@PAHoyeck But mainly in order to propagate the notion that governments and NGOs are capable of the efficiency and organisational capacity required to maintain a conspiracy. The one thing conspiracy theorists share is a touching faith in the power of government.
@PAHoyeck There's one I made up myself that I call The Conspiracy Theory Conspiracy Theory. Basically, there are huge departments in the CIA, MI5, etc, which came up with the idea for all the major conspiracy theories. They do this partly because conspiracies are a useful distraction.
@englandcricket You can't expect players to take responsibility for their actions if those at the top of the game fail - and fail again - without even the slightest hint of beginning to understand that they themselves should be held accountable.
@PAHoyeck I'm not sure he's the best, but Quine is one of my favourites. He has a nice turn of phrase, like saying some philosophers have a "taste for desert landscapes" when it comes to ontology.
Local election results are continuing to come in.
To be honest… it almost feels pointless.
I’ll no doubt get attacked for this as certain voters want to bathe in jubilation, or on the other end of the spectrum, tell me why this isn’t as important as some think it is. But here’s my take…
Yes, the country is giving Labour a kicking. Yes, Reform are surging. The political map of the UK is starting to look quite different to what we’ve become accustomed to.
But here’s why I think it’s largely meaningless.
None of these parties are going to tackle the actual root causes of our decline. Not our compounding pension liability. Not the productivity collapse. Not the demographic squeeze that is going to make all this so much harder. Not the welfare bill swallowing the state. Not the sovereign debt crisis we’re sleepwalking into.
When the general election comes, every single one of them will play to electoral arithmetic. They will chase the median voter. They will keep the debate to fairness and entitlement over the course of Parliament, rather than sustainability over the long term.
And while the media talks about “seismic political shifts” and parties take turns being cheered and booed, the country will continue quietly down a path towards a fiscal and sovereign debt reckoning that nobody on a stage today is willing to admit to.
I’ve watched the coverage overnight. I’ve read what’s being said on here. Not one representative from any party is talking about it.
That’s the real story today. Not who wins or loses, but the fact that none of them are even willing to have the real debate of our time.
So get ready for the UK to continue on its pathway to decline and crisis. Because that’s all I really see from here, unless something major shifts.
Time for the Antigone Spring Books Give-away! 40+ books and pamphlets on offer worldwide. Just repost this message and follow us, and on Sunday 3 names will be drawn. 1st chooses 20 things, 2nd 12, 3rd gets the rest. We'll add details of the items over coming days. Good luck all!
Should “ill” plus a verb be hyphenated? How are titles of books treated in Spanish text? What is the rule on hyphenating multiple colors? Is it OK to use the present tense in an academic research paper? How should a word that’s only partly in parentheses be capitalized in the title of an article? The mavens at the Chicago Manual of Style answer these questions and others. https://t.co/m7d1x6hPsa
Today is Holocaust Memorial Day, marking over 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. We remember the 6 million Jewish men, women and children murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators. As survivors grow fewer and antisemitism rises, today is more vital than ever.
@BhushanManmath I think (grudgingly) Smith is better. But I'm curious about how Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson managed to get so many wickets on those flat tracks? It's baffling.