By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 13/04/2026Good public services are the basis for "the social contract between rulers and the ruled" - pay your taxes and obey the laws, and in return, you will be well served. 20/ 1429 0
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 13/04/2026When public services go wrong, people don't always know who to blame, but they *definitely* notice that something is going wrong, so when public services fail, people stop trusting the state, and that social contract starts to fray. 21/ 1408 0
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 13/04/2026They start to suspect that elites are lining their pockets rather than managing the system, and they "withdraw their support" for the system. Fascists thrive in these conditions. Fascists come to power by mobilizing grievances. 22/ 1409 0
