Mark Slater
@markslater74.bsky.social
Dismayed optimist, cautiously considering the possibility that idiocy and hubris will undermine evil before it can do too terrible or permanent damage, and that something new and much better will eventually rise from from the chaos and destruction.
They're not actually that stupid, they just have bottomless contempt for the US voting public. And can we really blame them following Trump's reelection?
January 23, 2026 at 9:57 PM
They're not actually that stupid, they just have bottomless contempt for the US voting public. And can we really blame them following Trump's reelection?
Their positions make sense as soon as you abandon the comfortable delusion that they have the slightest interest in the national interest, the welfare of the people or democracy itself. They are uninterested in all three to the point of contempt. They seek power and money at any cost.
January 23, 2026 at 9:49 PM
Their positions make sense as soon as you abandon the comfortable delusion that they have the slightest interest in the national interest, the welfare of the people or democracy itself. They are uninterested in all three to the point of contempt. They seek power and money at any cost.
This is how it is supposed to work. The media are suprised because the Tories and most businesses think a 'consultation' means paying lip service to consulting the people affected then doing whatever you wanted to do anyway.
January 14, 2026 at 9:07 AM
This is how it is supposed to work. The media are suprised because the Tories and most businesses think a 'consultation' means paying lip service to consulting the people affected then doing whatever you wanted to do anyway.
It's the 'flood the zone with shit' strategy. He does so many appalling things it's hard to give any of them the depth of coverage each individual outrage deserves. Even before he and his allies bought or intimidated most of the media into complicity he broke their ability to hold him to account.
January 10, 2026 at 3:23 PM
It's the 'flood the zone with shit' strategy. He does so many appalling things it's hard to give any of them the depth of coverage each individual outrage deserves. Even before he and his allies bought or intimidated most of the media into complicity he broke their ability to hold him to account.
It's also a power move - to defy reality and try and enforce their lies despite all the evidence. They will see who is cravenly submitting to their alternate reality and who must be pressured or shut down to silence contrary voices.
January 8, 2026 at 7:14 PM
It's also a power move - to defy reality and try and enforce their lies despite all the evidence. They will see who is cravenly submitting to their alternate reality and who must be pressured or shut down to silence contrary voices.
Barefaced and obvious lies is a common feature of authoritarian regimes: the message is that the truth is whatever we say it is, and what are you going to do about it?
January 8, 2026 at 6:22 PM
Barefaced and obvious lies is a common feature of authoritarian regimes: the message is that the truth is whatever we say it is, and what are you going to do about it?
Projection - they are unmatched at projection. They could be used as a reference in a dictionary definition.
January 7, 2026 at 8:12 PM
Projection - they are unmatched at projection. They could be used as a reference in a dictionary definition.
Well to be fair, he says all sorts of things that are utter bullshit, so it's impossible to know just from his words whether they have any relation to reality or not. His words are therefore meaningless in themselves and only seem to have meaningful content with the benefit of hindsight.
January 7, 2026 at 1:42 PM
Well to be fair, he says all sorts of things that are utter bullshit, so it's impossible to know just from his words whether they have any relation to reality or not. His words are therefore meaningless in themselves and only seem to have meaningful content with the benefit of hindsight.
The post literally said 'how many' Americans, not just Americans in general. That is not a sweeping generalisation...
January 5, 2026 at 8:49 AM
The post literally said 'how many' Americans, not just Americans in general. That is not a sweeping generalisation...
Maybe? If they're not, they're so racist they don't mind being led by a grifting bullshitter who's coining it in at their expense.
December 21, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Maybe? If they're not, they're so racist they don't mind being led by a grifting bullshitter who's coining it in at their expense.
I do miss the smell of a pre-ban pub though... I know smoking is a terrible thing and everything stank, but it's a very particular smell you never get anymore. Nostalgia is a dangerous drug too.
December 20, 2025 at 10:45 AM
I do miss the smell of a pre-ban pub though... I know smoking is a terrible thing and everything stank, but it's a very particular smell you never get anymore. Nostalgia is a dangerous drug too.
She was a firm believer in the Just World fallacy: poor people are poor because they are stupid and lazy, whereas rich people are rich because they are clever and work hard. This is a core belief of most Conservatives.
December 19, 2025 at 2:52 PM
She was a firm believer in the Just World fallacy: poor people are poor because they are stupid and lazy, whereas rich people are rich because they are clever and work hard. This is a core belief of most Conservatives.
After several decades overdoing it & getting injured, at the risk of tempting fate, I've finally got the hang of only increasing distance/intensity very slowly. So far so good, & it feels more enjoyable because I don't get too stiff anymore. Max 10% increase per week and mostly low intensity...
December 19, 2025 at 1:12 PM
After several decades overdoing it & getting injured, at the risk of tempting fate, I've finally got the hang of only increasing distance/intensity very slowly. So far so good, & it feels more enjoyable because I don't get too stiff anymore. Max 10% increase per week and mostly low intensity...
Absolutely. I wouldn't use neoliberalism myself, it's the post-Thatcher period for me (or Reagan in the states).
December 19, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Absolutely. I wouldn't use neoliberalism myself, it's the post-Thatcher period for me (or Reagan in the states).
I agree, but I do think it generally refers to a real shift in British politics for which there isn't another handy label to hand.
December 19, 2025 at 10:02 AM
I agree, but I do think it generally refers to a real shift in British politics for which there isn't another handy label to hand.
I'm not sure what Scargill was referring to be honest, his 40 year thing just seemed hung on the post-war period, whereas the 'neoliberalism' charge is based on a real change in the opposite direction to the changes post-war.
December 19, 2025 at 9:33 AM
I'm not sure what Scargill was referring to be honest, his 40 year thing just seemed hung on the post-war period, whereas the 'neoliberalism' charge is based on a real change in the opposite direction to the changes post-war.
I'm sure he does, but I thought one of the most significant shifts that happened after 1979 and lays behind most of the neoliberalism talk was a big difference and makes Scargill's claim much less evidenced than the neoliberalism claim he implicitly questioned.
December 19, 2025 at 9:20 AM
I'm sure he does, but I thought one of the most significant shifts that happened after 1979 and lays behind most of the neoliberalism talk was a big difference and makes Scargill's claim much less evidenced than the neoliberalism claim he implicitly questioned.
Very different situations. The 40 years before '85 saw an unprecedentedly even distribution of GDP growth shared among all income groups. This was abandoned since 1979 and since, with more money funnelled towards those who need it least (i.e. higher income deciles).
December 19, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Very different situations. The 40 years before '85 saw an unprecedentedly even distribution of GDP growth shared among all income groups. This was abandoned since 1979 and since, with more money funnelled towards those who need it least (i.e. higher income deciles).
He flatters their ignorance and glorifies their worst qualities whilst absolving them of any responsibility for their worst actions and intentions.
December 16, 2025 at 2:55 PM
He flatters their ignorance and glorifies their worst qualities whilst absolving them of any responsibility for their worst actions and intentions.
Yep. You can't assess an AI's reliability or check its sources in the way we can other sources of information. On the usual criteria applied to assess info, it fails on almost every criteria: sources cannot be traced, unclear funding, unclear agenda of the known financial backers, many errors...
December 15, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Yep. You can't assess an AI's reliability or check its sources in the way we can other sources of information. On the usual criteria applied to assess info, it fails on almost every criteria: sources cannot be traced, unclear funding, unclear agenda of the known financial backers, many errors...
And this approach is why the USA has about 40 times as many gun deaths per capita as Australia...
December 14, 2025 at 5:48 PM
And this approach is why the USA has about 40 times as many gun deaths per capita as Australia...
She looks as dishonest and insincere as she no doubt is.
December 14, 2025 at 5:37 PM
She looks as dishonest and insincere as she no doubt is.
Not at all. I think we must all point this out as often as possible regardless. We live in the age of bullshit and this needs to be pointed out incessantly until more people realize.
December 13, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Not at all. I think we must all point this out as often as possible regardless. We live in the age of bullshit and this needs to be pointed out incessantly until more people realize.
Facts don't seem to matter anymore. Nobody in the media seems to think them worthy of mention anyway... What people say, particularly if it enrages or agitates, whether it is nonsense or not, is what passes for news these days.
December 12, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Facts don't seem to matter anymore. Nobody in the media seems to think them worthy of mention anyway... What people say, particularly if it enrages or agitates, whether it is nonsense or not, is what passes for news these days.
It's also part of the war on truth. AI doesn't reveal its sources so cannot be assessed for credibility and reliability like other sources of information. Hallucinated bullshit is presented as fact and most people don't know how to tell the difference or that this happens all the time.
December 12, 2025 at 9:00 PM
It's also part of the war on truth. AI doesn't reveal its sources so cannot be assessed for credibility and reliability like other sources of information. Hallucinated bullshit is presented as fact and most people don't know how to tell the difference or that this happens all the time.