Labour leader says former PM ‘set loose our natural entrepreneurialism’ in appeal to Tory voters to back him
      • Tachanka [comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
        27·
        11 months ago

        because to fascists, neoliberals are “the left.” To fascists, the neoliberals are a cabal of “globalists” eroding national interests, the family unit, the traditional culture, religion, etc. Because whatever Capitalism as a system does, fascists attribute to “the left.”

        Marx said:

        The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got the upper hand, has put an end to all feudal, patriarchal, idyllic relations. It has pitilessly torn asunder the motley feudal ties that bound man to his ―“natural superiors”, and has left remaining no other nexus between man and man than naked self-interest, than callous ―cash payment. It has drowned the most heavenly ecstasies of religious fervour, of chivalrous enthusiasm, of philistine sentimentalism, in the icy water of egotistical calculation.

        The fascists see “the left” as responsible for this because capitalist neoliberals are “the left” from their twisted perspective. Fascists often posture as anti-capitalist on this basis.

        Mussolini said in his last testament:

        When it is written that we are the white guard for the bourgeoisie, it is the vilest of lies. I defended, and I state this with full conviction, workers’ progress. Amongst the principal causes for the fall of Fascism I blame the deaf and merciless fight of certain financial and industrial groups who, in their mad egoism, feared and hated Fascism as the worst enemy of their inhuman interests.

        So fascists often see themselves as the “true champions of the working class”. Obviously they aren’t, but that doesn’t stop them from seeing themselves that way. You see it with Trump ranting about the “forgotten man and woman” of the “flyover states.”

        In 1847, long before fascism ever existed as a named doctrine, Engels described “reactionary socialists” in his work “Principles of Communism”:

        [Reactionary socialists are] adherents of a feudal and patriarchal society which has already been destroyed, and is still daily being destroyed, by big industry and world trade and their creation, bourgeois society. This category concludes, from the evils of existing society, that feudal and patriarchal society must be restored because it was free of such evils. In one way or another, all their proposals are directed to this end. This category of reactionary socialists, for all their seeming partisanship and their scalding tears for the misery of the proletariat, is nevertheless energetically opposed by the communists for the following reasons:

        (i) It strives for something which is entirely impossible.

        (ii) It seeks to establish the rule of the aristocracy, the guildmasters, the small producers, and their retinue of absolute or feudal monarchs, officials, soldiers, and priests – a society which was, to be sure, free of the evils of present-day society but which brought it at least as many evils without even offering to the oppressed workers the prospect of liberation through a communist revolution.

        (iii) As soon as the proletariat becomes revolutionary and communist, these reactionary socialists show their true colors by immediately making common cause with the bourgeoisie against the proletarians.

    • Awoo [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
      8·
      11 months ago

      I think it depends. Our safety nets are significantly better and our homeless problem is comparatively non-existent compared to the US homeless quantity. 500k homeless vs 5k to put it in perspective (we use the term rough sleepers for the equivalent of what america uses). The 200k homeless figure we publish includes people living in any form of temporary accomodation, including staying with friends. We have the NHS too, which while strangled and coming apart at the seams is still free at point of service and doesn’t ruin anyone’s lives for using it. Additionally you don’t have to worry about getting shot by our cops which is a slight improvement, although any protesters need to worry about them and they’re definitely the biggest rape gang in the country.

      With all that said however, working people have it rough. The quality of life for people in work is not nearly as good as america because cost of living is so high and wages are comparatively low.

      It really depends on what you’re looking at and comparing. America is more brutal to anyone that has even the slightest mishap in life whereas Britain is not. But Britain is fucking horrific to people at the low to mid income range of work. I think most people would take the security and safety of Britain over America but a lot of upper-middle to high income people would certainly prefer the latter. There’s a reason so many skilled professionals leave the country, they can get better wages elsewhere.

            • usernamesaredifficul [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
              6·
              11 months ago

              oh absolutely it’s going to shit but the American healthcare is already there

              Our healthcare is being deliberately mismanaged so it can be sold off piecemeal and eventually turned into yours

              • janny [they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
                2·
                11 months ago

                Eh, to be honest I think part of the reason why the NHS looks better is because while american healthcare sucks and is too expensive, you brits have never experianced it in comparison to your own.

                I watched philosophy tube’s video about the NHS and honestly it seems like the NHS is a government agency dedicated to wasting tens of billions of dollars to maintain the appearance of healthcare so people can feel good about themselves until they actually need it. I for one prefer to know that at least while I might be financially ruined at a hospital or receiving gender affirming care, at least I can get it.

                • usernamesaredifficul [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
                  4·
                  11 months ago

                  The NHS is very good for healthcare for people with serious injuries and terminal conditions

                  gender affirming care is considered a quality of life treatment rightly or wrongly treated as the same category as old people getting surgeries to walk better, hearing aids, and cataract treatment and the NHS is mismanaged deliberately by people that want to destroy it especially by making it so there are very few resources to go into that kind of care

                  if you broke a leg they would see you that day and have it set free of charge and you wouldn’t need to worry about ambulance costs or networks or anything. They are also good for serious illnesses like cancer

                • Awoo [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
                  4·
                  11 months ago

                  There is a fairly simple comparison to make here, the UK life expectancy is 80.9 years while the US life expectancy is 77.2 years.

                  Healthcare in the UK is bad for anything that is a non-emergency, this is certainly true. You will be treated fast in the US system for these things. But critical care is still very very good.

                  Obviously other factors play into this as well, like diets, health and safety, workplace regulations, food regulations and so on. But I don’t think the NHS provides poor care to those who absolutely need it. The problem is the in-betweens and things like gender care that are politicised topics.

                  You’re also not getting lesser care if you’re poor, which is a major and important factor. Nobody has “bad insurance” here.

  • Awoo [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
    13·
    11 months ago

    Labour radicals of the past would’ve beaten the shit out of him for this. No hesitation, they would have absolutely gone after him for it. And it would have been the end of labour.

  • star_wraith [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    7·
    11 months ago

    Serious question: is there any chance at all some actual leftist party could form in the UK? I mean I’m not talking about a party that could immediately challenge power, but maybe a new party that could immediately become #4 and then maybe pass up the LibDems soon? It’s all still bourgeois democracy but still.