The Johnson Regime, its funders & fellow travellers are parts of a complex network.
It's not a balanced structure like dominoes, or snow before an avalanche, where one intervention can topple the lot.
To prevail against this sort of opponent demands a systems thinking approach.
It's not a balanced structure like dominoes, or snow before an avalanche, where one intervention can topple the lot.
To prevail against this sort of opponent demands a systems thinking approach.
Successful opposition will be a full spectrum process across multiple domains. To succeed it must be fast & continuous, flexible & transformative. Interventions must be visible & invisible, direct & indirect, fast & slow, at all scales. Most of all, it must be a learning process.
This isn't just something dragged out of my fervid imagination—this type of complex conflict is a developed methodology (that originated, incidentally, in Russia). "Operational Art", or "Operational Mobility" is, essentially, strategy and tactics meets systems thinking.
It'll be helpful for more people who oppose the corrupt, incompetent Johnson Regime and the plutocratic influences that are undermining British democracy, to get to grips with this type of conflict. It's certainly something that Cummings understands—I recognise its fingerprints.
As we engage with the Plutocratic Politcal Complex, we must use each incident as a learning opportunity. The ultimate objective is to discover the essential motive force of its network, its "centre of gravity", and the weak points that will allow us to disrupt it.
At the same time, we must preserve our own centre of gravity—our ability to act—so that however long the conflict lasts, we can keep going. And remember, during this process we may need to change form, appearance, position, relationships and focus.
The plutocratic right is currently so much better at this type of conflict than is the traditional left, which values stasis, structure, clarity and consistency. "This far and no further" is as effective in Operational Art as was the Maginot Line. Progressives can and must learn!
Read Cummings online, and you can be absolutely sure that he understands this type of conflict. That doesn't mean he knows exactly what's going on—it means that he acknowledges the fact that he doesn't know what's going on, and he has a system to learn, reorient and respond.
Don't imagine that, as we discover vulnerabilities in the Plutocratic Political Complex, they will remain unpatched. They will adjust, move, camouflage, transform, refocus & redeploy. No current understanding is useful for good. However, each change can derive further insights.
Many political impulses that I see on left and right alike are driven by an urge to simplify—to gain the comfort and clarity of understanding just what's happening.
This may give you peace of mind, but be assured, full understanding is an illusion, and it's not the way to win.
This may give you peace of mind, but be assured, full understanding is an illusion, and it's not the way to win.
On the right, simple answers are used to manipulate footsoldiers. The Brexitrump dullards that tirelessly belt out meaningless slogans and dog-whistle racism on Twitter are being manipulated. On the left, simplification takes the form of doctrine—texts that serve as holy writ.
For goodness' sake, progressives, leave this stuff behind! Start thinking about core values, not doctrine. 19th Century manifestos were crucial in their time, and they may contribute to our understanding now, but things have changed. The game now is about continuous learning.
