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A competence gap is a very polite way to put it. In Britain we live in an inverted meritocracy which rewards smug stupidity, elevates bullshit, while punishing

A competence gap is a very polite way to put it. In Britain we live in an inverted meritocracy which rewards smug stupidity, elevates bullshit, while punishing and marginalising our most talented people. I thought this was going to be another cynical Economist hit piece like the earlier "Europe not pulling its weight" [1] but was surprised how on-the-money it is. Some well chosen quotes; "A family with the wrong members in control" wrote George Orwell of the English. Or, a country that "institutionalises lying" ruled "by chancers and cranks" sums it up nicely. We've had a profound leadership crisis in Britain for several decades now, and it's not just party politics. It's endemic to all institutions and industry. We positively celebrate corruption because we mistake it for power. We keep selecting incompetents to lead, in all areas, because we confuse their psychopathic cunning with "leadership". I believe that the recent visibility of "imposter syndrome" is tactical smoke to distract from the fact that there really are an extraordinary number of actual imposters in charge everywhere. Are they're getting scared? Exposure is coming. George Carlin put it best I think. He said the definition of real terror is waking up in mid-life and realising that all those pricks you went to school with are now running the country. But yes, it's our fault. We built a system that selects for them. And we continue to allow it to stand. What worries me is that, if tomorrow our country came to its senses and asked genuinely competent people to take the helm, it would already be far, far too late. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/context?id=33992393 https://news.ycombinator.com/context?id=33992393

jrumbut 4y ago
From the outside, the most painful part of UK politics to watch is this instinctual reaction of "well, that didn't work, so let's do anything else." It takes a lot of luck to do that and land on a good idea. Again, from the outside, the UK looks like a country that has a lot to lose but it's acting quite desperate and it's hard to see why. > What worries me is that, if tomorrow our country came to its senses and asked genuinely competent people to take the helm, it would already be far, far too late. I agree with much of the post, but it's this kind of statement that worries me. I think there is a lot of room for incremental improvement in the UK, the dull work of growing in competence, but the appetite seems to be for sweeping measures.
- nonrandomstring 4y ago
  > worries me... the appetite seems to be for sweeping measures. Yes that is concerning. Desperate voters will follow any crazy with bold promises. > I think there is a lot of room for incremental improvement in the UK Way I see it, I've lived through about 30-40 years of decremental decline, so if we started "incremental improvement" tomorrow, we'd be back where I started in the 1970s just by the time I die. I suppose that's better than watching ones country decline through all your life, like for Russians. Or disintegrate, as for ex-Yugoslavians for example. However, in the era of climate crisis, and myriad other threats, a sense of urgency is in the air which we cannot ignore. Unless rational and courageous minds take the lead someone else will. > the dull work of growing in competence. Knowing where to even start... how to counter the conditions that are causing us to lose competence... we need to plug the holes in the ship before charting a new course.
notahacker 4y ago
> George Carlin put it best I think. He said the definition of real terror is waking up in mid-life and realising that all those pricks you went to school with are now running the country. Not too worried about that; didn't attend Eton. :D
vsareto 4y ago
Pretty sure if you went to school with folks running a country, you're probably in the big club he talks about regular people not being in, so you're unlikely to wake up in terror
- nonrandomstring 4y ago
  He means it a bit less literally than that. I'd call it the Biff Tannen (AKA Trump) effect. That jackass kid who would stick a compass in his hand for giggles, set fire to cats or drink a bottle of antifreeze is now, by pure devious guile and rotten luck for everyone else, the mayor of your city. You studied hard, went to college, served your nation, designed a better widget, raised a decent family, bought the dream... and have fuck-all say in what goes. It's nothing to do with elite schools, prominent families or money. That's what makes it even more horrifying. The race is not to the quick etc... How arbitrary it is. I think that's Carlin's point.

jrumbut 4y ago

From the outside, the most painful part of UK politics to watch is this instinctual reaction of "well, that didn't work, so let's do anything else." It takes a lot of luck to do that and land on a good idea. Again, from the outside, the UK looks like a country that has a lot to lose but it's acting quite desperate and it's hard to see why. > What worries me is that, if tomorrow our country came to its senses and asked genuinely competent people to take the helm, it would already be far, far too late. I agree with much of the post, but it's this kind of statement that worries me. I think there is a lot of room for incremental improvement in the UK, the dull work of growing in competence, but the appetite seems to be for sweeping measures.

nonrandomstring 4y ago
> worries me... the appetite seems to be for sweeping measures. Yes that is concerning. Desperate voters will follow any crazy with bold promises. > I think there is a lot of room for incremental improvement in the UK Way I see it, I've lived through about 30-40 years of decremental decline, so if we started "incremental improvement" tomorrow, we'd be back where I started in the 1970s just by the time I die. I suppose that's better than watching ones country decline through all your life, like for Russians. Or disintegrate, as for ex-Yugoslavians for example. However, in the era of climate crisis, and myriad other threats, a sense of urgency is in the air which we cannot ignore. Unless rational and courageous minds take the lead someone else will. > the dull work of growing in competence. Knowing where to even start... how to counter the conditions that are causing us to lose competence... we need to plug the holes in the ship before charting a new course.

notahacker 4y ago

> George Carlin put it best I think. He said the definition of real terror is waking up in mid-life and realising that all those pricks you went to school with are now running the country. Not too worried about that; didn't attend Eton. :D

vsareto 4y ago

Pretty sure if you went to school with folks running a country, you're probably in the big club he talks about regular people not being in, so you're unlikely to wake up in terror

nonrandomstring 4y ago
He means it a bit less literally than that. I'd call it the Biff Tannen (AKA Trump) effect. That jackass kid who would stick a compass in his hand for giggles, set fire to cats or drink a bottle of antifreeze is now, by pure devious guile and rotten luck for everyone else, the mayor of your city. You studied hard, went to college, served your nation, designed a better widget, raised a decent family, bought the dream... and have fuck-all say in what goes. It's nothing to do with elite schools, prominent families or money. That's what makes it even more horrifying. The race is not to the quick etc... How arbitrary it is. I think that's Carlin's point.