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Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]

Samizdata quote of the day – “political entrepreneur” edition

Zack Polanski may be terrible at economics, but he is a great entrepreneur — a political entrepreneur, that is. The lesson from Corbynmania, the Greta Thunberg movement, BLM, Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil, the gender movement and the Palestine movement is that there is a lot of vaguely youthful, vaguely left-wing, vaguely anti-capitalist political energy around. That energy was looking for a political outlet, a gap in the market which Polanski spotted and filled. I wish he had used his talents to become an actual entrepreneur in the private sector instead, creating wealth rather than promoting ideas that destroy it.

Kristian Niemietz

For those blissfully unaware of Zack Polanski (original name is David Paulden), here is some information about his approach to foreign affairs. Assuming he is sincere, he is mad, or it may be that he is simply intellectually depraved.

10 comments to Samizdata quote of the day – “political entrepreneur” edition

  • DJM

    Planski (NHRN),the perfect solution for those who thought that The Doom Goblin was the answer for all ills of “The System”

  • Johnathan Pearce (London)

    NHRN: what does that stand for?

  • Natalie Solent (Essex)

    Kristian Niemietz writes of Zack Polanski, “I wish he had used his talents to become an actual entrepreneur in the private sector instead, creating wealth rather than promoting ideas that destroy it.”

    Indeed.

    As this 2018 post by Michael Jennings reminded us,

    IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad has has died. Evidence suggests that in his youth, Mr Kamprad was a Nazi. I don’t mean this in any metaphorical sense. He appears to have been an actual Nazi.

    Mr Kamprad then went on to conquer the world through selling people flat pack furniture. Rather than the other way.

  • Duncan Stewart

    NHRN
    Not His Real Name

  • NickM

    According to wikipedia he once taught “circus skills” – nuff said.

  • bobby b

    OP: “Assuming he is sincere, he is mad, or it may be that he is simply intellectually depraved.”

    For stating that he thinks that dialogue should always at least be attempted?

    Granted, using Putin as his example is quite a stretch, but his basic idea – jaw-jaw is better than . . . – seems sound.

  • GregWA

    Seems that in assessing such a person, the top two questions should be 1) are his ideas nuts or worse dangerous and 2) is he any good at getting things (his ideas) done? Seems we have a yes to the first and a maybe to the second. That’s concerning to say the least.

  • Snorri Godhi

    Whatever infinitesimal chance there was of getting Putin to give up his nukes, disappeared when Putin saw what happened to Gaddafi after he gave up his WMDs.

  • Paul Marks.

    Last May (May 2025) the Green Party won all but one of the seats on Kettering Town Council – a town of about 70 thousand people.

    “But Paul, Reform split the vote” is what some people here tell me – but the Reform Party did NOT put up candidates in the Town Council elections (they only put up candidates for the North Northamptonshire Unitary Authority elections – and campaigned on false promises about Council Tax, incorrect claims about debts being run up by the previous administration, and nonsense about “send in the auditors” as if thousands of Pounds were not spent on auditors every year – but leave all that aside), the Reform Party are NOT to blame for the success of the Green Party.

    The public have been indoctrinated to regard the Greens as basically correct – and 14 years of Conservatives being “in office, but not in power” are a big part of that, none of the Green claims or policies (no matter how absurd) were challenged – on the contrary the whole agenda, of the officials and “experts”, was carried on with no resistance from the elected government.

    The same person, Alexander Boris Johnson, who had written article after article (as a newspaper man) mocking the Green Party agenda – pushed that same agenda as Prime Minister, as did everyone else in government.

    President Trump fights this agenda – the elected British government just collapsed to the demands of the officials and “experts”.

    And these forces can point to Acts of Parliament – just as the “Equality Act” (and other Acts) pushed the “Woke” (Frankfurt School “Critical Theory” Marxist) agenda, so the “Environment Act” pushed the Green agenda – and the vast majority of Conservative Members of Parliament voted-for these Acts of Parliament – without even reading them, out of fear of being called “Racists” (“ists and phobes”) or “Climate Change Deniers”.

    Yes, I know, it is incredibly difficult to oppose the officials and “experts” who have, via the education system and media, indoctrinated much of the public, and control everything ministers see and hear (every meeting, every briefing – and so on) – but unless this agenda is defeated, this nation will be destroyed.

  • Paul Marks.

    As for the leader of the Green Party, Mr David Paulden, yes his policies are insane – and the Deputy Leader of the Green Party is, if anything, worse.

    As he is a follower of Islam – it will soon be illegal in the United Kingdom to oppose the Deputy Leader of the Green Party – as he will be able to say that opposition to him is “Anti Muslim Hostility”.

    This country, the British people, appears to be doomed – utterly so.

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