[ExI] calling for our exi computer security hipsters, was: RE: Donald Trump

[BillK]

On 7 May 2016 at 08:38, Anders Sandberg wrote:
> Well, the Brits actually had a long-running Tory/Labour balance, with the
> concept of having the governing party supported by one or two small parties
> a weird hypothetical. Same in Sweden, where for much of the postwar era it
> was a constellation of the social democrats + leftists vs. the conservatives
> + two smaller parties. But in both cases shifts in voting patterns made
> these balances unstable. Shift happens.
>
<snip>
> My suggestion is that the key part is safeguarding the open society. Help
> build solid legal and technical protections for journalists, ensure that the
> judciary is independent, make sure name-and-shame mechanisms and
> whistleblowing makes corruption and misuse of power risky, spread a wider
> understanding of what the enlightenment achieved, and so on.
>


Having an open society is a 'nice-to-have' option, but it isn't the
main problem.
Time and again in history, when the 'sensible' leaders fail, they get
thrown out and change happens. When a large proportion of the people
see deteriorating prospects for themselves and their children they
vote / revolt for a strong leader to sort the mess out. It's really
not that complicated. Successful leaders need to keep their followers
believing that life is getting better for everyone. 'Bread and
circuses' can distract a population for a while, but if conditions
continue to get worse, then revolt is inevitable.

BillK