Monthly Archives: September 2010

Not so top of the mornin’

by maxattacks

As you may be aware the IMF recently endorsed the Coalition’s deficit reduction plans, much to the glee of those in BUC”F”, etc. However, similar compliments were said to that of the Irish Government’s austerity actions two years ago. Now no one is saying that the UK and Irish economies and their features are the same (unlike the DC, Gideon and Cleggy who hopelessly used Greece and Canada as examples to justify their austerity measures in a downright scare campaign), but it does give a tell tale sign of what MAY happen if you slash spending, force thousands more to the unemployed register and consequently lowers tax receipts.

Also, if you were watching tonight’s Question Time, the IMF’s credibility was absolutely decimated. Given it was pointed out by members of the audience and the panel that they are totally inept at understanding the social impacts of any real policy they support and how little progress they’ve made with child poverty in Africa.

Max

An inevitable outcome, but, not an inevitable result

by maxattacks

In tomorrow’s Sun is published a significant result for the Labour party. For the first time in three years the Labour party is ahead in the polls http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/blog/archives/2814 at Lab-40%, Con-39%, LD-12%. Yes, it is the tiniest of margins and yes it may be even a freak poll, but it is as significant as the Coalition’s approval ratings slipping into negative for the first time and the public disapproving of the Government’s austerity measures for also the first time last month.

However, do not get complacent! While we may be ahead in the polls a large amount over the next five years, it is certainly no guarantee of victory. Just look at Thatcher’s first term in office, hugely unpopular for most of her term and then went onto win a landslide (though admittedly it is unlikely the Coalition will have any Falkands War to help save them). Labour must be the clear, viable alternative to the Coalition, or else who knows how big the “Big Society” will be or how long will the new age of austerity last as nothing in Politics is inevitable or definite.

Max

Pre-Thatcher media rules

by suzannahrobinson

Following the election of the new leader the Fabian Society has invited us to offer him some “miligrams” – special pieces of advice. Polly Toynbee and David Walker have taken up the challenge in their open letter to Ed in today’s Guardian. Among many other wise, considered and well-researched ideas they suggested “restricting multiple ownership [of the press] and disallow non-British taxpayers [from owning papers and TV channels]“.

And why not? As with many other aspects of the British economy the press has only been a “free market” since Thatcher’s reforms. Higher state involvement in other countries leads to higher quality journalism as there is less need for a “race to the bottom” – the bottom being low-brow sensationalism. Better funding, better research, more original material are all desperately to be desired in a highly-educated but largely tabloid-consuming country.

We’re all in thrall to the moguls, particularly Murdoch. Parties, policies and individuals can all be spun by one of the many branches of News Corporation, and it is chilling that there seems no way out.  But we are free to make our own laws. If he wants to go elsewhere, let him coerce ad terrorise the citizens of America or Australia, and welcome if they’ll have him. To buy up US enterprises he had to take American citizenship, but the Conservative government’s reforms allowed him, as a non-domicile tax exile, to seize a large fraction of our media outlets.

The Daily Mail was bought by the first Viscount Rothermere, and in a family history that could have come straight out of a Jonathan Coe novel, has been inherited by his son, grandson and great-grandson respectively. The family is related by marriage to the Thatchers, and surprisingly enough, is openly Tory supporting.  The Barclay twins, owners of the Telegraph, are notorious millionaire tax avoiders, and they have a zero-tolerance policy towards criticism. Like the Murdoch and Rothermere enterprises their business is characterised by hypocrisy and nepotism.

Whereas the Guardian, Private Eye and other left-wing, relatively independent publications are making huge losses every year. The founder of Wikileaks is subject to libelous claims and has little power to refute them.

Kicking up a fuss about nobility and millionaires in the cabinet is all very well, but the fourth estate is monopolised by them in a far less transparent sense. If “Red Ed” is the man I hope he is then heads, one day, will roll.

Suzy

That was it and now this will be it…

by maxattacks

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Ed Miliband, former Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and MP for Doncaster North has been elected leader of the Labour Party and is now also leader of the Official (and truly only) Opposition. I’d be lying if I didn’t say the media mobbing Ed and also seeing him make his victory speech was rather surreal and even a bit odd (though not in any bad way). His victory was won by the narrowest of margins, 1.3%(!) over his brother, but whatever the system and whatever the margin, a victory is still a victory and is now vital that despite whoever you wanted leader, we all  back him.

Special commiserations for his brother, for being tipped for the last three years as the obvious successor to Brown and then to come so close must be almost heart breaking, but he was mature (and loving) enough to claim that “this is Ed’s day”, so I do hope he can keep his role as Shadow Foreign Secretary.

One thing I did notice, was the apparent glee from the Tory ranks. Apparently, Ed is somehow a return to the 1980s, a “Red Ed” and handing the Coalition electoral success on a platter. Really? For one Ed served Gordon Brown for 13 years as a policy adviser, he’s certainly a far flung from the militancy from that era. And also, they underestimate him at their own peril, hell; 3 years ago barely anyone had even heard of Ed, to turn everything around against all expectations (and his own brother) are something to be taken seriously.

It’s safe to say “New” Labour is truly at end, it is time for Labour to move on from the Blair-Brown era and let the new progressive era dawn very soon. Now bring on the real change and 2015!

Max

This is it…

by maxattacks

At 4.15pm on Saturday the 25th September 2010, the Labour party will have a new leader. They will be someone who will have to take on the Con-Dem coalition and lead the party back to government. Irrelevant to whoever you wanted to be Labour leader out of Abbott, Burnham, Balls, Miliband and Miliband, it is vital that we all rally behind whoever wins (though the bookies are now favouring Miliband the Younger), as what ever differences you may have with them, they can be nothing compared to those with DC, Gideon and Cleggy. And if you’re really sad, they’ve even set up at countdown for announcement of the results http://www2.labour.org.uk/leadership-countdown …..as you do.

Max

Stateside

by maxattacks

Sorry for the lack of activity recently, I have indeed been away stateside so I thought it’d be relevant to blog on events that have been unfolding across ocean while I’ve been there.

Recent polling has been shown that the Republicans have been set to win the House of Representatives and the Senate. But both have had a setback, the infamous Tea Party movement that proved so successful in attempting to derail Obama’s Health Care reforms has now, despite opposition from the Republican party itself, had major successes in the Republican primaries. Famously evangelical right-winger Christine O’Donnell who had the backing of the Tea Party Movement recently won the Delaware primary for the Republican Senate Candidacy against the more moderate conservative Mike Castle. Castle was predicted to beat his Democratic opponent but because of O’Donnell’s victory her Democratic opponent is storming ahead by 11 points.

This pattern is repeated (though to a lesser extent) for Senate candidates in seven states, including Florida, Nevada, Colorado, Kentucky, Alaska and even the Republican candidate for the New York governor. Yes it seems that while the Tea Party are an extremely useful protest branch of the GOP, they are certainly no help what so ever in the wider electoral races. Many pollsters are now predicting the Republicans will at least fail to take the Senate out of the two houses in Congress. 

Mentioning the Tea Part movement, I saw an article in the Observer on a “Million Moderate March”. Organised by Arch-liberal news satirist Jon Stewart in a “Rally to Restore Sanity” from what he regards as the 15-20% of the population that seemed to shout a hell of a lot louder than the other 80%. Banners are being planned to have “I Disagree With You, But I’m Pretty Sure You’re Not Hitler” which is probably the best way to tackle up the flared and angry populist Tea Party movement, simple humour. This will in turn be counter-balanced by a spoof “extremist conservative” rally.Ah, if only I’d stayed a bit longer.

Max

I’m not sorry

by suzannahrobinson

The personal is political, and never more so than on the issue of abortions. What can be more political than a debate which includes facilitates the inclusion of gender, religion, age, class, nationality and health? And, not to put too fine a point on it, what can be more personal than what goes on inside a womb?

I’m so pro-choice that I’m literally incensed about having to describe myself as such, with the alternative implied by the term. And I’m sick of a moral case being made by the “pro life” side which is supposed to have all sexually active women cowering in shame.

In a society that sets great store by scientists that show us exactly how to make perfect babies, and politicians that tell us exactly how to have stable families, surely the biggest pre-requisite for producing healthy children is for the mother to want it in the first place, because no amount of scientific development or government programme can ever supercede parental love.

In the 21st century quality of life is to be favoured over quantity. Rather than having more babies we should be spending more time and attention on the ones that are born, and the ones that we want to have. Choosing the time and father are essential, unquestionable rights for women. The most moral thing to do is to defend abortion rights.

But the coalition is making very worrying noises….

Suzy

The future is in your hands

by maxattacks

Yesterday saw the sending out ballot papers to all Labour MPs, MEPs, Party Members and affiliated Society Members. Who will it be as Labour’s next leader, Abbott, Balls, Burnham, Miliband the Elder or Miliband the Younger? This blog is not here to suggest who you should vote for *cough* Ed Miliband *cough*, but rather to think long and hard, as we are now the sole progressive party with any chance of power in Britain (the Lib Dems are now a bigger sell out than “New” Labour with the coalition agreement and the Tories….well, just ask the IFS) and your vote will count to shaping the future of true British progressiveness (if that’s even a word).

Max