I find it hard to take seriously anyone who throws around the phrase “radical left” as much as he. To give the Kirk assassin (whose motives are still not known) the same label as Mamdani is really rather outrageous.
Surely it serves no one to discuss possible motives in a crime before the courts. But then Director of the FBI has been talking about this too. I would have expected better from Niall. All in all a bit of a disappointing performance. Trump “shrewd” maybe in some nasty personal sense but politically he doesn’t seem to prepare for anything.
A misreading of history: the Gilded Age executive branch was not trying to shut down the media, intimidate universities, intimidate law firms, ignore court orders, extort businesses for control ( Trump's "10% ownership" of Intel is, because he's Trump, effectively a contolling share). Yes, the Imperialism part (wanting to acquire Greenland, Canada, Panama Canal ... Colonial Era but also consistent with the 1930's fascist territorial grabs like Manchuria, Ethiopia, Sudetenland, etc.). But most of what we are now seeing is 1930's fascism come to the USA. As for this 'new' Gilded Age ending with a 'deal' with China: we are more likely to see Orwell's '1984' - a Planet soon to be essentially controlled by 3 dictators (Trump, Putin, Xi). But if the actual Gilded Age segued into WWI - after a brief 'blowback' into Progressivism - any segue of this alleged new Gilded Age into other than '1984' will be a segue into a final Nuclear Holocaust.
Ferguson is demonstrably wrong factually and politically biased in almost every famously controversial and often malicious move he makes. Not sure he's quite the Fresh Hellion to be given an hour's airtime here now.
I have to add I think the jury is out as to whether or not the assassination of Kirk was backlash, and not just a personal vendetta. Ferguson is attributing to one lone gunman a "violent" and presumably left wing backlash which, not to put too fine a point on it, does not exist. Political assassination as a TACTIC of the left, okay.
He fails to mention one sign of backash, the 6/25 nation wide No Kings demos, at which organizers said 5 million Americans marched. And not a single assassination.
In terms of the have-nots financial backlash, none could be more loud and clear than the massive victory of Mamdani as NYC mayor, running against the worst of the Bent Old Men party the Democrats could conjure up out of their geezer pile. I don't know what America this politically biased "historian" lives in, but Palo Alto is not where the news is at.
Tina, this guy is not paying attention. Get him out of here.
If the distinguished professor is going to slag the BBC and The Guardian for believing Donald Trump is a dangerous dictator, he needs to start slagging 52% of the American public too, who believe Trunp is a dangerous dictator.
Not sure Robinson - the assassin-had leftist extreme radical beliefs. He was a person. We don’t know where his thoughts were. Stop speculating like it is fact.
Again I concur that taking the word of solidly conservative 1 parents 2 Gov Cox 3 Kash Patel that Tyler Robinson is "leftwing" or influenced by the leftwing, and not considering that he might have been confused or even further rightwing -- as in following the Groypers down the rabbit hole (to the extent of dressing up as the emblematic frog in the black track suit for Halloween, something that went right over his friends' and family's heads)... I think Niall is wrong. All of those people claiming Tyler was leftwing have thrown fuel on the fire. Moreover, if Tyler was in a romantic relationship ... not proven ... with a roommate who was in transition, does that mean he cannot be right wing? Where is that written?
Any "evidence" the FBI produces is suspect, as is the "fact" Kirk was shot in the neck. The bullet struck his armor plate (which his wife insisted he wear). It shielded only his center mass, which is why you can see his ripple. (THIS is for the amateur naysayers.) Then a fragment flew off and hit his throat. A wound from a 30-06 would leave a small entrance hole, no blood, and a huge exit wound. There was no exit wound. He bled out in minutes. No first responders were on the scene. He was put into private a private ambulance. There was an autopsy. He was immediately cremated.
A fascinating conversation, in particular the observations regarding differences between national cultures (I’m a great fan of the late Prof. Hofstede). I have been fortunate to work across the world and experience these differences, and apply social design to overcome big societal challenges. Now, in retirement I have lived in France as a refugee from Brexit (a Brexile) for 5 years and I see structural differences here that stem from the revolution, and intended to prevent another gilded royalist age. It is no surprise to me that social protests against the financial divide here are deeply embedded. I find it odd that Britain revels in its royalist pomp and circumstance, instead of seeing it for the mass control mechanism that it is. Maybe thats why Trump is so enthralled by it. In contrast the French love pomp and circumstance too, but celebrating egalité rather than royalty. In closing, like Neil, I have no real idea where the world is heading, but I feel anxious about it right now. Thanks for the listen.
I find it hard to take seriously anyone who throws around the phrase “radical left” as much as he. To give the Kirk assassin (whose motives are still not known) the same label as Mamdani is really rather outrageous.
Surely it serves no one to discuss possible motives in a crime before the courts. But then Director of the FBI has been talking about this too. I would have expected better from Niall. All in all a bit of a disappointing performance. Trump “shrewd” maybe in some nasty personal sense but politically he doesn’t seem to prepare for anything.
Perhaps it would be better for a historian to wait until a case comes to court before making definitive assertions about a person’s motives.
A misreading of history: the Gilded Age executive branch was not trying to shut down the media, intimidate universities, intimidate law firms, ignore court orders, extort businesses for control ( Trump's "10% ownership" of Intel is, because he's Trump, effectively a contolling share). Yes, the Imperialism part (wanting to acquire Greenland, Canada, Panama Canal ... Colonial Era but also consistent with the 1930's fascist territorial grabs like Manchuria, Ethiopia, Sudetenland, etc.). But most of what we are now seeing is 1930's fascism come to the USA. As for this 'new' Gilded Age ending with a 'deal' with China: we are more likely to see Orwell's '1984' - a Planet soon to be essentially controlled by 3 dictators (Trump, Putin, Xi). But if the actual Gilded Age segued into WWI - after a brief 'blowback' into Progressivism - any segue of this alleged new Gilded Age into other than '1984' will be a segue into a final Nuclear Holocaust.
Thank you.
Ferguson is demonstrably wrong factually and politically biased in almost every famously controversial and often malicious move he makes. Not sure he's quite the Fresh Hellion to be given an hour's airtime here now.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/6/1/17417042/niall-ferguson-stanford-emails
I have to add I think the jury is out as to whether or not the assassination of Kirk was backlash, and not just a personal vendetta. Ferguson is attributing to one lone gunman a "violent" and presumably left wing backlash which, not to put too fine a point on it, does not exist. Political assassination as a TACTIC of the left, okay.
He fails to mention one sign of backash, the 6/25 nation wide No Kings demos, at which organizers said 5 million Americans marched. And not a single assassination.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/14/us/protests-cities-no-kings.html
In terms of the have-nots financial backlash, none could be more loud and clear than the massive victory of Mamdani as NYC mayor, running against the worst of the Bent Old Men party the Democrats could conjure up out of their geezer pile. I don't know what America this politically biased "historian" lives in, but Palo Alto is not where the news is at.
Tina, this guy is not paying attention. Get him out of here.
If the distinguished professor is going to slag the BBC and The Guardian for believing Donald Trump is a dangerous dictator, he needs to start slagging 52% of the American public too, who believe Trunp is a dangerous dictator.
Next?
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/29/prri-poll-most-americans-trump-dangerous-dictator
Not sure Robinson - the assassin-had leftist extreme radical beliefs. He was a person. We don’t know where his thoughts were. Stop speculating like it is fact.
Again I concur that taking the word of solidly conservative 1 parents 2 Gov Cox 3 Kash Patel that Tyler Robinson is "leftwing" or influenced by the leftwing, and not considering that he might have been confused or even further rightwing -- as in following the Groypers down the rabbit hole (to the extent of dressing up as the emblematic frog in the black track suit for Halloween, something that went right over his friends' and family's heads)... I think Niall is wrong. All of those people claiming Tyler was leftwing have thrown fuel on the fire. Moreover, if Tyler was in a romantic relationship ... not proven ... with a roommate who was in transition, does that mean he cannot be right wing? Where is that written?
Any "evidence" the FBI produces is suspect, as is the "fact" Kirk was shot in the neck. The bullet struck his armor plate (which his wife insisted he wear). It shielded only his center mass, which is why you can see his ripple. (THIS is for the amateur naysayers.) Then a fragment flew off and hit his throat. A wound from a 30-06 would leave a small entrance hole, no blood, and a huge exit wound. There was no exit wound. He bled out in minutes. No first responders were on the scene. He was put into private a private ambulance. There was an autopsy. He was immediately cremated.
A fascinating conversation, in particular the observations regarding differences between national cultures (I’m a great fan of the late Prof. Hofstede). I have been fortunate to work across the world and experience these differences, and apply social design to overcome big societal challenges. Now, in retirement I have lived in France as a refugee from Brexit (a Brexile) for 5 years and I see structural differences here that stem from the revolution, and intended to prevent another gilded royalist age. It is no surprise to me that social protests against the financial divide here are deeply embedded. I find it odd that Britain revels in its royalist pomp and circumstance, instead of seeing it for the mass control mechanism that it is. Maybe thats why Trump is so enthralled by it. In contrast the French love pomp and circumstance too, but celebrating egalité rather than royalty. In closing, like Neil, I have no real idea where the world is heading, but I feel anxious about it right now. Thanks for the listen.