penrose. He calls AI (machine learning) "artificial cleverness".
Why do you not concede the left are a lot to blame for this. The luxury beliefs system continues
In relation to the rise of populism in Europe (and actually the world), Russia has been encouraging this trend. Sadly those in that political sphere in the west have been happy to take this aid, even if knowing that coming from Putin this must be not in the best term interests of western democracy.
This has the potential to be huge and likely to cause the collapse of western democratic civilisation unless we wake up quickly to the threat it poses and control the ability of far-right political parties to undermine democracy.
Yee, maybe we could try and stop ppl voting for them or reject the results of elections if they win.. something must be done about this threat to democracy!
Yes, the commies are coming. Look under your bed. Funniest part is that you think there isn't ENOUGH hysteria about it.
The AI issue left when the Social Media companies failed to moderate reasonably. AI's got to the position where computers could decide NOT to support humanity: fire the parasites and don't compensate.
When we got computing started in the 1960s, Asimov's 3 Rules was speculative. Everything was Open Computing, my surname even got into the centre of all code. Rory knows it, I'm Dana's chum back in 2015. But now, productivity to what purpose?
It should be law to vote in an election
If people don't care about politics or believe in the system, they aren't going to help democracy by being forced to play the game. Too many people vote, not too few.
The reason why far right politics is in the ascendency is because the neo-liberal project engineered by Thatcher and Reagan (Friedman economics with Hayekian philosophy) has failed. Triple down economics don't work. There's plenty of reputable economic research to support this. The 2008 crash brought this to a head. People's living standards are going down, austerity doesn't work. People want someone to blame - and as ever it's easier to blame the migrant rather than the billionaire. Everything from the Greek financial crisis to Orban, Brexit and Trump stems from the failed neo-liberal capitalist consensus. Centrists will forever be scrabbling in the dark until they recognise this. They don't fully acknowledge the reality because they are generally affluent and don't swim in the same waters as the majority of the population. These guys along with Maitliss, Kuensburg et al are good at the palace intrigue of politics but cannot understand why people are voting for Trump, Brexit etc. Yes there's a reactionary media sphere of Murdoch, the Daily Mail and Fox news but there's also the establishment 'liberal' media of the BBC and CNN etc who cannot understand the underlying trend of an increasing working poor and disillusionment in the political institutions that have been asleep at the wheel for at least 15 years now. And all the while there's the grim spectre of global climate change in the background. Hopefully the new generation coming through the system can have the imaginative policies to spark a new kind of politics that can transform people's lives or at least stop the decay.
'Triple down?' is this trickle down on steroids?
a typo - but now you say it - perhaps it is steroid trickle down. And as someone who grew up alongside the massive steroid abuse of young working class men with orange tans and tattooed bicep angst, it's easy to see this steroid induced rage in the eyes of statue defenders and Farage devotees. @@tedf1471
Rory's citizens assembly idea is very very similar to an idea I've been floating for a good while to help ensure democratic accountability. In my mind, if a jury of your peers is good enough to help establish a legal position in a court, it's absolutely good enough to scrutinize an elected government's actions.
As long as the jury itself meets, discusses/debates and votes. And by videocall...
@@maejohl "Oi'll give it foive" 👍.
A citizens assembly is a daft idea and will never happen.
Sounds susceptible to corruption to me
Cant get enough of these discussions, you're both doing an incredible job. Thank you so much for restoring some normalcy back into political media, much love.
On the AI issue there is one major thing that needs to be looked, the impact on the labour market. It’s just like the Industrial Revolution when large sections of the labour force were replaced my machinery. We have already seen strikes in the US from many sectors, among them the film industry, where studios tried to impose AI in the film industry. I just feel that politicians are 2 or 3 steps behind when it comes to the impact of AI on the job market. This can potentially cause social strife in the near future if things are not handled carefully politically.
AI is yet another reason why we didn't need the UK flooded with low skilled labour under free movement post 2004.
And I am sure you're as confident as I am in the ability of politicians to handle the issue carefully. *screams silently*
A citizens' assembly (randomly selected) wouldn't be as good as aggregating up authority from the whole of the populous, for example with an app, and those representatives being the assembly members
When I open UA-cam and there is a new episode of this podcast I am so happy
Loved the image of Ghost in the Shell at 1:16. Big kudos to the editor 🙌
amazing film!
Remember Harold Wilson’s speech 1963 about the “white heat of technology”?
From an American who follows British politics while living in Hungary: I learned a lot from Vernon Bogdanor’s Gresham College lectures about how British/UK politics works and has worked in historical context. It was a very good starting place and has enabled me to follow things much more comprehendingly.
Living in Hungary 😂
out of all the european cities/countries u could have chosen, u pick hungary. tells me all there is to know about u and ur views.
@@laujack24 Rubbish - you have no knowledge of this fellow, perhaps he married a Hungarian, or he works there?
@@janjasiewicz9851 american works in hungary hahaha, dont make me laugh. for what? eastern european wages, shitty food or subpar weather? only rubbish thing here is we r on the internet any one can be who ever they claimed them self to be. any ways I waste enough time with u lots, c ya
@@laujack24you, sir, are what’s wrong with the internet. You know absolutely nothing about me or my views on anything other than Vernon Bogdanor. In fact, I now know more about you than I care to. Good day to you.
This has nothing to do with anything discussed in this vid so forgive me, but Rory,, what is that piece of art you have in the background? Looks very interesting.
Compulsory Voting: There are some people who have religious or spiritual beliefs that do not permit voting. If you want more people to vote also make general and local elections paid national bank holidays as an incentive to vote.
A big way to get more people to vote is to provide proportional representation in national elections. Many people are aware of the gerrymandering the Conservatives have done and so they have lost confidence in the current system. Also, many MPs don't come from the constituencies they claim to represent. There is a perception amongst many that they represent their donors and not the people of the UK, this is evident in the scandals we see year on year. We also see candidates for our local MPs Selected by parties and donor's and not by the local people. Elections are as fake as American wrestling, just look at what happened to the Labor party since the selection of Sir K. He made all the right noises on his climb up the greasy poll and then when he was selected he cleared all the voices that didn't follow the party "vision" and went back on his word about everything.
The conservatives are equally as bad, but just so openly corrupt at this point Spitting Image could not do a sketch that would be able to top it.
They are a bag of bastard's so why would we even give you our attention yet allone our mandate (represented by our votes) to continue destroying our society, working conditions and our planet.
The corruption in politics is hard wired in and so mass apathy is what they want. I won't be surprised if they take the vote completely away from the common UK citizen. Your corruption is the reason why the extreme right wing is coming to power, and we will all face the consequences. This happened before British civil war, the French Revolution, in Russia, China and in Germany just before the Nazi party took over. It is happening now in Israel (a very right wing coalition, who's election was already causing internal strife, the war has been a great distraction from that btw) in our European neighbours and unfortunately here.
For anyone whom as studied history this is a frightening time to be alive, in the past 10 years the ordinary citizens have lost more civil, personal and political rights than at any other time in our history and those freedoms that our forebears fought and died for have been stolen by your class.
On Pieter Omtzigt and het toeslagenschandaal (benefits scandal): the government knew from 2017 onwards that they had wronged the families because the targeting was illigitimate. A senior civil servant (legal advisor) brought this up and advised that they should compensate the families. However they did not do this and continued to ignore it. Pieter Omtzigt together with two other MP's continued to ask questions in parliament and eventually brought this to light. A lawyer (Eva Gonzalez Perez) for a group of parents who were wronged first contacted him to ask him for help. And journalists from Trouw and NRC helped as well.
The above mentioned civil servant will now become an MP, because NSC won so much.
Just to keep the balance because I cant lie I am scared about the state of affairs in the world for all of us . But I am standing the middle ground with all my weight without sitting on any fence .. keep the moral high ground gentlemen someone needs to and youre both doing an absoulutely superb job
I like you podcast very much and watch them religiously, but one correction: the Rutte 4 government did not fall over the Child Benefit Scandal (Toeslagen Affaire), but internal disagreement about family reunion policies regarding immigrants
Rory is broadcasting from the office of a British ambassador, who he just happens to be staying with. Alastair is in the attic, where earlier in the day his wife was rummaging in the storage boxes for the Christmas decorations
Loved the Caesar trilogy Rory. You reminded me of Kato a principled, humanitarian, political figure.
Does Starmer really have to say anything on brexit. He's going to win. Surely better to play the King Juan Carlos game, and nod along quietly to brexiteers until he's actually got the massive majority? Then he can do what he wants
Atm he can just wait and let the Tory part ruin it's chances by itself.
I’ve started noticing that you make a face after you’re done speaking Rory! It means your brain is coming up with good stuff! Keep up the good work guys.
Eating pie while watching this, jolly good lads.
Is Geert Wilders Jimmy Page in disguise??
On the new Napoleon film, Bart Van Loo, a Belgian writer who wrote 'Napoleon, the shadow of the revolution' (2014), only had praise for how good the movie looked. But it is a collection of historical inaccuracies. Shooting canon balls at the pyramids never happened. Ridley Scott just put that in, "to convey that he conquered Egypt".
And, apparently, the movie is love scene, battle, love scene, battle, love scene, ...
And, of course, Napoleon wouldn't have meant anything, but for the woman behind him, who would be the real mastermind.
Van Loo has rewritten his book, and updated it with some newly discovered findings about Napoleon. I'd go with the book.
Tory MPs should be investigated for misconduct in public office?
Rory mus tdo better on Rwanda scheme - must make it clear that a postively processed Rwandan asylum claim expressly EXCLUDES possibilty of acceptance back into the UK.😒
I like the idea of a citizens assembly, but those on the right do not like the idea. It was discussed on radio 4.
Love how much Rory talks about citizens assemblies. They would make such a difference, if implemented well (which needs to include access to experts to answer questions of fact).
I haven't heard of any example second job for mps that isnt a conflict of interest
Just an idea, factually based. Stable, progressive, open minded countries who build well funded public services attract top class companies & productivity soars.
Thank you❤
The one comment I hear is that AI can't yet be fully engaged - computers freeze on basic programs like bloody powerpoint.... (my words)