This is from Naomi Klein in the Guardian this morning:
Neo-fascist responses to rampant insecurity and inequality are not going to go away. But what we know from the 1930s is that what it takes to do battle with fascism is a real left. A good chunk of Trump's support could be peeled away if there were a genuine redistributive agenda on the table. An agenda to take on the billionaire class with more than rhetoric, and use the money for a green new deal. Such a plan could create a tidal wave of well-paying unionised jobs, bring badly needed resources and opportunities to communities of colour, and insist that polluters should pay for workers to be retrained and fully included in this future.
It could fashion policies that fight institutionalised racism, economic inequality and climate change at the same time. It could take on bad trade deals and police violence, and honour indigenous people as the original protectors of the land, water and air.
Unsurprisingly, I agree.
But I would remind people, this is what Jeremy Corbyn walked away from last year.
And he needs to walk right back to it now.
That, or find a better plan, if he can.
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May I take this opportunity to nominate Noami for the next Labour leadership challenge?
Anyone wish to join me?
After Trump, anything seems possible in politics.
How about Yanis Yaroufakis? Very impressive on Today this morning. And a quick search on Tax Research suggests Richard rates him too.
Yes
I saw this today, with some further insights on the effect of wealth inequality:
http://bruegel.org/2016/11/income-inequality-boosted-trump-vote/
Richard, I will be tentatively provocative because I know you and McDonnell don’t see eye to eye, but much of what he says in this article resonates with me. Yes you can argue about whether he is wrong about the relationship between tax and spending, but looking seriously at UBI and shifting the tax base towards wealth not labour are fairly radical. Where i am frustrated is how long it is taking him and his team to form a coherent programme or set of economic policies. https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.newstatesman.com/politics/economy/2016/11/caught-crossroads-its-time-build-alternative-neoliberalism%3famp
McDonnell is being dragged kicking and screaming towards something coherent
But it is only towards it
And that shows little commitment
Varoufakis was on Channel 4 last night sparring with the renowned establishment apologist Niall Ferguson who must the most forgetful historian in erm…..history it seems. Why ask Ferguson for his opinion?
The Channel 4 presenter was out of her depth I felt and just seemed to get in the way.
But I too really rate Varoufakis.
Ferguson was just rude
And economically absurd
Varoufakis handled him well