The only point I would add is that whilst I fully acknowledge that Trump and Brexit were protest votes, for many of the reasons you describe above, whether these protests are actually of any benefit to the 'protestors' remains to be seen.

People want something different, that much is clear, but I worry our search for something different has lead to decisions which ultimately will prove to be to the detriment of the majority.

They may succeed in bucking the trend, but to what end?

I struggle with this for a variety of reasons.

One of the enduring narratives that came from both Brexit and Trumps victory was that the masses were too stupid to know what was good for them. Yet in both the Leave campaign and the Democrats spent vastly more in putting their message forward along with having the overwhelming majority of main stream commentators, be it news anchors or some form of 'pop' star, promoting their message.

All accepted conventional political wisdom said that neither Brexit or Trump would triumph and yet both did. But somehow people like me, who voted leave and who would jumped for joy if I could have voted Trump, are meant to be the stupid ones?

No. It does not wash.

The reality is that people take a look at the world around them and contrast it with what others tell them that world is meant to look like. And when the difference becomes to great to ignore, they actually start thinking for themselves.

Because that is what both Brexit and Trump were about. People looking at what their supposed better educated and self-styled political leaders were telling them and decided that enough was enough.

That in this modern world, people no longer have to rely on what a very narrow minded group of people wish to tell them about what is good for them or not. Hence why the Deep State is now so keen on cracking down on people who express opinions not in keeping with their own.

A valid observation but any society, if it wants to function in any form of positive sense, has to have certain core attributes and shared values at its core.

We could argue about what those are until the cows come home, and a good time would be had by all but for me the one trope that constantly comes from the left is a disdain for the notion of populism.

What the hell is wrong with populism? Surely that is at the heart of what the democratic process actually is? And why would the left in particular be so against it?

Edited by Matov (01 May 2018 6.10pm)

I struggle with this for a variety of reasons.

One of the enduring narratives that came from both Brexit and Trumps victory was that the masses were too stupid to know what was good for them. Yet in both the Leave campaign and the Democrats spent vastly more in putting their message forward along with having the overwhelming majority of main stream commentators, be it news anchors or some form of 'pop' star, promoting their message.

All accepted conventional political wisdom said that neither Brexit or Trump would triumph and yet both did. But somehow people like me, who voted leave and who would jumped for joy if I could have voted Trump, are meant to be the stupid ones?

No. It does not wash.

The reality is that people take a look at the world around them and contrast it with what others tell them that world is meant to look like. And when the difference becomes to great to ignore, they actually start thinking for themselves.

Because that is what both Brexit and Trump were about. People looking at what their supposed better educated and self-styled political leaders were telling them and decided that enough was enough.

That in this modern world, people no longer have to rely on what a very narrow minded group of people wish to tell them about what is good for them or not. Hence why the Deep State is now so keen on cracking down on people who express opinions not in keeping with their own.

'certain core attributes and shared values at its core'.

You have not given any, have you.

Undermining Britain and the Majority, is a deliberately deceptive thread title inferring that if you do not hold a certain point of view then you are undermining Britain, and that is the view of a 'majority'.

You give no evidence of this, brexit and Trump are your pet subjects, not those of a 'majority' but yourself.

Thus because we may not agree with brexit or Trump we are somehow 'undermining' Britain.

If you want to debate all these things by all means, but you cannot IMO ascribe your personal views to those of a 'majority undermining Britain'.

That is utterly false.

Misoneist

Across the green and pleasant pastures

Behind the evergreen hedgerows

Through the drawn curtains

Into the darkened rooms

Lit by the steady flicker of a dying fluorescent light

Pie and mash fingers casting shadows on yellowed keyboards

Warriors to the end, defending freedom

Noble isolation

Clinging to a time that never was

Once more for St. George

Until the world ends

(Read in a similar tone and rhythm as ‘The Dead Flag Blues’)