Author: RH

The right, adaption & the primary contradictions

Before (perhaps instead) of completing what was supposed to be a two-post commentary on the result of the general election in the UK, I felt it important to elaborate on something I mentioned in the first post. Having finally got around to reading Stuart Hall’s “The Great Moving Right Show”, I was struck by how … Continue reading The right, adaption & the primary contradictions →

The UK general election 2019: What breaks a butterfly upon a wheel? (I)

The Labour decision to back a second referendum was a mistake from a campaigning perspective. As a campaign, it signalled the following to Leave voters. Labour could not be trusted and was a party of politics as usual. It reinforced the personal smearing on Corbyn as someone who could not be trusted. This article does … Continue reading The UK general election 2019: What breaks a butterfly upon a wheel? (I) →

Demographics, Voting blocs and wishful thinking

A video from a 2014 marketing summit and a Sri Lankan political opinion piece from the start of this week provided some thought-provoking insight into a form of reductionism and generalisation. This kind of thinking is not just misleading, for campaigns it is a dangerous trap that can undermine communications and marketing. As Adam Conover … Continue reading Demographics, Voting blocs and wishful thinking →

Ideology and campaigns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk8ibrfXvpQ The idiosyncratic (and always thought-provoking) musings of Zizek aside, ideology has a hugely important but often misunderstood role in the current era of campaigns. It is also one of the four primary criteria in the disruption model of politics. It is crucial to draw a distinction between ideology and policies in this context. Quoting from a previous … Continue reading Ideology and campaigns →

Using the Political Disruption Model

This event which provided the most detailed articulation to date of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s inevitable Presidential campaign also provides an opportunity to apply the political disruption model. As I (smugly) pointed out on Twitter, I identified the contours of this campaign earlier this year. With one exception, applying the model to the campaign shows that it meets the … Continue reading Using the Political Disruption Model →

The Political Disruption Model v1

I’ve been working on a model of political disruption that covers challenges to mainstream parties and politics. This includes situations where the ultimate goal was achieved, as in the case of the Trump campaign or ones that have significantly shifted the political landscape, such as Corbyn with the Labour Party in the UK and Bernie Sanders … Continue reading The Political Disruption Model v1 →

Cynthia Nixon & political party disruption

I should preface my comments on the New York Governor Democrat primary campaign by acknowledging that the latest polling has Cuomo ahead of Nixon.  However, there is a momentum shift toward her. The Nixon campaign bears the traits that I have previously identified as important in successful insurgent political campaigns. While I’m still working on … Continue reading Cynthia Nixon & political party disruption →

Political candidates in Sri Lanka, #GE2017 aftermath

This is a typical example of the worthy but flawed thinking that so many people have about politics in Sri Lanka: Do we at least now not need to think beyond blind allegiance to a colour of a political party but select good, honest men and women with integrity to exercise our sovereign legislative, executive … Continue reading Political candidates in Sri Lanka, #GE2017 aftermath →

UK General Election – analysis of content #GE2017

A few observations to date: You’re a flip-flopper! No, you are!! the Lib Dems and Tories are using very similar graphics to draw attention to flip-flops by each other’s party leader. While this style of an image can be a useful tool, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the onset of a degree of audience … Continue reading UK General Election – analysis of content #GE2017 →