[I am currently writing a book on the history of psychological concepts. Here is an extract from the chapter on “Insanity”] * * * Efforts to suppress dissent are, obviously, intended to preserve the status quo. For this reason, insightful political leaders often find that they must challenge normative thinking […]
Politics
Why the British really voted for Brexit
It’s Brexit Day. It’s done. And right on cue, I have a piece in today’s Irish Times: It was as early as July 2016 when one British national broadsheet warned of “Brexhaustion”, claiming the UK public were being crippled by Brexit fatigue. This was a mere three weeks after the […]
Please don’t vote for racists. Vote AGAINST them
So Ireland is having yet another vote, this time — of all things — to elect its government. As international readers might be aware, for this type of election, Ireland uses a voting system called proportional representation with a single transferable vote (PR-STV). It’s fun! Your job as a voter […]
“The Psychology of Brexit” is now available!
“excellent and clearly written…in the vanguard of the area” “timely, insightful and brave…a lesson for all” “a penetrating analysis…written with energy and style. One that I think will earn an enduring place on the Brexit bookshelf” “accessible and absorbing…a must-read” »Details here.
On “celebratory racism”
Social controversies are frequently seized upon by bigots. In Britain, for example, the immediate aftermath of the Brexit referendum saw a sharp increase in racist incidents, with reports of people being harassed on the street, jeered at in shops, and barracked at passport control in airports. There is even a […]
Fact-checking the racists: The psychological approach of Ireland’s alt-right
Releasing the Genie Notwithstanding frantic after-the-fact efforts to rehabilitate the town’s reputation, there is little doubt that alt-right/far-right extremists successfully infiltrated that public meeting in Oughterard. The townspeople currently protesting the proposed Direct Provision facility (Ireland’s version of an asylum seeker reception centre) are not members of any far-right organisation. They are […]