Machiavelli — is he all bad? by Geoff Marlow.

Context matters — especially in the case of Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (1469 – 1527). Whilst Dark Triad jockeys paint a universally negative picture, Machiavelli’s most noted work The Prince contains insight that feels strikingly modern — that those who benefit from the status quo will resist change with all their might, while those who might benefit from change offer at best lukewarm support. If you’ve ever tried to shift an entrenched culture, you may know the feeling.

In this week’s DD we’ll explore whether Nicky Mack was misunderstood. Is he simply a brutally honest observer of political power? Could his clear-eyed realism actually serve as a useful prompt — not for cunning strategies, but for understanding how cultural transformation must take root? And might he, paradoxically, point us toward a subtler way forward?

Maybe Nicky Mack offers more insight than Mick Insey…