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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 9h

Really good piece from Jane Bradley and co at NYT.

Earlier this summer Democracy for Sale revealed how anti abortionists, including ADF, were pumping money into the U.K.

Free Speech Union still hasn’t responded to our queries. Funny that…

democracyforsale.substack.com/p/us-antiabo...

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Reposted by Peter Geoghegan

Paul Evans @pauliewaulie.bsky.social · 22h

This is my top-line on addressing that resilience point: bsky.app/profile/paul...

Paul Evans @pauliewaulie.bsky.social · 2d

Pessimism incoming! 👇👇👇

The centre & left seem to have lost political ambition. It needs a wholesale shift in perspective to stop something that is beginning to look inevitable now. 🧵

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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 22h

This is exactly my analysis of the current situation. And currently don’t see the resilience in electoral politics to check what’s happening

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Reposted by Peter Geoghegan

Paul Evans @pauliewaulie.bsky.social · 22h

It’s a perfect storm;

1. Defunded journalism creating a vacuum that is cheaply filled by unchallenged bias.
2. Algorithms promoting anger
3. New undetectable ways of buying political control
4. Electoral politics having no resilience to cope with this.

Unchecked, it ends in fascism. Not if. When.

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Reposted by Peter Geoghegan

Dotski_w @dotskyy.bsky.social · 23h

Also rot set in with mobile Internet. Before, was only saddos like me spent more than an hour a day online, but now normies have it on tap 24/7, every toilet break, during work, when TV isnt holding their attention.
We didnt evolve to deal with this and its killing us.

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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 23h

So much talk of economics and far right radicalisation but my increasingly view is we are all - myself included - underestimating the impact of both internet culture and (more importantly) the economics of the internet/social media on politics and radicalisation

Alastair Meeks @alastairmeeks.bsky.social · 1d

Last night I heard of another friend of a friend who has been lost to a rabbit hole of online propaganda. We need to start treating this as a serious public health concern.

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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 23h

Guess my general view is we are all - myself included - underestimating the impact of both internet culture and (more importantly) the economics of the internet/social media on politics

People tend to follow/think what they they think other people are following/thinking

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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 23h

Hmmm I thought it was pretty lightweight stuff given the scale of its claims. The bloggers/media heads adduced of ‘deep thinking’ are primarily meme generators with more to say about ‘owning the libs’ than anything else

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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 1d

Scotland *awfully* fortunate for that goal to be disallowed.

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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks David - you’ve explained it far more succinctly than I would have! (That there’s an ‘Irish league’ and a ‘league of ireland’ on either side of the border only adds to the confusion…as does Derry city playing in ‘the south’!)

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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 1d

I’m also a Hibs fan, so feel all that!

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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 1d

Following the Irish soccer team is a cruel, masochistic enterprise

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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 2d

Have been reading Hangover Square (finally). Such a fascinating novel. What really jumps out from a London story in 1938 is just how ubiquitous fascist sympathies are in the characters.

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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 2d

Thanks!

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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 2d

😊 Ach cheers mate!

Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 2d

Haha maybe that’s a good illness rewatch!

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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 2d

Cheers Oliver!

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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 2d

Ah thanks! It’s a rough dose but hopefully will be back in action soon 😊

Reposted by Peter Geoghegan

Emily Bell @emilybell.bsky.social · 2d

Impossible to really enjoy discussing things you love and consider vitally important being ground into dust, but this was a good talk with the great @petergeoghegan.bsky.social

Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 2d

No Democracy for Sale newsletter this weekend as I’m sick as a pike, I’m afraid.

But would highly recommend watching last week’s interview with the indefatigable @emilybell.bsky.social, if you missed it

youtu.be/5lXeFzrYwI8?...

Trump is breaking the free press | Professor Emily Bell's warning

YouTube video by Democracy for Sale

youtu.be

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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 2d

Ah sorry to hear that. Yeah it’s the way it keeps moving - started off as fever and awful fatigue, now roaring soar throat, cough and a mouth full of cold sores. Hope you’re over it soon!

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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 2d

Thanks! It’s quite a dose this virus.

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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 2d

No Democracy for Sale newsletter this weekend as I’m sick as a pike, I’m afraid.

But would highly recommend watching last week’s interview with the indefatigable @emilybell.bsky.social, if you missed it

youtu.be/5lXeFzrYwI8?...

Trump is breaking the free press | Professor Emily Bell's warning

YouTube video by Democracy for Sale

youtu.be

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Reposted by Peter Geoghegan

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 3d

Nobel Peace Prizes have often been awarded to people who fight autocracy. Maria Corina Machado fits right into that tradition

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Why María Machado Deserved the Nobel Peace Prize

The Venezuelan opposition leader shows why participation matters.

www.theatlantic.com

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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 4d

Thanks Sue!

Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 4d

Thanks - would have been my first time! Looks amazing