The SJB-JVP battle for votes

The jockeying for voters between the NPP/JVP and the SJB provides an excellent opportunity to reflect on the importance of ideology and identity for a political party. https://twitter.com/ravirannaneliya/status/1628239362352881664 As things stand, polling suggests while ex-SLPP voters are moving to other main parties, the greatest number have gone to the JVP. https://twitter.com/ravirannaneliya/status/1628239374172422145 A question that I’ve … Continue reading The SJB-JVP battle for votes →

The future of “Go Home Gota”: Occupy Wall Street?

Occupy was, at its core, a movement constrained by its own contradictions: filled with leaders who declared themselves leaderless, governed by a consensus-based structure that failed to reach consensus, and seeking to transform politics while refusing to become political.https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/06/the-triumph-of-occupy-wall-street/395408/ If one is searching for movements analogous to “Go Home Gota”, Occupy Wall Street is a … Continue reading The future of “Go Home Gota”: Occupy Wall Street? →

the big Other(s)

I'm reading the book, "Six Moments in Lacan: Communication and identification in psychology and psychoanalysis" and the first chapter immediately struck me as providing a way to analyse seemingly irreconcilable political divides globally and in the US in particular. I've chosen to cite some findings from PRRI's 2021 American Values Survey to give context to … Continue reading the big Other(s) →

SJB: ideological distance

This is based on a tweet thread posted after reading what I thought were some poorly thought through comments from the Sri Lankan Twitter commentariat about the overall strategy followed by a political party in Sri Lanka. Disclaimer: I have no association with this party. I hate having to defend Dayan Jayatilleka (with whom I … Continue reading SJB: ideological distance →

(e)Merging within a Movement

PART 3 of Constructing a Party As the diagram illustrates, the Movement coalesces and gives form to the ideological goals of the Party. It is where the Party and the Subject(s) form a group identity based on a common ideology. It encompasses those who are directly linked to the party, as well as those who … Continue reading (e)Merging within a Movement →

Ideological Apparatuses & Interpellation

PART 2 of Constructing a Party As the diagram shows, the Party will have to follow a process in order to propagate its ideology. In this conceptual framework, ideological apparatuses as conceived by Althusser become useful. These provide the tools by which the Party can inculcate the public with its message. It is important to … Continue reading Ideological Apparatuses & Interpellation →

The importance of Ideology

PART 1 of Constructing a Party As part of a larger writing project about building a political organization from the ground up, one thing I've been working on is conveying the importance of ideology. Too often, either policies are substituted for an ideology or the ideological pronouncements reflect the personal beliefs of technocrats in the … Continue reading The importance of Ideology →

Why Biden will win

Misunderstanding the reasons for an electoral victory is something that plagues both campaigns and the media. Too often, the victory is attributed to the wrong or overly complex reasons. This surface level analysis is deliberately designed to contrast with the hot-takes that will inevitably follow in the aftermath of the election result. The primary reasons … Continue reading Why Biden will win →

Political Machines & unscaling

The political “machine” is one of the most mythological forces in elective campaigns. They were influential for generations in cities whose mayors and leaders handed out jobs and contracts through patronage that enforced partisan outcomes...But those big-city machines lost much of their mojo in the last decade as politics flattened and a band of new … Continue reading Political Machines & unscaling →

Jamaal Bowman & the Political Disruption Model

Bowman’s primary contest for NY-16 provides another opportunity to test the disruption model. There have been two recent events that have brought this race into prominence, with Bowman securing AOC’s endorsement and his opponent having a disastrous hot mic moment. Bowman has also benefited from a progressive opponent dropping out to endorse him. In terms … Continue reading Jamaal Bowman & the Political Disruption Model →