Please accept my apologies for a possible confusing headline.
As some might have noticed, yesterday was a little busy here. 36,000 people called, after 33,000 the day before. The usually is a bit over 20,000.
The result of all the discussion was that I moderated my 300,000 published comment on this blog.
If those comments had been spread evenly over the life of the blog, that would have been a bit over 44 a day. Of course, that is not the way the comments have spread themselves out. They run pretty much proportional to reads.
There have been 37.6 million reads here, in total, averaging over 600,000 a month at present. So, right now, comments run at an average of over 160 a day. There are the unpublished comments to note as well - although they tend to take less time. Spam filters get rid of a lot of them, as does blocking those considered to be trolls. But I suspect one in 10 gets deleted by me because they are trolling, wildly off-topic, or repetitive, which leads to a ban for trolling, offensive, or they create risk for me as a publisher. Running a moderated blog is a time-consuming task.
There were other notable numerical events yesterday. Yesterday's video has had over 150,000 views so far, with that figure still rising quite fast.
And that helped tip us over 100,000 followers on YouTube, which not many channels achieve, let alone in eight months, which we have in effect, done. YouTube will actually issue us with a plaque in due course. And yes, I am pleased about that, but the plaque is going to Thomas, without whose work as editor that could not have happened. I just talk into a camera. He does the hard work. He also screenshot this:
And after all that, do I regret suggesting that the City conspired to deliver what Musk wants, which is a crisis for Labour? No, I don't, not in the slightest. That's because I think that is what they did.
Using my antennae for real-world political economy, which has proved to be pretty robust as well as accurate on the activities of the City in the past (tax havens, tax abuse, accounting failures and more) I think my suggestion completely stacks.
There is such a thing as 'City opinion'. It is a perceived collectable view from which few dare deviate and in accordance with which most act. I think that is happening in this case. They will justify it by saying Musk created a risk to which they have to react. But the outcome is still exactly what he wants, and which they want, in the sense that the City does, rather bizarrely, see Labour as a far-left threat, which shows how out of touch with reality they are.
The cooperation was not illicitly planned. It happened in plain sight and quite legally. But it was there. And the outcome is going to be a crisis hitting most people in the UK. I don't, for a moment regret calling that out in real time.
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Richard, I mentioned the ‘c’ word in a post this last week before the furore kicked off. I meant what I wrote.
Like you, reflecting on whether I was overstating the case or not, I am reading this morning about Steve Bannon’s oft quoted urging to ‘flood the zone with shit’ and how the media was used to create an aura of havoc as they brought down the democratically elected Allende government in Chile.
Speaking for myself, I see no problem in asking people to consider what is happening along these lines. We in the West might read of these tactics being used in South America and Africa. What we need to contemplate however is that they also are being used here and now on us!
Congratulations and thank you and Thomas for all the hard work
John
Thanks
“And yes, I am pleased about that, but the plaque is going to Thomas, without whose work as editor that could not have happened. I just talk into a camera. He does the hard work.”
I think the stylist deserves recognition too!
Costume design makes the movies/TV shows better and it makes blogs better too.
I am so glad you burned that plaid shirt as it looked like it belong on Liz Webster’s “SaveBritishFarming”!
https://www.youtube.com/@lizwebstersbf/videos
I just told her you are on her side
She reckon she gets the costume Oscar
Let me try and finagle a way to present that well earned Oscar or Webby Award for costume design to her!!!!
Afterparty drinks will be on me.
🙂
Unmet demand clearly, I did suspect you would do well even if it was just audio, but the video gives an extra dimension. Also if I can put it this way, you come across as much nicer and less aggressive than you do writing.
Any-hoo well done the pair of you well deserved and 500,000 here we come.
Ray
Thanks
And YouTube comments are much nicer
I enjoy aggressive and mean writing on economy politics.
Then again, I am a Yank so you must cut me some slack!!!
🙂
Personally I found the recent Murphy vs (City) Megatron (the leader of the Decepticons, if you haven’t watched the movies) very interesting and educational. It showed me how difficult it is to challenge the way the economy is purportedly funded and financial orthodoxy. At one point my head was spinning and I just couldn’t take it all in. Okay, I’m old and I’m slower at processing concepts and information but, as the song goes, ‘I can see clearly now the rain has gone’.
Thanks, Simon.
It took me time to work out my own arguments.
Congratulations on your much deserved landmark readership. Since the BBC and other major media are determined not to give MMT fair coverage your blog is all the more important.
‘City opinion’ may be a nebulous term but I’m quite certain you are right to identify a body who feels entitled and powerful enough to exert a force on politicians and the media to bend them to its will. Surely Liz Truss was a victim, even though heart was with the City, showing how powerful, ruthless and anti-democratic that nebulous force is in reality.