Counter-Currents: Populism & Neo-Thatcherism

Eordred:

“My point in illustrating why these politicians have bad economic policies is that I think economics do matter. People in this movement often say that we should ignore economics, focus on social and cultural issues, and sort out economics once we are in power. I think this is silly. Economic policy matters hugely in how an economy is directed, who thrives from it, who doesn’t, what sectors grow, how much money the average man has to spend, who can afford a home and kids, and so on. Economic policies must be part of any truly nationalist political platform. This is not to say that the core of that message is wrong; let’s not fight internally about economics, because we all know that we have libertarians, socialists, and whatever else in these circles, and we need to be a united front. But I do think we need to develop at least some bare-bones policy positions on economics in order to be a functional movement. Many people still primarily vote with their wallets, such as when they engage in white flight for “better schools” and to flee “bad neighborhoods.” Thus, having a sound monetary policy and emphasizing the economic benefits of remigration and a homogenous country are strong selling points. …

Allowing economic illiterates to take power is a danger for the entire Right. If you want to become a movement leader, or get into politics in any way, brush up on your economics. First, get to know the tax code, then learn the theories, from the Austrian school, through Marxism and Distributism, to all the LARPers like Georgism and anarcho-capitalism. And keep up with the news. Follow some economic news from alternative sources, such as Macro Voices’ podcasts, Zero Hedge – that sort of thing. A good understanding of economics is crucial when going into politics. And if you are someone with a following, talk about economics a bit. Yes, identity and a sense of belonging are our main focus, but you will also need to offer ordinary people a material reason to support you. “

Good article.

I would go even further and argue in an Aristotleian vein that we have been putting the cart before the horse. We should be much more interested in all of the things which underpin these cultural and social issues. We’ve spent too much time getting nowhere with identity politics.

I’m not simply talking about political economy, but also our current state of scientific and technological development (world picture), the environment, our language (how easily we are tripped up by words and concepts like “racist”), our sense of religion, how we can even know things (epistemology), how things have changed across history. I think too much time is spent just ranting and being angry about the same old grievances day after day and not enough time is spent on refining our approach.