Colonisation's Coming Home

Both Boris and Rory Stewart went through to the next round of Conservative X-factor yesterday. Sadly Andrea Leadsom never reached the required number of votes, which seems a shame as she was my favoured candidate. I guess I'll be hoping Boris gets it now, but it really is hope above expectation at the moment for me.

Anyway, I read another New Yorker article yesterday, again featuring Rory Stewart. Again leaving me with mixed feelings. He seems to have a very balanced view of the situation. Especially given he's coming from the remain side of the argument. For instance, understanding how divisive a second referendum would be. Likewise in grasping how uncomfortably the UK sits in a United States of Europe project, and accepting that it's time to finally move on. Though with caution.

However, once again the citizen's assembly idea leaves me with concern. This was his reply when asked about it.

"A citizens’ assembly. These people are selected to be representatives of the population. You start by selecting fifteen thousand people through randomly-generated names by post code, and then you write them all use a polling company to cut them by gender, attitudinal views, to provide a representative sample. And then they sit for three to four weeks. They sit like a committee of the Senate."

It seems like a combination of the Postcode Lottery and a Question Time audience. If it was done completely randomly and the people were selected without bias then that would be, quite literally, a big gamble. A dice roll. How would anyone know what verdict they would deliver?

If the people are handpicked, which the phrase "cut them by gender, attitudinal views" would suggest an element of. Then that opens the door to shenanigans. Who does this "cutting"? How are they themselves selected for this role? What if they have a bias?

There's also the obvious problem that most normal people simply don't have the time or inclination to take part in such an event. Most people don't want to go and sit in a public arena and argue with complete strangers. That's why they're happy to elect a representative to do that on their behalf. So any such assembly will no doubt be filled with attention seeking types. The silent majority by very definition will be absent.

Being a high cynic I'm generally of the opinion that such exercises are used to provide the semblance of democratic will. A fig leaf for the people organising such assemblies. To provide the outcome they desire with the appearance that it's coming from the populus.

(Rory the Peacemaker)

However, I'm happy to believe that Rory Stewart is sincere, and that he genuinely sees this as a good way of helping to break the deadlock. He seems a very honest guy. Though then again he is a politician. Even in complete sincerity though this gives an indication of how he sees Britain - as a colony in need of guidance. Obviously this is quite ironic given that he himself is not only British, but British with the air of an old school colonialist.

So perhaps this says something about where Britain is at the moment. Such an assembly feels like a way that an outside or parental force would help to guide the warring natives. To get them to come to some sort of desired concord and way forward. The remainer natives and the leaver natives are at war, so the foreign office is coming in to do some peace keeping and gentle management. Conveniently forgetting that they themselves are also remainer natives.

If Rory does somehow win Britain may weirdly become a colony of Britain. Or rather a colony tentatively belonging to some globalist empire, being managed to best effect. Maybe this will be for the best? Who knows?