I never thought the first full year under a Tory\u00a0government\u00a0since 1996 was going to be easy. And it wasn't.<\/p>\n
The Tories proved neoliberalism doesn't work. If you take away the life support of the state the economy does not grow - it shrinks. Some of us had\u00a0predicted\u00a0that. Millions are\u00a0already\u00a0bearing the needless wounds of our not being listened to. Millions more will do so before we get out of this mess. As people are the core of my concern this\u00a0guaranteed\u00a0this was a bad year. The wanton destruction of hope for millions in so many ways is testament to the bankruptcy of\u00a0thirty\u00a0years of economic thinking from our political mainstream, right wing dominated as it has universally been. The export of that message of despair into the EU has created a contagion of neoliberal toxicity that will wreck the lives of millions more throughout the continent.<\/p>\n
Labour has yet to lay out a strong enough\u00a0alternative\u00a0- and the\u00a0continuing\u00a0sore of New Labour needs to be jettisoned before it can do so. I'd argue the alternative\u00a0might\u00a0be found in The\u00a0Courageous State<\/a> - but then I would.<\/p>\n It was a good year for the Green Party and the SNP. The former pleases me. The break up of the Union worries me as a habitual resident of East Anglia, but we now have to admit it's on the agenda. Labour, in\u00a0particular, ignores it at its peril.<\/p>\n Unions found their voice this year and showed that they could act for their membership. Many were enocuraged by that.<\/p>\n Occupy took almost everyone by suprise and are changing the terns of debate. That was a highlight of the year.<\/p>\n