https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03YjwYb7_J8. The first video in the Best of the Week series, a 5 minute opinion piece by Ezra Klein on why Trump’s policies are a greater scandal than his Russia ties. Trump promised to be a different sort of Republican, protecting entitlements like Social Security and Medicare, even if it came at the expense of wealthy people like him. Instead, he is completely at ease with a Senate Republican bill that cuts Medicaid considerably. His broken promises to both Republican primary voters and the general electorate ought to shame him.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/11/15/13593670/donald-trump-jonathan-haidt-social-media-polarization-europe-multiculturalism. An important piece on the detrimental effects of social media on politics, particularly in a multiethnic democracy that is increasingly tribalistic. Social media can insulate its users from having to engage with viewpoints they disagree with, creating an online echo chamber. When politics becomes based on ethnicity, this means people fail to see the political perspectives of other ethnic groups. The consequences are potentially dire. I agree with Haidt’s scepticism of social media, it’s a topic I shall elaborate upon in a future post.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/defending-white-interests-can-never-be-right-83hlb2xpm. Staying on the subject of identity politics, Aaronovitch argues that so-called ‘white interests’ can never be justified in a society where whites are the supermajority of the population, and thus do not face any challenge to their collective wellbeing. Any demands for ‘rights for whites’ will inevitably come at the expense of civil rights for minority groups. Intended for a British audience, but well worth a read if you aren’t British as well.
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2017/06/does-working-class-need-ask-its-labour-party-back. Labour is increasingly becoming like the US Democratic Party. It does well amongst young people, ethnic minorities, graduates and urban residents. Similarly, the 2017 UK election made the Conservatives more like the Republicans: the party of the working class white rural voter who probably doesn’t have a degree. Like Republicans, Conservatives are more likely to be wealthy, but they live in areas with fewer opportunities and thus have a more acute sense of pessimism. A long read, but well worth it.
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/view-from-switzerland_britain-is-the–laughing-stock-of-europe-/43270490. An idea of how Britain is increasingly perceived abroad, even from a conservative country outside the EU. If you’re British, this makes for grim but important reading.
https://mainlymacro.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/brexiteers-versus-economists-one-year-on.html. A short blog on how contrary to popular perception, the economic forecasts of the Brexiteers have failed to materialise, and the much-maligned ‘experts’ may have been right after all. I still think it’s too early to tell how exactly Brexit will impact the UK economy, but this article confirms my already-pessimistic prognosis.
On another note, last week I posted about choir music. It turns out a lot of the titles I suggested were genetic titles that apply to lots of different pieces. I apologise for the error, it shows just how scant my musical knowledge is. I can’t remember the exact pieces of choir music I loved so much. But to compensate, here is the link to the Trinity College Choir archive. http://trinitycollegechoir.com/webcasts/listen-again/browse/ You can find some absolute gems in there. I’m aware that all of the articles I’ve recommended this week may leave you feeling despondent, so hopefully some good music will cheer you up!