Prudent for Labour to 'war-game' for power, says party's digital guru
Academic Richard Barbrook is helping Jeremy Corbyn's party role-play future scenarios such as a fresh banking crisis.
Tuesday 26 September 2017 21:38, UK
Labour are being "prudent" in "war-gaming" potential problems they could face in government, according to the man preparing the party for power.
Richard Barbrook, who runs an organisation called "Class Wargames", revealed to Sky News how he is working with Labour's leadership over the possibility they could form a government in the next couple of years.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has already described how a team headed by the University of Westminster academic has allowed him under a Labour government.
But Dr Barbrook, who has begun working with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's office, explained how his gaming techniques will help the party role-play a number of future scenarios that might occur - including another banking crisis or foreign military intervention.
Speaking at the Labour party conference in Brighton, Dr Barbrook outlined how "war-gaming" is already widely employed by private firms and government officials.
He claimed the British military had "gamed" David Cameron's 2011 military intervention in Libya and told the government "not to bother".
"It's a safe way of thinking about the future," Dr Barbrook said.
"Obviously you can't predict the future but at least you can prepare for it.
"If Labour is going to come to power it should at least... know what it's strategy is going to be and also adopt these techniques which are very successfully used by ministers, the civil service and corporations.
"It's weird that political parties don't do it."
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Dr Barbrook helped create a "Corbyn Run" video game during the recent General Election campaign, which allowed players to "shake" cash from virtual bankers in order to represent the funding plans for Labour's policies.
He will now work with Mr Corbyn on digital strategy.
Dr Barbrook said it was "prudent" for Labour to prepare for Mr Corbyn entering 10 Downing Street as "it's very likely we are going to have a Labour government in two years" as the "tottering" Government tries to navigate Brexit.
He added: "If people are going to entrust the country's future to the Labour Party they should have some confidence we're going to do a good job of it and have anticipated some of the more problems coming up."
According to its website, his "Class Wargames" organisation "investigates gaming as a metaphor for social relations under repressive neoliberalism" and "trains the militants of the cybernetic communist revolution to come".