Thinking Class #143 - Auron MacIntyre - The West Has Already Become A Total State And Most People Inside It Have No Idea
Sep 3, 2026
Auron MacIntyre, political commentator, writer, and author of The Total State, examines how managerial systems are spreading through institutions and everyday life. They discuss the media-run state, Britain’s culture of compliance, surveillance, constitutional fragility, demographic change, AI, and the return of faith and identity. MacIntyre also explains why electoral victories fall short and how parallel institutions could rebuild political power.
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How Bureaucracy Makes Ideology Look Neutral
- Bureaucratic power hides ideology behind supposedly neutral procedures, making dissent appear irrational or harmful.
- HR rules, compliance frameworks, diversity policies, and risk systems gradually govern work and wider social life.
Why It Is A Media-Run State
- Mass democracy increasingly depends on institutions that manufacture public opinion rather than simply reflect it.
- Media, universities, NGOs, and tastemakers shape the information voters need, producing what Auron calls a media-run state.
Britain Shows How Surveillance Gets Used
- Britain illustrates how surveillance and speech controls can target dissent without preventing the crimes used to justify them.
- Auron contrasted Britain’s extensive CCTV with its use against anti-immigration protesters and emphasized America’s stronger federalism.
