Best Of

I think hanging the death of the nation state on the transience of a few high flyers and on social media interactions ignores that everyone, even most of the high flyers, live in their communities, send their children to school, work with people in their own communities. Each of these has extended and internationalised - I find my community online more than in the pub, I work with international colleagues to a far greater extent, but at the end of the day, the localisation of my interactions on PB, on social media, through my kids particularly, at work is still pretty strong. Yes, Musk and perhaps Leon overarch that - but Musk has an unusual domestic setup even for a top executive, those people always travelled and often have a spouse who acted in a supporting role, more rooted in a given place. Even Leon, broadly footloose and fancy free, were I to meet him, I know the places that would likely be, particularly as my daughter seems to share a lot of the thoughts processes as his.

I'm in this camp, I have close friends all over the world, my family includes people with origins outside of the UK, but I am also deeply rooted in my local community, through school, through voluntary groups, through community arts projects, just from being neighbours. I also have family and friends spread over most parts of the UK. Being British doesn't mean being insular. And having an international mindset doesn't mean I've forgotten where I come from, or have turned my back on my own community. I think this nowhere vs somewhere stuff obscures rather than illuminates.

Good article. I have had similar musings on Citizens of Nowhere and the effect of the Internet and Social Media on the national question.

Benedict Anderson in his influential book "Imagined Communities" linked the rise of the nation state to the rise of a national press, and increased literacy. Communication as the spark to nationalism.

That is now history. On this board I can argue politics with people on different continents, while my neighbours watch either Al Jazeera or satellite TV from India. I can read the Rand Daily Mail as easily as the British one.

On my travels, I note that middle class and professional people are increasingly alike and internationalisd. We have common interests and aspirations and similar lifestyles. It's not just deluxe hotels serving gin and tonics to ageing roues that have become homogeneous.

Is this the end of the Westphalian nation state? Or simply a return to what existed before? A return to polyglot multicultural empires, where loyalty was to class and individual, where French, German, Italian and British nobles felt more in common with each other than with the peasants that they ruled.

In other words are we back under the Hapsburgs, Ottomans, Aztecs and Manchus?

Those polyglot empires make the basic functioning of democracy much more difficult. It is no surprise that democracy started in well defined city states, was preserved in a debased form in geographically delimited Kingdoms and republics and, as Viewcode points out, was only really able to flourish after the Westphalian Treaties.

Blair wanted an end to the Westphalian Settlement. What he was actually pushing for - though I don't accuse him of knowingly doing this - was an end to functional democracy.

Thoughts and prayers.

Rep. Victoria Spartz's second and last town hall of this weekend -- this one in Muncie, Indiana -- is already starting off with boos and yelling from the 160 person audience.

When she took the mic, the entire audience booed her.
https://x.com/DaniellaMicaela/status/1906000112410566735

That's what happens if you quit the RNC.

“… since the 119th Congress began, she has been listed as a member of the Republican Conference and has been attending Conference events...”

Ah, I thought she remained a Republican, but had quit the RNC.

My apologies.

Back on board with the project.

Spartz: "If you violated the law, you are not entitled to due process."..
https://x.com/JoshEakle/status/1906043829850882135

Without due process, there is no law.

So, it begins.

The UK must prepare for an exodus of US citizens seeking shelter.

I am not joking.

These academics are all experts on the nazi. They know what they are seeing.



"Three prominent critics of President Donald Trump are leaving Yale’s faculty — and the United States — amid attacks on higher education to take up positions at the University of Toronto in fall 2025.

Philosophy professor Jason Stanley announced this week that he will leave Yale, while history professors Timothy Snyder and Marci Shore, who are married, decided to leave around the November elections. The three professors will work at Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy."

https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2025/03/27/three-prominent-yale-professors-depart-for-canadian-university-citing-trump-fears/

Perhaps the NHS will also need extra funding for mental health services for people affected by TDS.

Why? What drugs have you been prescribed for it?

I saw Mr Beer today

That's genuinely his name. The first time I knocked on his door was a very hot summer day. I told him that I got thirsty every time I delivered his mail; he immediately grabbed a bottle of Ramsbury Gold from his beer fridge in the porch and told me to quench my thirst with it when I'd finished work

He also gave me beer for Christmas. So when I started brewing beer, I wanted Mr Beer's endorsement. I gave him a bottle a couple of weeks back, and saw him for the first time since this afternoon

He loved the beer I'd given him, so I gave him a bottle of our latest batch. He gave me a box of Camden Hells lager in return, and said my beer was much better

I think I have a thumbs-up from Mr Beer

With only a little editing this would make vol 48 of the Mr Men series of books I read to my four year old grandson.

Perhaps there should be a grown ups version? Mr Beer, Mr Flaneur, Mr Leon, Mr Cokehead, Mr Alco, Mr Lech, Mr Toad, Mr Liar, Mr Implacable, Mr Gay, Mr Vance, Mr Benefits, Mr Rizz and so on.