For the Record

Had a whole blog-post on this subject, which I may revisit, but for now, I'll just note that the chart on the left below, which they really should update with the numbers from 2015 (to the right) tells a pretty clear story about what has happened to parties in the UK over the last several decades, a pattern that is also seen in the United States and other countries.  And that my politics are largely a response to that steady shift towards more authoritarian/right policies by the mainstream parties.

Nick Clegg's Annihilation Lap

Watching this reminds me of my ongoing reaction to the hullabaloo regarding the Supreme Court's decisions on so-called 'ObamaCare', aka the ACA.  I don't want the fascist asshole Republicans to get their way in denying insurance to people by constantly attacking the healthcare-law they christened 'Obamacare' despite it being modelled on their own party's proposals in the 'nineties for an alternative to the plan of the Clinton administration.  But the law still sucks.  It's still flawed.  It's functionality still depends upon forcing people to hand over money involuntarily to massive corporations.  And people will still die for lack of coverage, and/or the inability to pay.

Still, arguably horrible law as it is, missed generational opportunity at real reform as it may represent ('May' ?  Who the fuck are we kidding ?), the fact is that people can obtain healthcare in the United States now who couldn't before, and who might not have been able to shortly if the Supreme Court had agreed with the latest (completely bullshit) attack on the ACA.

What did Nick Clegg's sellout buy any one ? The idea that he prevented a global economic meltdown by getting into bed with the Tories is absurd -- Every nation on Earth faced similar political considerations, including the far-more financially significant United States, but where else did a political party feel the need to sell out generations' worth of political principle for short-term power ?  And if the Lib-Dems had not done a deal with the Tories, what ?  What evidence was there at the time even remotely suggesting that there could be catastrophic outcomes without the coalition ?  What evidence since ?

It pains me to watch this, because I'm inclined to like Nick Clegg, to root for the Liberal Democrats.  Even now.  Even despite all that fucker has done to destroy his own party's brand.  And especially as the so-called Labour party seems divided between possibly genuinely loony Marxists like Corbyn and complete right-wing frauds like the rest of the scumbags vying for leadership.

And that's all I have to say.  I feel the need to say something witty, something controversial perhaps, but no, this asshole just makes me sad.  His incompetence, his idiocy, his vanity...all of it...just...makes...me...sad.

First Caroline Lucas, now Paddy Ashdown

Lord Ashdown, the former Liberal Democrat leader, is calling for the progressive forces in British politics not to retreat into post-election tribalism but to work together to try to agree a broad policy agenda for a future non-Tory government.

Ashdown is the most senior politician on the centre-left since the election to call for political cooperation among progressive forces, a move that would effectively end Nick Clegg’s policy of placing the Liberal Democrats politically equidistant between the main two parties.

Ashdown suggests the Lib Dems, Labour and the Greens, along with others interested in reform, should set up a convention to discuss a joint progressive agenda. He stressed Labour and the Lib Dems had to maintain their independence, and he was not in favour of electoral pacts on seats, or any kind of formal organisational cooperation.

Ashdown, who was appointed by Clegg to be the Liberal Democrats’ election co-ordinator, said: “I think there is a case for creating a framework before the European referendum where the progressive forces come together.”

He told the Guardian it was time to end the fractures on the left: “As we – all of us on the left and centre-left – survey the wreckage around us after the last election, we should ask ourselves this question: is this the moment for us to retreat into tribalism, as we always do? My answer to that question is ‘no’.

“There is much we disagree about, but there is more that we agree on. The environment, civil liberties, internationalism; how to build a strong economy within the context of a fair society; how to devolve power to our nations and communities in a way which preserves our national unity, not threatens it; the need to tackle the intolerable gap of inequality which will soon threaten our social cohesion as well as our economic success. 

“Above all how, by working sensibly together where we are able to, we can save Britain from a government which, whatever David Cameron’s instincts, is now increasingly driven by its right wing who are hell bent on policies which will threaten our social cohesion, our national unity, our place in Europe and our standing in the wider world.”

Ashdown said he accepted Labour’s first instinct would be to return to tribalism, especially during the current leadership election “but they will soon realise that the old tribalism will not solve their problems”

Will they now ?  Hmm, why am I sceptical ?

Ashdown himself as Liberal Democrat leader in 1995 abandoned political equidistance, putting his party explicitly to the left, but then found his plan for deeper Labour-Liberal Democrat cooperation stalled when Tony Blair won an unexpectedly massive Commons majority in 1997.

There's the rub.  Tony didn't need the Lib-Dems for power, and why would he share it ?  Just as the Tories, who spent the last five years sharing government with Paddy's own party, suddenly want nothing to do with them now they can rule alone.

Because most politicians want power.  Even if they enter politics with the best of intentions, they eventually find themselves tempted to water their principles down in the name of winning power -- just a little here, then a little there -- got to get inside the system if you want to effect real change after all...

Caroline Lucas and Ashdown appear to be talking about principles.  They can afford to, with their parties so far removed from any possibility of actual power for a generation at least.  But Labour's still talking about winning elections.  About learning the lesson, of the electorate apparently not buying what they had on offer in the last bid.  Because that's what it's all about: giving people what they wanttelling people what they want to hear, then screwing them over as soon at the election's over.  It's a business, a retail-outfit.  No principles required.

The lesson Labour learnt from the last election is that the only way for the 'Labour' party to win is Tony's way: to be no kind of Labour Party at all.  The brand's socialist roots are ingrained enough that they still feel they have to pretend...for a little longer anyway...In fact, I almost pity them them the way they have to bend this way and that to try to sell the majority of the country on at best a centre-right agenda whilst still trying to convince loyalists that they're of the left really.

Probably Paddy & Caroline's best bet is to just forget Labour as any kind of potential ally.  Try to win over their left-leaning voters, sure.  Establish a progressive coalition with other parties, sure.  But Labour's done with the left.  Once they're they finished with their leadership-campaign, with Corbyn there purely for the symbolism, purely to be publicly rejected, they'll not be looking back again.  'Red Ed' was likely their last bid at trying to win elections while retaining any shred of their roots.

If fact a generation from now, people may forget the reason they were ever called 'Labour' in the first place.  Could be like the 'Liberal Party' in Australia.  Just a label.  Just a historical holdover.  Can they transform themselves sufficiently in the next five years to win an election, can they sufficiently distance themselves from the 'Red' labels ?  Doubt it.  They have to own the right-wing agenda, have confidence in what they're selling.  For now they still seem to think that they can con their traditional supporters that they're one thing, whilst actually being another entirely.  For that, they need a professional liar as leader -- another Tony Blair in fact -- and they don't have one.

Anyway, who cares ?  Get on with your progressive coalition and forget Labour.  If you're in politics for the principles that is.


* Yes, I know I said I was going to shut up about Labour.  And when I started to write this, I didn't intend to talk about them at all, other than historically vis-à-vis Tony.  But then I got carried away...

Last Words on Labour for a While...I Hope

Lots of people giving (mostly unwanted) advice to the Labour Party in the UK Media.  So I'll join the club and throw in my two penneth...Just make up your fucking minds already.

Are you the party of the working classes or not ?  Are you a socialist party, a social democratic party, a liberal party, or, as all the evidence would suggest, a wolf in sheep's clothing: a Right-wing party pretending at still having some vague slightly left-of-centre connections.

Either:

1. Just join the Tories already and have done with it.
2. Embrace fully your nominal socialist roots (and yes, quite possibly electoral oblivion)
3. Join the Lib-Dems in trying to resurrect the party of opposition that once was. *
4. Create an entirely new political party...or
5. Resign from politics and shut the fuck up.

You already shat all over multiple generations of Labour-supporters in the Blair/Brown era.  Now you seem determined to convince a new generation of an ever-more vague 'middle way' in which you  from day-to-day somehow represent some hypothetical slightly left-of-whatever-the-Tories-currently-espouse politics, and, you know what....it will fail.  You will fail.  It is pointless.  You, increasingly, are pointless.  If you don't like the name of your party, change it; Or better yet, just change parties.

For Jeremy Corbyn, choice two would seem obvious.

For the rest of the candidates for leadership, were they honest, and not terrified at what that might do for their careers, I'd guess at choice one for the lot.  Were they decent human beings, perhaps choice five.  Were they truly committed to principles rather than political power, maybe choices three or four.

Oh, and for the record, no, I am not a Labourite.  Poor Ed is the closest I ever came, and at this rate, the closest I ever will.  And my personal choice of those I posted above, would...I have to say, however reluctantly, be number three.  The forces of (to use slightly inflammatory language) anti-fascist resistance in British politics have been divided for far too long.  And the term 'fascist' is looking ever less hyperbolic what with the hyper-nationalism, the constant othering of minorities, the renewed snoopers' charter, the indefinite detentions, the torture, the endless war, the corrupt corporate influence, the abuses in the name of the so-called 'war on terror', and so on.

There.  Said my fill.  Now, I'll shut up.**


* Actually, attracting the generally populist but anti-immigrant-supporters of UKIP might be your biggest challenge in said hypothetical coalition.

** Well, on just that subject, obviously...

Charles Kennedy

Photo: Gugliemo Galvin (http://guglielmogalvin.com/)

RIP

God Bless the Unofficial Opposition

This is how it's going to be, isn't it ?  Until perhaps Nicola & Alex finally admit to plans for a second referendum.

If we're honest, the stupid naïve nationalism aside, the SNP is the sort of party would-be Labour-voters (and many Greens and some Lib-Dems) were hoping for when they wrote in an 'x' besides the name of a far less credible and/or far more compromised and corrupted party in Westminster.  Thanks to the last-minute desperate fearmongering of Cameron & co., the Union may only have (last year's seemingly now pointless referendum not withstanding) a few years remaining.  But, in the interim, and with the usual slightly-less-right-wing suspects in Westminster politics utterly impotent, Nicola Sturgeon may well be the Union's best defender of traditional social-democratic values.  Alba gu bràth ?

Breitbart haz a Brilliant Idea

(Headline courtesy Breitbart & UKIP, stupid captions courtesy MS Paint)

Well, if you're looking to convince that percentage of the electorate that isn't already convinced that LibLabCon are all the same, and further strengthen UKIP & the SNP into the bargain, then yeah, go for it !  And take care to make the most of what may be your last government for a good long while.

Nick Clegg's 'Coalition of Grievance'

Fuck you, Nick.

2015 UK Elections Rap Parody

I just love everything about this:

Even more than this masterpiece:

OT, it seems that Blogger just got that one little bit shittier in terms of locating and posting videos from YouTube.  Used to be, if it couldn't locate the video (which happens a lot), you could hack off the identifier, pick something random, and edit the HTML with the right ID.  Now, that option's gone.  Why ?  WTF is wrong with you Google ?