Neal Lawson, the chair of Compass, is asking the right questions in the Guardian this morning:
To take back some semblance of control [in our lives], we can't start from a position of trying to humanise a turbo-consumer society whose every premise, process and principle is about not being human. What place can there be for people if what matters most is profit? What hope is there for compassion in a world of endless competition? When the rewards of those at the top crush every hope beneath them, and the ruthless logic of the market tramples all over our planet, how can we hope to find any meaningful sense of control and therefore freedom in our lives?
Neal is asking exactly the right questions.
I admit I begin this year pessimistic: the state of the economy to which I have referred in the previous blog is not good. It seems fairly obvious we face a significant period of economic change which require a significant change in thinking if they are to be managed effectively. I see no sign that the ConDems have any appreciation of this: worse, their behaviour on the NHS shows they want to increase the stress, uncertainty and straightforward fear that far too many in society suffer from. A few of their MPs may like the idea of chaos. The reality is that 99% of the population do not, and do not want it unleashed on them.
Neal Lawson asks the right questions, and many people will feel them resonate with their inner being.
We urgently need an alternative to the bankrupt thinking of neoliberalism because it is the anti-social nature of its thinking that has created so many of the problems we face.
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Hi
Just wanted to thank you for the blog. I pointed out the NHS situation to a friend who provides services to the NHS and she was horrified – had not realised the implications of what was in hand. It struck me that people actually in/working alongside the service can easily be unaware and need to be informed of what’s going on. I found protesting with UKUncuts it was essential to have flyers with facts and to engage with people regarding why we were there – all of which got a good response. Hoping that our shared pessimism isn’t fulfilled!
At long last someone is reflecting on the need to put the brakes on rampant economic neoliberalism. Surely our 24/7 culture is unsustainable and the tragedy is that many developing countries want to emulate us. They might gain materially and indeed there is a moral imperative for them to have lives devoid of poverty, but I think that they will lose spiritually. We need to pursue policies which will see wealth created both nationally and globally distributed more equitably. I live in hope that politics in the future will be shaped by this ideal.
I have another “right question” that should be asked.
Why do we have laws in the first place?
Why do we have a government to enact those laws?
The answer as far as I can tell, is to make society better on average for everyone, while not impeding anyone’s human rights.
No government should be allowed to act without first passing a basic test “is this good for society?” The answer with regard to the changes to the NHS, the regressive tax rises, the plundering of public resources such as selling off our forests, these are all just good for a few rich people at the detriment of everyone else.
The government are failing their very basic main reason for exiting. We need the goverment to again start acting for the people, not for the wealthy and special interest groups. Acting against society’s best interests for the benefit of the few is the embodiment of evil.
@AdTheNad
How very Rawlsian of you!
And entirely right