It is hard to imagine that the renowned environmental historian Jared Diamond’s new book Upheaval could have arrived in the UK at a more timely moment. The subtitle screams its urgent relevance: How Nations Cope with Crisis and Change. If that advice isn’t needed by our political class right now, you wouldn’t want to see when it was.
The book is made up of a number of case studies looking at how different nations have dealt with crises. Diamond examines Finland after its war with the Soviet Union, Chile and the legacy of General Pinochet’s rule, Japan’s response to foreign superiority in the 19th century, Indonesia after the Suharto massacres, Germany’s postwar rebuilding and Australia’s search for a postcolonial identity.
Ooooh, Ooooh, Teach, I know, I know!
We deal with a crisis by throwing the socialists out of helicopters?
Completely OT but I re-posting this cos I want to make sure Theo sees it:
Farage is organised for EU elections and is far better than Batten at speaking. All his other failings aside. So I will be voting Brexit Party for ESpew capers–as always to punish the EU.
Farage is NOT organised for the local UK elections. So Theo –you need to vote for UKIP IF you really want Brexit and NOT for the scummy crowd of traitors known as the Tory Party. Alright the members may not be traitors but Share-a-room-to-save-money Hague stitched them up as mugs who just hand over the money.
Get it clear Theo –the ONLY Party you can vote for in the locals if you want to send the message to Tory Brass trash is UKIP.
But can you–still sneering your “rabble” line after your gang of shite have shown their pedigree as actual traitors and agents of a foreign power?
You have been called out before–lets hear it this time.
I don`t get it ?
Is the throwing socialists out of a helicopter, a reference to helicopter money? I notice it is Brexit charlatans like John Redwood who want us to pretend QE is not a debt and write it off.( Why not print loads more and solve all out problems oi wonder)
No Fiscal conservative would have recommended attacking service industries with debt at 80% of GDP in debt in the first place … but the purple magic money tree growers are as bad as the red ones .
I actually quite like what this chap has to say, stay in the EU but try to moderate FOM and bear down hard on ROW immigration. That’s a fair offer and one Michael Heseltine and Tony Blair have both suggested.
Is it possible that with decades of business experience and actual governing through a period of great success they might get a hearing ?
Well they do from me but then I didn`t lace my fizzy fruit drink with anti freeze
‘We deal with a crisis by throwing the socialists out of helicopters?’
It’s worked before.
Fuckwit Facepainter–The like of you aren’t worth wasting valuable heli-fuel over. The treasonous ordure infecting your crazy skull will do for you anyway.
As for your EU reform fantasy–sell it to some of the low IQ kiddies on one of your remain scum zones. FBPE is just about enough mental trouble to believe the bullshit you sling.
Go and apply another coat to your mug before it is as flake-y as you.
Newman- reference was to Pinochet- which i think was tim’s allusion to cherry picking.
““There are about a billion Africans in Africa and almost all of them would be better off economically and politically and in terms of personal safety in Europe,” he says. “The cruel reality is that it’s impossible for Europe to admit a billion Africans but Europeans will not acknowledge this conflict between ideals and reality.”
Of course, most European people recognise the problem, it’s just that politicians refuse to admit it.
“Diamond is indeed a mixed bag. He is against nationalism but in favour of national identity; he thinks immigrants are a great energising addition to any nation but is against large-scale migration; ”
In regard of the UK, the UCL migration report shows that European immigrants are beneficial to the UK exchequer, non Europeans not so much.
Of course, the report doesn’t go into the social costs of migration which are probably what most people are concerned about, but it seems obvious that Europeans will integrate better than Africans or Asians.
https://www.geog.ucl.ac.uk/research/research-centres/migration-research-unit/pdfs/SOPEMI%20Report%202018%20-Jan%202019%20Update-%20FINAL.pdf/view
No, Newmania, it refers to throwing actual socialists out of actual helicopters. But there’s no objection to giving Remainers one way flights that I’m aware of.
Australia’s search for a postcolonial identity.
In what sense of the word was this a ‘crisis’?
Bloke in Spain – I`m just curious, but why is it expats always turn into a weird parody of the country they chose to leave?
Years ago I played rugby for the Clansmen in Edmonton and it was like walking onto the set of Rob Roy the gay musical; most days.
Irish Americans force their children to learn that diddley-dee tap dancing and you seem to be under the impression we all sit around in union jack underpants planning the next tragic meeting of the Agincourt re-enactment society or breasting the waves in search of Empire on a pedalo
We mostly work in offices and wish people would stop making life difficult .That’s all
While I’d like to see the Extinction Rebellion activists dropped from helicopters over the North Sea, I do think, in the spirit of the age, that dropping valueless objects into the ocean is no longer acceptable. Far better to toss them in a furnace and generate some electricity from them. They would have the consolation of knowing that they were reducing the burning of coal and we would no longer have to suffer the sanctimonious, ignorant bastards.
Rob,
It is unfortunate that the identity Aussies found was that of obnoxious, unsporting, sport obsessed, national narcissists who think a ‘fair go’ means taking from the hardworking (usually foreigners) and giving to lazy bums (usually Aussies, particularly the so-called first peoples).
That you’re under the impression that not only most Brits, but most English work in offices, Newmania, is one of the leading reasons I detest cnuts like you. Small world people cowering in their tiny societal niche.
Who do you think makes you’re restricted little world function? Polish plumbers?
Diamond makes the ridiculous suggestion that Pritain should stay in the Eu but persuade it to act more sensibly on immigration. What a dullard he is.
“We deal with a crisis by throwing the socialists out of helicopters?”
OK, class. What do you call that style of politics that involves killing all your political enemies? Anyone…?
“What do you call that style of politics that involves killing all your political enemies?” Communism.
Or anti-communism, dearieme. When the disease needs a radical cure. Nothing wrong with killing communists. Do unto others before they do unto you, about covers it..
Seeing a Jared Diamond book in a man’s library is exactly like finding a Stephen Hawking book on a man’s coffee table… It is an infallible indication of intellectual pretension.
Newmania: but why is it expats always turn into a weird parody of the country they chose to leave?
More than a grain of truth there.
In SW France some years ago, I drove to work (in an office) in the largish town but lived in a rural area bristling with Brits who spoke little if any French, thought everything in the UK far superior except the inexorable rise in house prices which meant they couldn’t afford ever to return. Miserable people.
Ah yes, TMB. Aquitaine’s far along the path of being reacquired by the English throne. And pretty well everyone of them I came across while living there bore a remarkable similarity to Newmania
Wasn’t it the Argies rather than the Pinochet who had a thing for chucking political opposition into the South Atlantic from helicopters ?
NiV’s nailed you there, Tom. You, and your so-called ‘sense of humour’.
Ljh,
It was both, obviously a southern Southern American tradition, no doubt going back centuries.
“OK, class. What do you call that style of politics that involves killing all your political enemies? Anyone…?”
Socialism its called. The same one where your SJW masters swarm.
throwing people off helicopters seems to me to be a lot more expensive than bullet or a rope. Was it just to make a public display of it?
BoM4,
It was in part to do with disposal but of the bodies aka evidence.
OK, class. What do you call that style of politics that involves killing all your political enemies? Anyone…?
The sort of politics you’d end up endorsing at some point?
What do you call that style of politics that involves killing all your political enemies?
War.
PJF von Clausewitz. That’s rather good.