Great piece. The mainstream media is really missing a trick by not giving space to this kind of analytical opinion writing. Instead it sticks to the traditional column, which talks in generalities and takes too long to say very little.
As for O’Brennan, what an extraordinary display of ignorance. I’m yet to see how Twitter has been anything but a disaster for academia. It has exposed so many academics as being intellectually and temperamentally demented.
There was once a very sharp divide between the nuanced opinions of the establishment and the crudities of populists. O’Brennan represents a new departure: the progressive establishment is being forced to adopt ever more ridiculous explanations for why they are losing support. Could it be any clearer that their ideology is at crisis point?
Had some interaction with him last night - for a chap supposed to be a professor in politics, he seems completely unable to understand anything about politics at all - he ran from the interaction after 3 turns (he gave copied and pasted the same post diarmuid got, and in the second one he barked to "read some books", and went back to squealing "fascist" and "bot" at anyone who challenged him). Absolutely shocking stuff.
Had a look back on his linkedin yesterday - he did European Studies in Limerick back in the day - putting his Leaving Cert at around very intellectually mediocre 360 points (if he had 410+ he'd have done it in Trinity)...the leaving is not everything, but he frequently snobbishly barks "LowIQ" at people who interact with him, while sitting around like some sort of savant. Really needs to be taken aside before he does any more damage to any more young people.
O'Brennan and his ilk are like dying wasps at the moment. Apart from a few cozy invitations onto Brendan O'Connor on a Sunday or Virgin's tripe late night show they've no audience. Bluesky hasn't taken off either so most are completely lost at this point, thank God
I have voted in your poll but for some reason, I am having trouble creating a comment (text keeps duplicating) so I would like to post my comment here instead.
I would love to see the podcast morph into a news outlet similar to what Gript was trying to become. I think adding an extra podcast would be welcome but unless it is on some kind of subscription basis it cannot be sustainable. One freebie (to grow the audience) and one paid alongside some guest writers would be great. I don't think it's fair to expect either of you to continually give of your time for free.
On this evidence, I'm glad someone in my paternal history had the rectitude and foresight to take the soup. I patently grew up on the sunny side of the family tree.
Yep, spot on. When academics go on a rampage saying absolutely stupid things they are usually rewarded by the equally insane rest of the Establishment.
Go from zero to Hitler in one sentence gives you browny points. And then you wonder why people no longer trust the 'experts'. It's very simple, really. Be an academic...say something smart and sophisticated, something nuanced. No, we get mr H as the main course. Pathetic.
Wow Mr O' Brennan, quite the impartial academic. Third level education is in safe hands!! I think, but am no expert admittedly, that EU overreach is the fundamental issue. It resides under each of the three you mention. It is an oligarchical instrument rather than a democratic or republican representative one. This is the core problem. This election I see as an electoral move back to the centre, from Fascism (Let's not forget Fascism in Germany "Nazi" was short for Nationalsozialist " i.e. National Socialist German Workers Party = far left maybe but not far right by definition. The Overton window is so presently far left and the dogmas of that position, somewhat semi religious, make everything look like far-right which disagrees or indeed challenges that position. WEF in partnership with EU Commission is all about public-private entities which would have flourished under Mussolini. This kind of overreach, penetrates every domain of life now, it would seem, and though populations in Germany, The Netherlands, France, Italy, Denmark, Sweden and elsewhere may not have the language to name and explain it, feel it viscerally and know it is not good, regardless of where in the centre right or left, they are situated politically.
Thank you J & S brilliant as always. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 It’s frightening to know that this is the calibre of lecturer we now have in our universities 🙈🙈🙈. Obviously very afraid of debate or even a discussion.
The good professor fails to realise it's the Left that are more like the worst of the Nazis than the right.
The Nazis were rabidly anti Jewish ... who is rabidly anti Jewish today with their pro Palestine Gaza Hamas rhetoric?
The Nazis had a program for eliminating people with disabilities ... who campaigns today for abortion for babies diagnosed with disabilities in the womb including those with Downs Syndrome?
The Nazis did all kinds of medical experiments on children to test the boundaries of human nature ... who is in favour butchering children in the name of transgenderism today.
Hitler may be dead but his dream of a thousand year Reich lives on in the minds of today's socialists.
Pro-Russian? Are Russians invading by the boatload and raping their way across Europe? These guys want to pit conservatives against Russians because if we fight each other, then all the globalists’ problems go away.
Given that the Russians have been engaged in a prolonged catastrophic and brutal invasion of Ukraine seeking its destruction - launching savage bombing attacks against its civilians literally every day - one would hope that civilised people of all political stripes (including, obviously, conservatives) would be 'pitted' against them. To support Russia is to support a disgusting mass-killing fascist state.
It seems to me unlikely that anyone will. Most likely is that they'll end up governing as a minority without the votes to pass any laws. That can go one of two ways: They can present the establishment as a roadblock, or the establishment can present them as toothless. Who knows how that might play.
In any case, it's state government. They're unlikely to be able to do much of note even with a majority.
Great piece. The mainstream media is really missing a trick by not giving space to this kind of analytical opinion writing. Instead it sticks to the traditional column, which talks in generalities and takes too long to say very little.
As for O’Brennan, what an extraordinary display of ignorance. I’m yet to see how Twitter has been anything but a disaster for academia. It has exposed so many academics as being intellectually and temperamentally demented.
There was once a very sharp divide between the nuanced opinions of the establishment and the crudities of populists. O’Brennan represents a new departure: the progressive establishment is being forced to adopt ever more ridiculous explanations for why they are losing support. Could it be any clearer that their ideology is at crisis point?
Had some interaction with him last night - for a chap supposed to be a professor in politics, he seems completely unable to understand anything about politics at all - he ran from the interaction after 3 turns (he gave copied and pasted the same post diarmuid got, and in the second one he barked to "read some books", and went back to squealing "fascist" and "bot" at anyone who challenged him). Absolutely shocking stuff.
Had a look back on his linkedin yesterday - he did European Studies in Limerick back in the day - putting his Leaving Cert at around very intellectually mediocre 360 points (if he had 410+ he'd have done it in Trinity)...the leaving is not everything, but he frequently snobbishly barks "LowIQ" at people who interact with him, while sitting around like some sort of savant. Really needs to be taken aside before he does any more damage to any more young people.
Thank you for this, John. A brilliant, succinct, and in my opinion totally accurate essay.
Best regards.
O'Brennan and his ilk are like dying wasps at the moment. Apart from a few cozy invitations onto Brendan O'Connor on a Sunday or Virgin's tripe late night show they've no audience. Bluesky hasn't taken off either so most are completely lost at this point, thank God
Excellent insight! Sadly, I don't think this buffoon is an outlier in the halls of academia.
I have voted in your poll but for some reason, I am having trouble creating a comment (text keeps duplicating) so I would like to post my comment here instead.
I would love to see the podcast morph into a news outlet similar to what Gript was trying to become. I think adding an extra podcast would be welcome but unless it is on some kind of subscription basis it cannot be sustainable. One freebie (to grow the audience) and one paid alongside some guest writers would be great. I don't think it's fair to expect either of you to continually give of your time for free.
On this evidence, I'm glad someone in my paternal history had the rectitude and foresight to take the soup. I patently grew up on the sunny side of the family tree.
Yep, spot on. When academics go on a rampage saying absolutely stupid things they are usually rewarded by the equally insane rest of the Establishment.
Go from zero to Hitler in one sentence gives you browny points. And then you wonder why people no longer trust the 'experts'. It's very simple, really. Be an academic...say something smart and sophisticated, something nuanced. No, we get mr H as the main course. Pathetic.
Wow Mr O' Brennan, quite the impartial academic. Third level education is in safe hands!! I think, but am no expert admittedly, that EU overreach is the fundamental issue. It resides under each of the three you mention. It is an oligarchical instrument rather than a democratic or republican representative one. This is the core problem. This election I see as an electoral move back to the centre, from Fascism (Let's not forget Fascism in Germany "Nazi" was short for Nationalsozialist " i.e. National Socialist German Workers Party = far left maybe but not far right by definition. The Overton window is so presently far left and the dogmas of that position, somewhat semi religious, make everything look like far-right which disagrees or indeed challenges that position. WEF in partnership with EU Commission is all about public-private entities which would have flourished under Mussolini. This kind of overreach, penetrates every domain of life now, it would seem, and though populations in Germany, The Netherlands, France, Italy, Denmark, Sweden and elsewhere may not have the language to name and explain it, feel it viscerally and know it is not good, regardless of where in the centre right or left, they are situated politically.
Thank you J & S brilliant as always. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 It’s frightening to know that this is the calibre of lecturer we now have in our universities 🙈🙈🙈. Obviously very afraid of debate or even a discussion.
For a chap that's mad into European integration, one lil tantrum from him regards a democratic vote and he's annexed you into the Third Reich.
The good professor fails to realise it's the Left that are more like the worst of the Nazis than the right.
The Nazis were rabidly anti Jewish ... who is rabidly anti Jewish today with their pro Palestine Gaza Hamas rhetoric?
The Nazis had a program for eliminating people with disabilities ... who campaigns today for abortion for babies diagnosed with disabilities in the womb including those with Downs Syndrome?
The Nazis did all kinds of medical experiments on children to test the boundaries of human nature ... who is in favour butchering children in the name of transgenderism today.
Hitler may be dead but his dream of a thousand year Reich lives on in the minds of today's socialists.
Pro-Russian? Are Russians invading by the boatload and raping their way across Europe? These guys want to pit conservatives against Russians because if we fight each other, then all the globalists’ problems go away.
Given that the Russians have been engaged in a prolonged catastrophic and brutal invasion of Ukraine seeking its destruction - launching savage bombing attacks against its civilians literally every day - one would hope that civilised people of all political stripes (including, obviously, conservatives) would be 'pitted' against them. To support Russia is to support a disgusting mass-killing fascist state.
No one supports Russia. No one cares about Russia. We care about the invasion of Europe. Which is coming from Africa. Perhaps you noticed?
The question is who will go in coaliation with AFD.
It seems to me unlikely that anyone will. Most likely is that they'll end up governing as a minority without the votes to pass any laws. That can go one of two ways: They can present the establishment as a roadblock, or the establishment can present them as toothless. Who knows how that might play.
In any case, it's state government. They're unlikely to be able to do much of note even with a majority.
I would say that some of the more right leaning CDU party might move over to AfD. There by no means an extreme party.