Rob Delaney hails NHS as ‘pinnacle of human achievement’ as he backs Labour

Rob Delaney expresses noble sentiments which are welcome. Being an actor does not per se imply inability to express cogent views on a broad range of topics.

However, a matter of general concern is how opinions from so-called ‘celebrities’, as particularly evinced in the USA, are used to manipulate discourse on various topics. Tribalism is arising with regard to factions ‘following’ famous names. An unhealthily, for democracy, large proportion of the population delegates mentation to vacuous individuals they happen to admire for their entertainment value. The marketing industry is well aware of this regarding ‘celebrity’ endorsement for goods and services.

By its nature, representative democracy based on universal franchise can boil down to ‘debate’ centred upon crude simplifications, and sometimes lies, promulgated by charismatic figures. Capacity for independent thought and analysis is sparsely distributed among the population at large.

Educational reforms initiated by Labour after the 1945 general election offered promise of enabling all children to fulfil their individual educational potentials. Unfortunately, it was (Old) Labour that dismantled a key element: grammar schools selecting on basis of ability. These were producing a cadre of individuals able to compete with the private school educated self-styled elite.

The erstwhile Soviet Union, a variant on socialism, recognised need to foster exceptional talent through various kinds of special educational provision relating to intellectual and artistic skills.

(Old) Labour chose a path based on lowest common denominator. Thereby not only were the 20%, or so, of high ability denied stimulation but also the remainder were excluded from consideration for developing their aptitudes as far as possible. Mixed ability teaching and inclusion of ‘special needs’ relating to intellectual impairment in classes has denied children across the spectrum of ability the particular educational measures to which they were best suited.

Perhaps our society is now reaping the consequences of enforced dumbing down in the name of spurious social equality: adults of differing abilities, motivations, accomplishments, and interests naturally assort themselves into social groupings regardless of being placed as children into the company of those they would rather not know. Socialism lapsed into demand for conformity rather than aspiration toward betterment (secular spirituality).

Our present day political landscape is even more of a pseudo-democracy than that alluded to be Quintin Hogg when he publicly referred to ‘an elective dictatorship’ in 1976. Perhaps, now more than ever before, electoral success depends upon shepherds diligently assembling flocks of people behaving in ovine manner and distracted from exercising their residual sentience.

Of course, this, as it always has, plays into the hands of the UK’s long standing version of ‘the deep state’. Politicians are chess pieces moved at behest of their masters. Now we are at a tipping point. On one side is promise, but no guarantee, of restoring ‘society’ rejected by Mrs Thatcher. On the other lies irreversible enthralment by neo-liberal doctrine with Ayn Rand’s paean to ‘selfishness’ the core text.

—–

Released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 international license (sic).