Thursday 5 October 2017

Ed West is spot on about not writing stuff that makes you feel good (though he's wrong about Brexit)

Yes, indeed. Ed West has demonstrated his point in recent months...

...by recanting his (admittedly lukewarm) initial support for Brexit because he now believes it will lead to economic ruin for the United Kingdom. I don't share his opinion of course,  but, because this public volte-face was made by a thoughtful conservative journalist whose opinions I respect, I'm pretty sure he didn't execute it in order to earn plaudits from left-liberal metropolitan elitists, and I bet he isn't congratulating himself over having had the "courage" to admit doubts.

If there's one theme running through this blog, it's a contempt for privileged, educated types who adopt opinions in order to be liked, admired and accepted by the majority of those they come in contact with, and to be able to feel superior to the unenlightened, unpleasant dullards whose moral inferiority renders them incapable of embracing the often rather strange beliefs which underpin the GPR (Great Progressive Project): I'm far more impressed by those privileged, educated people willing to express opinions which don't allow them to bask in the warm approval of their social peers, and don't allow them to look in the mirror and think, "Gosh, you are such a nice, decent, caring, fabulous human being!"

Ideas have consequences. The problem with many left-liberal ideas is that they're based on assumptions about human nature, economics, history and society for which there is either scant evidence, or which experience suggests are just plain wrong. The willingness to base policies on a set of demonstrably false assumptions because espousing them makes you feel good about yourself isn't compassionate - real people suffer the consequences of your emotional neediness: get over yourself, for all our sakes.

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