Examining the British “deep state” and what that concept really tells us about anything Last month, when Liz Truss appeared at CPAC, an American hard right political conference, she had this to say:This week in Brexitland is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
I’m not an academic ‘commenter’ on such subjects, but I am intrigued by what this political animal Liz Truss says, when and to whom.
It’s as if she’s been given an agenda - and even a script - when she ‘speaks’. She’s so wrong, at so many levels. In my humble opinion of course.
The ‘Trumpian’ influence is interesting in itself. Her focus on ‘Deep State’ is an indicator but her definition is somewhat off-beam.
Her concern about excessive government could be a genuine one of course, but her reasons don’t stack up.
One could argue that if we had MORE talented and performance-driven civil servants in strategic roles, we could enable the country to implement long-term strategies that have a greater chance of success, and also prevent nutcases getting into positions of Government and acting in a totally illogical or irresponsible manner.
I’m for fewer ‘elected MPs’ and stronger government. Might sound a tad ‘lefty’ to her and her conspirators, but I’m actually speaking as a right-centre, tech business owner.
I still don’t think she knows what she’s doing, but I think someone else knows what they WANT her to do.
You could argue that there is a deep state, actually much of the establishment, disparate elements little changing and with their own interests. Top civil servants, heads of quangos, heads of the armed forces and security forces, Director Generals of regulators and so on. In a former life I worked in some of these bodies. But they are not a conspiracy, pulling the strings together behind a curtain to achieve some dastardly outcome that subverts government or the people's will.
If anyone confronts you with a conspiracy theory, ask them where the evil participants meet and how do they communicate?
What is even more ludicrous is that this supposed deep state is working together to defeat right wing neoliberalism, of which Truss is a true believer, regardless of fact or experience, blindly removed from any exposure to scrutiny or expertise. Truss goes further by roping into her Deep State thesis, private sector Financial Traders located anywhere in the world. The kind of people who have made huge sums out of betting for and against currencies within free markets, a group of people who overwhelmingly vote for free market right wing and conservative parties around the world.
Truss's imagined conspiracy of wicked powerful. people working behind the scenes against her, runs counter to the way neoliberal ideas have seeped in deep into the top of the Civil Service, into heads of quangos, regulators and agencies. They also underpin the work of financial market traders and provide the bedrock of economics thinking of all opposition parties, now that Corbyn's Bennisms are defeated.
Truss's conspiracy might just about stand up in a conference of right wing nut jobs in American La La Land but topple over on exposure to fresh air. Her £100k+ p.a as ex PM for "research" purposes will ensure that we will hear a lot more of this guff.
Neoliberalism had it's peak in terms of globalisation in 2019. The Pandemic set that into reverse. The Ukraine war and sanctions further halted it and Biden's Inflation Reduction Act is a protectionist measure, to invest in American companies to develop domestic production, technology, green stuff and energy, re-shoring work from Asia in vast amounts. Biden has definitively said no to a UK USA trade deal. This also looks effectively impossible with China and India. Meantime, USA and UK have shrunk their navy's and are no longer able to police the world to enable safe trading everywhere. They cannot seem to stop Syria's attacks on shipping or small scale pirates, so sea freight is having to go via long, expensive re-routing. Big tech is replacing traditional capitalism with incredibly profitable rentier platforms that take off most of the cream, while the old Corporations lose out.
Will our neoliberal deep state establishment adapt to the changes or just plough on offering more bad governance? This was the absolutely perfect time to create maximum damage from Brexit, within about 1 month. You couldn't make it up. An incompetent, rushed attempt to break free from Europe to chase globalisation of trade that is rapidly going into reverse, whatever nonsense Truss speaks.
Fine as far as it goes but I expected a rather deeper analysis, perhaps with a few academic references eg Lofgren or Fitzgerald - let alone a serious discussion about the strangely neglected subject of the STATE to which only Bob Jessop has done recent justice. Harold Laski must be turning in his grave!
I’m not an academic ‘commenter’ on such subjects, but I am intrigued by what this political animal Liz Truss says, when and to whom.
It’s as if she’s been given an agenda - and even a script - when she ‘speaks’. She’s so wrong, at so many levels. In my humble opinion of course.
The ‘Trumpian’ influence is interesting in itself. Her focus on ‘Deep State’ is an indicator but her definition is somewhat off-beam.
Her concern about excessive government could be a genuine one of course, but her reasons don’t stack up.
One could argue that if we had MORE talented and performance-driven civil servants in strategic roles, we could enable the country to implement long-term strategies that have a greater chance of success, and also prevent nutcases getting into positions of Government and acting in a totally illogical or irresponsible manner.
I’m for fewer ‘elected MPs’ and stronger government. Might sound a tad ‘lefty’ to her and her conspirators, but I’m actually speaking as a right-centre, tech business owner.
I still don’t think she knows what she’s doing, but I think someone else knows what they WANT her to do.
You could argue that there is a deep state, actually much of the establishment, disparate elements little changing and with their own interests. Top civil servants, heads of quangos, heads of the armed forces and security forces, Director Generals of regulators and so on. In a former life I worked in some of these bodies. But they are not a conspiracy, pulling the strings together behind a curtain to achieve some dastardly outcome that subverts government or the people's will.
If anyone confronts you with a conspiracy theory, ask them where the evil participants meet and how do they communicate?
What is even more ludicrous is that this supposed deep state is working together to defeat right wing neoliberalism, of which Truss is a true believer, regardless of fact or experience, blindly removed from any exposure to scrutiny or expertise. Truss goes further by roping into her Deep State thesis, private sector Financial Traders located anywhere in the world. The kind of people who have made huge sums out of betting for and against currencies within free markets, a group of people who overwhelmingly vote for free market right wing and conservative parties around the world.
Truss's imagined conspiracy of wicked powerful. people working behind the scenes against her, runs counter to the way neoliberal ideas have seeped in deep into the top of the Civil Service, into heads of quangos, regulators and agencies. They also underpin the work of financial market traders and provide the bedrock of economics thinking of all opposition parties, now that Corbyn's Bennisms are defeated.
Truss's conspiracy might just about stand up in a conference of right wing nut jobs in American La La Land but topple over on exposure to fresh air. Her £100k+ p.a as ex PM for "research" purposes will ensure that we will hear a lot more of this guff.
Neoliberalism had it's peak in terms of globalisation in 2019. The Pandemic set that into reverse. The Ukraine war and sanctions further halted it and Biden's Inflation Reduction Act is a protectionist measure, to invest in American companies to develop domestic production, technology, green stuff and energy, re-shoring work from Asia in vast amounts. Biden has definitively said no to a UK USA trade deal. This also looks effectively impossible with China and India. Meantime, USA and UK have shrunk their navy's and are no longer able to police the world to enable safe trading everywhere. They cannot seem to stop Syria's attacks on shipping or small scale pirates, so sea freight is having to go via long, expensive re-routing. Big tech is replacing traditional capitalism with incredibly profitable rentier platforms that take off most of the cream, while the old Corporations lose out.
Will our neoliberal deep state establishment adapt to the changes or just plough on offering more bad governance? This was the absolutely perfect time to create maximum damage from Brexit, within about 1 month. You couldn't make it up. An incompetent, rushed attempt to break free from Europe to chase globalisation of trade that is rapidly going into reverse, whatever nonsense Truss speaks.
Fine as far as it goes but I expected a rather deeper analysis, perhaps with a few academic references eg Lofgren or Fitzgerald - let alone a serious discussion about the strangely neglected subject of the STATE to which only Bob Jessop has done recent justice. Harold Laski must be turning in his grave!