What can we do to change the minds of decision makers and people in general to actually do something about preparing for the forthcoming economic/energy crises (the ones after this one!)?
Labour has treated the environment as an afterthought – that needs to change
We now need to take on environmental issues even more urgently in response to the Tories’ ideological assault on green policies.
The environment isn’t something remote from us – it’s embedded in our communities, in our homes, our streets, in how we keep warm and what kind of world we hand on to our children.
It’s central to this country, and I’m determined, as deputy leader, to ensure it’s central to Labour as well.
Good on you Angie, I hope you never lose site of that goal.
I'm not sure that I would trust Angela Eagle after I had a run in with her on BBC Question Time in Newbury a while ago. She is quite happy to score political points at the expense of the truth. She's a politician through and through!
Having just been to the York Rally of Corbyn's leadership campaign I must confess to being somewhat underwhelmed. His speech consisted mainly of platitudes about the need for more welfare services and an end to the cuts. All of which are easy to agree with, of course. But, there was little or no underlying analysis of the capitalist machine that lies behind so many of these problems. In particular, the system of private money creation. In other words, it was all a bit bland in terms of being little more than an exhortation for society to be a bit "nicer" by applying more generous sticking-plasters to its open wounds. There was disappointingly little by way of argument for the kind of necessary systemic changes that would make those sticking plasters unnecessary. Maybe he was just tired. He certainly looked it. Maybe there is only so much that can be said in this type of rally. Maybe this is just what a very British, "be-polite-and-don't-frighten-the-horses", revolution looks like. I don't know.
Then, on the way out, at the end of the speech and Q and A session, the Socialist Workers were out in force selling the Socialist Worker newspaper with the headline "let them all in". When I asked them at what point, in a world of peak resources and 7 billion people, they would be prepared to accept a limit to inward migration, they looked momentarily nonplussed, followed immediately by the response. "Let them all in with no limit!" . When I further asked them if it concerned them that this would almost certainly provide fertile political ground for the rise of the the far right, they asked me if I was a Tory.
just been trawling round the internet for previous speeches made by Jeremy Corbyn. He has certainly been more overt in previous speeches in terms of his opposition, at the systemic level, to capitalism. which relieves me somewhat.
Of course, there is the thorny issue of migration policy. On this, I find myself worlds apart from him. But, then, I find myself worlds apart, on this particular issue, from just about everyone except the swivel eyed right. And God help me, I can never vote for them. The trouble is, lots of people like me could.
It is not necessary to be a Conservative to believes that limits on migration need to exist and be enforced. The Socialist Worker response of using abuse in the place of rational argument does not prevent the issue of migration being one that needs controlling.
If it is only the extreme right that offer solutions in these area then the poorer people in society will move towards supporting them as it is the poorer people who generally suffer from the competition from recent migrants.
Jeremy Corbyn could restore Labour’s commitment to public ownership
Jeremy Corbyn has signalled that he could restore Labour’s commitment to the public ownership of industry if he succeeds in his bid to become party leader.
The veteran leftwinger has suggested he would consider reversing Tony Blair’s decision two decades ago to scrap clause IV of the party’s constitution which committed it to “common ownership of the means of production”.
The symbolic move was widely seen as a key moment in Blair’s leadership, helping to convince voters that the party could be trusted again in government after the wilderness years of the 1980s.
Good riddance to them. There should be a certain levy from the voting public set aside and then distributed to the various political parties based on a per capita basis of their share of the vote at the immediately previous election. Citizens should also be allowed to donate to a party's coffers on an individual basis with an upper limit on the size of those individual donations. Non UK citizens should be barred from funding any UK political party. Large, private/corporate money should play no part in the funding of political parties.
This is not complicated. It just requires the moral courage of our political class. Something that has been in extremely short supply of late.
Last edited by Little John on 09 Aug 2015, 13:22, edited 1 time in total.
The simplest solution is to limit donation sizes. There is a danger in public funding of parties (beyond the Short money that goes to the opposition and the funding of elected officials' staff etc) which is that it strengthens the central control of parties and reduces the possibility of dissent within the party.
Although money matters it is better to have less of it.
Little John wrote:Good riddance to them. There should be a certain levy from the voting public set aside and then distributed to the various political parties based on a per capita basis of their share of the vote at the immediately previous election. Citizens should also be allowed to donate to a party's coffers on an individual basis with an upper limit on the size of those individual donations. Non UK citizens should be barred from funding any UK political party. Large, private/corporate money should play no part in the funding of political parties.
This is not complicated. It just requires the moral courage of our political class. Something that has been in extremely short supply of late.
WTF? No way. No how. Those politician bastards aren't laying a finger on my money no matter who they are. In addition, it does pretty much stop any new party from getting a foothold either, well done!
Jeremy Corbyn is right to blame the banks, not Labour, for the financial crisis
While other candidates apologise for spending and borrowing too much, Corbyn’s take on austerity and party’s economic record adds up.
I'm really warming to this guy and his ideas.
Having said that, I saw him being interviewed on BBC 24 News this afternoon and I detected a whiff of arrogance which is bound to alienate many would be supporters.
I did explain why the financial crisis occurred and part of it was the peak in conventional oil production. However, it is not well evidenced to argue that Labour's over spending did not make things harder for the UK.
I'm really warming to this guy and his ideas.