This morning will not have the dawn I was hoping for. I admit it. I tweeted last night that I had never been so fearful of an election result. I sensed what was coming. And it duly arrived. A Johnson government was always going to be possible. And now we have one, with a significant majority.
Of course I am worried. We have a prime minister who lies, willingly and persistently and without apparently being aware of the consequences. He is a racist, misogynistic, homophobic, Islamophobic isolationist. He has not the slightest inkling to be green. One of the very few things Jo Swinson got right during her own disastrous election campaign was to suggest that he had suffered an empathy bypass. If that is not enough reason to be worried, note that some of the few actual commitments in his manifesto are all intended to make it harder to oppose his government and to entrench it in power. Democracy is at threat.
And let's not beat about the bush. People have voted to make themselves worse off. And they have chosen to elect a government intent on harming the public services with which they are already unhappy. Whilst the most vulnerable in society will be more vulnerable. And three million EU citizens will become the ‘other' that all of fascist inclination require to create the division that underpins their approach to society.
I make these points for a reason. Before any political analysis of which party won or lost these things have to be said because they are what really matters.
And what matters to me is that people will suffer as a result of last night. And that hurts a very great deal. That and the integrity of our national well-being have mattered to me since I first became concerned about politics almost fifty years ago. Parties have always matters much less. It's the issues that are the priority. And last night my concern for decent, compassionate, caring politics that seeks to build an inclusive society open for all to participate in was trashed by the British electorate.
I will get to party discussion. But this is what really matters.
And alongside it so too do matters like the Green New Deal, tax justice and transparency. They too will suffer badly as a result of last night.
Sure as heck it hurts. I won't be dishonest. This is most definitely not the future I wanted.
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So it turns out that people really did want to ”get Brexit done” more than anything else. On other matters, both domestic and international, the skimpy Conservative manifesto means Mr Johnson has almost a free hand to do whatever he likes for five years (possibly ten: this is a good platform to win the next general election). In some ways this is worse than Trump as US president, because we don’t have strong constitutional checks and balances like the US. And you can expect the government to act to remove any perceived fetters on the freedom of action of this “People’s Government”, to enable it to enact the people’s will. Well, not in Scotland, not in Northern Ireland, not for the 48% of remainers, or the 55% of people who voted for other parties.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1205483645395451905
This is what people voted for
boris’ father
Terrible
Watch it
I certainly does does feel bad – but I honestly did not know what to expect so that dulls the pain somewhat.
We have to accept that the Tories – since getting BREXIT going – have been essentially calling the shots.
Not through leadership mind, but through sowing chaos.
Labour and the Lib Dems walked right into it. That is what it feels to me.
The Tories have blighted my life and they are set to do so it seems for another 5 years – a time when I will be nearly 60 when the next election comes around. I thought that we had suffered enough. Apparently not.
Que more analysis.
Momentum and Lansman are the reason the Labour lost so heavily. The Party needs to really group. The middle class intelligentsia bias of the membership is so polarised from its core vote. This has to change. The hard left approach just doesn’t resonate.
Truly, I think we have already lost democracy. In my opinion this Conservative election landslide has been won by:
– the non stop demonisation of Corbyn in the MSM since he was elected leader
– the vocal antisemitism smears endlessly amplified by the MSM made by the Jews with known allegiance to the Israeli Government and to the Conservative party; strangely those jews who spoke out against this were never given air time,
– blatant lies made by the Tory party and targeted via facebook / social media direct to people
– significantly greater money flowing into the Tory coffers from all the usual suspects ie hedge funds / climate change skeptics/ Russians https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/revealed-the-elite-dining-club-behind-130m-donations-to-the-tories/
We no longer have a functioning democracy.
This is full of anti Semitic tropes and blame. And you wonder why labour lost, it’s everyone else’s fault. If this is how you respond to a resounding defeat then there is no hope for labour.
I have suggested elsewhere that Labour doesxvreally need to end its obsession with Israel and Jewish issues
I am nit wholly convinced by your claim
But after the reaction period is over all such debate disappears here
Here’s an appropriate comment;
….as H.L. Mencken — a deeply anti-Semitic and generally rather vile character, by the way — in his oft-used quotation had it, “democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard”.
Whilst it may sound like sour grapes the tory share of the vote went up by just one percentage point from the election in 2017 and yet they gain over 50 seats and a massive majority. The lib dems, for who I have little sympathy, went up by four percentage points and yet they lose one seat. Such is the weird outcome of our voting system which does not reflect the ‘will of the people’.
The mandate for Brexit is somewhat diminished by pro-Brexit parties winning 46 per cent of the vote. The one issue Brexit party is now a busted flush and Mr Farage should consign himself to an infinite purdah and resist any BBC invitation to exceed his record breaking appearances on Question Time.
A sad day indeed.
Prof You could not have done more. Thanks.
Sorry — we the people failed to believe in hope
Sorry to all the people who believed and have been crushed.
The CITY Won the British people LOST. .
The postwar social democratic covenant has been betrayed by its grandkids and the ancient powers finally after 40 years of relentless pressure — Thatcherism Triumphant.
Her NuLabInc bastard children colluded. It feels like 1983 without the SDP breakaway spoilers — replaced this time by the Brexit liars instead.
The brexit party spoiler by only standing in seats tories could win worked. and nicked deluded Labour voters who bought their lies.
Bannons mega US billionaires and their alt- rightist Faragists have set us on a path of corporatist future rule — we will be owned and judged by them.
Low turnout added to damage. The winter election ploy worked.
The grand children and great grand children of the postwar social democratic state — destroyed their ancestral legacy.
They bought into the prewar Downton Abbey elitist worshipping idyllic lie.
The price will be high for their grand kids.
The Gauntlet was mighty — Pompeo promised it and they threw EVERYTHING at it.
Propaganda and postal ballot stuffing immense — there is no way IDS could have won otherwise.
The mudslinging stuck.
The gaslighting worked.
The HARD brexit is a zombie arisen.
The Trump Trade deal will make us their 51st state.
We will be a Singapore on Thames.
The Tax havens will remain.
The rich will get richer.
The EU will not make it easy and many of their settled peoples will be packing now — their decades of being British taxpayers but not able to vote means they have been sacrificed.
Floods of poor 3rd world refugees will be imported to do the dogsbody work. The 21st Century Windrush will be bigger as we need more younger people to look after our old — the racists voters have guaranteed their own worst nightmare.
Sorry for us in England & Wales.
Goodluck Scotland the battle for independence will be as ugly with all the same forces lined up against you.
To everybody who believed — Sorry
Sorry sorry sorry.
Well I’ve woken up and it’s 1983 again and I’m 19. Labour led by an aged lefty. The longest suicide note in history. Then there was the Falklands war, now it’s brexit.
Labour can faff about for 10 years then appoint Tony Blair and start to win elections or we can just go straight to the Tony Blair thing.
Blairism is dead, get over it already. He’s toxic to literally everybody.
I have to say it is a dead ideology, I hope
But he knew how to win
Labour could learn from that
For a few minutes, remove what you know about Economics / MMT. Put yourself in the minds of the 99% of the people in this country who don’t have a clue. To these people these appear to be facts, since we’ve been told them from a very early age.
1) The government uses our Tax to fund spending, and is totally helpless to do anything without this money.
2) Leaving debts to our children will leave them worse off. And is immoral.
3) Taxation will hurt companies, the economy, but most of all it hurts the economy.
From these ‘Facts’ we can derive Brexit:
1) Sending £350million / week to the EU is totally unaffordable when our public services are in crisis.
2) Immigration is causing undue stress on the NHS, which the country can not afford.
It makes Labours plans unaffordable.
1) Where are you going to get the money from for Wasbi women?
2) Where are you going to get the money from to pay for student fees?
3) Your idea for free internet for all is pie in the sky.
It puts the rich against the poor.
1) The rich pay the vast chunk of tax. If those scroungers just got there arses in gear, it would fix the country.
2) The reason that people are destitute, is entirely due to their own decisions. The government has no ability to help them, There is no magic money tree.
And that is it. putting the lies of Antisemitism aside (the other reason for election loss), the Thatcherite lie of taxpayers money, which runs through both the right wing, and the vast majority of the left wing , will ensure that Labours policies will never be taken seriously.
Its a tragedy that Labours advisers continue to refuse MMT – as mentioned elsewhere, I put much of the blame on them for loosing this election. It will not change, ever, while the public believe the taxpayer myth.
Tony
Well put
Thanks
Richard
You forgot to throw in the myth (which stretches back at least 243 years to the publication of Adam Smith’s “Wealth of Nations”) that private sector markets always self-optimise economies and governments just hinder this process. The Labour Party is going nowhere until it understands it has to get its head straight on economic and monetary system matters and then mount a large campaign to teach this to voters linking it to how the nation can do its part to tackle climate change.
I totally agree with you wit regards to MMT. I have explained it to people and they go ooooook! duh. I had one guy who said to me he was economic graduate ( me think he was lying ). I asked a simple questions, where does the £ come from, which comes first taxes or the £? Blank answers.
I had one guy just ignore everything i said and he then said corbyn is a liar. I asked him for evidence, none, bojo was the next prophet. There is one small comfort or i should say one small and one big one . Bojo does not need the right wingers vote no more and bojo is going to screw and betray his voters big time.
What then when he does, he says brexit done but leaves the EU, only to keep paying year and year out while the transition period. We are going to be in it for 5 to 10 years easy . The trade deal will take years to agree upon, but hey bojo has 5 years. I suspect he will lose poll rating pretty smart once people see they have shafted them.
These people vote for racists reasons in my view. So called red wall, i live in it. Hear What i have found, most do believe brexit will do any harm to the country, most believe a government is like a house and do believe money is created out of nothing. I told them you standard of living is kept very very low on purpose they just laugh at me. I told them banks created money out nothing, laughter, even bank clerk laugh.
Most are racists, islamophobe and nasty, how do i know i have heard them, they have said it right in front of me. i asked well known sports clubs help people out, one did with but it caused tension with other club leaders, they did not want to help. One is a tory he helps, but hates the homeless, and things no else works as hard as him. Others say its envy and people who vote labour want others people money. I told him to pay his workers £15 per hour and get off corporate welfare lol Silence.
I found a political home for the first time of my life in corbyn’s labour. I never say this about any man but i love the guy (none homosexual) . It is a tragedy of epic proportions,. history may remember him as as disaster for such a good man. I do not trust the labour party or any political machine it and is too class ridden. I betting labour will go very right wing, with the new leader. corbyn is right not resign immediately. I think he is trying to stop that knee jerk reaction, all the corbynistas are deserting corbyn like rates off ship and they are damn disgrace.
History may be kind to him though when is proven right, and i think he will be.
@ Tony Weston
Much agree with that – I reached a similar conclusion
http://www.progressivepulse.org/politics/self-immolation-is-a-new-political-fashion
Thanks Peter
Neat summary
Amen to your comments Richard.
Casting about for positives, I can only see one, an end to uncertainty. Please God the need to please the new northern voters will mean an end to austerity and its dreadful consequences.
We can hope
Excellent summary by you Richard. I fully agree.
Progressive forces have to fight the 85% of newspapers sold which support the Conservatives; a supine BBC which omits vital information and the financial muscle of the 1%.
Perhaps even Labour will now have to consider a proportional voting system. It is the only way we stop minority rule. The evidence is still that the majority don’t want Brexit.
I think we may now be facing the breakup of the United Kingdom. Wasn’t there a survey which showed Tory party members would prefer the separation of Northern Ireland and Scotland than not having their Brexit.
So perverse voting systems give Trump the presidency with 3m less votes than Clinton and Johnson just 43.6% of the electorate.
Two years ago at the last General Election and two years before that at the one before, I was dismayed that such a large proportion of the population in this country could be so blind or ignorant or nasty as to vote for the most right-wing, neoliberal, proto-fascist government we’d seen on these islands since Thatcher. Yesterday we collectively had the chance to change course.
Our society failed the test. Even more people have willingly submitted themselves to dictatorship than before. It’s now a firm trend and one not to be reversed in my lifetime. Not because people will not eventually see through the lies, nastiness and deceit but after yesterday they will not be allowed to do anything about it even if they wake up and want to. We’ve passed a critical threshold.
This is self-mutilation by a society.
I’ve woken up this morning to the fact that I live in a country where the majority of citizens act as concentration camp guards; they choose to have a soul-destroying precarious life in a dictatorship rather than stand up for what is good.
For the first time in my life I don’t recognise my country.
Yesterday morning I went to book an appointment with my doctor for a minor matter, the date I was given was the 9th Jan, effectively a month! My local surgery does have an emergency appointment procedure, but it’s not easy getting one and I didn’t feel that I needed to ask for one. Still, this is what little England has voted for. It didn’t surprise me at all what happened yesterday. I said before that Labour cannot win over little England with leaders like Corbyn, the second coming of Michael Foot. Even when up against a cretin with borderline psychopathic and soft fascist tendencies, the left can’t win. FPTP is no longer Labour’s friend as increasingly we move towards a one party with soft fascist tendencies FPTP little England state.
I optimistically hope that now the clown has to take ownership of what happens next, it will be very clear on who to blame when it doesn’t exactly work out. Mind you, the Tories and their friends in the press are always very good at shifting blame with a “not me responsible guv” attitude that somehow always seems to work with little Englanders. It was remarkable how the Lib Dems got the blame for everything that happened in that austerity coalition. They are still getting the blame! For now Corbyn stays on. I think like Marxists he seems to believe that eventually the plebs will become class conscious and see the light. The reality is that since 1979, 40 years, they have only won with Blair by stealing the Tories clothes. Hard, cold, reality.
Well the MRP polls by yougov is a busted flush and so were all the polls – all got it wrong. Not unless of course there was some cheating going but i have no evidence of that.
There a few points here. One I am desvated, two: hard left Corbyn was not, SNP away more left than New Labour, even the old labour party before Corbyn, Wales was elected on a left wing manifesto. Then you got the english votes which run into their millions, I know the idiot Johnson on tv said it was all Jon lansman fault and Corbyn was a cult. He totally misunderstand the reason why corbyn was so loved and he is not. Or he does not care!
There were two Corbyns: one was before the 2015 leadership election and the other after 2016. In the former, when he was asked any question,without hesitation he gave an straight answer. It was totally honest where other opponents gave none answers. That is why Corbyn was elected twice. He was a breath of fresh air, a man who did not care about the media, what they said, and just gave honest answers. If we had that man now he be prime minister .He changed, not through corruption but by the pressure of the job and the need to professionalised his role. He started to go for an image and not give straight answers any more. In others words he became just another politician who gave no straight answer, ie brexit, anti semitism., In other words he gave up his most valuable asset, him, his personality, his beliefs, his honesty and allowed it be shaped by media professionals with £500 suits and expensive clothes. When he first came to office, he knew the media hated him, he knew they would destroy him if he allowed it. He forgot that especially after 2017 general election.
So he become the norm again, he was seen as the same. just another rotten dirty politician who was is in for himself. The anti semitism row blew up, started I think by Luciana Berger, she has to share some blame for the mess but more on that later on. So others jumped on the bandwagon hijacking Corbyn’s efforts, along with his new style of answering questions, it was made to look he was not acting on antisemitism complaints. It just got out of control, the more he stuck to media lines, the more scripted and awkward. He looked he should of just been honest, strong and forth right. I think he was frightened, did not know what to do, and overwhelmed. So you had cohorts after cohorts of labour MPs parking on tv with stage events ie Ruth Smeeth with 50 supporters etc. Corbyn could not deal with it or was frozen. I sure he wanted to come out and be honest but his advisors said do this and do that. He did not take action on it. The row got more and more serious and then the rest is history. His failure to deal with anti semitism row from the start, was the beginning of the end for him.
There is no mass anti semitism within the labour party, labour mps who were jewish were not getting attacked by labour members enmasse, most of the people doing with it were outside the party. Sure they may be supporters but labour had no control. Corbyn had lost the narrative, lost his self, lost the genuine nature of the man. I met Corbyn twice, he was fantastic and kind, one he was dressed smart but not in designer clothes, the other was with scruffy shoes, shirt and work like pants. I loved it. Bojo copied this mannerism to some extent, they loved his bumbling, Corbyn did it first.
The enemies within labour party sense a weakness, and went for it. So they weaponized the antisemitism attacks and the dirt just stuck. Corbyn’s media team et al were crap, they sent him to the wolves, to be eaten by lions. Day after day, Corbyn was this, Corbyn was that, no counter narrative appeared. Corbyn’s said sorry for the anti semitism within the labour over and over again. That was an admission it was seen as serious problem, even though it was not, but that did not matter to the media or his enemies in the labour party, it did not matter to the jewish community who were being used as weapon to hit Corbyn with.
The Jewish media in the UK were against him because of his pro palestinian views et al, they wrote a shared piece saying he is a threat to jews in the UK even though report after report said anti semitism was not a big issue in the UK. The house of commons antisemitism UK report said there was no major anti semitism problem within the labour party. This is did not matter, no one cared, the jewish community being fearful of antisemitism was played like fiddle, Then the Chief Rabbi and the Archbishop of Canterbury came out. It was clear numerous jewish organizations were siding with a hard right racist tory party. This is not knew, they did the same same in the US and sided with Trump. Of course we have a zionist organization who did a deal wit the Nazis.
It was a big mistake for the jewish community to allow themselves to be used and to be sucked into british politics in this manner. As David Graber said “stop crying wolf” because your alienating the very people who will come to defend the jewish community when the nazis come. He is right but of course it fell on deaf ears, and like him I am worried for the future of minorities in the UK now Bojo has won. This is especially true of the jewish community’s involvement in the downfall of Crobyn. Many will not forget and this, and that includes me. I resent it profoundly that they called a peace loving man, a man who defend jews and other people from racism. I resent the fact they help to put in a hard right government in power. I also note the irony of the charge against Ken Livingstone when he said zionists did a deal with Hitler. To put it simple jewish community hooked up with hard right “conservative party”, it happened in the US, it cannot be forgotten. and certainly labour will never forget it.
I am not being anti semitic i do not hate the jewish people i hate their actions in this debacle. It was deeply wrong in what they did but also I recognised they were also manipulated and used. Many will come away with the view the jewish community is extremely powerful and should not be messed with, it will give proof to the lie they are powerful beyond means. Some will say the Jews help to get rid of corbyn. The charge is not without foundation and i fear that some people who will be enraged by this. Racists and bigots will used it for their own evil ends. David Graber and Norman Finkelstein have said the above as well, do not use anti semitism as a weapon. It has been ignored. I know not all jews were against corbyn, but they were ignored and marginalised.
I think anti semitism will grow in the UK and it will come from the left where there was known, because of the above. The right will continue to attack the jewish community regardless but the supporters of Boris Johnson will be especially angry if he does not deliver Brexit. As we know Boris is not to be trusted, but a zombie tory supporter do not care and trust him. They wanted to brexit done and boy they will get done, they will be done like like kippers on a hot stove. I have asked tories what will they do if Boris does not deliver the breixt they want and i just get silence. My view is they be so engrage at Boris and he will lose his polls ratings but they will also look for easy targets who support him and yep you guessed it the jewish community. They will also attack black, muslims,LGBTS etc but their main aim will be the jewish organizations. Furthermore this election was deeply racist, deeply divisive, based on lies and distortions, the ones who supported Bojo will be enraged when they realised they have been shafted but cannot do nothing about it.
The is country has voted in a party which will make use all poor and again when the supporters of Bojo will see their living standards drop, the nhs privatised, their jobs gone they will move to their nearest targets. The is no doubt Bojo can do three different things he can take us out of the EU Dec 2020 with a hard brexit He can give into the EU completely to get a deal at any price, or extend the transition period for years on end and take on the ERG by doing so. I think he will go for the latter, not risking any deal that will hurt the economy hoping people will forget. So the Uk could be in the transition period for 10 years, after all he has got breix done by Jan 2020.
The main thing is this country is screwed big time we will live in limbo land for years or dump out the EU with -9% loss no deal or -7% GDP with Boris dea. Neither three scenarios are great but the second one is good for trade and travel. He will hope the public will forget it and move on. He could in years to come offer a new referendum on staying in the EU if he takes that course. I certainly do not think the scots will leave the UK as they have to cut £13 bn per from their budget. This would mean they would have to have austerity so severe it would make the tories look like socialists. It is not going to happen, not unless they can persuade the EU to help in that regard which is possible but not likely. Ireland is gone though there is a slim chance Bojo may want to renegotiate a new deal.
I think the labour party is will go right wing, it will be very pro israel, it will dump the palestinians and once that happens we will hear no more of antisemitism in the labour party.(if they do go right wing i will not vote for them ever again) However massive inquality in the UK is set to grow, that is a ticking time bomb and if it is not addressed, and the warnings of breixt and 2019 election ignored there could be serious problems along with the ones i have mentioned.
I think we are screwed big time. God says in the Quran, I will give evil men a long rope to hang themselves with. paraphrasing Meaning let them do what they want, they will pay in this life or the next. Life is fleeting.
God helps us all.
I cannot make the point enough – the obsession with Israel on the left has to go
Drop it
It gives the appearance of anti-semitism and always will
It’s one of the many things preventing Labour delivering here
I’m sure your comment here will upset many Labour Members and supporters. They never brought Israel up as an issue!
A coalition of actors with the same interests saw an opportunity in Corbyn’s previous pro-Palestinian activities and utterances. It became the perfect, undeflectable weapon.
We have to hope that any future leader does not also have a weakness that can be exploited in the same way.
I am saying that many Labour members have an unhealthy obsession with the issue when there are vastly more important issues
If Labour members really think Israel is more important than winning elections it has something seriously wrong
If that upsets people – so be it. Stop the obsession is my message. Focus on what matters to getting labour elected
I am not saying anyone is an anti-semite
I am no saying Labour is any worse than the rest of society on anti-semitism
But I am saying nowhere else do I come across this obsession and it is doing Labour no good at all
I hardly ever gave it a thought before.
Pretty pissed off about it now.
Much to agree with from you (thanks) and other posters – all making valid & rational comments, so no point in repeating. Clearly the chances of ever getting PR are now negligible – at least in my life-time. But well done Caroline Lucas who held on to her seat with an increased share of the vote. A solitary beacon of light in darkest England – cue ‘Jerusalem’.
And give credit where it’s due – Isaac Levido masterminded a clever, winning campaign strategy as he did for Scott Morrison (it was probably an easier task for him here as Johnson was the incumbent while Morrison’s victory was against all the odds). I’m sure he’ll be paid handsomely for his talented contribution with both cash and a knighthood, as awarded to his ex-boss. The LP should fire their marketing department unless, of course, Corbyn overrode any saner suggestions they may have submitted. I have zero knowledge as to who was responsible.
But let’s not be churlish in defeat. So many happy turkeys – I mean people – for whom Christmas has arrived early. And not to forget those foreigners (lol) for whom Johnson has ‘made their day’ viz. Trump, Putin, Bolsanaro, Modi, ErdoÄŸan, Duterte, et al.
To remain sane one has to take the philosophical view. Hopefully these are just Gramsci’s transitional ‘morbid symptoms’ before a new progressive order emerges out of the ashes of the old. In the words of the Prophet ‘This too shall pass’. Unfortunately I doubt I’ll be around long enough to enjoy the final victory.
I need a chat with Gramsci on how long he had in mind for that new order to appear
🙂
Interesting, that the standout Labour MP for me is David Lammy. He doesn’t beat about the bush, is articulate, committed and adamant that he represents the people who need a voice in British society. He’s ‘radical’ in the way nitpickery Corbyn never was, and doesn’t back down when he’s challenged. Lammy’s majority in his constituency is massive.
Of course his constituency isn’t necessarily representative of all constituencies. However, he has the charisma and the principles to motivate lots of people. We believe him.
A party leader of his calibre might actually turn this mess around, or at least make a big dent in it. For next time, anyway.
Meanwhile, here in Scotland, we have other fish to fry.
I like him too
He also doesn’t rake prisoners
Corbyn failed on counter attacks, always
100% agree with your sentiments Richard. Feel even more despondent than on that May morning in 1979!
I was doing my finals then
I genuinely don’t recall how despondent I was
I was more worried about other things at the time!
I feel the same way Richard, and as usual the comment section of your post is filled with insights.
Tony Weston captures the dilemma we are in most succinctly. I fear that, in the context Tony describes, with Labours failure MMT has lost a substantial opportunity and its introduction set back to some point in time when the current populist neoconservative perspective embedded in the population has been overwhelmed by events. I have some confidence that, over time, MMT will be understood and assimilated into main stream economics and begin to guide policy, but that will only be at the pace allowed by, and to meet the objectives set by, the ruling ideology. Perhaps we need to spend some time thinking about what advantages MMT offers the hard right, because we can be confident they are doing so. We can be fairly certain that a jobs guarantee program would not be favoured by conservatives and that UBI as a means to subsidise employee costs and cut spending on social programs will be. We can be equally certain that MMT based investment will, in the judgement of neoconservatives, require ‘professional management’ to ensure ‘efficiency’ allowing private enterprise even more access to government funding to the exclusion of the general population.
However, this might prove an opportunity. If MMT becomes embedded in right wing economic thinking it will be difficult for the right to then argue it does not work. Just as the neoliberal meme implanted in the Labour movement succeeded in directing the movement to take decisions that were antithetical to socialist principle so MMT may work to realign neoliberal thinking. Certainly in a competitive context, any economy that understands and employs MMT to the full will outcompete any economy that retains the neoliberal dogma. In a globalised economy the results will be difficult to ignore.
So fear two things. Firstly that the population not only will not understand MMT, it is after all a profound paradigm shift, but will actively reject it as a left derived theory and therefore inherently suspicious. This suspicion will be reinforced by the neoliberal propaganda which supports the rights control. If this is likely, and I fear it is, we will be forced to wait until neoliberal economics has essentially destroyed the economy for the bulk of the working population before they are prepared to accept a different model.
Secondly, we may need to accept that the only way to release MMT into the economy is to adopt a guerrilla like approach promoting the aspects of MMT that might be accepted by the right and then exploit the conceptual gains made until MMT can no longer be denied.
Gloomy prospects I know, but I think we need to recognise that for now the left have lost the argument with the population and we need to exploit the real politic that remains.
That’s because the argument has been so badly put
And he been deeply mired in irrelevance like nationalisation
Rethinking from scratch will be the order of the day
“Rethinking from scratch will be the order of the day”
I entirely agree