EU referendum, brexit and the aftermath

It is a very interesting read, especially to see where the whole "£350 million per week/NHS" meme came from, exactly.

And then there's this:

Why is almost all political analysis and discussion so depressing and fruitless? I think much has to do with the delusions of better educated people. It is easier to spread memes in SW1, N1, and among Guardian readers than in Easington Colliery.

Generally the better educated are more prone to irrational political opinions and political hysteria than the worse educated far from power. Why? In the field of political opinion they are more driven by fashion, a gang mentality, and the desire to pose about moral and political questions all of which exacerbate cognitive biases, encourage groupthink, and reduce accuracy.

Those on average incomes are less likely to express political views to send signals; political views are much less important for signalling to one’s immediate in-group when you are on 20k a year. The former tend to see such questions in more general and abstract terms, and are more insulated from immediate worries about money. The latter tend to see such questions in more concrete and specific terms and ask ‘how does this affect me?’. The former live amid the emotional waves that ripple around powerful and tightly linked self-reinforcing networks. These waves rarely permeate the barrier around insiders and touch others.

And this:

It doesn’t occur to SW1 and the media that outside London their general outlook is seen as extreme. Have an immigration policy that guarantees free movement rights even for murderers, so we cannot deport them or keep them locked up after they are released? Extreme. Have open doors to the EU and don’t build the infrastructure needed? Extreme. Take violent thugs who kick women down stairs on CCTV, there is no doubt about their identity, and either don’t send them to jail or they’re out in a few months? Extreme. Have a set of policies that stops you dealing with the likes of ‘the guy with the hook’ for over a decade while still giving benefits to his family? Extreme. Ignore warnings about the dangers of financial derivatives, including from the most successful investor in the history of the world, and just keep pocketing the taxes from the banks and spending your time on trivia rather than possible disasters? Extreme. Make us – living on average wages without all your lucky advantages – pay for your bailouts while you keep getting raises and bonuses? Extreme and stupid – and contemptible.

These views are held across educational lines, across party lines, and across class lines. Cameron, Blair, and Evan Davis agree about lots of these things and tell people constantly why they are wrong to think differently but to millions they are the extremists.

His first point, whilst I think has truth to it as regards the better educated middle to upper middle class, falls down at the failure of memes to infiltrate the consciousness of the working class and their apparent tendency to not adhere to groupthink.
If memes didn't effect this group as much as he says then so many wouldn't have fallen for the campaign's main points, such as the £350 million into the NHS nonsense.

And in his blog post castigating "SW1" for being clueless, incompetent imbeciles with absolutely no insight into policy, the political process, or how to run a country (let alone a campaign to remain); then admitting that he had no time for thinking about how the complex act of leaving the EU would be instituted if they won considering the very same government would be handling the process...

The second quote has much validity to describe why so many people outside of the political/financial/media bubble world of London and the south-east view it so.

Incredibly long post by Dom Cummings on why he thinks the referendum went the way it did.

dominiccummings.wordpress.com/20­17/01/09/on-the-referendum-21-branching-­histories-of-the-2016-referendum-and-the­-frogs-before-the-storm-2/

I've just finished this and also the first part of a long blog post on his Whitehall experiences: https://dominiccummings.wordpress.com/2014/10/30/the-hollow-men-ii-some-reflections-on-westminster-and-whitehall-dysfunction/

I've found both incredibly interesting and thought provoking. In particular his statements on behavior and focused results based action.

@dancing james - to bring it round to your question(s), I don't know. But the best starting point would be to set clear objectives and look at where previous approaches have failed/succeed. For example I think the objectives of fighting bigotry and preventing Brexit are separate and require different solutions.

I'd also like to pick up on the phrasing of;

the confused and deceived "will of the people" to be enacted?

this is an idea that is often aired (me inc.). I wonder if this isn't just our own rationalisation of how other people could come to a different view than ours, formed by our bias. It also smacks of the sort of condensation so many are apparently sick of.

How have we come to the view that people were either confused or deceived?

Perhaps it's thinking of leave voters in these terms which makes us remainers unable to engage them properly.