I must confess, for years I have thought there is a way of keeping Capitalism, but making it fairer. The simple truth is our planet is a finite resource. Capitalism only ‘works’ based on constant growth. Barely anyone disputes we are killing this planet directly because of chasing this growth. It is basic common sense to say that, literally, this cannot continue. The faster you accelerate this ‘growth’ (a ridiculous term really as it refers only to the economy, and not to the consequences) that is killing the planet, the quicker the planet dies.
It’s a bit like why private involvement in the NHS, for example, is nothing short of insane-the goal of a business is to make profit (nothing wrong with that BTW), the goal of the health service is to provide the best possible health. At the starting point, ideologically, the two things can never go hand in hand, as then the NHS will always ‘fail’ paying more every time due to private involvement chasing ‘growth’ and cutting costs.
So, there really is not much choice but to eventually replace Capitalism. Though these things are key of course, the change is not for moral reasons, not for political reasons, not even for economic reasons-the change needed is for existential reasons. Literally life or death for us, animals & plants and the actual planet. You can laugh at the thought of overthrowing Capitalism, you can say it’s a ‘loony Leftie utopian pipe dream’, you can be as sarcastic & cynical, as condescending & patronising as you like. None of this changes basic facts though, does it?!
Pretending this is not the case, puts you in the Donald Trump camp of “F**k my own children, f**k the planet, I need more for ME, NOW!” Oh, and it’s one thing to deny science and what is in front of your eyes, it’s another to actively try and discredit/dismiss it.
What Labour are offering now in their economic plans is supported by the best Economists in the world, over 130+, including Nobel prize winners, based on the National Investment Bank & Regional Investment Bank system used by Germany etc (so unless you think the best economic minds alive & Germany are crap at economics, you might want to actually listen/read re Labour’s plans) is still a form of Capitalism-it is Keynesian economics. Much fairer Capitalism, the kind the worked under Attlee when they built the NHS/Welfare State/National education System/Nationalised Trains and some Energy industry etc, when debt was 250% of GDP-now approx 88% (up from 30-odd% when Tories took power in 2010)-when we were TRULY broke after WW2. *
This method grew the economy as did the New Deal in the USA. Which is why the new breed of Democrats in the USA, and Labour under Corbyn & McDonnell in the UK, are calling for a ‘Green New Deal’ (a defacto non-racist one, too!). Literally because, if you want the planet to survive, the facts state we have no choice!!! No matter what Trump, the CONservatives, a lot of mainstream media, the Republicans, the Lib Dems, The ‘Centrists’, (No!) Change UK aka TIG aka Tinge, Britain First, Tommy Robinsons, UKIP, the EDL, BNP etc etc tell you.
This is the stepping stone to save the planet. Though parliamentary politics is only one aspect of our Movement, it is a key one, obviously. Until we change those who won’t change, or only pay lip service, we still lose. All of us collectively as a race and planet. This is WAY beyond ‘normal’ politics. We need to take enough people with us to start what may already be too late-basic common sense re consumption & production. Basic maths. Basic science.
So, yes, we literally have no choice but to change away from Capitalism. What Labour offer here in the UK, and the membership/non-bought Democrats in the USA offer is that stepping stone to recovery. If this world continues to believe what continues to destroy, by lying to everyone that there are no consequences chasing growth that only 1% will see benefit from anyway (before they die with the rest of us due to environmental breakdown), then it’s too late to say “Actually, can we change our minds…they were correct re this climate stuff”. There will be no option, apart from mass extinction, of course.
Let’s finally wake up, eh? Let’s smell the coffee while we still can.
In Solidarity, Adam Samuels
* Before someone says the usual BS line of “Labour will bankrupt the economy! How you going to pay for it all!”:
OK, since 2010….Tories have borrowed more than every Labour government in history. Combined. Historically they have always been worse re economics. https://dorseteye.com/the-conservatives-have-been-the-biggest-borrowers-over-the-last-70-years-2/
Of course, borrowing is not the issue, but borrowing AND implementing the COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY (as Redwood & Hammond both effectively said recently), economically stupid (it has never worked) austerity shows how shocking they are re economics. We have the slowest growing economy in the G7. As I say, we are on course for a SECOND UNPRECEDENTED decade of wage regression and stagnation. Record homelessness, foodbank usage up from 41,000 to over 1.3 million now (limited to 3 times in six months, have to be referred by GP or SS). Record suicide rates. The BMJ saying that the Tories have DIRECTLY caused, due directly to austerity, nearly 200,000 unnecessary deaths due to austerity. That’s the BMJ. Housing crisis, record wins against government on appeal. Being investigated by the UN for human rights abuses against disabled people. My terminally ill mate getting his benefits cut-AGAIN, so he now has to be put to bed at 2pm as no money for carers-this at exactly the same time they give another tax cut to the very richest. NHS spending per head going down year on year to manufacture the biggest crisis the NHS has seen in modern times. It’s not a coincidence that the man who co wrote a book on how to privatise the NHS and what to do thereafter is now Health Secretary. May point blank refused to rule out the NHS being part of any future USA etc trade deals-i.e. TTIP mark 2.
Neo Liberalism has failed. Is failing and is even rejected by all outside the Tories and the mega corps as a sensible way forward under Capitalism. The Tories are doing EXACTLY what they say will crash the economy under Corbyn, only they are giving that £ to big business/banks. That money is NOT being distributed as agreed, and no penalties for this. Indeed, the Tories make Lords of out people like former HSBC bosses who collectively helped cause the crash, only to seem them vote FOR benefits cuts to the very people whose lives they ruined. No jail time, just hundreds of millions in bonuses and voting against those most affected.
The STATE bailed out Capitalism here and around the world-a basic understanding of Capitalism (which I am not against per se BTW), is biggest investment = biggest return. So, the State (correctly BTW) bailed out the banks. Therefore, the money eventually flowing back in should mean public finances are awash with money. Instead we got austerity. Nonsensical and ENTIRELY political and ideological.
Labour’s economic plans are Keynesian economics-backed by 130+ of the world’s top economic minds including Nobel Prize winners. It’s based on what Germany and others have also used so well-National & Regional Investment Banks. Attlee built the NHS, a Welfare State and a National Education System, from scratch, when debt was approaching 250% of GDP-when we were TRULY broke. We are the 5th-7th (depends how you work it out) richest country on earth. Debt is currently approx 88% of GDP. So, of course we can do what Corbyn suggests. There is no other choice unless you want to perpetuate Neo Liberalism and mass inequality.
As much as I was no fan of Blair & Brown, they did not crash the economy-the greed of those selling sub-prime mortgages in America helped start all that. The Tories, as Osborne recently confirmed, backed every penny of Labour’s spending at the time, too. The Tories have missed every single one of their OWN fiscal targets.
So, unless we have cultural, economic, social and mainly political change, this just keeps on repeating. The myth of the Tories being economically competent is just that-a myth. As this shows re Thatcher (who, BTW, had negative growth for half her reign. She also, for most of her reign, had taxes set way higher than what Corbyn suggests):
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/datablog/2013/apr/08/britain-changed-margaret-thatcher-charts
