General world politics chat

I see that article refers to Fukuyama, he of the end of history fame.

Earlier crow than me yesterday laughing at Utd after Mac’s goal.

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Another great article by Monbiot. I didn’t know where else to put it…

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Read that this morning. The bit which really stood out, for me at least, was this:

Democracy, we are told, allows people a voice in politics. But only, it seems, if they have a few million to give to a political party. As the political scientist Prof Martin Gilens notes in his book Affluence and Influence: “Under most circumstances, the preferences of the vast majority of Americans appear to have essentially no impact on which policies the government does or doesn’t adopt.”

Sadly, Monbiot does not then go on to explain how the public are brainwashed into accepting policies with which they don’t necessarily agree.

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This is a delightful take on the flaws of Fukuyama

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Francis Fukuyama’s “The End of History and the Last Man” changed political discourse forever. Peter and Michael peel back his muddled history and fluffy rhetoric, revealing several more layers of muddled history and fluffy rhetoric.

:rofl:

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His conclusion should also be highlighted:

The one thing that can stop the rise of the far right is the one thing mainstream parties are currently not prepared to deliver: greater equality. The rich should be taxed more, and the revenue used to improve the lives of the poor. However frantically centrist parties avoid the issue, there is no other way.

That’s the key component. As long as this is ignored by centrist parties, the shitshow will go on.

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The global oil reserve landscape is dynamic and influenced by exploration, technological advancements, and other factors. As of 2021, Venezuela held a leading position with 303.81 billion barrels of proven oil reserves.

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There are very few countries listed there where it has brought the general population peace and happiness. I expect that rare earth mineral deposits will be the next cursed gift.

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