The smug style of Western politics
The Know It Alls are the living embodiment of r/IAmVerySmart
The incident on Capitol Hill in Washington DC earlier this month will prove a fitting end to Donald Trump’s presidency. Not a few will hope that it is also the end of a tendency that he came to represent, sometimes described as a modern incarnation of the Know Nothings.
Know Nothings were a political group from the 19th century United States melding, as Wikipedia notes, nativist attitudes to migration with surprisingly progressive stances on workers’ rights. Their nickname derives not from lack of expertise, but from their origins as a secret society. When asked about the organisation a member was supposed to plead ignorance.
Some people have thus enjoyed calling their opponents Know Nothings, both for the nativist connections and the insinuation of stupidity. What might be called the Know It Alls think of themselves as enlightened, even if at times they come off more like the living embodiment of r/IAmVerySmart.
Encapsulating the dispute is an infamous quote from the current chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove. Speaking during the Brexit referendum campaign, Gove said, “I think the people in this country have had enough of experts from organisations with acronyms saying that they know what is best and getting it consistently wrong.”
That quote is usually cut after “experts” as an illustration of the anti-intellectual tendencies of the Brexit movement. But the second part speaks to another oft-criticised habit among Brexiteers, namely scepticism towards acronymed organisations.
For the British Know It Alls, the referendum result was part of an international trend of rejecting expertise. The sense of lèse-majesté – en anglais, the violation of the ruling class’s dignity – has been considerable, with the well-lettered outraged to be outnumbered at the ballot box.
Among them is Ian Dunt, editor of Politics.co.uk and host of what was until recently called the Remainiacs podcast. The new title, Oh God, What Now, neatly summarises the show’s atmosphere, although perhaps less flatteringly than its hosts imagine. Landing further blows on the nose, Dunt has also lately released a book, How to be a Liberal.
In short, Dunt is a Know It All. And he exemplifies the smug style of Western politics.
A fixation with expertise is central. Speaking on the History Hit podcast earlier this week, Dunt and host Dan Snow congratulated each other over enthusiasm for ‘evidence-based policy’. This notion has been around for several years, contrasting with what its advocates consider to be politicians making it up as they go along.
In Dunt’s view of history, liberalism and science go hand in hand. He presents his political philosophy as a rational approach to politics, pitting himself against allegedly irrational opponents. That such an attitude has proved unpersuasive at recent elections has not discouraged him.
Of course, most people consider that their politics are wise and other people’s are mistaken. One difference with the Know It Alls has been their sympathy with antidemocratic measures, with some arguing that the British public should not have been allowed to vote on European Union membership, as well as seeking to block implementation through the courts or endorsing conspiracy theories about Russian cyberwarfare.
Where such blocking has been ineffective, Know It Alls have made their displeasure known. If you mostly supported the pre-Brexit status quo then the revenge of democratic politics looks like a tragedy. Humanity was cruising to the end of history and universal liberal democracy before events pulled it off course.
The evidence from Dunt and elsewhere is that some have not learned that politics is always a negotiation. His particular emphasis on individual rights can only be sustained amid widespread public support. No politics can survive for long without such public consensus.
As a coping mechanism some Know It Alls are now describing themselves as revolutionaries, hoping to return to power one day. Last October as the Remainiacs rebranded, one of Dunt’s co-hosts Alex Andreou declared, “We are now the insurgents.”
Alas, the events of this year have already reminded us that not all insurgencies can be middle class cosplay. The Know It Alls would do better to recognise themselves as one faction among many selling their ideas to a largely uninterested public. Welcome to politics before the end of history.
Dutch cowardice. Over the weekend the Right Dishonourable spoke to Turi Fiorito, an EU policy expert, about a major benefits system scandal in the Netherlands that ruined the lives of many vulnerable people and caused the government to resign in disgrace. That prime minister Mark Rutte is contesting the next election shows that unaccountable incompetence is not the preserve of the British or Americans.
Biden his time. One way in which Trump surprised his critics was in completing his term as American president. Following my previous assessment of this happening I’ve given Joe Biden the same treatment, concluding that Sleepy Joe has a 15% chance of not completing his first term. Long live president Kamala Harris.
Eggs on faces. Continuing this newsletter’s interest in separatism, the Scottish National Party has announced its plans for the next independence referendum. The nats proposal is to legislate for a referendum and dare Westminster to stop it. My suspicion is that Boris Johnson can scotch the initiative by continuing to say no.
Social murder. I’ve been playing Among Us recently, a game in which a spaceship crew must detect the imposter in their midst before they all die. Its use by politicians as a campaigning tool contrasts with the old days when codgers warned gaming would turn kids into raging psychopaths, which I thought was interesting.
To maintain political balance a future newsletter will give Brexiteers a good kicking, as I’m sure events with allow for. As the BBC adage goes, you must be right if everybody hates you, so please forward this email on.
Jimmy