The Populist Delusion

I bought this thinking it was a burger cookery book by the famous Italian chef Nima Parvini, turns out it's political philosophy, an analysis of the so-called elite theorists: Pareto, Mosca, Don the Pleb, Burnham, etc. I flicked through looking for burger recipes but instead found:"Change always takes concerted organisation and cannot hope to be achieved simply by convincing the greatest number of people of your point of view. Power does not care, in the final analysis, how many likes you got on your Twitter account."Well, this is no ordinary burger book, I thought, and pressed on. Parvini, rather than talking about burgers as I had hoped, instead gives a summary of the thought of the elite theorists, bringing it to bear upon present day politics, such as they are. In a sense, there is little original here, but it a) saves you the time of reading probably millions of words, and b) Parvini skilfully situates these thinkers in relation to each other, so you have not merely the York Notes of Pareto et al., but also something like a conversation between thinkers across the decades, centuries even (Machiavelli), and c) Parvini as something of a Vince MacMahon of political philosophy, presents the elite theorists much as MacMahon presented Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Randy Savage etc. – compelling acts, but his own presentation, his organisation of their thought, is discreetly important & persuasive.Parvini is the expert organiser, the maker of lists, the eater of burgers, and here he uses his MacMahonism to bring out the most interesting, most relevant aspects of the elite theorists, and to set them against and alongside each other, and then in a move that even MacMahon has never dared, Parvini unleashes Hulk Hogan, Flair, The Undertaker, Sid Justice, on the audience, on us, sending them charging into the crowd to beat us into shape, to knock the smartphones & seed oils & anime out of our girly hands.In the end, instead of finding burgers I found a bleak and largely unconsoling truth - that society is a top-down affair, that elites control as is their destiny, that there is no Italian burger chef called Nima Parvini, only Neema Parvini, the Vince MacMahon of political philosophy.

A very interesting read that challenges many of our modern political myths, specifically those of popular sovereignty. I found the book to be quite readable and far more pithy when compared with most political commentary

This work is a remarkable accomplishment, in that it summarises and orders together a voluminous body of scholarly analyses, all from the 'not on public display' section of the archives, and does so with admirable brevity and clarity.In doing so Parvini sweeps aside the dim clouds of regime apologia, demolishes the mythological ramparts behind which lurk the empowered homunculi of the current (dis)order, and discloses the actual laws of motion of human political reality.This austere scholar has gifted us with tools sharp and suitable to the work at hand. It remains for us to pick them up and wield them readily.

Parvini provides a clear, chronological and concise summary of the school of elite theory. The century-old school has managed to describe how powerful networks of governments, media, NGOs and corporations conspire to shape the collective minds of populations under the aegis of "representative democracy" in such a way that fools citizens throughout the West (and beyond) into believing that emergent culture presses the powerful into action on behalf of the masses.There is much real world data presented here in accessible fashion, whose value free analysis leaves one clear-eyed on the question: do politicians even care that I think they're lying to me?The answer is no, and this book may make you feel silly for ever asking.

Nancy has written an absolute blinder here. She goes through a bunch of weird Italian dudes who taught her how to be a politician back in the motherland and then a mid century German and some New World types. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on Burnham, I didn't know our Andy had such deep theory to him!Frankly it makes me want to sit right down and stay a while, we like the same things and I like her style. Keep it up Nancy!

This book represents a distillation of political knowledge the value of which you will not find outside of learning the secrets taught by the ancient mystery schools. Concentrating the learning of centuries of pedigree political thinkers in a book of only 150 pages, the knowledge and conclusions found here will vastly improve ones lens through which to understand the world of modern politics, and leave no doubt as to the true mechanism driving power and politics in the 21st century. A must buy.

Ever wondered why seemingly hitherto popular crowd pleasing entrepreneurs like Donald Trump and Elon Musk can go from hero to zero whilst the averagenormie nods along obediently to the prevailing media narrative? This book gives an insight into how power functions behind the curtain and how our elites rule over us shaping the narratives that create those realities. A highly readable distillation of all the great thinkers, their quotes and theories. No confusion or delay.

An Excellent Book. Was recommended to me by the late Sir Tony Blair of the Garta.