10 Downing St.'s latest advisor -

[GlennB]

Andrew Sabisky, appointed, it seems, by Dominic Cummings. Some of Sabisky's stated views:

“...“One way to get around the problems of unplanned pregnancies, creating a permanent underclass, would be to legally enforce universal uptake of long-term contraception at the onset of puberty,”

"... black Americans have a lower than average IQ than white people and are more likely to have an “intellectual disability”

Interested in the anti-narcolepsy drug modafinil, he stated: "From a societal perspective the benefits of giving everyone modafinil once a week are probably worth a dead kid once a year.”

source

 

[The Don]

Sounds like exactly the sort of person we should have with the ear of our Prime Minister.

They're messages which play to the Conservative Party faithful.

 

[GlennB]

And now he's gone. Supposedly resigned after a 'witch hunt', but I'd guess 'invited to resign'. What a shambles. Or is a cunning plan?

 

[Darat]

And now he's gone. Supposedly resigned after a 'witch hunt', but I'd guess 'invited to resign'. What a shambles. Or is a cunning plan?

Shambles. I said it after the resignation of Javid, this is what we will see constantly happening. Johnson has no ability to manage anything.

 

[ceptimus]

And now he's gone. Supposedly resigned after a 'witch hunt', but I'd guess 'invited to resign'. What a shambles. Or is a cunning plan?

Do you mean a Cummings plan?

 

[Arcade22]

Cummings wanted "special" people to balance out the "normal" neurotypical ones in government. No doubt this is just a momentary setback for this wunderkind and his disturbing plans.

 

[p0lka]

Ah, I was wondering why eugenics had become the flavour of the month, wondering answered.

 

[The Don]

Shambles. I said it after the resignation of Javid, this is what we will see constantly happening. Johnson has no ability to manage anything.

As President Trump has shown, constant turmoil - and the associated headlines - is a great way for certain parties to get their agenda through with minimal scrutiny.

We'll be so enraged about an advisor with alleged racist views to notice the rapid erosion of workers' rights and environmental protections, the piecemeal selling off of the NHS or the UK's inevitable slide down the global economic table.

 

[dudalb]

Shambles. I said it after the resignation of Javid, this is what we will see constantly happening. Johnson has no ability to manage anything.

He certainly does not seem to be doing a good job of vetting people......any decent check would have shown that Sabisky was bad news.

 

[The Don]

He certainly does not seem to be doing a good job of vetting people......any decent check would have shown that Sabisky was bad news.

It's just like the Trump administration in that regard.

 

[Mojo]

He certainly does not seem to be doing a good job of vetting people......any decent check would have shown that Sabisky was bad news.

If only they had hired some sort of “superforecaster”, then they might have predicted that this would happen.

 

[Darat]

If only they had hired some sort of “superforecaster”, then they might have predicted that this would happen.

These "superforecasters" I know it is meant to be based on some actual research but from the reports I've read it seems like they hunted for people who have bet on the winning horse five times on a trot? I'm assuming that is simply bad reporting?

 

[Mongrel]

These "superforecasters" I know it is meant to be based on some actual research but from the reports I've read it seems like they hunted for people who have bet on the winning horse five times on a trot? I'm assuming that is simply bad reporting?

Wait...
Did they take inspiration from Ringworld?

Teela Brown was a member of the crew recruited by Puppeteer Nessus for an expedition to the Ringworld. Her sole qualification was that she was descended from "lucky" ancestors, six generations of whom were born as a result of winning Earth's Birthright Lottery. The consequence of her state was that she'd led such a charmed and worry-free life that she was emotionally immature and unprepared for "harsh reality." The Puppeteer saw this as a kind of artificial selection, tending to breed for a psionic power of good luck. He hoped Teela would bring luck and success to the entire expedition.

 

[Darat]

Wait...
Did they take inspiration from Ringworld?

Exactly what I was thinking about.

 

[novaphile]

He hoped Teela would bring luck and success to the entire expedition.

That was such an epic fail, it made up for the completely woo concept of genetic luck.

When I find things like that in Larry Niven stories, I'm always forced to ask...
"Was this idiocy from Jerry Pournell?"

 

[catsmate]

Exactly what I was thinking about.

And look how that worked our for the Ringworld Expeditions...

That was such an epic fail, it made up for the completely woo concept of genetic luck.

When I find things like that in Larry Niven stories, I'm always forced to ask...
"Was this idiocy from Jerry Pournell[e]?"