What's the most stupid thing a nation has ever done?
Michael Bloomberg is a very clever man.
I do, however, agree that the Guardian was right - this does happen occasionally - that when Bloomberg suggested that Brexit is the most stupid thing a nation had ever done "Until we Trumped them," he was underestimating the competition for the title of daftest actions in history.
The Guardian has their suggested list of alternatives for the daftest actions in history as per the link above. Here are my top eight:
1) Invading Russia (Napoleon, Hitler, and everyone else who's tried it)
2) Killing or expropriating the most productive farmers in your country (Stalin, Mao, Mugabe)
3) Trying to kill or arrest every skilled person in your country (Cambodia)
4) Banning the export of your most important export good (Confederate States of America)
5) Depending for your defence entirely on foreign mercenaries (Vortigern, many others)
6) Abolishing all banknotes not divisible by the President's favourite number (Myanmar)
7) Acting on the advice of the Delphic Oracle (Midas)
8) Executing Ghengis Khan's ambassador (The Khwarezmid empire)
It is no coincidence that very few of the regimes responsible for the above mistakes are still around, though sadly one or two are.
Jim King has commented below that starting the First World War should also be on any good list of the daftest actions taken in history and I reckon that's pretty hard to argue against.
I think most of the above disastrous errors put any of the decisions taken in Britain in 2016 or 2017 into perspective as at worst second league in the bad move stakes. What do you think was the most stupid decision in history?
I do, however, agree that the Guardian was right - this does happen occasionally - that when Bloomberg suggested that Brexit is the most stupid thing a nation had ever done "Until we Trumped them," he was underestimating the competition for the title of daftest actions in history.
The Guardian has their suggested list of alternatives for the daftest actions in history as per the link above. Here are my top eight:
1) Invading Russia (Napoleon, Hitler, and everyone else who's tried it)
2) Killing or expropriating the most productive farmers in your country (Stalin, Mao, Mugabe)
3) Trying to kill or arrest every skilled person in your country (Cambodia)
4) Banning the export of your most important export good (Confederate States of America)
5) Depending for your defence entirely on foreign mercenaries (Vortigern, many others)
6) Abolishing all banknotes not divisible by the President's favourite number (Myanmar)
7) Acting on the advice of the Delphic Oracle (Midas)
8) Executing Ghengis Khan's ambassador (The Khwarezmid empire)
It is no coincidence that very few of the regimes responsible for the above mistakes are still around, though sadly one or two are.
Jim King has commented below that starting the First World War should also be on any good list of the daftest actions taken in history and I reckon that's pretty hard to argue against.
I think most of the above disastrous errors put any of the decisions taken in Britain in 2016 or 2017 into perspective as at worst second league in the bad move stakes. What do you think was the most stupid decision in history?
Comments
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1SpJ15HadE
"There was a tiny flaw in the plan"
"What was that, Sir?"
"It was B*****ks."