Ancestors

Toot

Written by Mr Salteena is not quite a gentleman on 2025-01-31 at 22:54

A striking phrase from Brett Deveraux this week writing about the Gracchi:

" ancient tyrants did not demolish the apparatus of the state and declare themselves kings. Instead they subverted the state to run its affairs extra-constitutionally: the courts still functioned, the assemblies still met, councils still voted but one man controlled everything through a web of cronies, clients and the threat of force. "

I don't think he meant this, in context, as any kind of metacommentary on world events right now. But.

https://acoup.blog/2025/01/31/collections-on-the-gracchi-part-ii-gaius-gracchus/

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Descendants

Written by Andreas K on 2025-02-01 at 15:25

@stephen

It's called the dual state, it at least on the context of the Nazi state in Germany.

The Nazis as you correctly pointed out mostly left the regular administrative state working. And added a second pillar "extra constitutional" based on the leader who could basically decree whatever he wanted and break the regular rule of law.

Or libertarian friends are about to find out what the Allies found out after WWII: you cannot run a state without the adminstrators.

@pluralistic

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Written by Brian David on 2025-02-02 at 13:32

@yacc143 @stephen @pluralistic This modern crop of billionaires are such an existential threat because they've functionally created a cult among themselves. Trump is old school in that I don't think he particularly cares how anything works, as long as the specific things he wants are given to him. Musk, on the other hand, is a true believer and is willing to burn everything down trying to prove out his ideologies.

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Written by Isaac Freeman on 2025-02-01 at 20:01

@stephen I don't know whether it's shade on current world events, but it's definitely shade on the Caesars.

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Written by lizzard on 2025-02-02 at 03:24

@stephen i always love seeing your user name . I say ethel, i have had my tea in bed! ::goes to the gaierty theatre::

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