Getting to No: Name-calling Politics

Every morning it seems I am stunned by any given political actor (celebrity, politician, journalist) in the UK or the USA calling another politician an idiot, a fascist, a communist, a liar, a populist, nationalist, .... the list goes on. What are they thinking? You don't need to have read Roger Fisher and William Ury's … Continue reading Getting to No: Name-calling Politics

Naming and Blaming Does Not Foster Compromise

One of the key points in Robert Fisher and William Ury's insightful book about 'Getting to Yes' was that you should make every effort to focus on the issues and not the individuals in a debate. What are the assumptions, facts, unknowns, major decisions? Once you begin focusing on the positions of individuals, those individuals … Continue reading Naming and Blaming Does Not Foster Compromise

Getting to a Brexit Strategy: Focus on the Process

Press coverage of Brexit negotiations is focused on the politicians in support of different exit strategies, from a no-deal Brexit to no Brexit at all. As one consequence, the debate then focuses on whose right or wrong and why. All very newsworthy, but not an approach to reaching any consensus on the approach the UK … Continue reading Getting to a Brexit Strategy: Focus on the Process

The Ascendance of Symbolic Politics: An Explanation and Consequence of Gridlock

Politicians in American and world politics are finding themselves in gridlocks over real policy change. Unable to make decisions on fundamental policies shaping the reallocation of resources, whether it be in the US Senate or the UN Security Council. This gridlock in real policy decisions makes symbolic politics the one and only game to play, … Continue reading The Ascendance of Symbolic Politics: An Explanation and Consequence of Gridlock

American Political Discourse: The Collapse of Civility and Commonsense Negotiating Strategies

Two aspects of contemporary political discourse in America seem to undermine the aims of all stakeholders. These aspects are apparent on social media, orchestrated campaigns, such as via email platforms, and on most major media with the one extraordinary exception of public broadcasting. The first is civility. Too often, all parties in political debate are … Continue reading American Political Discourse: The Collapse of Civility and Commonsense Negotiating Strategies