Mamdani, charisma and the Left

The whole Mamdani phenomenon is quite exceptionally interesting, n’est-ce pas?  The Left, Greens and progressives generally, everywhere, are hoping upon hope they can ride on his coat-tails to woke victory.  Can it be Polanski?  And yet …

Generally, the real politicos of the Left hate the idea of needing to depend on personality-centred leadership.  Magnetic charisma is even worse.  These objections are doctrinal for them, and, you suspect, visceral, too.  The Revolution comes, not when an individual galvanises gullible voters, but When Economic Conditions are Right, and the masses rise up as one.  Of course, the sainthood conferred upon Lenin rather goes against this; and “whoa, Jeremy Corbyn” / Magic Grandad; but …  

The fact is, even ordinary-grade charm is dangerous, never mind outright charisma.  The Blairs and the Johnsons (and even the Mandelsons) of this world glide through life asserting their exemption from ordinary constraints, and getting what they want.  When we get to Clinton, we are talking Elvis-level powers, particularly over women.  (I’ve no intention of getting into Godwin territory.)

When working for a US multinational, I once attended a management conference in the States, as did all managers world above a certain grade.  On one occasion we were addressed by a speaker who had a novel consultancy-type idea to sell – a lens for categorising & analysing problems according to some classic 2 x 2 matrix of his devising.  His ideas were worthwhile, but – objectively speaking – no more than just something to digest, hoist on board, and deploy where useful for a bit of an additional insight.

The thing was, he was as charismatic as all Hell (and the Devil is really quite charismatic).  In the coffee-room afterwards, the discussion – amongst supposedly professional people, mostly senior engineers, went (or rather, gushed) like this.

- Wow!  Wasn’t that great?!  I heard him say X, and Y.  I really agree with that.

- Yeah – best we’ve heard all week!  I heard him say A and B – that really resonates with me.

And so on.

Now with my cynical but quite useful Oxford education in philosophy and logic, I was mentally at one remove from all this the moment this guy flashed his enigmatic smile at us.   And, if you’ll forgive the arrogance of my offering an ‘objective assessment’, I can assure you he said none of X, Y, A nor B: some of these supposed pronouncements attributed to him were mutually incompatible!  What he did, was absolutely enthrall his audience, who then individually projected onto him everything each of them wanted to hear.  Amazing stuff.  Harmless, on this occasion … but we all know where this sometimes goes.

Let’s watch Messrs Mamdani’s and Polanski’s careers with interest.  

ND