The Political Thread

[ZenArcade]

Well said Butch. On the mark. Z

[Jim_Campbell]

You don't think my argument stands up, I obliviously do.  It's called a difference of opinion and I'll continue to answer your posts when I think you're talking nonsense.

Which is fine. And I'll continue to point out when your arguments don't make a lick of sense. Discussion forum, you see?

Also:

I obliviously do.

Typo of the week.

Jim

[The Legendary Shark]

I encountered a decent idea the other day. Every driver spotted by a camera driving within the speed limit is entered into a monthly lottery, prizes to be awarded out of the money gleaned from speeding fines.
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In a world without privately created money this would be a great idea but, of course, local authorities need every penny they can lay their hands on to service their imaginary debts. It is nevertheless a good example of the kinds of things we'll be able to do once we've seen off the Rothschilds and their greedy ilk.

[Old Tankie]

Thanks for pointing out the typo, Jim, you're such a gent.  I'll be following your future posts with even more interest than I have done up until now.

[Tjm86]

I have to be honest I am becoming increasingly concerned about what exactly the present government are likely to do over the course of the present parliament.  It seems that the worst fears of opponents are not even close to what is actually going to happen.  I think Butch is bang on the money in terms of the discursive framework within which they are working and the manner in which it is appealing to large swathes of the electorate.

The proposed changes to the tax credit system and welfare seem on the surface reasonable, particularly in light of the 'revelation' that larger corporations that have benefited significantly from subsidised wages.  The changes to Union law requiring higher turnout, higher thresholds, introducing criminal liability for certain breaches to challenge perceived abuses  appeal to a perception that unions are out of control and need to be reined in.  As has been mentioned, the review of the BBC is feeding on the view that it is effectively a tax for services that are rarely used in many cases.  All of these are tapping into the twin concerns of recent years, that large corporations and organisations are benefiting at the expense of the 'little person' and that militant unions are itching to return to the heyday of union power in the 70's.

This is all in the last month and they have barely started.  Lacking an opposition and benefiting from largely content and unified backbenchers the likelihood of the government failing to get any of these changes pushed through seems remote.  With that in mind, is it completely unreasonable to fear the worse in terms of a universal 'free at the point of access' health care service being replaced by an American style insurance service? 

[ZenArcade]

There is little hope of an embargo on the government's manifesto. The Labour party are utterly supine and in general not trusted. The administration has free reign to push through what they so choose.  The potential constraints on the right to strike are truly worring in the sense that any organised.opposition to what is about to befall us will be guided or informed by organised labour unions. If those teeth are pulled L, where then are we? Z

[Tjm86]

Could not agree more.  What is more concerning is that it truly does appear that the Tories pulled their punches in the manifesto on the off chance that they ended up with another term in coalition.  They are currently in the middle of a wet dream in which not only do they have a majority (albeit it slim) and a fairly unified parliamentary party, they also, as you say Zen, have a Labour opposition that is, to put it bluntly, in complete meltdown.  What was the old Chinese curse? "May you live in interesting times!"

[sheridan]

Thankfully, the chances of Labour regaining power anytime soon are as remote as the odds on Andy Diggle getting a Christmas card from Pat Mills.

Certainly - I'd bet it's all Yule cards in the Mills household...

If, twenty years ago, you'd asked me what the chances were of student grants being replaced by loans, I'd have said it was unlikely. A decade of bad headlines (about the system being broken and financially unsustainable) later, and all parties suddenly arrive at a consensus - then the Labour party stick the knife in.

A decade?  Last time I was a student was in the 1990s, and grants were nowhere to be seen...

[The Legendary Shark]

Even the most entrenched capitalist can see capitalism is struggling, many of us can see the current system is actually doomed. But does this mean an automatic return to barbarism and a post-Apocalyptic Mad Max world? I have never believed that but what's the alternative? I don't know, but I believe a great opportunity is right there in front of us, staring us in the face. It's difficult, even for optimists like myself, to perceive the new Golden Age coming our way. We can't see the wood for the trees and, furthermore, we can't always differentiate between the rotting trees and the healthy ones.
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The writer of the article I'm linking to below also can't see the wood for the trees but has, I think, realised there is a wood to see and may have glimpsed at least a copse.
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The end of capitalism has begun.

[Professor Bear]

We're a people who won't even sign online petitions, Falcy.  There'll be no revolution.

[The Legendary Shark]

The avalanche has already started, it's too late for the pebbles to vote.

[Professor Bear]

Meaningless platitudes.  People will do what they're told even if it means curfews, rationing, and labor camps.

[The Legendary Shark]

Not all people. The more people who help each other and find their own solutions, the less relevant "authority" becomes. As the article I linked to says, people are finding their own ways to deal with the current situation - as they always have and always will. Going to an entrenched "elite" on bended knee and begging for them to do things another way isn't going to work. Revolutions, likewise, tend not to work - if they fail the rulers simply become more entrenched and if they do work one elite class is simply replaced by another.
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The avalanche is social change powered from the base of society and it's already underway. It cannot be stopped from above. You have the power - whether you decide to use it or not is a decision only you can make.

[Professor Bear]

You are basically saying "do nothing".  That is exactly what they want you to do.

[Famous Mortimer]

You are basically saying "do nothing".  That is exactly what they want you to do.

Absolutely. Revolutions do work, of course (our country has had a couple of rather big ones that completely changed things) - but you can't just opt out of the system with some vague idea of establishing connections outside "authority". The people with all the police and guns will see to it that you can't.