Category: Party Politics

(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 →

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) →

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 →