Why Labour are Scum

[nino_savatte]

Once upon a time I'd have given Labour some latitude until that speech.

 

[Tankus]

one of kinnocks better ones ...I would have thought

 

[nino_savatte]

Laughable.

 

[maomao]

Laughable.

Compared to the shit politicians come out with 30 years later it's positively fucking revolutionary.

 

[Favelado]

Sheffield 92.

 

[nino_savatte]

Compared to the shit politicians come out with 30 years later it's positively fucking revolutionary.

Witch hunting socialists in the Labour party was "fucking revolutionary"? You'll have to do better than that.

 

[SpineyNorman]

Quimcunx posted it on the Heygate thread below and I just pinched it, I think it came from Occupy London's facebook page originally.

Cheers mate

 

[maomao]

Witch hunting socialists in the Labour party was "fucking revolutionary"? You'll have to do better than that.

I might be thinking of the wrong speech. I couldn't be arsed listening to that welsh cunt. At least there was some fucking socialists to witch hunt in those days.

 

[SpineyNorman]

I might be thinking of the wrong speech. I couldn't be arsed listening to that welsh cunt. At least there was some fucking socialists to witch hunt in those days.

Yeah - cos Kinnock hadn't finished the witch hunt.

 

[maomao]

Yeah - cos Kinnock hadn't finished the witch hunt.

I'm only 38, I don't remember that shit. I thought it was the 'don't get old etc.' speech.

 

[SpineyNorman]

I'm only 38, I don't remember that shit. I thought it was the 'don't get old etc.' speech.

I'm only 34

 

[ymu]

Where is the mass movement demanding austerity?

 

[yield]

With the Confederation of British Industry, British Chambers of Commerce and Institute of Directors.

 

[Captain Hurrah]

This has always been the mantra right across the Left - even from those with no patience with the consistent pro capitalist status quo record ofall previous Labour Governments . Defenders of this position rightly point to the very real gains made for the working classs by some previous Labour Governments, the post WWII Welfare state obviously being the biggie. TODAY though does New Labour really have any residual connection or loyalty to its traditional working class base ? One only has to look at the social background of the current Parliamentary Labour Party, the money they got/ get from snake-eyed capitalist firms, the penetration of their ranks by "advisors" seconded by Price waterhouse, etc, and the pro-banker, pro capitalist policies of the blair/Brown era, to see that the old mantra is now wildly outdated. The likes of scum like Alan Johnson, entirely dependant on his trades union career for his current status and lifestyle, feels perfectly comfortable , just the other day, to verbally piss on trades unionism yet again ! New Labour have morphed qualitatively over the last 30 years or so, from a generally collaborationist but nevertheless mass reformist party of organised labour and the working class, to a purely pro-capitalist party, competing only on the fine policy detail of the shared neoloberal economic/political/social agenda. If New Labour were in office today they would be implementing pretty much the IDENTICAL austerity policies of the Coalition. They might be doing it more gradually, and with crocodile tears, but implement them they would. Unlike the class hate-filled Tories, Labour has always understood the need to "boil the (working class) frog ... sloooooowwwly" in case we get too angry, see clearly what's going on, and leap out of the societal boiling pan and rip their fucking throats out !

With the Trot Left apparently entering long overdue final organisational and doctrinal meltdown, and New Labour utterly lost to any progressive pro-working class role, we all collectively have to seriously start thinking about a building a new mass party of radical left resistance - even if its initially a rag-bag alliance of everyone who simply wants to resist - on the Syriza model. It obviously wouldn't survive forever as a radical route forward - but might at least organise meaningful mass resistance in the medium term. Unfortunately, the chaos on the Trot Left also seems to have given comfort to even more reactionery pseudo-socialist forces - like the neo-stalinist apologists across the blogosphere who currently are salivating at the collapse of the SWP, those who run the "Socialist Unity" blog for instance - cynically masquerading as proponents of openness and free debate , in contrast to the cultishness of the SWP - whilst constantly denying the monstrous crimes of stalinism. One things for sure , if the broad Left are ever to attract masses of normal working class people to their ranks they'll/we'll have to rid themselves/ourselves of an awful lot of ideological baggage and organisational habits -- and stop suggesting, a la that epochal world class philosopher and sage, Owen Jones , that we now need to prioritise "getting a real socialist movement together to get Labour elected !" .

 

[ViolentPanda]

Boris is going to get a safe seat imo so won't be available for role of Mayor.

Not as easy post-2010 as it was before, gem. Local Conservative Assocs don't have the same control over selection as they previously had, so Boris would need Conservative Central office's approval to get on the selection list for a constituency, something I'm not so sure Cameron or any of his clique will permit. Bore-is being too much of a threat to their own positions.

 

[ViolentPanda]

one of kinnocks better ones ...I would have thought

Opportunism and macho posturing don't tend to make for a decent speech.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Sheffield 92.

21 years later, and I still cringe when I hear Kinnock yelling "AAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGHHHHHTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!".

 

[ViolentPanda]

Compared to the shit politicians come out with 30 years later it's positively fucking revolutionary.

Counter-revolutionary, comrade. Counter-revolutionary.

 

[two sheds]

21 years later, and I still cringe when I hear Kinnock yelling "AAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGHHHHHTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!".

He'd have made a fine Apple salesman.

 

[redsquirrel]

Dear God, what a dreadful piece of writing from the Academy supporting toe rag.

m not quite sure how this happened. A week ago I was peacefully writing away in the London Library, thinking February was looking a bit quiet. Then the Eastleigh byelection was called, with an indecent three weeks' campaigning time till polling day. A fellow Labour party member suggested I should be the candidate. I had not been thinking of standing again any time soon, but I saw her logic. So many politics students have been forced to read my book about being a Labour activist in opposition, maybe they'll be under the illusion that canvassing in the rain is all one big laugh? Plus, I had a few press contacts; I could definitely get on to the Breakfast Show for BBC Radio Solent.

 

[sleaterkinney]

With the Confederation of British Industry, British Chambers of Commerce and Institute of Directors.

Like this you mean?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/sep/22/austerity-uk-economic-prospects-cbi

Austerity will harm UK's economic prospects, says CBI. CBI cuts forecast for economic growth in 2011 and urges chancellor to protect investment in public infrastructure

 

[butchersapron]

Like this you mean?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/sep/22/austerity-uk-economic-prospects-cbi

Oh dear if you had only looked a little further down from the very first link on your CBI austerity google (and note that they are all rather more recent than your 30 month old one):

CBI: 'Do not slow down austerity'

The director general of the CBI John Cridland has said the government cannot afford to slow down the austerity programme and that any government under-spend be used to pay down the deficit

CBI cuts UK growth forecasts but backs austerity plans

"The government must stick to its plans to bring down the deficit to maintain confidence in the UK's public finances and keep the cost of borrowing down," said CBI director general John Cridland.

CBI backs Government's austerity measures and rejects calls for Plan B

The CBI "fundamentally disagrees" with calls for the Government to ditch austerity targets in favour of a "plan B".

 

[sihhi]

Dear God, what a dreadful piece of writing from the Academy supporting toe rag.

Have you read his book Things can only get better? Dreary slurry.

 

[sleaterkinney]

Oh dear if you had only looked a little further down from the very first link on your CBI austerity google (and note that they are all rather more recent than your 30 month old one):

Well, I went to bed instead.

 

[redsquirrel]

Have you read his book Things can only get better? Dreary slurry.

No after seeing a few interviews with the prick, I couldn't bear to read his crappy book.

 

[butchersapron]

No after seeing a few interviews with the prick, I couldn't bear to read his crappy book.

Imagine the mark steel book written by articul8.

 

[Jollity Farm]

I think John O'Farrell seems like a nice guy - I have read his book, it was okay. Obviously, that doesn't mean he'd be any good at actual politics or anything, but it'd be a step up from all the politicians we have who are terrible at politics and aren't even nice to make up for it.

Anyway, the Lib Dems will probably win again, because those other people are strangers. O'Farrell's candidacy does seem a tiny bit like Delingpole in Corby, only the former will probably stump up the cash money and hang in there all the way to the election - not least because he's representing one of the country's main parties rather than some pretendy independent cause. Also, Delingpole is not nice at all.

 

[redsquirrel]

A nice man who helped to undermine comprehensive schooling in order to ensure that his own kids got a better start in life.

Fuck him and his Polly Toynbee piss weak Blair-lite politics.

 

[Jollity Farm]

Do you have a comprehensive list of people it is acceptable to consider nice? It would be most helpful.

 

[redsquirrel]

How about any new Labour backers, or those involved in the dismantling of what remains of the welfare state.

Any what makes O'Farrell so nice? That he wrote some shitty book supporting a party that has/is attacking working class communities?